Morgan-38 Owners' Group
1998 Summer Newsletter, No.4
Editor's Corner
Another sailing season is hard on us. Even here on mid-coast Maine, the early-summer fogs have mostly dissipated and the afternoon sea breezes are coming on like gangbusters. We had a fabulous sail last Sunday from North Haven Island back to Rockland on a close reach in about 15 knots of wind. The old girl really showed her heels! The day before, as our M-383 slipped past a Neptune 26 in light air on a beam reach, the owner called over, "I'll bet you really race that thing!" It made my day.
Speaking of "the old girl," there's a new magazine afloat that might interest you. It's called "Good Old Boat" and is dedicated to the maintenance, upgrading, and appreciation of older fiberglass sailboats. The first issue had a feature story on the Cape Dory 30, and I think we could twist the editors' arms to get one on the Morgan 38s before too long. (Karen and Jerry, please take note.) They are sending out free copies of the first issue as long as supplies last. If you are interested, contact Good Old Boat Magazine / 7340 Niagara Lane North / Maple Grove, MN 55311-2655. Phone (612) 420-8923. Internet: www.goodoldboat.com. E-mail: karen@goodoldboat.com.
One of the nice surprises that has come with the Morgan 38 Owners' Group is the amount of interest that has been generated in our boats. I frequently get inquires from people looking to upscale from smaller vessels. They've seen reference to the Owners' Group on the Internet, in "Cruising World Sailor's Sourcebook," or elsewhere, and they want to find out more. Sometimes they have specific questions, other times more general ones like what to look for in a used boat. I sometimes get requests for the names of nearby owners so that prospective buyers can talk to someone who sails in their area and (possibly) get a look at a boat. I generally honor these requests because I think it is an important service, but if you wish not to have your name given, please let me know. I should mention that I've also heard coments that it's hard to find a good used M-38 on the market because they get snapped up so quickly. I guess we owners like to hear that.
As you read this, Barbara and I and our two kids, Julia (age 7) and Eliot (age 5), will be preparing for our first long cruise on "Watermusic." We are planning to set sail from Rockland about August 22 and to spend the month of September in southern New England waters. That will likely include ports-of-call on Massachusetts Bay, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha's Vinyard, Naragansett Bay, Block Island, and Mystic Seaport. If all goes really well, we may venture on to the Chesapeake, but at this time it is uncertain. For anyone else who will be sailing their M-38 in southern New England waters at the same time, we would love to rendezvous. Reach us before August 22 at (207) 465-2334, or during the cruise we will try to have our cell phone on in the mornings between about 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. at (207) 861-2288.
Yours for fair winds...
Lenny Reich
"Katrina's" European Cruise
By Nicholas & Kathleen Newman
In the first installment of this article, the Newmans described finishing their Charley Morgan-38 "Katrina" from a bare hull and fitting her out to suit their needs. This article describes their extended European cruise, and the last installment, in the next newsletter, will deal with cruising "Katrina" in North America.
Our trans-Atlantic cruise was organized around my sabbatical year at the Norwegian University of Technology in Trondheim. Situated on a large fjord midway up the west coast of Norway, Trondheim has a substantial harbor, but the facilities for yachts are quite limited. There is a small but enthusiastic group of sailors who organized winter haul-out and storage on a do-it-yourself basis. Before departing, we confirmed that Katrina could be accommodated on this basis for the winter. When we confessed our plans to a few friends it became clear that we would not lack for willing and able crew members.
After ten years of racing and cruising we had a lot of confidence in the structural integrity and seaworthiness of Katrina, but a long list of projects was compiled to complete prior to crossing the Atlantic. The rudder and propeller were removed after we had noted substantial play in the stern bearing. Inspection of the shaft revealed significant crevice corrosion where the shaft passed through the stuffing box. A new shaft and rubber bearing were installed, with a Federal flexible coupling to isolate the shaft from the engine.
When the rudder was reinstalled, we glassed over the bronze shoe (hopefully an unnecessary precaution to keep it in place). A second fuel tank was installed in the cockpit locker aft of the galley, increasing the total tankage to 50 gallons of Diesel and 100 gallons of water. A fiberglass "torpedo tube" was installed in the transom to house the man-overboard pole, and this doubled as the outlet for the Edson diaphragm pump which was installed beneath the cabin sole in the galley area.
The absence of a bridge deck on the M38 is a convenience in good conditions, but a potential hazard offshore. To overcome this I made two heavy companionway slides from a double thickness of plywood left over from the main bulkheads. We kept the lower slide in place whenever the conditions were at all ominous. One night in mid-Atlantic a wave broke over the stern, filling the boots of the surprised crew on watch but only sending a bit of spray into the cabin.
A single-sideband radio was installed with an insulated backstay antenna and coupler in the lazarette. A difficult part of this job was to install two strips of copper flashing inside the hull, from the backstay to the mast step, with welded wire connections to the engine, to provide a ground plane for the antenna. An insulated backstay was installed for the antenna, and a special whip antenna was made up to use in case of dismasting.
Two significant additions to the rig were a separate track on the mast for the storm trysail, and a small staysail. The staysail is self-furling on a wire luff, which does not require a forestay. A two-part Kevlar halyard was used to minimize stretch and sag of the luff. Running backstays were installed to support the head of the staysail. This rig proved itself in a couple of mid-Atlantic storms and also cruising in Europe when the wind was sometimes over 30 knots.
The electronic navigation systems used in the 1980's are antiquated now. Suffice it to mention that for the eastbound crossing to Norway via Newfoundland and Scotland we were able to use Loran, with celestial backup. For the return crossing via the southern route, a Transit Sat Nav was installed. Today one would rely on a GPS with celestial backup.
The crossing in 1981 included stops in St John's, Newfoundland, for a crew change, then a 13-day passage to Scotland, and three weeks cruising in the Hebrides, Orkneys, and Shetlands before crossing the North Sea to Norway. When we hauled out in Trondheim, the local sailors were surprised by the keel-centerboard configuration, which is not common in Scandinavia.
In the summer of 1982 we sailed up the west coast of Norway to the Lofoten Islands, about 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where we experienced 24 hours of sunlight and snow on the decks. Then it was down the coast to Denmark, where we left Katrina for three successive winters in an excellent yard. After two more summers cruising in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, we began the slow journey home in 1985 via the Kiel and Dutch canals to the south coast of England, where we had found another good yard for winter storage. The following summer we sailed down the west coast of Europe via Brittany, Spain, and Portugal.
In November 1985 we left Portugal for Madeira, Las Palmas, and the southern crossing to Barbados. Our worst storm was encountered just after leaving the south coast of Portugal. For five days we fought a westerly gale with winds between 30 and 60+ knots and steep breaking waves. In the worst conditions, we hove too, with the staysail backed and either the mainsail double-reefed or the storm trysail. Katrina behaved well under these conditions, but we were glad when it was over. The 19-day passage from the Canaries to Barbados included a couple of frustrating days in the doldrums, followed by a long, fast run in the north-east trades. Most of the time we ran wing-and-wing, with the 130% genoa wung out on the spinnaker pole and the mainsail reefed when necessary to keep the boat under control. The long keel of the M-38 gave us excellent directional stability surfing down the long following waves.
After spending the winter in the Caribbean, we sailed north to Bermuda and on to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in June 1987. This prolonged circular cruise around the North Atlantic left us with many memorable experiences and a deep appreciation for our boat.
The Newmans live in Wayland, MA, and sail out of Woods Hole. Their home phone number is (508) 358-4064. Nick can also be reached at jnn@mit.edu
Pilgram's Pacific Adventure
By Geoff Stevenson
The last Newsletter, quoting Feb. 1998's "Cruising World," reported Geoff and Brad Stevenson's four-month cruise from the Pacific Northwest to Tahiti and back. In this article and another next time, Geoff explains how they did it.
It was, to be sure, a summer cruise with a difference: over 11,000 miles from Vic-toria, Canada, to Tahiti and back in just over four months aboard our trusty 1982 Morgan 383 (hull #26), Pilgrim V. We knew that others had been to the Marquesas and returned in a single sea-son, although we couldn't find anyone who had made the trip we were planning. However, Jimmy Cornell's "World Cruising Routes" suggested that we could get to Pateete and back, as long as the spring weather would let us leave Canada before the end of April.
So son Brad took a year off from the University of Victoria, and I persuaded my friend George Jackson to come with us to Tahiti and my brother Alistair to sail from Tahiti to Hawaii. By then, I figured that Brad, who hadn't been off-shore before would have all the experience we needed for father and son to sail the final leg from Honolulu to Victoria.
Pilgram V had been on the North Pacific before, but we did a fair amount of preparation for this trip. From an earlier passage, we knew that the Monitor Windvane would steer well on all points of sail up to 45 knots of apparent wind. We haven't tested her over that wind speed, but I have no doubt that at, say 65 knots, Monty would remain completely in control.
The standing rigging was original, and while I could see no impending failures, we replaced everything. Because the original rig used Navtec turnbuckles, it was cheaper to fit new open-body chromed bronze turnbuckles than pay the cost of the new Navtec swage fittings. (Anyone looking for a few hundred feet of 5/16 inch wire and eight Navtec turnbuckles?)
The Harken furling system was working fine, but I replaced it with a Schaeffer 3100 system. This was deliberately oversize, but it worked flawlessly. It's not uncommon to partially furl and unfurl headsails 15 or 20 times a day on an ocean passage. If your furling can't handle that without a winch, you'll probably have a problem before too long.
Our Edson steering system had standard 4-inch sheaves to take the wire from the vertical run inside the pedestal to the horizontal run around the quadrant. I fitted six-inch sheaves and up-graded the chain-wire rope from 3/16 to 1/4 inch. This required repositioning the muffler, rerouting the exhaust hose, and lowering the quadrant. Everything worked perfectly on the ocean, and I was glad I'd spent all those hours on my back in the quarter berth and cockpit locker.
We had had concerns about the lower rudder bearing on an earlier trip to San Francisco. The original lower bearing had two bronze straps bolted together through the skeg, with a 1.75 inch hole near the trailing edge to accommodate the rudder shaft. We had the aft ends of the straps bolted together (they were originally not connected) and two extensions brazed onto the straps. This meant that six bolts instead of the orig-inal three connected the two sides of the bearing.
In addition, we had a test hole drilled through the rudder to check the condition of the steel plate welded to the rudder shaft. This suggested everything was fine inside, so we then had three layers of cloth glassed to the rudder itself for extra strength. This was undoubtedly overkill, but we never had a moment's concern about the rudder or steering system. As some offshore sailor much wiser than me has observed: losing you rig or rudder will spoil your whole day!
We already had all the equipment I though we'd need: electric windlass, three anchors, seven sails, six-main liferaft, EPIRB, ham radio, radar, and upgraded electrical system. We took off the original 43-amp Delco alternator and bolted on a 105 amp Cruising Design unit, which is about the biggest you can turn with a single belt. We added a three-step Heart Interface regulator with float cycle, four 6-volt golf-cart batteries, and a 12 volt starting battery. This gave us lots of electricity with about 45 minutes a day of charging, enough to run our fridge two hours on and two hours off during really hot weather.
We motored judiciously as long as we had fuel. Pilgrim's Perkins burns a lit-tle over a half a gallon per hour at 1,250 r.p.m.. At those revs, our three-bladed feathering 16-inch Max Prop drives us at five knots in flat water, so we have a the-oretical range of about 500 miles from 40 gallons in the main tank and about 25 in jerry cans.
Our first leg, 4,250 miles to Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas in 38 days, was by far our longest. This was an El Nino year with very little wind, and we spent several days becalmed far off the California coast--great for salt-water baths in the cockpit, but it made for slow progress.
We hoisted our cruising spinnaker at every opportunity. Once we had four or five knots of apparent wind, we could reach or run at four knots or more. If you are planning to go offshore and debating whether or not to take a chute, our advice is "don't leave home without it." I'd guess we sailed 400 or 500 miles under spinnaker on the way to Nuku Hiva. Without it, we'd have been parked for days.
Other sails aboard: new, full-battened main with two reef points, 130% genoa, yankee (about 120%, but cut high), working jib, staysail, and storm jib. We also own a storm trysail but never got around to fitting the track on the mast to fly it. Because Pilgrim sails so well with just a staysail or storm jib, we never missed the trysail. All of our sails are triple stitched. Conventional double-stitched sails simply will not stand up offshore.
When we bought Pilgrim in the fall of 1991, she already had fittings on the mast for both an inner forestay and running backstays. I strengthened the bulkhead at the forward end of the V-berth by laminating some 3/4 inch plywood with cloth and West System epoxy. This ran from port to starboard below the anchor locker door and was epoxied down both sides and across the bottom. This is massively strong, and I've never had a moment's hesitation about it.
I had a stainless steel chainplate welded to an appropriate deck fitting, which sits just aft of the anchor locker lid. The chainplate is about 25 inches long and secured with eight 3/8 inch bolts and two backing plates above and below the anchor lid door. This restricts access to the chain locker, but it has never been a problem.
[Ed's. note: Ted Brewer has also designed a staysail system, including this at-tachment point. Drawings are available directly from him at Box 187, Lyman, WA 98263]
The final installment will appear next time. Geoff and his wife Anita live in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, and sail out of Victoria. Their home phone number is (250) 652-9127.
A New Helmsman's Seat
By Rich Jamieson
After selling my 1969 Morgan 33, which I had owned for 12 years, I looked at six different M-382s, 383s, and 384s. I decided on either a 383 or 384 in order to have the main sheet on the cabin top to install a fully enclosed cockpit dodger and bimini. Sailing on Lake Superior, I planned to use the enclosed cockpit to extend my sailing season.
I also had my eye on the helms-man's seat on the M-384. After sailing for 25 years, I realized that a flat bench behind the wheel was fine until the boat started to heel--then it helped you find the low side of the boat.
Life is full of compromises, as are boat purchases. The boat we bought was a 1982 M-383. She was well outfitted and had everything I needed, except she was missing the sculpted helmsman's seat.
My wife and I sailed Panache the summer of '97 and were very pleased with her performance, except we kept sliding to the low side. My wife also complained of not being able to see over the instrument cluster. She stacked up cushions, but when the boat heeled she would tumble to the low side of the bench like the top piece of a Jenga game.
I wanted to do something for the '98 sailing season and called the Morgan plant in Florida, hoping to have them build me a helmsman's seat. My hopes were dashed when I was told that the molds had been discarded. I then moved on to the next step, which was trying to figure out how to build a helmsman's seat myself. My first thought was to build one out of wood.
In February '98, my wife and I took a trip to Chicago for the "Strictly Sail" show. We met there with three other couples who were also M-38 owners. Conversation was lively, and during the course of it I was offered the seats from an M-384 to use as a model.
I did some research and found a fiberglass job shop that could make the molds, then the finished product. After I tracked down the source of the original "T" hinges, I had the molds and duplicate seats made. Three months later, I was the owner of a helmsman's seat fashioned from the set loaned to me.
As I write this piece on July 27, 1998, I am sitting aboard Panache after having had a great day's sail. Was the effort and expense worth it just to add a helmsman's seat? Would I go through the process again? "U Betcha!" as we Minnesotans say. Just as a keyboard and display are the most used human interface to a computer, the cockpit seat is often times the most used human interface to a boat. I can tell you, we are enjoying that helmsman's seat interface immensely.
A link on the M-38 web site shows pictures of Rich's helmsman's seat. He can have helmsman's seats made to order for those wishing to fit them to their boats. Call him at (800) 821-0207 or e-mail rich@navstore.com
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The Morgan-38 Owners' Group Newsletter is published three times per year in Belgrade, Maine. Submission of owners' articles about their boats and experiences are very much appreciated. Please be sure that there is sufficient content about the boats themselves to be of particular interest to other owners. Thanks!
Lenny Reich -- lsreich@colby.edu
(207) 872-3535 w / 465-2334 h
RR#2, Box 4440, Belgrade, ME 04917
http://www.colby.edu/personal/
lsreich/morgan.html