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- Sailboat Reviews
Morgan 38/382
Charlie morgan's hurrah becomes ted brewer's success story becomes today's pseudo-classic..
We receive many requests from readers to review certain boats. Almost without exception, the requests come from owners of the boat suggested. Few boats have been the object of more requests than the venerable Morgan 38. At first blush, it is difficult to determine which Morgan 38 we ought to address, as two distinct designs were built since the first one appeared 22 years ago. After some thought, we decided to trace the history of both as best we could, including also the Morgan 382, 383 and 384.
The Morgan 38 was designed in 1969 by Charlie Morgan. He had founded Morgan Yacht Company in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 1965. The Morgan 34 was his first production model. A hometown boy, he had made a name for himself in the 1960 and 1961 Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC), winning with a boat of his own design called Paper Tiger . While not a formally trained naval architect, Morgan demonstrated his skill with a variety of designs. Many of these were keel/centerboard models, owing to the shoalness of Florida waters. Seventy-nine were built before production halted in 1971.
In 1977, the Morgan 382 was introduced, designed by Ted Brewer, Jack Corey and the Morgan Design Team. According to Brewer, the boat was loosely based on the Nelson/Marek-designed Morgan 36 IOR One Ton. The most obvious difference between the 38 and 382 was the elimination of the centerboard and the addition of a cruising fin keel (NACA 64 012 foil) with skeg-mounted rudder. They are two completely different designs from two different eras in yacht design.
In 1980, the 382 was given a taller rig and called the 383. About 1983 the boat underwent other subtle changes, now called the Morgan 384. The rudder was enlarged and the interior modified. In its three versions, the Brewer model registered about 500 sales.
The company changed ownership several times during this period. It went public in 1968, was later bought by Beatrice Foods and then Thor Industries. Presently it is owned by Catalina Yachts, who built just 24 38s (three were kits) before discontinuing production in 1986.
The first Morgan 38 was a development of the highly successful 34, which Morgan called a “beamy, keelcenterboard, CCA (Cruising Club of America)-style of yacht. We had a good thing going and didn’t want to deviate; we found little interest in those days in keel boats. Centerboards have their own sorts of problems, but there’s an awful lot of thin water in the world, and safe refuge and quiet anchorages are mostly in shoal water.”
The boat has a long, shoal keel drawing just 3′ 9″ with the board up. The rudder is attached and there is an aperture for the propeller. “Beamy,” in 1969, meant 11 feet. The waterline was fairly short at 28 feet, but the overhangs give the hull a very balanced and pleasing profile. The stern is pure Charlie Morgan—a finely proportioned shape that is neither too big nor too small. In profile, the angle between the stern (which interestingly is a continuation of the line of the backstay) and the counter is nearly 90 degrees. It’s a trademark look.
Sloop and yawl rigs were offered, which was typical of CCA designs. The rig has a lower aspect ratio (the proportion of the hoist to the foot of the mainsail) than later designs, including the Brewer-designed 382. Yet this is a very wholesome rig for cruising. Owners responding to our questionnaire said the boat balances very well.
Owners of the 382 and subsequent permutations seemed less pleased. They didn’t rate balance as highly, noting most frequently the difficulty in tracking (keeping the boat on a straight course) when sailing off the wind (not uncommon with beamy fin keel designs; it’s a trade-off with speed, pointing ability and maneuverability). Others said that they raked their masts forward to improve balance. One thought the problem was caused because the rudder was slightly undersized. Still, these owners liked the way their boats sail.
The rig, of course, isn’t the only difference between the Morgan and Brewer designs. The latter has a foot wider beam—12 feet—and a longer waterline. Two keels were offered, the standard five-foot draft and an optional deep keel of six feet. Displacement jumped a thousand pounds to 17,000 despite a reduction in ballast from 7,500 pounds to 6,600 pounds. Centerboard boats, naturally, require more ballast because it isn’t placed as low as it is in a deep fin keel boat.
The look of the 382 is much more contemporary. The rake of the bow is straighter, as is the counter, which is shorter than the original 38 as well. Freeboard is higher and the windows in the main cabin are squared off for a crisper appearance.
Construction
The hulls of the early 38s were built of solid fiberglass and the decks of sandwich construction. Some 382 hulls were cored, others not. A variety of core materials were used, mostly Airex foam. The lamination schedule was your basic mat and woven roving, with Coremat added as a veil cloth to prevent printthrough.
Both designs have internal lead ballast, sealed on top with fiberglass.
The early 382s did not have the aft bulkhead in the head fiberglassed to the hull, which resulted in the mast pushing the keel down. All boats “work” under load, and bulkheads bonded to the hull are essential to a stiff structure. Anyone who has a boat in which major load-bearing bulkheads are not attached to the hull should do so before going offshore. To its credit, the company launched a major recall program.
The owners of all Morgan 38s, as a group, note the strength of the boat. One said he hit a rock at 6 ½ knots and suffered only minor damage. Very few problems were mentioned. The owner of a 1981 model, however, said he “drilled through hull at waterline and was surprised at thinness of glass on either side of the Airex: 1/8” inside, 1/16″ outside.” With the stiffness that sandwich construction provides, not as much glass is required; still, protection from collision and abrasion would recommend greater thickness outside. Brewer, incidentally, discounted the report.
Interestingly, Hetron-brand fire-retardant resin was used for a time, prior to 1984; if you recall, this was blamed for the many cases of reported blistering on the early Valiant 40s. About half of the 382 owners responding to our surveys reported some blistering, none serious.
The attached rudder of the early 38 is stronger than the skeg-mounted rudder of later models. But we do prefer the skeg configuration to a spade rudder, at least for cruising. A problem with skegs, however, is the difficulty in attaching them strongly to the hull. One owner said his was damaged in a collision with a humpback whale, but that is hardly normal usage!
Several owners of later models commented that the mast was a “utility pole,” recommending a custom tapered spar for those inclined to bear the expense.
Other problems reported in our survey were only minor and were corrected by the company. In fact, owners were nearly unanimous in their praise for Morgan Yachts’ customer service.
The layout of the Morgan 38 is quite conventional and workable. In both incarnations there are Vberths forward, private head with shower (separate enclosure in the 382), dinette in main cabin with settee, galley aft in the port quarter area and nav station with quarter berth opposite to starboard. Specifications for the first 38s included “attractive wood-grained mica bulkhead paneling, with oiled American walnut trim.” This was a popular treatment in the 1960s, and practical, but often done to excess. By the 1980s, fake teak didn’t play so well. Owners wanted real wood, and that’s what they got in the 382.
Owners of early 38s complained of poor ventilation (“I added six opening ports, and would like an additional center cabin hatch,” wrote one), short Vberths (“Could be 4″ longer, but I’m 6′ 2.””), and more closet space (from a live-aboard).
Owners of later models mentioned the need for a larger forward hatch to get sails through, a hatch over the galley, larger cockpit scuppers, and Dorade vents.
(Teak Dorade boxes were added on the 384.) They complained of not enough footroom in the V-berths and poor location of the main traveler in the cockpit. (The traveler was moved to the cabinhouse top on the 384.)
Despite these minuses, most owners cite the volume of the interior and many stowage compartments as major reasons for their satisfaction with the boat.
Performance Under Sail
As implied in our comments on balance in the “Design” section of this review, the centerboard 38 sailed beautifully. She is dry and seakindly, stable and relatively fast for her generation. Its PHRF rating ranges from 145 to about 150. The yawl rig is probably not as fast as the sloop, but for the cruising couple, the mizzen sail gives the skipper another means of balancing the boat, as well as a means to fly more sail when reaching if he’s prepared to fuss with a staysail.
The 382 rates between 128 and 150, about 137 on average. The Morgan 383 and 384, which are grouped together, rate a mite lower at 135, on average.
It is not surprising that Brewer’s redesign is faster, even though it’s 1,000-2,000 pounds heavier. This is due to it’s deeper fin and higher aspect rig with the ability to carry larger headsails. There is also less wetted surface. Performance Under Power
The centerboard 38 was powered by the seemingly ageless Atomic Four gasoline engine, though a Perkins 4-107 or Westerbeke 4-107 was available at extra cost ($1,940 in 1969). The early 38s cruise at about 6 ½ knots.
A first-generation Yanmar—the 3QM30—was used on some 382s, and as owners of those engines know, they tend to be noisy and vibrate a great deal. Yanmar engines improved a great deal after the manufacturer redesigned and retooled the entire line. But the most common powerplant was the magnificent 50-horsepower Perkins 4-108. If we were looking for a Morgan 38 to purchase, we’d certainly lean toward one with this engine.
Both designs handle reasonably well under power, as well as most sailboats do, meaning that backing down with a two-blade prop is a necessarily cautious procedure.
A number of owners recommend changing to a three-blade prop, but that will affect sailing performance. One should examine his sailing style closely before making the move.
The Morgan 38, in any incarnation, is a handsome boat that sails well and is built strong enough for most people’s purposes. Some may pause before taking a centerboard boat far offshore, but it has certainly been done—recall, if you will, Carleton Mitchell’s hugely successful racer Finnisterre .
Both centerboard and fin keel versions seem to us to have advantages and disadvantages that are essentially tradeoffs.
On the one hand, we like an attached rudder for cruising, as it provides the best protection from collision with logs and other hard objects. On the other, we recognize the importance of placing ballast low, as in the fin keel version, and we appreciate
Brewer for giving a nice slope to its leading edge so that damage from hitting logs will be minimized. Brewer said that a 382 that passes survey is capable of cruising just about anywhere. “They’ve crossed oceans,” he said.
To our eye, we admit to being fond of the CCA designs with low freeboard and graceful sheer lines. The yawl is a versatile rig that is especially attractive, though it does require more in the way of tuning and maintenance.
An early Morgan 38, in good condition, should sell in the high 20s. Expect to pay a thousand or so more for the yawl. For sellers, considering that in 1969 the base price of the boat was $22,995, that’s not a bad return on investment.
Fifteen years later the price had jumped to $84,995 (1984 model). Those boats today are advertised in the mid to high 60s, and occasionally the low 70s. (What anyone is actually getting for these days is another matter entirely).
Considering the changes in the economy, that’s still not bad performance. What it means most to the prospective buyer is that the Morgan 38 and 382 are popular, much admired boats that should, we expect, hold their value as well as or better than most others.
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My husband & I bought a 382 Morgan in 1980. Named her Galewynd. We enjoyed her til we sold in 2000
My husband & I bought a 382 in 1980. We named her Galewynd. We enjoyed her til we sold in 2000
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- Sailboat Guide
Morgan 38 is a 37 ′ 7 ″ / 11.5 m monohull sailboat designed by Charles Morgan and built by Morgan Yachts between 1969 and 1971.
Rig and Sails
Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3
- SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D : Displacement in pounds.
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Ballast / Displacement * 100
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
Available as sloop or yawl. Not to be confused with a later series of Morgan 38 footers (introduced in 1978?).
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38.50 ft / 11.73 m: E: ... Not to be confused with a later series of Morgan 38 footers (introduced in 1978?). Sailboat Forum. ... to the bottom of the keel or fin. Like the LWL, it will vary with the weights of fuel, water, stores and equipment. A boat's actual draft is usually somewhat more than the original designed or advertised draft. For ...
Morgan 38 preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Morgan 38 used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. Avoid Fraud. ... Ft Walton Destin, Florida Asking $40,000. 33.6' Moody Aft cabin 34 Vero Beach, Florida Asking $25,000. 42' Beneteau 42 First Essex, Connecticut
The most obvious difference between the 38 and 382 was the elimination of the centerboard and the addition of a cruising fin keel (NACA 64 012 foil) with skeg-mounted rudder. They are two completely different designs from two different eras in yacht design. In 1980, the 382 was given a taller rig and called the 383.
However, the Morgan 38 center cockpit models, today about 20 years old, are still sailing and pleasing cruising couples with their spacious layout and their eye-drawing design. LOA - 38'5″ * Beam - 12'4″ * Draft - 6'6″ or 5'0″ * Displacement - 17,500 lbs. * Sail Area - 700 sq. ft. * Fuel - 50 gal. * Water - 90 gal.
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize. Formula. 46.88. <40: less stiff, less powerful.
384. 1984. 38'. $ 20,000. Cape Canaveral. 1984 Morgan 384 Bring All Offers - Owner Must Sell!! Price Reduction...This Is A Project Boat (boat needs extensive updating)! As the final iteration of the Ted Brewer Designed Morgan 38, the 384 is the culmination of several years perfecting this performance minded underbody, with a powerful sloop ….
Offering the best selection of Morgan boats to choose from. ... Florida Coast Yacht | Fort Pierce, Florida. Request Info; 1987 Morgan 43 CC. US$89,500. American Yachts | Punta Gorda, Florida. ... Currently, Morgan, a yacht brand has 38 yachts available for purchase on YachtWorld. This collection encompasses 2 newly built vessels as well as 36 ...
Morgan 38 Used Boat Review. For those readers who have been around as long as I have, your first vision at the mention of Morgan 38 is likely the classically styled, late '60s, Charley Morgan-designed sloops and yawls that were Morgan's follow-up the successful Morgan 34. For more recent devotees, Morgan 38 brings to mind a more ...
The Morgan 38 was one of the most popular and affordable boats built in the late 70's thru 1988. She was designed by Ted Brewer and he incorporated many desirable features in her fiberglass molding process. The deck layout is clean, simple and allows for great mobility. The Brewer design allowed for clean lines and a sharp bow entry.
View a large selection of Morgan boats for sale at Edwards Yacht Sales, the source of brokerage boats and yachts on the web. ... 38 ft - 11.58 meter LOA: 38 ft 4 in - 11.68 meter Beam: 12 ft - 3.66 meter. Draft - max:-Bridge Clearance:-Dry Weight:-Engine. Make: Perkins Model: 4108 Engine(s): 1
Dimensions LOA: 38' ft 4" LWL: 30 ft 6" Beam: 12 ft 0" Max Draft: 5 ft 0" Max Bridge Clearance: 53 ft 0" Engines Total Power: 50 Cruising Speed: 6 - 6.5 kts Max Speed: 7 - 7.5 kts Accommodations PRICE JUST REDUCED TO $53,900. This is a beautiful Morgan 382. It follows the traditional two cabin, forward head, open design philosophy.
Morgan used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. ... Ft Walton Destin, Florida Asking $40,000. 30' Pearson 30 Sailboat Hampton River Hampton, Virginia ... 38' Morgan Yachts USA Morgan 38 Belmar Marina, New Jersey Asking $7,500. 32' Sabre
Florida. $19,900. Description: New standing riggingrunning, Centerboard to 8.5'. Great boat, stiff and dry. Aluminum toe rail, needs some wiring work, recent re-fit. Marine AC, Cuisinart in galley with builtins, Redone head. Clean bilges. New steel beams for rigging, New standing and running wpoles.
Otherwise, the seller indicates that she is mechanically sound. Stock #385450 38' Morgan sailboat. Fresh bottom paint June 2023. ... Features: 1982 Morgan 383 - Ted Brewer Design Length: 38 ft. Beam: 12 ft. Draft: 5 ft. Displacement: 17,600 Engine: 50 hp 4-108 Perkins Diesel, approx hours 4,500 Anchor: 35 lb S&S CQR Style / 60 ft. of chain ...
Offering the best selection of Morgan boats to choose from. ... Florida Coast Yacht | Fort Pierce, Florida. Request Info; Price Drop; 1984 Morgan 36-5 Nelson Marek. US$19,500. ↓ Price Drop. Sailboats Northeast | Salem, Massachusetts. Request Info; Price Drop; 1968 Morgan Sloop. US$11,500.
Find 27 Morgan boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Morgan boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader! ... 1984 Morgan OFFSHORE 50. $124,900. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33315 | Denison Yachting. 1987 Morgan 43 CC. $89,500. Punta Gorda, FL 33955 | American Yachts. Request Info; New Arrival; Local Delivery;
View a large selection of Morgan boats for sale at Edwards Yacht Sales, the source of brokerage boats and yachts on the web. ... 38 ft - 11.58 meter LOA: 38 ft - 11.58 meter Beam: 12 ft - 3.66 meter. Draft - max: 5 ft - 1.52 meter Bridge Clearance:-Dry Weight:-Engine. Make: Perkins Model: 4108 Engine(s): 1
2024 Yamaha Boats 255 FSH Sport E. US$86,799. Performance East Inc | Goldsboro, North Carolina. <. 1. >. * Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price. Boats Group does not guarantee the accuracy of conversion rates and rates may differ than those provided by financial institutions at the time of ...
This chapter presents history, economic statistics, and federal government directories of Kemerovo Oblast. Kemerovo Oblast, known as the Kuzbass, is situated in southern central Russia.
86.63717° or 86° 38' 14" east. Population. 4,720. Elevation. 240 metres (787 feet) Open Location Code. 9M885JRP+VV ...
Kemerovo Oblast — Kuzbass, also known simply as Kemerovo Oblast (Russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть) or Kuzbass (Кузба́сс), after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Kemerovo is the administrative center and largest city of the oblast. Kemerovo Oblast is one of Russia's most urbanized regions, with over 70% of the population living in its ...
Flag Coat of arms. Kemerovo Oblast-Kuzbass (Russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть — Кузба́сс, romanized: Kemerovskaya oblast — Kuzbass, pronounced [ˈkʲemʲɪrəfskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ kuzˈbɑs]), also known by its short names as Kemerovo Oblast (Russian: Ке́меровская о́бласть) and Kuzbass (Кузба́сс) after the Kuznetsk Basin, is a federal ...