Morgan 51 OI rebuild

[delphinus101]

Looking for other 51 out island owners to answer questions about water ballast, swing keel, running rigging and more.
I took ownership of a 1975, 51' Out Island and the temporary name is "Some Assembly Required". Re-building all systems and would love to share info and learn from others who have been here and done that.
I pulled the engine last week and started reconfiguring the stringers for the new engine. I now have water leaking from void under engine into the port bilge sump. I would also like information from anyone who has changed the cable to the swing keel.
I will also be posting pictures of all the various projects.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, delphinus.

➥ http://sailingmagazine.net/article-1...island-51.html

[coopec43]

Have you done the google searches?

https://www.google.com/search?source...XDECBgQ4dUDCAw


https://www.google.com/search?ei=Oca...QgeBgUQ4dUDCAs

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by delphinus101

Looking for other 51 out island owners to answer questions about water ballast, swing keel, running rigging and more.
I took ownership of a 1975, 51' Out Island and the temporary name is "Some Assembly Required". Re-building all systems and would love to share info and learn from others who have been here and done that.
I pulled the engine last week and started reconfiguring the stringers for the new engine. I now have water leaking from void under engine into the port bilge sump. I would also like information from anyone who has changed the cable to the swing keel.
I will also be posting pictures of all the various projects.

I would be surprise if a Morgan Out Island had any water ballast. Tankage they have lots of. My OI 41 carries 139 gal of fuel and 250 gal of water

[coopec43]

Originally Posted by pcmm

I would be surprise if a Morgan Out Island had any water ballast. Tankage they have lots of. My OI 41 carries 139 gal of fuel and 250 gal of water

That raised my eyebrows too!

[delphinus101]

Originally Posted by coopec43

That raised my eyebrows too!

There is a void in the keel underneath the engine that runs aft as far as the Keel goes, and ends just forward of the engine where the 2 bilge sumps are on either side of the Swing Keel trunk. There is a single 1 1/2 inch pipe under the shaft it runs to the bottom of the tank. There is a bronze inspection port under the shaft in the AFT stateroom which I removed to get some pictures. I will try to post these pictures soon.
There is approximately 1 foot of liquid in the void which appears to be water and antifreeze. The only thing I can imagine this void to be is water ballast.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by delphinus101

There is a void in the keel underneath the engine that runs aft as far as the Keel goes, and ends just forward of the engine where the 2 bilge sumps are on either side of the Swing Keel trunk. There is a single 1 1/2 inch pipe under the shaft it runs to the bottom of the tank. There is a bronze inspection port under the shaft in the AFT stateroom which I removed to get some pictures. I will try to post these pictures soon.
There is approximately 1 foot of liquid in the void which appears to be water and antifreeze. The only thing I can imagine this void to be is water ballast.

That's likely to be a fuel tank. Lots of Morgans had keel tanks. Typically they were diesel tanks.

[KadeyKrogen38]

You do not have a swing keel. The Out Island is a fixed keel with a centerboard. Please learn the difference. A centerboard is not ballasted, it is not a swing keel.

[Mithril Bham]

See you in a few years. Good luck, and by all means, have as much fun as possible. You are in for quite a ride spoken by one who knows.

[Tingum]

Keep us posted. Those boats are built like a brick chit house.

[Hudson Force]

Back in 1985 with my family of four including two children at 7 & 9 that seemed to continue growing, we moved from an Out Island 33 to an Out Island 41. We remained on the 41' for 32 years long after these children moved out. We've known a couple that have cruised on a 51' Morgan OI for many years and we have sometimes wondered how they deal with all that space, but that's all irrelevant.

I too, was puzzled by the water ballast comment. We had a relatively huge bilge capacity on our 41' Morgan, but I never thought of it as potential ballast.

I may have some insights as an owner of smaller Morgan Out Islands for a total of 45 years. Many if the construction and design traits are similar.

Welcome to the community and keep us posted of your adventures.

[CaptDHill]

I had an O/I 51 until we sold her about a year and half ago. It was our second Morgan. Probably worth the effort. Just time for a refit.
We had our in relatively good condition especially for her age. We had in in charter service. Got tired of chartering our own boat. We charter two super yachts for their owners. So we solve her and bought an equally as slow And heavier sailboat with a pilot house. I’m sure this doesn’t interest you, but my point is we loved our Morgan 51. We just wanted a different boat.
To set the record straight, there is no water ballast for sure. I am familiar with the compartment that you referred to as possible water ballast. In ours, that was a separate sump that required a bulge that pumped from there to the main sumps.
I don’t mind discussing what I know about the boat if I can be of further assistance. I have spoken to Charley concerning Morgan’s on several occasions. He would likely answer your questions as well, but I suggest being reasonable if you solicit his help.

Enjoy your refit and your boat.

Best,
D

[delphinus101]

Originally Posted by CaptDHill

To set the record straight, there is no water ballast for sure. I am familiar with the compartment that you referred to as possible water ballast. In ours, that was a separate sump that required a bulge that pumped from there to the main sumps.
I don’t mind discussing what I know about the boat if I can be of further assistance. I have spoken to Charley concerning Morgan’s on several occasions. He would likely answer your questions as well, but I suggest being reasonable if you solicit his help.

Enjoy your refit and your boat.

Best,
D

Thank you Capt DHill
The void I'm looking at only has a 1 1/2" pipe for fill / discharge and a bronze inspection port. No vent or separate supply and return line. this is why I assumed it may be water ballast. Regardless, I am going to cut the engine room deck open and repair the bulkhead between this void and the bilge sump. I will post pictures soon.
Thank you for your response, and I look forward to communicating with all of you as I move forward with this refit.

[KeithNC]

Hi Delphinus101,
At last, I've found somebody else who has an OI 51 !! Mine is a 1975 version as well and I bought her just over a year ago, so still very much in the "getting to know her" stages, but hopefully we can share info & ideas. Thing is, I cannot work out what water-ballast you are asking about.

The engine in my boat was changed sometime during the 1990's to a Volve Penta. There is an extensive tray directly below the engine catching any drips rather than letting them fall into the bilge, but I believe it is only a tray.

Good luck with your refit,
Keith

[SandDoc]

Delphinus, I glad to see I’m not the only person crazy enough to go down this path. Likewise, I recently acquired an OI 51. She’s named Lazy Days and the previous owner joked that there hadn’t been any yet. Mine was partially submerged so you can imagine what I’m in for. You’re a year ahead of me so I hope I can count on you for lots of support and information.