Asked a Million Times

[Alaska Sailor]

Just wanted to say how much I enjoy the pletora of information on the cruisers forum and I'm sure I've not checked out all it has to offer. I live in Juneau, Alaska and have been sailing for many years, both here, in Arizona, Mexico, Canada, and some in Hawaii. At present, I crew on a Beneteau 345 but have crewed on Saga 42's, Hans Christian 38's, etc. I did the Baja HaHa in '03 and had a blast. I'm the Race Committe Chair for our local sailing group, http://seasailing.us/
I'm about 10 years out from retirement and my partner and I are talking about purchasing a center cockpit in five years, living aboard for five years, then throwing off the bow line and perhaps cruising:

1. Down the US west coast, the Baja Peninsula, the Galapgos islands, Equador, thru the Panama Canal, into the Gulf (will pick up some oil on the way I'm sure), and end up in the Caribbean, or
2. Head for the South Pacific and parts unknown afterwards.

Here's what I have to work with:

1. $100K in cash to purchase a boat
2. 6'4" tall. My g/friend is 6' tall

Obviously, I'd like something with 6'5" headroom or greater in that price range and for those conditions (coastal or off-shore). Any recommendations the forum could provide would be most helpful!
Fair winds,
AK Sailor...

[tager]

Learn the pleasures of a simple life and give me the 100k. I assure you that you can cruise on a paltry $500 per month!

[hummingway]

I'm in a Cooper 416 which is a pilothouse sloop. I just took some measurements and mostly it is 6'4" - 6' 4.5". There is a spot where it is 7' 8" or more but that is just there to lull the 6'5" individual in to complacency so they can bang there head on the 6'4.5" spot. I'm a bit over 6' but no matter there are plenty of spots happy to give me a whack on the boat. In fact I'm pretty sure it's like a Disney movie where the boat reaches down and whacks me when I'm not looking. Of course I am crazy ... I bought a boat didn't I? Kidding aside this boat is good for tall people and I suspect generally that pilothouses are going to give you the sense of a having head room.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Alaska Sailor

[/LIST]Here's what I have to work with:

1. $100K in cash to purchase a boat
2. 6'4" tall. My g/friend is 6' tall

Obviously, I'd like something with 6'5" headroom or greater in that price range and for those conditions (coastal or off-shore). Any recommendations the forum could provide would be most helpful!
Fair winds,
AK Sailor...

Unfortunately for your location, there aren't any listed in Yachtworld anywhere nearby (or even West Coast), but my parameters, at 6-4 (required to be able to comfortably stand in all the usual places or lie down with rectangular space minimum) were very similar to yours. I went aboard slightly over 200 boats before we found our perfect boat.

Morgan 46x (1,2,3-of which there's only one) have full 6-4 room everywhere but the walkthrough, which is slightly less. Bed size is at least that large.

461s were a modification suggested by Moorings who liked the way the 45s (they use the same hull) sailed but didn't like the interior layout or deck/cabin house arrangements. Despite being configured for up to 11 guests (charter, remember) they have MASSIVE amounts of storage, and, despite actually being a 45 (called a 46 in order to differentiate from the 45s, because of the dual anchor rollers and cage out front), there's not a visitor who doesn't comment that it's the "biggest 46 I've ever been on."

The 461s were marketed by Moorings to their usual trade; 47 were made. Significant differences are that all are deep draft sloops (available in 462s as well), but had boom crutches, and a solid tube enclosing the propshaft, neither available as options on the others, and, as well, were 3000 pounds heavier, all added fiberglass, than the 462s.

If you click my gallery, you can see how this boat can take punishment, as we had a wreck which would have destroyed most other production boats. If you click the yahoogroups log link you can read, in the very earliest posts, the story of the wreck and salvage. You can get a very good idea of interiors on the boat in my gallery as well. There's an info subgallery which will show you lots more.

The 462s were the "retail" model, and standard was a "shallow" 5'3" draft; deep (6') and ketch model were add-ons. The majority of the 462s took shallow and ketch but there are at least a couple of sloops I know of and several deep drafts. An extra 300# of ballast beyond the standard 8400# were part of the deep option. There were at least 114 built, the last in 1984, as I know where both 113 and 114 are.

There was only 1 463 built, the last I saw it was in Ruskin, owned by an airline pilot who was doing a full-out redo on it. The pix in my gallery of it really don't do it any justice due to all the work in progress, and I doubt it's available in any case.

Most boats have been modified over time; there were several walk-through options in the 462s but the standard was a workbench. Wet Bars, sea berths, and other options were common. The aft cabin likewise could be had like the 461s but many had a queen-with-cabinets

These boats are nearly indestructible, moderate D/L, good-sailing blue water vessels. Most can be had for under 100k; one I very highly recommended to you as I personally know the boat is http://www.yachtworld.com/core/listi...en&slim=quick&

It used to belong to the brother of the man who was Quality Control and Service Manager at Morgan during the entire production run of these boats. He worked for several other boat builders in the St. Petersburg area, and was our surveyor for our home. His comment is that Morgan made the stoutest boats around, and the stoutest of them was the 46, with the 461 being even more so.

I helped him sell it to the current owner. If you decide to pursue the model (regardless of which one), I can tell you of common issues in M46x, but all of them are easily addressed, if not already solved by current or prior owners.

You can write me directly at skipgundlach@gmail.com if you'd like any amplification or have questions.

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
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