# advice on Morgan NA 40



## Kaan (Oct 12, 2017)

I have been sailing on Lake Ontario with my O'Day 30 and decided to upgrade. I am planning to buy a 1978 Morgan NA 40 and to sail up and down on the east cost (Canada to Florida) including Caribbean in short term and maybe more extended sailing across the Atlantic in long term. I would appreciate any feedback on these boats as I couldn't find much about them.

Thanks in advance.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

From what little I know of this boat, only having been on one which was in Florida, it was a fin keel boat that was very tender and really not suitable for coastal cruising. The interior was spacious, and it was powered with a Perkins 4-108 cylinder, 50 HP diesel, which was more than sufficient to move the boat at hull speed. The cockpit was quite spacious as well.

If I were in your shoes, I would look for a 41 Out Island, Ketch rigged, center cockpit Morgan, which has a full keel, same engine, aft cabin with head, and more beam and interior room.

Hope this helps,

Gary


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## albrazzi (Oct 15, 2014)

I did a quick search and it looks like a nice older Racer cruiser. One mans tender may be another mans responsive. A friend once had an O'day 32 and that Boat was so short rigged we never could get it heel, not one bit. I didn't care for it at all.


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

The boats were built as one design racing class with cruising capabilities. Believe the original impetus for the design and build came from a major yacht club in the NE. The boats will be light year better sailors than an OI and doubt they are any more tender than a boat with that type of pedigree. Have only seen one in person, it looked to be more race oriented on deck. For me that would be a plus as I'd rather have a boat that can be sailed than one that is a marina queen.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

We owned a similar Choate 40 for a dozen years. Great boat with plenty of room and lots of power. One of the good things about those old IOR race boats is that they came with terrific deck gear - good winches, robust fittings etc.

They require careful sail and AWA selection, especially downwind in a breeze but I think they can provide good value.

Could be a bit of a handful for a short handed crew, and as a 40 yr old boat it will require a thorough survey. Not sure who built the NAs, our Choate was built by Dencho, a well recognized semi custom builder.


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## Kaan (Oct 12, 2017)

I would like to thank to you all for your answers and time, It helped us to make our minds with my wife. We decided to buy the boat primarily for the reason mentioned by Gary, the interior is spacious and in great condition (thanks to former owner's hard work and being that handy, my wife likes it), he did a great job on it. The draft of the boat (7 feet) maybe a concern for us around Caribbean but stability comes with this compromise and I believe we would rather appreciate this feature if we decide to explore more than Caribbean.

The boat design intended for off-shore racing (at least that is what I am told and can see when I look at the boat) which I believe makes it a good offshore cruiser as well. When it comes to be tender, yes this may be a problem as the boat has a long mast and much power due to its big sails but I believe we can manage the excessive heeling by reducing the sails (any other thoughts or advice will be great on this issue) 

Deck was professionally rebuilt 4-5 years ago and has only small spider cracks on gel coat around one stanchion (at exits as I call it) on both sides and on the edge of the stern where deck meets with the hull. I plan to repair them next summer with the paint on the hull (the paint is in good condition but there are small chipped parts on starboard and port sides at the beam of the boat). The mainsail traveller is in the cockpit which is a problem according to my wife but I believe this comes with advantages for close haul sailing capabilities so won't touch it. We will also need enclosure for the cockpit (no Bimini top or dodger)

Survey is still in progress as our surveyor will wait 10 days for the hull to dry out before measuring the moisture levels on the bottom of the boat. He said other than this, there is no structural problem on the boat and the boat is in good condition regarding to her age. The door of the head gets stuck when the mast is down (we are told that this is normal and when the mast is in place no issues) Of course as any other boat we need to do more like adding electronics or have other issues that should be addressed according to our needs but at a very reasonable price (mid 20000 CAD) and in such a relatively good condition, boat looks a good fit for us and our future plans. 

I attached couple of pics. Any further thoughts or advice will be greatly appreciated though as I still didn't pay yet except the surveyor.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Nice photos, Kaan. Obviously, the previous owner did a great job with the upkeep and maintenance. You should have a lot of fun with this boat in the upcoming years.

Good luck,

Gary


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## seabeau (Oct 5, 2014)

Kaan said:


> I have been sailing on Lake Ontario with my O'Day 30 and decided to upgrade. I am planning to buy a 1978 Morgan NA 40 and to sail up and down on the east cost (Canada to Florida) including Caribbean in short term and maybe more extended sailing across the Atlantic in long term. I would appreciate any feedback on these boats as I couldn't find much about them.
> 
> Thanks in advance.


I like the original 1969 Morgan 38, with the keel/centerboard and its 8'-4' to 3'-9' draft much better, especially for the Caribbean.


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## Kaan (Oct 12, 2017)

After the survey we leaned that there is a small area of blisters and we cancel the deal. Still looking for our perfect boat. Thanks to all for your replies.


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

If it was truly a small area, hope you find a boat that meets your stringent requirements. Blisters are a super easy repair if they aren't extensive and/or deep. If shallow, grind and fill with thickened epoxy. If deeper, grind and fill with successive layers of glass and epoxy. A couple hours work at the most. You are going to find very few, if any, boats without some blisters.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

NA 40's were developed as a sort of level class offshore racing boat, though not strictly one-design. There's one at a nearby club that we've raced against. Good looking boats, though they may suffer from heavy use since they can be fun to sail. The last time we raced against our neighbors they managed to beat us on the downwind leg thanks to their masthead spinnaker. (We have a fractional chute.) Slab reefing should make reducing sail easy when necessary. IIRC they don't have radical "bustles", so are more stable downwind than some of their more squirrelly IOR cousins. Nice boat for going places and getting there quickly.


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## Patg73 (Dec 18, 2017)

Thank you for not buying the boat. 

Because I ended up buying it..The blisters were very light. It'll cost me about $200-
$300 to fix. If that. Gorgeous boat. Past 2 owners took great care of it.

I live in St Catharines, ON and plan on bringing it back to Lake Ontario and compete in the LO300. 

Super excited.


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## FreddyBC (Nov 14, 2019)

I would luv to know where this NA-40 was berthed. I have hull#10 on Vancouver Island and I have a small NA-40 site at Facebook (MNA40) with registry, shared info, marketplace, etc and we have little knowledge of this craft - tyia.



Kaan said:


> I would like to thank to you all for your answers and time, It helped us to make our minds with my wife. We decided to buy the boat primarily for the reason mentioned by Gary, the interior is spacious and in great condition (thanks to former owner's hard work and being that handy, my wife likes it), he did a great job on it. The draft of the boat (7 feet) maybe a concern for us around Caribbean but stability comes with this compromise and I believe we would rather appreciate this feature if we decide to explore more than Caribbean.
> 
> The boat design intended for off-shore racing (at least that is what I am told and can see when I look at the boat) which I believe makes it a good offshore cruiser as well. When it comes to be tender, yes this may be a problem as the boat has a long mast and much power due to its big sails but I believe we can manage the excessive heeling by reducing the sails (any other thoughts or advice will be great on this issue)
> 
> ...


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## FreddyBC (Nov 14, 2019)

I just saw your 2017 Sailnet post wrt purchasing the NA-40. I would luv to get some info on this craft (eg hull# on MRYxxx ser#). We show Viper as hull#38 - originally from Michigan.

I have hull#10 on Vancouver Island and have a small Facebook website (MNA40) with registry (of the 45 built), marketplace of boats & sails, etc; and sharing info on equipment etc. You may know four NA-40's still race out of Bayview Yacht Club in Detroit.



Patg73 said:


> Thank you for not buying the boat.
> 
> Because I ended up buying it..The blisters were very light. It'll cost me about $200-
> $300 to fix. If that. Gorgeous boat. Past 2 owners took great care of it.
> ...


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## Dmj (Aug 3, 2020)

FreddyBC said:


> I would luv to know where this NA-40 was berthed. I have hull#10 on Vancouver Island and I have a small NA-40 site at Facebook (MNA40) with registry, shared info, marketplace, etc and we have little knowledge of this craft - tyia.


Freddy. I saw ft page. I have #33
Freddy. Just saw your post. I bought hull #33 3 years ago in Detroit and brought it to Chicago. Still a work in progress but have had success and fun racing her. Kept the name Break Away. This would have been our fourth Mackinac race so I guess I got her 4 years ago. I found a Facebook group, Morgan na40 but haven't got a response yet. Seems


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## AdiGrio (Nov 23, 2020)

FreddyBC said:


> I would luv to know where this NA-40 was berthed. I have hull#10 on Vancouver Island and I have a small NA-40 site at Facebook (MNA40) with registry, shared info, marketplace, etc and we have little knowledge of this craft - tyia.


I am considering making an offer on this boat. Just FYI, right now is in Whitby, Ontario. My concern is around using this boat as a daysailer on Lake Ontario where one can expect light winds through the summer as well as gusty days that may pose challenges for boats that may require different sails based on weather. I have some sailing experience (both dinghies and keelboats), I like to go fast and not really into tame, floating cottages but I'm no Alex Thomson, neither . The boat requires some TLC but overall is clean and still good looking. I guess one can still find parts if needed? Any particular concerns?


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