Morgan Out Island 41

[Sailorman375]

Here's the deal. I may be able to purchase a 1980 Morgan Out Island that is a project boat. Solid Hull and deck and it floats with an engine that starts. Other than that it needs everything. New thru hulls, bottom job, air conditioners, new wiring, canvas, sails, floors are shot as is the carpet. I am looking for a boat to eventually live aboard and my friends (sailors) all say buy it as the price is around 15K and I estimate 30K to do everything right including a repower and awl grip. Need some opinions.

[smurphny]

To give you an idea about what may be involved, in renovating my old Alberg, the major expenses were/are:
Re-core of 80% of deck areas
Replacing rotten bulkhead
New rigging wire including all new chainplates, mast top, bow plate.
Replaced/upgraded main wiring and batteries.
New elec. pumps/switches, 2 manual pumps.
Re glassed water tank inside.
Replace old fresh water piping
Replacing glazing
Norvane windvane
New SSB/Pactor system, VHF, GPS, Computers, Nav software, Elect. charts and Radar
Many guides and Paper Charts
Just getting started....

Sounds like your project is similar. 30k may be doable if you do the work yourself but would be quickly used up on just a few items on this list if you hire people to do the work. Best of luck.

[Celestialsailor]

If you have never done this sort of thing before, I might pass. Your friends are not the ones re-fitting it...you are. The quality of the morgans are ok but not the best sailing vessel. You would be further ahead saving $45K and buying something turn key. Trust me...you have lots to do on a turn key boat. If you still want to resurrect a boat, try building a dinghy from scratch and see how long that takes you, then take another look at the $15K gem.

[skipmac]

A few questions, comments and ideas.

Q1. The floors are shot? Meaning a. cosmetically the cabin sole looks bad or b. the underlying structure that holds it up is shot? Big difference in cost and time/labor between the two.

Q2. Repower? With or w/o trannie?

Q3. Rig? Sloop or ketch?

Q4. Will you work on the boat full time or weekends?

Q5. Do you have a cheap place to keep it? How far do you have to drive to get to the boat?

Q6. Bottom job? a. Sand and paint or b. peel and seal?

Comments.

Agree with SMurphy. You might be able to do it for $30K but depending on the answers to the above questions you could go way over. Also depends on your ability to do all the work, access to the tools, etc.

Time. Figure at least a year if you work full time, full speed ahead. More likely 2-4 years, especially if you're doing it while holding down a "real" job. Then depending on where you do it and monthly yard charges it will add at $3,000-$5,000 a year in storage costs.

Based on my ongoing rebuild of a 42' and assuming sloop rig here's some round numbers. Assuming you do all the work yourself.

New standing rigging $3,000
New sails, main and two jibs $8-12,000
New engine and trannie $8-$12,000
Running rigging $500
Thru hulls and seacocks $1-$2,000
pumps (bilge, water, sump, washdown) $500
Bottom job a. $500 b. $6000
year yard storage $3000

This pretty much eats up the $30K budget. Not saying you couldn't do it cheaper but I've been shopping my costs pretty carefully but also not cheaping out on essentials.

[Aussie_Sequoia]

The 41s were not known for sailing to windward very well at all. Their younger smaller cousin the 36 was supposedly better designed for this. I'm sure OI 41 owners will come to their defense (and will have a better background to comment as I have never owned one) but I have read this statement in more than one cruising book from that era.

I was looking at them too until that kept coming up - so by all means... if someone thinks this is false I'd love to hear it and why

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Aussie_Sequoia

The 41s were not known for sailing to windward very well at all. Their younger smaller cousin the 36 was supposedly better designed for this. I'm sure OI 41 owners will come to their defense (and will have a better background to comment as I have never owned one) but I have read this statement in more than one cruising book from that era.

I was looking at them too until that kept coming up - so by all means... if someone thinks this is false I'd love to hear it and why

Spent 2 years cruising the Caribbean on an OI 36 and I can assure you that they don't sail to windward. Long time ago but I seem to recall that the course made good to windward after adding the leeway, gave a tacking angle of 100-110 degrees. The OI 41 does similar.

On the other hand, off the wind they do quite well and for the Bahamas they are hard to beat. OI 36 draft was about 3'2". I could go places others had to take a dinghy. Also, I have never seen another 36' boat that had nearly the room of the Morgan. May be out there but I've not been on one.

[Boracay]

If you feel like spending the next 5 years or more and have a good backyard, an understanding council and friendly neighbours then this could be a nice project.

If you've five years to wait until your kids fly the coup or your wife finishes work then this could be fine.

But if you want a boat in the foreseeable future then it might be a good idea to pass on this one, save a few more boat bucks and buy something turnkey as Celestialsailor has suggested.

You still might need to put in a couple of years to get it spiffy but it'd be happy work.

This one has been sold. If you called the broker he might be happy to talk about it.

Ask your friends if they'd like to go sailing now or in five years time.

[Sailorman375]

Originally Posted by skipmac

A few questions, comments and ideas.

Q1. The floors are shot? Meaning a. cosmetically the cabin sole looks bad or b. the underlying structure that holds it up is shot? Big difference in cost and time/labor between the two.

Q2. Repower? With or w/o trannie?

Q3. Rig? Sloop or ketch?

Q4. Will you work on the boat full time or weekends?

Q5. Do you have a cheap place to keep it? How far do you have to drive to get to the boat?

Q6. Bottom job? a. Sand and paint or b. peel and seal?

Comments.

Agree with SMurphy. You might be able to do it for $30K but depending on the answers to the above questions you could go way over. Also depends on your ability to do all the work, access to the tools, etc.

Time. Figure at least a year if you work full time, full speed ahead. More likely 2-4 years, especially if you're doing it while holding down a "real" job. Then depending on where you do it and monthly yard charges it will add at $3,000-$5,000 a year in storage costs.

Based on my ongoing rebuild of a 42' and assuming sloop rig here's some round numbers. Assuming you do all the work yourself.

New standing rigging $3,000
New sails, main and two jibs $8-12,000
New engine and trannie $8-$12,000
Running rigging $500
Thru hulls and seacocks $1-$2,000
pumps (bilge, water, sump, washdown) $500
Bottom job a. $500 b. $6000
year yard storage $3000

This pretty much eats up the $30K budget. Not saying you couldn't do it cheaper but I've been shopping my costs pretty carefully but also not cheaping out on essentials.

1 floors are cosmetic only
Sloop rig
Mechanic say a top end rebuild will do but it runs fine now and has a new heat exchanger
I was going to gave it hauled and get the bottom job done and replace all the thru hulls and valves and can get that done for $2500
Then into my slip and start the interior mostly cosmetics
Install new Air conditioner then move on board and work on her 20 -30 hours a week
Sail are serviceable, hull and deck are sound. Most if not all the ports need replacing and I was going to tackle those two at a time while working on heads tanks etc.

It just seems for what these go for in better(but far from perfect) condition that I've got room to fix it up nice. Goal is to have a live aboard and day sail mostly with perhaps one trip down to the Bahamas.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Sailorman375

I was going to gave it hauled and get the bottom job done and replace all the thru hulls and valves and can get that done for $2500

What is a "bottom job" ? Paint? Peel? $2500 sounds cheap for a "bottom job" including thru hulls and seacocks.

[Cheechako]

One of the posters on this forum has a Seidelman 37 with brand new engine for sale for $31k. it has lots of other goodies also. You could go sailing NOW. And although I think sailing performance is over emphasized often... it will sail better...Just sayin....

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Vasco

What is a "bottom job" ? Paint? Peel? $2500 sounds cheap for a "bottom job" including thru hulls and seacocks.

sounds like a 8-10k bottom job to me....

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

sounds like a 8-10k bottom job to me....

If bottom job is sand and paint, no blisters, no peel, etc then $2500 might work. If peel and barrier coat then certainly 8-10 K with thru hulls.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by skipmac

If bottom job is sand and paint, no blisters, no peel, etc then $2500 might work. If peel and barrier coat then certainly 8-10 K with thru hulls.

I would be curious to hear the final price. My research is that in S Florida for a 37 footer, I got planning quotes from real people of $2-3BB for new standing rigging and $4BB for a haul, soda blast, barrier, bottom pain and splash. Granted these were not quotes on a real job, but conversations with vendors, "to get a high estimate of cost." The prices do not include new through hulls.

I find it hard to believe that someone would misrepresent their price by 100%.

[Celestialsailor]

If its a DIY yard, you could get by on $2500 or less. Don't be so quick to replace all the thru-hulls. Check them first. By all means replace funky gate valves.

[Sailorman375]

Bottom job here run 42 per foot and includes haul out power wash sand two coats of paint and splash. Labor in the yards is 50 per hour