# Newish owners of Morris Leigh 30



## Green Stripe (Dec 15, 2018)

Hello All,

I'm gearing up for my second season on a 1981 Morris Leigh 30, which my family bought about a year ago. Wonderful boat, much more responsive than I would have guessed given this fairly traditional design. The boat is currently running its original Westerbeke W13, which runs smoothly and doesn't smoke, but I've already come to rely on Sailnet for researching minor problems. Current example: The yard says I need a new heat exchanger, and based on threads I've looked at here I'm asking them 1) can it be rebuilt? and 2) if not, let's use one from Seakamp or another builder ($350ish) instead of from Westerbeke ($856).

So thanks for all the collected wisdom here.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

You can also check these folks
Universal Heat Exchangers


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## sfseasailor (Jan 8, 2011)

Hello! I have 1983 Morris Leigh 30 hull #18 here San Francisco. Same engine. Engine is fine; working on upgrading rigging and interior.









Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Green Stripe (Dec 15, 2018)

Looks great. Thanks for chiming in, and glad to be in touch.

What are your rigging and interior projects? 

What prop are your running on the boat now? We bought the boat with a fixed 2 blade (13 x 8), and we're strongly considering swapping it with a Kiwi feathering prop for next season.


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## sfseasailor (Jan 8, 2011)

Happy New Year!

I have a Michigan Dynajet 3 blade 13" R 8 that was installed new on the boat when I purchased. Do you have original prop and if so, what were specs? 

The prior owner had taken out the head and the holding tank was corroded. 
And all electronics were removed except for VHF. Propane solenoid needs replace. etc..

Rigging - replace halyards and Dutchman flaking. Most of standing rigging is original so have to go up and inspect. 

What surprised me about the boat was how nimble it handled and the turn of speed in what I considered light air.


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## Green Stripe (Dec 15, 2018)

Happy New Year to you as well!

That's a pristine bottom job you have there. My prop is below: 2 blade 13" diameter, pitch is 8. I assume it's the original. It pushes the boat fine in calm conditions but slows down significantly in chop or headwinds. Reverse thrust is pretty minimal, which has made my docking technique, let's say, tentative. I'm hoping a feathering prop will provide more thrust in forward and reverse as well as a bit less drag under sail. I let the prop freewheel while sailing, per Hurth transmission, so I don't think there's huge drag with a spinning 2 blade. I considered a Campell Sailor fixed 3 blade. It would save about $800 over the Kiwi feathering prop currently at the top of my list.

I also was surprised by the speed and light handling. The hull form is deceptive. Looking at it in the water, with the tall bullwarks and the two pointy ends, it gives the impression of a very heavy traditional hull (Colin Archer, Tahiti Ketch, etc.). But in fact there are no wineglass sections here. The keel attaches at the sharp angle typical of a much more modern design, so less wetted surface even though it's a long keel. We hit 6kts regularly in a boat with an LWL of 23'. All this make me reluctant to bolt on a 3-blade fixed prop.

Good luck with your projects. My standing rigging was redone at some point with Norseman fittings and is in good shape. Electronics & head were new when we bought, so we're working on getting the engine squared away (cutlass bearing & engine mounts last year), sails (new main & dutchman) and running rigging. Cheers.


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## sfseasailor (Jan 8, 2011)

Hope all is well. Just curious - what prop did you eventually decide on?


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

sfseasailor said:


> Hope all is well. Just curious - what prop did you eventually decide on?


Looks like Green Strip hasn't posted in a while. I see from another related thread s/he posted this:

_Update on my search for a Prop: After a good deal of research and consultation, I decided on the J-Prop and ordered one through Stanley at Betamarine's US distributorship. In the end I decided that investing in a 3-blade feathering prop for this boat was a good move in the long term, even if it didn't produce huge results with our old W13. So for the 2019 season we'll run this combination and see how it goes._


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## sfseasailor (Jan 8, 2011)

Barquito said:


> Looks like Green Strip hasn't posted in a while. I see from another related thread s/he posted this:
> 
> _Update on my search for a Prop: After a good deal of research and consultation, I decided on the J-Prop and ordered one through Stanley at Betamarine's US distributorship. In the end I decided that investing in a 3-blade feathering prop for this boat was a good move in the long term, even if it didn't produce huge results with our old W13. So for the 2019 season we'll run this combination and see how it goes._


Thanks for providing followup info!


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