So Here's the Plan

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

I'm not pressing to corret an opinion, but I'll share mine. I moved to my Morgan OI 33 from a high performance Sparkman & Stephens design and with more than a dozen years of previous sailing. I recognize the Morgan OI is not a performance design, but it throughly a sailboat and performs as others with similar shoal draft, beamy and near full keel. During the forty years that I've lived aboard and sailed these Out Islands,- 28 on my 41'. I've had many good days with as much as 150 miles in a day at best. We had a rough day to windward from Spanish Wells to Little Harbor in the Bahamas with eight other boats who were taking the best the weather had to offer after a week's wait and we completed the day third in the fleet. I posted above that I did not consider the Morgan OI as "Bluewater", but standards are vague. The hull is thick and the vessel is heavy, but the shoal draft would not make for the easiest ride. The rig is strong an the exterior chainplates excel, but it's a huge interior to set up for offshore safety. ...and there is no question that it's slow compared to many boats that could better cross a questionable weather opportunity. As for sailing, it requires the same skill to make it perform at it's best as any sailboat and it can produce as much satisfaction at it's performance level as my Sparkman and Stephens. There are things to look for that would require inspection and concern. The early models ca. '71 to '76 had the hull-deck joint at the rub rail and this is a vulnerable location that may have been damaged in a used boat. I have no such damage, but I have also refit my rail with G-Flex epoxy under the rubber rail mainly to prevent rain leaks. Another important inspection is the rudder. Many of these have had problems with port-starboard delamination. I rebult these rudders on both of my Out Islands and included a fiberglass tabbing on the final seam. Some have had problems with the corrosion of the back up plate under the stem head fitting where the forestay attaches. A wise refit can include an additional SS bow plate bracing this fitting from the outside of the stem. The mast step is steel and needs attenion to prevent corrosion at the base of the aluminum mast. I replaced my spruce speaders with aluminum, but you'll only find the wood spreaders on the earlier models. I never had any significant blisterrs on either of my Morgans, but I have had areas on the deck where the end grain balsa core was water damaged producing soft spots. This is a cosmetic, not a structural problem. The hull is not cored and neither are the coamings or structural areas. I have repaired about 8 square feet of the deck with good results. Many other things are typically in need of refit and repair on any forty year old boat. Morgans are strong cruisers for my purposes and there is no operational definition for a "bluewater" boat. I choose the best of weather for my coastal cruising and I'm confident that my Morgan would handle more than I'm willing to endure; however, my definition of "bluewater" would be more restrictive and limited.

Great Post Cap'n!