Morgan 41

[thursday]

Hello,

I'm in the process of looking at boats to purchase. I'm not ready to buy yet but I'm watching the websites to get an idea of what's available and I'm trying to build a model in my head for evaluating a boat. With that, I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this boat? I'm curious how other people evaluate boats in order to help me improve.

https://www.boat24.com/en/sailboats/...detail/459672/

What I'm looking for:

- A liveaboard.
- Reasonable to sail single handed.
- Robust enough for long passages, with the long term goal of a sea crossing.

Thank you for any feedback!

EDIT:

Whoops, I forgot to add my own evaluation. To me, this boat seems like a great find. The price seems good, to me. It seems like the owners have taken care of it. The main issue is the age, over 50 years old. I think a boat that is well maintained can basically last forever so the age might not be a problem, but I don't know if it is.

Thanks again.

[Celestialsailor]

At first I thought you were looking at an Out Island 41 which sail like a pig with a rudder. This one looks pretty good in my opinion. Since you're in Europe, another option for the money might be an older Hallberg rassy. Well built and sail reasonably well.

[thursday]

Thanks for the response Celestialsailor. I've been keeping and out for Hallberg Rassy's as well. Mostly I've been seeing 35 ft on the market which is a weeeee bit too small, I think, for what i want, but if I see one I really like I plan on checking her out. If something in the 40 ft area shows up I'd be excited.

I saw an Amel Sharki, around 40 ft on the market for what seemed like a pretty low number but in great condition (I forget exactly but between 60k EUR and 100k EUR) but it looked like it got bought as soon as the poster hit Submit. I don't know a lot about Amel but the layout seemed great and I know their larger boats have a great reputation for cruising.

[Celestialsailor]

Yes…I had the Rasmus 35. They are tight. But an older 42 could be had fora decent price. The Amel’s are excellent boats. Sounds like you know what you’re doing.

[thursday]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Yes…I had the Rasmus 35. They are tight. But an older 42 could be had fora decent price. The Amel’s are excellent boats. Sounds like you know what you’re doing.

One thing I'm not a big fan of for all the Rassy's I see: teak deck. Were you happy with the deck or did you remove the teak? Maybe I'm being a bit too judgmental on it, but I am not a fan of the look and for long term ownership it just seems like a maintenance pain. What's worse: from what I've seen removing them is a lot of manual work.

[Celestialsailor]

The Rasmus did not have teak decks. Most are eventually problematic. It was an older 41 that I was referring to....not a 42. I seem to remember a few either never had teak decks or were removed.

[LittleWing77]

What is a Timray engine? I'm not familiar with those...

She does look to be in good condition. A bit big for a single-hander, but anyone who knows me on this Forum knows that I'm always exhorting the small-is-better especially for singlehanders!

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

[MGRodems]

Don't be too concerned by age, since the way it was taken care of and updated is most important. Boats built in that era used solid wire for their 110v electrical system, which will all need to be replaced. I owned a '69 Irwin 27, a '70 C&C 35 and a '71 Morgan 35. They were all pretty similar in that area and I had to replace all the wiring on all three. They gave me 24 years of great sailing experiences on the Chesapeake and the Great Lakes.

Your Morgan 41 looks really nice. It looks a lot like my Morgan 35 which was the only boat of the three I mentioned that increased in value (2x) while I owned it (repairs, improvements and paint job).

Besides electrical and weak spots on the deck, the Morgan was very solid. The encapsulated keel and centerboard worked well even at 49 years old when I sold it.

A good surveyor will help point out any critical areas.

Good luck with your plan.

[thursday]

Thank you for the feedback and insight, everyone!

[Milfordadkins]

did you purchase that morgan 41? i have a 69 morgan 41 and i love it also currently on the hard for paint and electrical refit lol but grreat boats