Morgan 25 vs Cape Dory

[ronkberg]

I have an opportunity to upgrade from my Typhoon to a 25' Morgan. The Morgan has been very well cared for and has an Atomic 4 ( plus two more parts motors ). The hull looks similar to a CD except for the rudder position and it only draws 2'8". My Typhoon draws the same and I wonder if that will make the Morgan less stable? The present owner is a cabinet maker and has made the external teak look very good as well as the hull, deck and topsides. I will get to inspect the interior next week but have been told that it is very nice. The Morgan is on a trailer that appears to be good enough for my winter storage and has been used for launch each year. Next week I will also get to inspect the sails.

Does anyone have an opinion of the Morgan 25 sailing versus our beloved Cape Dory?

Should I run away fast or should I consider it a good potential upgrade?

Thanks for any opinions.......Ron

[Dick Villamil]

I owned a Morgan 24/25 (1968 vintage) and cruised with the family on Lake Champlain/raced (successfully) for 8 years. I absolutely loved the boat. It was the outboard version - and had a slightly lower handicap than the inboard version. There is a centerboard that increases the draft to 6' so she really sails to weather very well. When going down wind we used to winch the board up and she would fly - we had her going 10 knots once with the spinnaker flying! Make sure that you check the mechanism for raising and lowering the board as well as the pin that the board rotates on. It can become a problem - but I never experienced it. I was racing it one late fall with 6-7 foot waves on Lake Champlain and winds gusting to 50 knots as they came down out of the Adirondacks. Not really sailing but we did OK. I used to single hand the boat many times and would even race her with spinnaker - including jibing with the chute up - doing very well. The full keel allowed her to stay on course with the right sail set. There is a lot of trophies on the wall from the old Morgan! I have a Typhoon and she sails very much like the Morgan did - solid and tracks well - however the Morgan could sail to windward as good as any other boat on the water, the Ty ..... well..... I have owned an ODay 27 and currently sail a C&C 34 but the old Morgan still has a soft spot in my heart, but the Ty is right next to it! Check the decks for water around the stays and deck fittings - the decks were cored with plywood and if it gets wet could delaminate. I did not have any problems with this. I used slab reefing instead of the roller reefing that was on the boom and added a vang and backstay adjuster for the split backstay - really helped the bat sail to weather. Just writing this has brought back many fond memories and cruises on the old M24.

[ronkberg]

Hi Dick, and thanks for the encouraging response and knowledge of the Morgan. I will look closely at the items you have alerted me to and am concerned about the centerboard. I had another boat with a centerboard and it got jammed a few times and also was leaking as she aged. Is the mechanism for the centerboard within the cockpit area or inside the cabin? Does it have a pulley type of mechanical advantage or is it "armstrong" and take Popeye muscles? The Atomic Four also gives me concerns but also is exciting because I hate having to deal with an outboard.

The seller has not responded to my phone messages and I'll have to chase him more to schedule an inspection.

I will be selling a nice '83 Typhoon on a trailer if I can work this deal so readers should be alert as I expect "Knotty Buoy" will sell fast.

Later, Ron

[Dick Villamil]

The centerboard is attached by a ss pin in the trunk that is not easily accessible. There is also a sheave in the trunk/bilge where the cb cable rolls over. This can jump the sheave although I never had the problems with sheave or pin although I have heard they are worth investigating. As for lifting the board there is a winch with a proprietary removable handle in the cockpit that lifts the centerboard with a cable attached to the board in the cb trunk. We used to raise the board going downwind (the boat would go fast with fair amount of stability. However you MUST remember to lower the board before going upwind or you will have to come head to wind to relieve lateral pressure on the board so it goes down. We used to raise and lower the board a lot while racing and it made a big difference. Raising the board allowed us to get in close to the sandy beach areas so we could anchor then walk ashore in 3' deep water! I had the outboard version and if there was somebody on the bow raising the anchor it was important not to have two or 3 people go to the bow or the prop would come out of the water. The inboard version avoided that. Check all hardware - rebed and change the old TUFBLOCK resin/fiber cam cleats and turning blocks unless they have already be replaced. The M24/25 has been considered by Sail Magazine as one of the Breakthrough Classic sailboats of all time - and I am glad that I had the opportunity to sail one for 8 years - lots of trophies and fond memories.