morgan 34 sailboat

New Sailboats
Sailboats 21-30ft
Sailboats 31-35ft
Sailboats 36-40ft
Sailboats Over 40ft
Sailboats Under 21feet
used_sailboats
Apps and Computer Programs
Communications
Fishfinders
Handheld Electronics
Plotters MFDS Rradar
Wind, Speed & Depth Instruments
Anchoring Mooring
Running Rigging
Sails Canvas
Standing Rigging
Diesel Engines
Off Grid Energy
Cleaning Waxing
DIY Projects
Repair, Tools & Materials
Spare Parts
Tools & Gadgets
Cabin Comfort
Ventilation
Footwear Apparel
Foul Weather Gear
Mailport & PS Advisor
Inside Practical Sailor Blog
Activate My Web Access
Reset Password
Customer Service

Free Newsletter

Ericson 41 Used Boat Review

Mason 33 Used Boat Review

Beneteau 311, Catalina 310 and Hunter 326 Used Boat Comparison

Maine Cat 41 Used Boat Review

AquaMaps with Bob’s blue tracks and my green tracks at the start of the ICW with bridge arrival times. (Image/ Alex Jasper)

Tips From A First “Sail” on the ICW

Make sure someone is always keeping a lookout on the horizon while the tillerpilot is engaged. If there are a few crew onboard, it helps to rotate who is on watch so everyone else can relax.

Tillerpilot Tips and Safety Cautions

Irwin Vise-Grip Wire Stripper. (Photo/ Adam Morris)

Best Crimpers and Strippers for Fixing Marine Electrical Connectors

600-watt solar panel system on Summer Twins 28 sailing catamaran Caribbean Soul 2. (Photo/ Clifford Burgess)

Thinking Through a Solar Power Installation

Getting the Most Out of Older Sails

How (Not) to Tie Your Boat to a Dock

Stopping Mainsheet Twist

Working with High-Tech Ropes

This is the faulty diesel lift pump, the arrow is pointing to the sluggish primer lever. That is an issue because the fuel lift pump needs to provide the right amount of fuel and fuel pressure to the injector pump. (Photo/ Marc Robic)

Fuel Lift Pump: Easy DIY Diesel Fuel System Diagnostic and Repair

Ensuring Safe Shorepower

Sinking? Check Your Stuffing Box

Instead of dreading a squall, think about it as a way to fill up your water tanks. PS tested ways to make sure the rainwater you catch is clean, tasty and safe to drink.

The Rain Catcher’s Guide

Replacement door latch made from an off-cut aluminum angle. The crafty DIY repair was made in the remote archipelago of Saint Pierre et Miquelon, where no hinges were readily available. (Photo/ Brett Campbell)

Boat Repairs for the Technically Illiterate

This is the original Yanmar 4JH5E 54hp normally aspirated engine supplied by Beneteau. We've done 6,000 hours over the last 13 years. (Photo/ Brett Campbell)

Boat Maintenance for the Technically Illiterate: Part 1

Whats the Best Way to Restore Clear Plastic Windows?

A V-Guide in use on stainless pulpit railing. V-Guides keep your drill bit from walking off either side of the curved surface. They are a helpful tool in this scenario since stainless requires steady, slow, lubricated pressure to drill properly.

Mastering Precision Drilling: How to Use Drill Guides

Giving Bugs the Big Goodbye

Galley Gadgets for the Cruising Sailor

Little things that are hardly necessary but nice to have start in the galley.

Those Extras you Don’t Need But Love to Have

The edges of open shade can read as high as 25 percent of sunlight when surrounded by a white deck. (Photo/ Drew Frye)

UV Clothing: Is It Worth the Hype?

Preparing Yourself for Solo Sailing

How to Select Crew for a Passage or Delivery

Preparing A Boat to Sail Solo

On Watch: This 60-Year-Old Hinckley Pilot 35 is Also a Working…

America's Cup sailboats have progressed from deep-keel monohull J-class Yachts, to regal Twelve Meters, to rambunctious wing-sailed catamarans. The rule now restricts boats to a single hull, but allows retractable, hydraulically actuated foils. Top speeds of 40 knots are common. (Photo/Shutterstock)

On Watch: America’s Cup

On Watch: All Eyes on Europe Sail Racing

Dear Readers

Chafe Protection for Dock Lines

Sailboat Reviews

A handsome shoal-draft keel/centerboarder well-suited to cruising the Keys or the Chesapeake.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the names Charley Morgan and Ted Irwin were practically synonymous with Florida boatbuilding. Charley Morgan was definitely one of the designers and builders that shaped the early and middle years of fiberglass sailboat building.

Morgan designs from that period run the gamut from cruising houseboats—the Out Island series—to the 12 meter sloop Heritage, the 1970 America’s Cup defense candidate that Morgan designed, built, and skippered.

But before Heritage , before the Out Island series, Charley Morgan designed cruiser/racers to the CCA rule. His successful one-off boats were typified by Paper Tiger , Sabre , and Maredea . Early Morgan designed production boats included the Columbia 40 and the Columbia 31.

In 1962, Morgan Yacht went into business to build the 28′ Tiger Cub. In 1965, the company really got rolling, building the Morgan 26, the 36, and the 42. In 1966 the Morgan 34 was added to the line. It stayed in production until the 1972 model year, when it was phased out in preference to the Morgan 35, a slightly larger, faster boat which fit a little better into the new IOR racing rule.

The Morgan 34 is a typical late CCA-rule centerboarder. Charley Morgan specialized in this type of boat, which was favored under the rating rule and well-adapted to life in the shoal waters of the Florida coast and the Bahamas.

By today’s standards, the Morgan 34 is a small boat, comparable in accommodations to a lot of 30-footers. When the boat was designed, she was as big as most other boats of her overall length.

In profile, the boat has a sweeping, moderately concave sheer. The ends of the boat are beautifully balanced: the bow profile is a slight convex curve, the overhanging counter aft is slightly concave. Esthetically, hull shapes of this period from the best designers are still hard to beat.

Sailing Performance

With a typical PHRF rating of 189, the Morgan 34 is not as fast as some of the more competitive cruiser/racers of the same vintage, such as the Tartan 34.

With just a little more sail area than the Tartan 34, the Morgan 34 is about 1,300 pounds heavier.

Most owners rate the boat as about the same speed both upwind and downwind as boats of similar size and type. At the same time, the boat’s performance is at least as good as a lot of more modern “pure” cruisers of the same length.

The rig is a simple, fairly low aspect ratio masthead sloop, using a slightly-tapered aluminum spar, stepped through to the keel.

Although there are double lower shrouds, the forward lowers are almost in line with the center of the mast, with the after lowers well behind the mast. On a lighter, more modern rig, this shroud arrangement would just about require a babystay, but on the stiff masts of the late 1960s, it would be essentially superfluous.

Early boats in the series have wooden spreaders. Unless well cared for, they can rot. For some reason, wooden spreaders on aluminum masts tend to get ignored more than the same spreaders on wooden masts.

The boom is a round aluminum extrusion equipped with roller reefing. Roller reefing is tedious, inefficient, and usually results in a poorly-shaped sail. If we were to buy a Morgan 34 for cruising, the first thing we’d do would be to buy a modern boom equipped with internal slab reefing.

Shroud chainplates are located right at the edge of the deck, so inboard genoa tracks would just about be a waste of time. The spreaders are short enough that you can sheet the genoa just inside the lifelines when hard on the wind.

Just about every piece of sailhandling equipment you’d normally expect on a cruiser/racer was an option on this boat. You may find extremely long genoa tracks—some boats originally carried 170% genoas, which were lightly penalized under the CCA rule—or you may find very short genoa tracks. Likewise, turning blocks, spinnaker gear, and internal halyards were all options.

The original jib sheet winches were Merriman or South Coast #5s. Compared to modern winches, they are slow and lack power. For anything other than casual daysailing, you’ll want to upgrade to modern two-speed self-tailing winches for the genoa.

At the aft end of the cockpit, there is an old-fashioned flat mainsheet traveler track. Although this isn’t a bad arrangement for a cruising boat, it would be tempting, while replacing the boom, to install a modern recirculating ball traveler. You could then keep the boat on her feet a little better close reaching in a breeze by simply easing the traveler car to leeward without slacking the mainsheet.

With the standard tiller, the mainsheet location is a bit of a problem, since the helmsman sits almost at the forward end of the cockpit. This is fine for racing, when the helmsman does nothing but steer, but it is awkward for shorthanded cruising.

Like a lot of boats with low aspect mainsails, the Morgan 34 tends to develop weather helm quite quickly as the breeze builds. Despite a 40% ballast/displacement ratio, the boat is not particularly stiff. She is narrow, and the shoal draft keeps the vertical center of gravity quite high.

The boat is quite easy to balance under sail in moderate conditions, thanks to a narrow undistorted hull, a long keel with the rudder well aft, and a centerboard. Owners report that on wheel-steered boats, you can tighten down the brake and the boat will sail itself indefinitely upwind.

Standard engine in the Morgan 34 was the Atomic 4 or the Palmer M-60, both gasoline engines. Perkins 4- 107 and Westerbeke 4-107 engines were $2,000 options.

If you can buy a used boat cheaply enough and plan to keep it for a few years, it would be a natural candidate for installation of one of Universal’s new drop-in Atomic 4 diesel replacements. However, since a new diesel would cost about 25% of the total value of the boat, such an upgrade is not something to be taken lightly.

With the side-galley interior with quarterberths aft, engine access for minor service is reasonable through panels in the quarterberths.

Engine access is less straightforward with the aft galley arrangement, requiring removing the companionway steps just to get to the front end of the engine. Almost unanimously, owners in our survey state that the boat is next to impossible to back down under power in any predictable direction. With a solid two-bladed prop in an aperture, reverse efficiency is minimal with no prop wash over the rudder.

A 26-gallon Monel fuel tank was standard. Monel, an alloy of copper and nickel, is one of the few tank materials that serves equally well for gasoline, diesel oil, or water. It is prohibitively expensive, and is therefore rarely used for tanks in modern production boats. You may also find a Morgan 34 with another, optional, 15-gallon fuel tank.

Construction

In the late 60s and early 70s, Morgans were of pretty average stock boat quality. Glasswork is heavy, solid, and unsophisticated.

The construction is a combination of good features, coupled with corners cut to keep the price down.

Through hull fittings are recessed flush to the hull—good for light air performance—yet gate valve shutoffs were standard. Believe it or not, you could buy bronze seacocks as options for about $5 to $25 each! That’s what we call cutting corners.

Lead ballast is installed inside the hull shell. The classic drawback to inside ballast is the vulnerability of the hull shell to damage in a grounding.

The cockpit is very large, larger than desirable for offshore sailing. In addition, there is a low sill between the cockpit and the main cabin, rather than a bridgedeck. You can block off the bottom of the companionway by leaving the lower dropboard in place, but this is not as safe an arrangement as a bridgedeck. Cockpit scuppers are smaller than we would want for offshore sailing.

Molded fiberglass hatches are in most cases more watertight than badly designed or maintained wooden hatches, but they are almost never as good as a modern metal-framed hatch. They’re simply too flexible. When the seals get old, you tend to dog the hatch tighter and tighter, further compressing the seals and putting uneven pressure on the hatch cover. The result is almost always leaking. Leaking hatches may seem like a small problem, but they are like a splinter in your finger: the pain and nuisance are all out of proportion to the item inflicting the injury.

Like many centerboards, the Morgan 34’s can be a problem. The original board was a bronze plate weighing about 250 pounds. When fully extended, the bronze board is heavy enough to add slightly to the boat’s stability. Later boats have an airfoil fiberglass board of almost neutral bouyancy. There’s a lot less wear and tear on the wire pennant with the glass board.

You may find a Morgan 34 that has been owner-finished from a hull or kit. Sailing Kit Kraft was a division of Morgan, and you could buy most of the Morgan designs in almost any stage of completion from the bare hull on up.

A kit-built boat can be a mixed blessing. If you find a boat that was finished by a skilled craftsman, it could be a better boat than a factory-assembled version. On the other hand, it could also be a disaster. Since the quality control of a kit boat is monitored only by the person building it, an extremely careful survey is required.

No matter how well executed it may be, an owner-completed kit boat rarely sells for more than a factory-finished version of the same boat. Most buyers would rather have a boat with a known pedigree, even if the pedigree is pretty average.

There’s a decent amount of exterior teak on this boat, including the cockpit coamings, toerail, grabrails on the cabin, drop boards, hatch trim, and cockpit sole. Check the bedding and fastening of the cockpit coamings carefully. If you want to varnish coamings that have been either oiled or neglected, it may be necessary to remove and rebed them.

Exterior appearance of older boats such as the Morgan 34 is greatly improved by varnishing the teak trim. It particularly spiffs up boats with the faded gelcoat that is almost inevitable after 20 years of use.

The standard Morgan 34 was a pretty basic boat. There were single lifelines, a single battery. There was no sea hood over the main hatch, and no electric bilge pump. Most boats left the factory with a fair number of options, but you may not find a lot of things that would be standard today.

In general, the construction and design of the Morgan 34 are suited to fairly serious coastal cruising. We would not consider the boat for offshore passagemaking without improving cockpit scuppers, companionway and hatch sealing, cockpit locker sealing, and bilge pumps.

The Morgan 34 dates from the heyday of woodgrained Formica interiors. Woodgrained mica bulkheads are even more lifeless than oiled teak bulkheads. However, mica makes a pretty decent painting base if it is thoroughly sanded so that all traces of gloss are removed. Freshly-painted white bulkheads with varnished trim would make a world of difference in the interior appearance of this boat.

The interior trim on a lot of Morgan 34s is walnut, which is a pretty drab wood, even when varnished. For an extra $400 or so you could get teak trim. Unvarnished teak and walnut are very similar in appearance, although walnut is usually a bit darker.

The forward cabin contains the normal V-berths, with a drawer and bin below on each side. A stainless steel water tank fills most of the space under the forward berths. The standard tank holds 30 gallons, but many boats have the optional 60-gallon tank.

A fiberglass hatch provides fair-weather ventilation for the forward cabin. A double-opening hatch was optional, as were opening ports in place of the standard fixed ports. Below the hatch, headroom is just over 6′.

The head compartment on the port side is quite cramped when the door is closed. However, it almost doubles in size if you close off the forward cabin with the dual-purpose head door, then close the sliding pocket door that separates the forward passageway from the main cabin.

Unfortunately, this pocket door is particle board, and it is likely to be a mushy mess, since any leaks around the mast drip right onto the door. “Waterproof” particle board found its way into a lot of boats in the 1960s and early 1970s. It shouldn’t have.

A shower installation was optional, and added about $800 to the base price of the boat for a pressure system, sump, pump and water heater. It is a desirable option if you plan on cruising.

You will find three different main cabin layouts. All were available as no-extra-cost options. In the most common layout, the galley occupies the starboard side of the main cabin, with a dinette opposite. This arrangment was fairly common in the late 1960s and early 1970s. You either love this galley/dinette arrangement or you hate it. Having spent a fair amount of time sailing offshore with a similar layout, we can say unequivocally that we hate it.

With the modern U-shaped galley, the cook can stand in one place and reach everything by simply turning around. With a linear galley, the cook has to take several steps to move from the icebox to the stove. This is fine when the boat is tied to the dock, but offshore it means that there’s no way the cook can wedge himself or herself in a single secure location while preparing meals.

A dinette also presents problems under way. Offshore, the most secure way to eat is to sit on the leeward settee, holding your plate in your lap. Unless there is a settee opposite the dinette, half the time you’ll be sitting on the uphill side of the boat while you’re trying to eat. This may be good for weight distribution while racing, but it’s not very secure. We’ve seen more than a few bowls of beef stew go flying from the windward to the leeward side of the main cabin when the boat took a knockdown.

Two different aft galley arrangements were options. In one, the dinette is retained, with a settee opposite. In the other, the dinette is replaced by a settee and pilot berth.

Choosing between these two is purely a matter of taste. The pilot berth layout gives three sea berths in the main cabin. On the other hand, the dinette table can be lowered to form a double berth.

The aft galley is larger than the side galley. To port, there is a gimballed stove, a large dry well, and outboard lockers. A sink, icebox, and other lockers are located on the starboard side.

Reduced access to the engine is the only disadvantage we see to the aft galley layout.

In common with a lot of boats of this period, the electrical panel is inadequate for the amount of goodies that are likely to have been installed in the boat over its life. The panel is also located in the worst possible place—directly under the companionway hatch.

With the aft galley, a good location for the electrical panel would be outboard of the sink tucked under the side deck. In all likelihood, you’re going to sacrifice that galley storage space to install navigation electronics anyway, since the top of the icebox is the only reasonable space to use as the chart table.

That’s right, there’s no nav station in this boat: we’re talking the late 1960s, when a boat with a radio, a depthsounder, and a knotmeter was heavily equipped with electronics.

There is reasonable storage space throughout the boat. Space under the settees is not taken up by tankage.

Headroom is 6′ 3″ on centerline throughout the main cabin, falling off to about 6′ at the outboard edge of the cabin trunk. All the berths are at least 6′ 6″ long, and they are proportioned for normal-sized human beings.

Decor in the main cabin is decidedly drab, between woodgrain laminate bulkheads and a sterile white fiberglass overhead liner. The original upholstery was vinyl, completing the low-maintenance theme. Paint, varnish, and nice fabric cushions would make a Cinderella of an interior that is reasonably roomy, laid out well, and uncluttered.

Ventilation in the main cabin isn’t great. There’s no overhead ventilation hatch, although there’s room to install one. Once again, the stock two small fixed ports may have been replaced with optional opening ports—a plus, but a small one.

A single long oval fixed port on either side of the main cabin gives the boat a very dated look. It would be tempting to remove the aluminum-framed port and replace it with a differently-shaped smoked polycarbonate window mounted on the outside of the cabin trunk and bolted through. We’d make a number of different patterns out of black construction paper and overlay them on the outside until we found a pleasing shape. You’d be surprised at how this would dress up appearance.

Conclusions

The Morgan 34 is similar in design and concept to the more-popular Tartan 34, which dates from the same period. By comparison, the Tartan 34 is lighter, faster, and has less wetted surface, since it lacks the Morgan’s full keel. As a rule, we prefer the Tartan 34’s construction details, although Morgan owners report somewhat less gelcoat crazing and deck delamination.

In 1970, the Morgan 34 and the Tartan 34 were almost identical in price. Today, however, the same Tartan 34 will cost about 20% more than the Morgan 34. Part of that difference in price stems from the fact that the Tartan 34 is less dated in appearance, design, and finishing detail.

If you want a keel/centerboarder for cruising in shoal waters such as the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Chesapeake, but don’t want to spend the money for the Tartan 34, a Morgan 34 is a good alternative. With effort and money, you can upgrade the Morgan 34 quite a bit. As always, however, you should compare the dollars and amount of time invested before getting involved with a boat that dates from a period when the aesthetics of hull design were light years ahead of the nitty gritty of detailing and interior design.

Latest Videos

What’s the Best Sailboats for Beginners?

Why Does A Sailboat Keel Fall Off?

The Perfect Family Sailboat! Hunter 27-2 – Boat Review

Pettit EZ-Poxy – How to Paint a Boat

Latest sailboat review.

The Ericson 41's solid build and stylish 1960s lines offer an offshore-ready cruiser with class. The slender cockpit means you can brace yourself with a foot on the the leeward side. Which, as it turns out, makes you look classy as well. (Photo/ Bert Vermeer)

Privacy Policy
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Online Account Activation
Privacy Manager

Forum Listing
Marketplace
Advanced Search
About The Boat
Boat Builders Row
SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Considering a 1966 Morgan 34

Add to quote

Hello: Considering moving forward on a 1966 Morgan 34 and am wondering if the Morgan community on Sailnet could give me their thoughts on this boat... According to the owner, this was Charley Morgan's boat and he had designed it for himself for cruising (don't know if that's true or not). It has a split galley (to both port/starboard), no quarterberths in the stern (it's all storage in the stern and has stern locker), but two pilot berths in the main cabin along with a v-berth. Atomic 4, been sitting on the hard for 3 years, tiller, hank-on sails, few if any electronics, and 20 gallons each for fuel and water. My vision would be to get a survey to see if it's worth sinking money into.. questions are please: 1.) would this be a good cruising sailboat (at least coastal) for a family of four (son- age 8 and daughter and 10)? 2.) Anyone have any experience with Morgan 34s in terms of their sailing performance? 2.) Any big issues that I should be aware of, i.e. Atomic 4, centerboard, peculiarities of this make and model? what are folks thoughts? thanks in advance....

Spirit 1969 Morgan 34 Yep - I have a Morgan, The lay out is different than the one you are looking at. We have two quarter Berths, and galley is on starboard. It is a great sailboat for small family. The layout below gives us a lot of room for a 34 and the cockpit is roomy as well. The large deck also gives us some space for kids. The survey went well and the hull was solid. A new engine was put in about 5 years ago by a prior owner. I did some work on the head, seacocks and centerboard pulley. but all works. The head is small.... The boat is easy to sail and the tiller is fine. She is not terribly fast but has very little weather helm when trimmed right. I am not sure that I would go off shore with her, but the chesapeake is fine. I think she sails fine.. Charlie Morgan has a web site and before I bought mine I emailed him with a question...he emailed back a day later. Morgan 34's look great on the water. any more specific questions please let me know...I have some pictures but I am not sure how to upload..I can try if you like...Good Luck

price point Hello: thanks so much for your reply. What price point would you think would be a fair price for the boat I just described? Also, what do you think would be an outstanding deal on a '66 Morgan 34? Kindly, jason

A wild guess and I mean wild w/ out looking..if everything works enough to sail, you say sitting on the hard for 3 years so my visual is not great, but 15 to 20k...now what is the owner asking ? My morgan in very good condition, in todays market might be worth 25, there are some for sale on Yachtworld check it out...best Jeff

Hi Duck401K they are asking $5,500......... i checked out prices on boats.com and found similar numbers to what you were mentioning....

Sounds like she might need some work. If you need info email Charlie Morgan The MORGAN YACHT CONNECTION he has helped many people with old Morgans. At that price, it might need some work. Where do you plan to sail ? I have found that my kids can understand the simple rigging and enjoy the room. I have virtually no electronics and the boat is very easy to maintain. I am sailing this weekend on the CB Good luck

have fun out there in the Bay! I think the vision is to sail out of the Great Lakes in a few years and down the coast to Florida. From there, I don't know.. Once I get some pics I'll email Charley (thanks for the link, by the way) and get his thoughts on the boat. Undoubtedly it will need some work. Any boat that sits on the hard will accumulate water so I'm worried about what kind of damage has been done to her while she's sitting. I like the idea of my kids having a simple, safe boat to live aboard on for a year or two. You don't feel safe taking your boat out on the ocean? Not quite set up for it? Kids too little?

Amundsen - Where is the Morgan 34 you're considering purchasing?

We absolutely LOVE our 1969 morgan 34. We have sailed her to Rio Dulce, Guatemala and back and were very happy! pm me if you need more info Sue K.

I have hull #110 , bought it 4 years ago. I paid $12,500, we started at $22,000. It was in good mechanical shape. Good Old Boat magazine did a nice article on this boat. I love many things about this boat ( sails well, is quick, and turns a lot of heads ). I think 1967 was the height of the bronze age. I have a solid bronze centerboard, winches, winch handles. The hull is solid fiberglass. Very sturdy boat. Now for the negatives. Look at the base of your mast, I had to replace the step/centerboard pulley. The outhaul winch is slipping. Do you have a waste tank? The fuel tank could have gunk in it. The side fixed ports can be troublsome. Does your boat have a bimini? I will stop here. Each one of these items can be big projects to fix. It's a strong, well built boat for the money; if it was taken care of. Pay for a survey, it is well worth it. Sea Treasure Worton Creek, MD

Hey Sea Treasure - I have a 69 Morgan, Spirit in the Wye River, We love the boat. Had some good sailing this year...when are you coming to St. Mikes?...Do you know of other Morgans in the CB... Amundsun 72 Did you get your boat yet ? We did put a waste tank under the forward setee seat. The head is small and I am tall...you will like the boat but it is slim on extras or comforts, under sail handles great. Best J

Amundsen72 said: Hello: Considering moving forward on a 1966 Morgan 34 and am wondering if the Morgan community on Sailnet could give me their thoughts on this boat... According to the owner, this was Charley Morgan's boat and he had designed it for himself for cruising (don't know if that's true or not). It has a split galley (to both port/starboard), no quarterberths in the stern (it's all storage in the stern and has stern locker), but two pilot berths in the main cabin along with a v-berth. Atomic 4, been sitting on the hard for 3 years, tiller, hank-on sails, few if any electronics, and 20 gallons each for fuel and water. My vision would be to get a survey to see if it's worth sinking money into.. questions are please: 1.) would this be a good cruising sailboat (at least coastal) for a family of four (son- age 8 and daughter and 10)? 2.) Anyone have any experience with Morgan 34s in terms of their sailing performance? 2.) Any big issues that I should be aware of, i.e. Atomic 4, centerboard, peculiarities of this make and model? what are folks thoughts? thanks in advance.... Click to expand...

I am doing a complete rebuild on a Morgan 34, same layout below as yours. Gutted to bare hull, new Yanmar diesel, new wiring, etc. It is for my daughter and her husband to sail to New Zealand from here (Hawaii). It is a great classic design, safe offshore, perfect for a couple or a couple with one or two children. I would be happy to share experiences with you via e-mail if that would be helpful.

The thread is from 2009 - his kids are probably in college and maybe on his second wife, wonder if he still has the boat?

5 years later... Kids have graduated college, with kids of their own. On wife #3 by now? I see a very similar boat for sale near me, wonder if it's the same one?

?
176.1K members

Top Contributors this Month

Boats for Sale

34' morgan sailboats for sale.

Connecting with Marinesource.com

The Morgan 34 is a 34.0ft masthead sloop designed by Charles Morgan and built in fiberglass by Morgan Yachts since 1965.

400 units have been built..

The Morgan 34 is a heavy sailboat which is a reasonably good performer. It is very stable / stiff and has an excellent righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a bluewater cruising boat. The fuel capacity is originally small. There is a very short water supply range.

Morgan 34 for sale elsewhere on the web:

Main features

Model	Morgan 34
Length	34 ft
Beam	10 ft
Draft	3.25 ft
Country	United states (North America)
Estimated price	$ 0	??

You will be able to pin external links of your choice.

See how Sailboatlab works in video

Sail area / displ.	16.25
Ballast / displ.	41.60 %
Displ. / length	368.08
Comfort ratio	32.68
Capsize	1.73

Hull type	Monohull keel with centerboard
Construction	Fiberglass
Waterline length	24.75 ft
Maximum draft	7.92 ft
Displacement	12500 lbs
Ballast	5200 lbs
Hull speed	6.67 knots

We help you build your own hydraulic steering system - Lecomble & Schmitt

Rigging	Masthead Sloop
Sail area (100%)	545 sq.ft
Air draft	0 ft	??
Sail area fore	269.97 sq.ft
Sail area main	274.85 sq.ft
I	40.75 ft
J	13.25 ft
P	35.08 ft
E	15.67 ft

Nb engines	1
Total power	30 HP
Fuel capacity	26 gals

Accommodations

Water capacity	30 gals
Headroom	0 ft
Nb of cabins	0
Nb of berths	0
Nb heads	0

Builder data

Builder	Morgan Yachts
Designer	Charles Morgan
First built	1965
Last built	0	??
Number built	400

Other photos

Modal Title

The content of your modal.

Personalize your sailboat data sheet

Paste a link here:

Give it a title:

And eventually a link to an image for the thumbnail:

Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.

Sailboat Guide

1967 Morgan 34

Description

Seller's Description

This “good old boat” is ready to go as a daysailer or occasional overnighter. The hull and deck are solid with no signs of blistering or softness. The engine is a 1995 Yanmar 3GM30F diesel with under 1,000 hours. It starts and runs great. Always properly serviced. It burns about a half gallon of fuel per hour at 5 kts. Talk about economical!

She draws just 3’4” with the bronze centerboard up which is great for pulling in close to a beach or a cozy anchorage. With the board down she points well and competes well in the local PHRF circuits.

This boat is truly a pleasure to sail. She sails very well with just the genoa on the Furlex roller furler to make things super easy. With the main up and the 150 genoa (there are 2) she powers through just about any conditions. The sails and both standing and running rigging are very good.

The cockpit cushions are excellent. The wiring and electrical panel were all replaced in 2016. There is an excellent stainless Origo alcohol stove and oven. There are 2 quarter berths, a V-berth forward and the dinette table drops for another good-sized berth. The head is a Domtar self-contained port-a-potty… fine for day trips.

For extended cruising or living aboard she’ll need some attention. Happy to discuss details if you have serious interest. Her pretty lines and solid construction make her a great candidate for major upgrades those who are so inclined. Or just take her as is and you have a wonderful classic sailboat to enjoy right away.

Equipment: Newer cockpit cushions Stainless steel swim ladder New solid stainless rod/vectran centerboard rigging Origo 6000 alcohol stove/oven Domtar self-contained head Barient primary and secondary winches

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)

The MORGAN 34 was the first real production yacht from Morgan Yachts and among the most successful. A few later versions had a separated rudder on skeg. Some later boats were sold as kits. Early boats had bronze centerboards. Later on this was changed to fiberglass. Charles Morgan owned his own MORGAN 34 for many years.

This listing is presented by SailboatListings.com . Visit their website for more information or to contact the seller.

View on SailboatListings.com

Embed this page on your own website by copying and pasting this code.

About Sailboat Guide

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Boats for Sale

Morgan 34 for sale

Receive new listings in your email

Manufacturer

1 New and Used Morgan 34

Crystal River, Florida (United States of America)

OFFERED BY:

- Stock #Popular Morgan 34! 1967 Morgan 34 for sale St. Pete Florida Morgan is known for it long sailing history. This Morgan has seen a lot of sailing over the years. Down bel...

* Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price.

MORGAN 34 RELATED MODELS

Go to

1969 Morgan 34

Search boats for sale