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On today’s edition of “Dumb Newbie Questions”…

K

kd410se

New Member
I’m about to take the ASA 101/103 course and then begin looking in earnest for a boat as I work my way through the other courses. As you may have surmised, my search is now focused on a Morgan 38 series, most likely a 382. My dumb newbie question is this:

Am I a fool for looking at a boat this big as a first boat, especially with negligible experience? I’m not looking to cross oceans (not any time in the next several years anyway…) and will be strictly coastal day sailing for the most part. I’ve been on a few boats now and of those (mainly Pearsons and Hunter/Catalinas in the 30-36 foot range) I feel much more confident that my choice of a Morgan is a sound one. No knock on the others but if the 382 is my ultimate goal, my thinking is “why not just cut to the chase?”…
 
I did just this less than a year ago; went from my 13' sailing dinghy to a Morgan 382 "Island Girl".
Lot of factors went into the choice, but I wanted a solid, seagoing yacht that was heavy enough and big enough that I didn't terrify the wife.... And myself.... when the sea and weather went bad.
And, I enjoy a challenge, and a project, and have enough skills to cover the problems so far.
Plus I would eventually like to cross larger oceans to distant places.
So, of course, I say, go ahead, find a 382 that has just enough problems that you are able to do the work yourself, and is at the price point you can afford. These are a whole lot of boat for the money for sure. This has been a life changing event for us for the better.
 
That’s awesome! I don’t feel like a boat like a 382/3/4 is beyond my ability to sail but I also have a tendency towards confidently plunging into things that I’d be better off not plunging into, lol!! I’ve followed the “Island Girl” thread for awhile now. The good news for me is that I work at a place (Aircraft Spruce) that sells a lot of the materials I’d be needing to do many of the repairs. Fiberglass, Delrin, West Systems resins, marine grade plywood and all the lubricants and anti-corrosion chemicals like Boeshield, Kroil etc that I can shake a stick at.
 
Where do you sail? Will you have crew? You can improve skills on any size boat. Just be aware that there are flaws in the Morgan 382 that you may well want to deal with: after-most bulkhead and fore-most bulkhead not tabbed to the deck, no backing plates on stanchions, possible tabbing issues on bulkheads (not on my vessel), the holding tank issue (again, mine is fine), mast step depending on year, etc. But if you have perused this site, you already know about the pluses and minuses.
 
Good points one and all. I’ll be sailing on the Florida Gulf coast for the most part to begin with. As I’m sure everyone knows, there are no perfect boats or we’d all be sailing the same one, lol!! I’ve considered just about everything possible within my budget and tried to look at (and at least get onboard) as many of those boats as I can and in the end, I always arrive at the conclusion that the Morgan 38 series is hands down the best value in that range. I don’t want a CB boat and a skeg hung rudder with an encapsulated lead ballast keel is just something I’m dead set on. I’d prefer a solid ‘glass hull but a cored hull isn’t a showstopper. All in all, the Morgan gives me 90% of what I’m looking for in a boat and that’s plenty good enough for me.
 
Following up, the truth is that while I’m married (and my wife is at least lukewarm to the idea of sailing…) I’ll most likely be single handing the boat, which is why I’m looking at the 382 as opposed to the 383/384. I know some folks don’t like the traveler in the cockpit but for me, it makes more sense to have it right at hand, along with the main winches adjacent to the helm.
 
Well, that said, Sonata is a 383. The traveller is on the cabin. The boat has been extensively singlehanded. So it's not a show stopper. I much prefer it on the cabin. The main winch is starboard side at the rear of the cabin and self tailing.
I know everyone has differing opinions on this subject, I just prefer it this way. My .o2
I hope you find the boat you've looking for!
Mitchell
 
I bought Island Girl without talking about the purchase with the wife. Most will frown upon this I'm sure, but I know her well (married 35 years, so I should...) and after she settled down from her 5 hour rant, and talking to friends and family about it, she realized that this could be a good thing.
During our first sail, she put it on Facebook and got more positive responses than she ever had in her whole life on there.
Work her into this slowly if possible, unlike what I did, and you might find she really warms up to the idea of sailing.
 
My first boat was/is my Morgan 382, Eliana, just after having completed ASA 105/106. It is not too large for a first boat, or for single handing. I circumnavigated and about half of that was singlehanded, and some of that was not in nice conditions. The question of size is going to be more one of usage. How many people will you have on board, and how long will your trips be. If you are going to be out for a couple weeks with a few guests the extra space is nice to have. If you are only going to be day sailing for a day or two single handed or as a couple, then you are paying more in slip fees, maintenance and repairs for space you won't ever use. Having spend a couple years living and cruising by myself on Eliana, that space is sure nice, but really not necessary for one person.

Regarding the location of the traveler. For single handing it doesn't matter the location, because you will set up the lines so that you can control the mainsheet from the helm in either case. But, I have been hit by the mainsheet. I was by myself, and I expect I was unconscious for at least a few moments. I was thrown down and hit my head on the combing. I have had multiple close calls where I wasn't hit, but ducked out of the way. It is incredibly dangerous in the cockpit, knowing what I now know, I would never consider a boat with the traveler in the cockpit again. Say what you will able practicing safety, staying out of the way, using preventers etc., it is a huge risk and it can kill you. Note that to jibe singlehanded from the helm position, you must release the preventer, and reach over the traveler to work a winch. And you are working the winches precisely when a moment of inattention to the helm can cause an uncontrolled jibe. It is unsafe and awkward. I now try to jibe via the autopilot or windvane from the front of the cockpit, not touching the wheel, but working the winches and traveler from a safer position.

Anyway, my point in mentioning that isn't to steer you away from the 382 as much as you shouldn't ignore the 383/384 just because you are single handing. The later models also have Dorade vents which will make a significant difference in Florida.
 
Warren, I was hoping you’d chime in and I appreciate your insights. If you had it to do over, would you have just gotten a 384 to begin with? Honestly, the market prices seem to be about the same for any of the three, with the 383’s seeming to be fairly scarce, comparatively. I hadn’t considered the ventilation issue to be such a big deal but I’m a lot more heat tolerant than my wife. If I want her to actually embrace sailing (she’s not against it, and I’d like to keep it that way, lol!!) that need to be one of my more important considerations in selecting a boat…. I’ve been more focused on mechanical/safety stuff but I may need to reconsider the traveler location thing. I can profit from your hard-earned experience for sure.
 
I consider the cored hull a plus. Remember, the hull coring stops at the waterline and it isn't balsa. I consider the cored hull a plus for rigidity and insulation. You just have to know how to seal it if you add any fixtures, such as bilge pump through hulls. Good luck.
 
I had always shied away from cored hulls due to fear of hitting something in the water and holing the boat but the more I read about them the more I like the idea, especially the insulation qualities. I suppose if you hit something hard enough it doesn’t matter what your boat is made of, lol!
 
I have become pretty heat tolerant after my time in the tropics. The greatest advantage of dorade vents is that they are open when it is raining. When it is 80-90 degrees and raining, it really sucks having everything closed up. The inside of the boat turns into a hot humid sauna. Far more 382s were made than 3/4. So that is why they are easier to find. Moving the traveler is also possilbe, and something I want to do but don't have the budget for.

Also, the boat is solid below the waterline, and pretty thick. I just installed underwater lights, and where I drilled the holes was over 1/2" thick.
 
Warren, I sort of expect that where you drilled for you underwater lights was the hull thickness PLUS bulkhead tabbing. Correct? I have a sea-cock in the locker forward of the chart table, but my yard installed it decades ago, so I never saw hull thickness there. Did you install dorades on Eliana? One of the projects I have never gotten to. I wouldn't want them unless they had stainless bars to prevent lines from getting fouled and that always deterred me.
 
No tabbing that i am aware of. One light is in the locker forward the chart table, the other exactly across from it behind the hot water heater.

Maybe its thicker because of its depth below the waterline? Its obviously below the waterline, but its close to the seam between the cored above waterline part. That seam is visible in the locker, and maybe the hull is thicker for a better transition during layup.
 
I recently bored a hole for my LPG locker drain. Just forward of the transom. Almost on centerline. It measured over an inch thick. But perhaps thicker there where the all the layup comes together. None the less, it was impressive. And drilling from the dinghy was a challenge ;)
Mitchell
 
Mitchell: The centerline, of course, is where the two halves if the hull were joined. I would expect a think joint there. If you are using the aft lazerette as a propane locker, remember to check the top of the aft bulkhead. It was not tabbed to the deck, so is not air tight. I tabbed mine. Also, there are gaps at the hull /deck corner. I filled those with spray in foam.
 
Terry,
Yes, I expected to see thicker laminate there. But was surprised it was quite significant.

As far as the lazerette, I was unable to access the areas to seal the bulkhead to everything. After I had all else finished, and tanks mounted and plumbed.

I then built a dedicated LPG "BOX" that fits into the hatch opening and sits there. It is sealed to the flange and lid. The drain hose is 3/4". I did a post regarding this a while ago.

Mitchell

Sonata gets a New Stove, and more

So, I pulled the old defunct Alcohol Galley Maid stove some time ago, and sent it off as parts to keep another one functioning. I had already shopped for a replacement before all this and decided on a Dickenson Caribbean, 2 burner stove, oven. The original hulk hadn't been used for years, even...
www.morgan38.org
 
I must have missed your post about the project. I tabbed the bulkhead to the deck/cockpit fiberglass by hiring a shipwright. He lay in the locker where the quadrant is and did an amazingly clean and solid job. I never could have done it. Probably would have gotten epoxy all over myself and the locker. I just looked at your propane box. Very nice and impressive work. And a safe installation.
 
Thanks Terry! One issue was building a box the bottles would fit. They were just about as small as i could find to fit in through the original hatch.They didn't have much extra space even going into the locker opening, before the box. I used some underlayment ply that was only about 3/16" thick. Now the bottles are a snug fit. But they won't move around!

I laid back in they locker a few years ago to replace the breaker, one night in the rain. I barely fit then. I can't seem to fit anymore! Once in I wouldn't have been able to move enough to fill the voids with spray foam either.
Mitchell
 
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