Help, my husband and I are trying to decide wich sailboat to buy. We plan on livivg aboard and will be at aliveaboard slip. Also we would like to sail around the keys and later over to the bahamas. We have camped out alot and dont mind small spaces, but we wont the best sailboat we can get . I like the Morgans scoop trasom, I lean towards the Morgan, but the Hunter is roomy inside. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!
27' morgan or 27' hunter both 1970's
- Thread starter warmgail
- Start date
- Status
Help, my husband and I are trying to decide wich sailboat to buy. We plan on livivg aboard and will be at aliveaboard slip. Also we would like to sail around the keys and later over to the bahamas. We have camped out alot and dont mind small spaces, but we wont the best sailboat we can get . I like the Morgans scoop trasom, I lean towards the Morgan, but the Hunter is roomy inside. Help!!!!!!!!!!!!Have sailed on a Hunter 27, about the same vintage. Thought the mast and rigging was kinda lightweight for my tastes. I have a Morgan 41, and love it. Also like the keel step mast on the Morgan 27. The layout is similar to my old Islander 28. I actually liked that layout very much, we took it to the Bahamas from NC in 2009. It was small, but we knew that, and it worked very well for that season of cruising. I know I must look like I am rambling a bit around the subject, but knowing how my previous boat worked, knowing that my current Morgan is built like a tank, and knowing that the mast is "mast-lite" on the Hunter.... I would buy the Morgan. I didn't have an oven on the Islander, we still had fresh baked bread and brownies/cookies. There are ways around that. Lots of info on the forums on how-to bake without an oven.
Ross makes some valid points. Here are some things that you need to consider:
1. Which boat is in better shape. Have the boat surveyed. Your home and life are riding on it.
2. Which boat fits your needs better.
3. Which boat has more storage area.
4. Which boat can you stand inside.
5. What type of sanitation system to you have on it?
6. How much water can you carry on it?
7. What type of engine does it have?
There are so many things to consider it isn't funny. Personally, I think that a 27 is a bit small for two people to live on. My Catalina 30 is a HUGE 30 but it would be tight for two people to live on.
What are you going to do for cold storage on these boats? If it has refrigeration do you have a big enough house bank?
1. Which boat is in better shape. Have the boat surveyed. Your home and life are riding on it.
2. Which boat fits your needs better.
3. Which boat has more storage area.
4. Which boat can you stand inside.
5. What type of sanitation system to you have on it?
6. How much water can you carry on it?
7. What type of engine does it have?
There are so many things to consider it isn't funny. Personally, I think that a 27 is a bit small for two people to live on. My Catalina 30 is a HUGE 30 but it would be tight for two people to live on.
What are you going to do for cold storage on these boats? If it has refrigeration do you have a big enough house bank?
I know a couple of fairly small people that lived for several years on an O'Day 27 with a large dog and a cat. It can be done reasonably. The more self contained it is the better it will serve you. I have an ice box with four inches of insulation that wil use forty pounds of ice a week in the hottest days of summer. Try to find a grocery store that will sell you gallon jugs of water and freeze them for you. That way you get ice and drinking water for less than the cost of bag ice.
If one of the boats has a inboard diesel, in good condition, that would swing it for me. Especially if I'm serious about crossing the gulf stream. You can always beef up the rigging, rebed hardware and improve creature comforts.
If no diesel, then a damn good outboard. For a vessel that age and size...the aux motor will be a significant part of the investment.
If no diesel, then a damn good outboard. For a vessel that age and size...the aux motor will be a significant part of the investment.
27 vs. 30
I would urge you to try to make your finances fit a 30' boat. You will wear a lot better as live-aboards and there is really a huge difference in interior space and storage. If not, as much as I like the Morgan, it's tight inside. I almost brought one and loved how it sailed (it was a local class champion). But compared to my Columbia 28 or O'Day 27, it was a tight fit below. Catalina 30's are always a good choice because of the factory support and big owner network and they can often be found for appreciably less than comparable Hunters, Ericsons, Islanders, etc (on the west coast).
I would urge you to try to make your finances fit a 30' boat. You will wear a lot better as live-aboards and there is really a huge difference in interior space and storage. If not, as much as I like the Morgan, it's tight inside. I almost brought one and loved how it sailed (it was a local class champion). But compared to my Columbia 28 or O'Day 27, it was a tight fit below. Catalina 30's are always a good choice because of the factory support and big owner network and they can often be found for appreciably less than comparable Hunters, Ericsons, Islanders, etc (on the west coast).
Apply the 80-20 rule. If you plan on living aboard it can be a fair estimate to consider that the vessel will be used 80% as a dwelling and 20% as a sailing vessel. Your criteria should reflect these percentages. Can you stand erect in the cabin? Can you sit comfortably in the bench seats and around the table? Do you fit and can strech comfortably in the main berth wether stern or V-Berth? How about plumbing, pressure water, tank capacity? Holding tank? Storage for clothing, provisions and boat things. On the sailing end, look for the better engine (preferably diesel), good sails and riggin condition. Both boats are 40 years old, the best boat will be dictated by their current condition and not by make or model and your particular needs.
I have no knowledge of either brand but i am sure that a forty year old boat just like a forty year old house is going to need some modernization. If it is to be used as a home then those upgrades will reflect the planned lifestyles of the owners. Lately I have looked at several Pearsons and one had no galley sink, another had the galley stove replaced with a front control knob model that stood high and proud on the counter top there were on pot holders on any of them. The dish storage and food storage was minimal on all of them.
Since we spend most of our time either sleeping or working then the times we use for cooking and eating should be a time of enjoyment and not frustration. The cabin seating must be comfortable for conversation or for reading. In our boat we spend a few hours each day that we are out sailing from one anchorage to another and the rest of the time the boat becomes a house on the water.
Since we spend most of our time either sleeping or working then the times we use for cooking and eating should be a time of enjoyment and not frustration. The cabin seating must be comfortable for conversation or for reading. In our boat we spend a few hours each day that we are out sailing from one anchorage to another and the rest of the time the boat becomes a house on the water.
- Status