motor yacht mordan

Yacht is no longer available for sale.

• Yachts for Sale

Yacht is no longer available for sale. This is an archived web page showing historic information for reference purposes only. Search Yachts for Sale.

MORDAN Yacht for Sale

• Personal Watercraft
• Stabilizers

MORDAN in the News

Specifications.

Accommodations

Dimensions & Capacity

Construction

Complete the form below and one of our experienced sales brokers will be in touch soon.

Similar Yachts for Sale

Heesen yachts yachts for sale.

Proud to be part of the MarineMax family

© 2024 Northrop & Johnson

Price reduction for Nordia yacht AWEN

Moonen MOON RIVER receives price reduction

Price reduction for Moonen REARDEN STEEL

Heesen - Mordan

Specifications, general information.

Accomodation

Motor yacht details

Performance

Are you the shipyard, owner, captain or broker of Mordan? Please contact us if you want us to update the information or if you want us to show more recent images of Mordan.

Similar yachts

Featured yachts

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Timmerman Yachts is a Russian builder of quality luxury motor yachts. Based in Moscow, it is owned by a group of Dutch and Russian investors and operates out of Moscow Shipyard. Several noted naval architecture and yacht design firms are involved with Timmerman, including Vripack, Guido de Groot Design, Ginton Naval Architects, Jon Bannenberg Ltd., and Francis Design Ltd.

Founded in 2003, the company was named for 17th century Dutch boat builder Franz Timmerman who brought Dutch boat manufacturing techniques to Russia and co-founded the Russian navy. Timmerman Yachts has more than 1,000 employees working at the Moscow Shipyard.

Timmerman has delivered a number of semi-custom luxury yachts between 26-47 metres in length, including TM26 and Timmerman FD-51, designed by Francis Design Ltd. Other notable Timmerman yachts include Victoria M, Alexandra (now Latitude) and Olsten 125′.

One of the 10 largest yacht builders in the world, Timmerman is focused on building high-quality luxury yachts at more competitive prices. Its Russian-Dutch partnership provides great yacht-building capabilities. Timmerman builds yacht to the highest standards and holds DNV, MCA and Russian River Register certification. The company reportedly has more than a dozen yachts in some phase of construction.

Founded in 2003

Yachts built by Timmerman

JavaScript seem to be disabled in your browser.

You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website.

Edwards Yacht Sales

• 866.365.0706

1980 Morgan 462

• Marathon, FL, US

Yacht price

• Email Broker
• Call Broker

Presenting a splendid mix of traditional craftsmanship and present-day amenities, this 46 foot 1980 Morgan 462 Ketch is a testament to sailing heritage blended with modern-day comforts. She boasts a ketch rig, offering versatility and balance that appeal to both seasoned sailors and those new to the joys of wind-powered voyaging. 

The owner has decided to move on to a catamaran after almost 10 years of prideful ownership. 

Accommodations

• Vetus Bow Truster
• Brand New 5KW NextGen Generator - Just Installed 100 hrs.(2024)
• Inviting salon with classic joinery and panoramic windows.
• Spacious master cabin with an en-suite head and guest quarters.
• A chef-friendly galley equipped with modern appliances and extensive storage options.
• Two 16K BTU Independent climate control systems, AC and reverse cycle heat. Forward unit new in 2022, Aft unit new in 2021
• New refrigeration and freezer compressor units in 2022
• Two heads, a bath tub, complete with showers and upgraded marine sanitation system
• Brand New transmission (May, 2024)

Navigation and Electronics

• Brand New 5KW NextGen Generator - Just Installed 100 hrs. (2024)
• New Renogy 400 AH house battery bank
• New Xantrex Freedom SW3012 Inverter/ChargerRaymarine
• C120 chartplotter at helm w/GPS, Sonar and Radar
• Raymarine Smart Pilot, Autopilot w/LCD display controller at helm
• 2 VHF radio's complemented by a comprehensive suite of sailing instruments.
• New Raritan Atlantis Freedom Electric Heads 

Sails and Rigging

• Ketch rig configuration mainsail, mizzen, furling genoa, and Gennaker in deck bag
• Custom made main sail stack pack with lazy jacks
• Lewmar winches
• Standing and running rigging in top condition, ensuring smooth sailing

Deck and Hull

• Sturdy fiberglass hull with a full shoal keel design, providing exceptional stability at sea.
• Dual bow roller with two anchor setup, Ideal windlass
• Scuba dive tank rack on aft deck
• Expansive deck layout perfect for entertaining or serene solitude

This Morgan 462 Ketch is a vessel of distinction, ready to deliver the joy of sailing to her next owner. Whether plotting a course for distant horizons or seeking the tranquility of local waters, she represents an unparalleled opportunity.

Specifications

Descriptions, basic information, dimensions & weight, tank capacities.

• View Option

Watch Video:

Presented by

Nick pulice 3 listing(s).

• 305.906.0456 727.449.8222
• View Profile

Manufacturer

Length Range Length Range

Year Range Year Range

Price Range Price Range

QUICK SEARCH BY:

Buyer services, featured yacht.

1996 Tiara Yachts 3500 Express

2007 Meridian 391 Sedan

2000 Manta Mark II

2019 Monachus Issa 45

2009 American Tug 34

2008 Sea Ray 47 Sedan Bridge

2007 Sea Ray Sundancer 40

1985 Ocean Yachts 55 Super Sport

2005 Carver 53 Voyager

1981 Hatteras 48 Motor Yacht

2002 Linssen 470 Grand Sturdy

2021 Boston Whaler 285 Conquest

2005 Leopard 47

2005 Jefferson Rivanna 50 SDMY

1987 Grand Banks 42 Classic

2005 Island Packet 485

1985 Morgan 31 Off Shore Fishing Cuddy

2023 Robalo R302 Center Console

2002 American Tug Pilothouse

2000 Sea Ray Sundancer 400

• Google Plus
• Boats For Sale
• Brokerage Services
• Sold Yachts

Whether you are buying or selling your next boat or your first boat, one of Edwards Yacht Sales 45+ Professional Yacht Brokers throughout the Southeast are here to assist. Since 2003 we have acted as our clients trusted advisor throughout the entire process from shopping, to making an offer, to sea trial and survey, to closing.

Corporate Office: 510 Brookside Drive Clearwater, FL 33764

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 727.449.8222 Toll Free: 866.365.0706 Fax: 727.298.0456

Copyright © 2024 Edwards Yacht Sales Do Not Sell My Personal Information Powered by YachtCloser

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better.

You can use this tool to change your cookie settings. Otherwise, we’ll assume you’re OK to continue.

Some of the cookies we use are essential for the site to work.

We also use some non-essential cookies to collect information for making reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form.

To control third party cookies, you can also adjust your browser settings .

• Buy a Classic Boat
• Southampton Boat Show
• Print Subscription
• Digital Subscription
• Single Issues

Your special offer

Advantages of Owning Smaller Yachts: Adrian Morgan’s Boat Scale

Is it better to own a smaller yacht? Adrian Morgan’s column weighs up the advantages of scaling down…

Thinking of buying a smaller yacht.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that… the smaller the [wooden] boat the greater the pleasure, and I would add, just as important, far less of a chore to fit out. It takes time enough to sand, fill, prime and paint Sally’s topsides, then I look to my right where stands, propped up in the yard, a yacht not many feet longer than my modest 25 footer, and I thank goodness for small boats. Z4s, Hillyards, Debens of various kinds, et al, the list is long.

Those hardy souls who camp in dinghies under ingenious tents, heating their rations on portable gas stoves, get even more of my admiration. It’s great to be invited aboard a big wooden classic, and I treasure my time racing the McGruer Kelana, or squatting on the aft deck of Moonbeam, but would not envy her owners the task of maintaining them every year to the highest standards. That’s like grooming an elephant, when all you really have the energy for is to stroke a kitten. One is exhausting, the other is relaxing. Up to a point.

I reckon 25ft is about as much as one person can maintain, allowing a day for each of the annual chores. A day to sand the topsides, another to strip the varnish, one to antifoul , and so on. Sally comes into that category, but even so, after a week which begins with despair at the task facing me, then satisfaction in seeing the work list slowly shrink, towards the final push to complete all by the time the yard want to launch her, I have lost much of the enthusiasm and just want to see her floating to her waterline again at her mooring in Loggie Bay, a spit opposite the yard where she has been for a couple of weeks.

That 34 footer alongside Sally is more like a three- or four-day per chore boat, and I would not want to be the one to have to tackle the towering wall of gleaming white enamel every few years. Besides, you’d need staging, not the wooden ladder up and down which I clambered these past weeks. And I can just about reach much of Sally’s topsides from the ground, and the higher bits by standing on a few keel blocks placed around her. 

Adding a few feet to a boat’s length increases the work at fitting out exponentially. I used to long for the day when, flushed with cash from a series of best selling nautical murder mysteries I could scribble a list of what needed doing and let the experts at the yard get on with it. I would write cheques, and appear at launching. In fact last year I tentatively asked if anyone might be free to lay on a perfect coat of Hempel’s Polar White , as I’ve seen the difference between my efforts and those of a professional. I was once given a badger haired – I think it was, or perhaps Madagascan squirrel – laying off brush, something I’d not come across before, by a painter of superyachts. Apparently you apply the paint, then quickly caress the surface with the fine. I tried it once, but never again. It’s hard enough to keep a wet edge without stopping to caress what you’ve just achieved with the neck fluff of an exotic creature. Nope, Sally’s topsides are again this year flawless… from a distance, and that’s the way they will stay, until a new owner familiar with the techniques of laying on brushes, and (the correct) thinners takes her on.

Don’t get me wrong; maintaining a small wooden yacht as best you can, given sunny days and plenty of time is a vital and mostly pleasurable component of ownership. Once a year you get the chance to pore over every inch of her, stroke her flanks intimately in a way that is more akin to the grooming rituals of the animal world. For fleas, read flaking paint and tangles, small divots. And this year, annus mirabilis, I may finally have managed to achieve what I am hoping will be the perfect waterline. Hoping, as she has yet to be launched as I write this. After nearly thirty years of ownership, perhaps this time…

Show Me More:

• Shamrock V Relaunch: Sole Wooden J Restoration Complete
• Classic Boats for Sale: Two Wooden Motorboats on the Market
• Boat Design & No Need for Ugly Boats: Tom Cunliffe’s Column

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM CLASSIC BOAT

Flying Proas: The History of these Weird & Speedy ‘Shunting’ Boats

Yacht Replica that Inspired Spirit of Tradition: Adela’s Steel Rebuild

Sailing British Columbia: Remote North with Ellen Massey Leonard

Classic Boat is the magazine for the world’s most beautiful boats. Packed with stunning images, we have the inside stories of the great classic yachts and motorboats afloat today, as well as fascinating tales from yesteryear and the latest from the wooden boat building scene around the world.

• Telegraph.co.uk

ADVERTISING

© 2024 The Chelsea Magazine Company , part of the Telegraph Media Group . Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy

New Boats Azimut Yachts Benetti Yachts Elan Yachts Sea Water RIBs Pre-owned & Demo Boats Stock & demonstration boats Pre-owned Motor Boats Pre-owned Sailing Boats Superyachts Services News About Contact

J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV

When J.P. Morgan Junior took delivery of the Corsair IV   in 1930, she was the largest and most luxurious private yacht ever built in the USA. Morgan used her for a decade, mainly on the East Coast and in the Caribbean, before gifting her to the British Admiralty to help with the war effort.

After WWII she re-entered service as a cruise ship, plying routes in Alaska and from Long Beach California down to Mexico. The photo below shows her in Vancouver, 1948. Less than a year later she struck a rock and sank in shallow waters off Acapulco.

The story began in 1882 when J.P. Morgan Senior, one of the world's richest men and an avid yachtsman, bought the 185-foot steamship Corsair . He then commissioned the bigger, faster and more luxurious Corsair II   (which the US Navy conscripted into service as a gunboat during the Spanish-American War) and the 304-foot Corsair III ,  a superyacht that featured a full-beam library, cases of wine and brandy, and humidors stocked with Cuban cigars.

Each of these three yachts generated great publicity, but media attention was particularly intense when the Corsair III was launched in 1898. It was at this time that Morgan made one of the most famous comments ever recorded. When a journalist asked him how much it would cost to operate a yacht of this size, Morgan replied:

Sir, if you have to ask that question, you can't afford it.

J.P. Morgan Senior

The Corsair IV

The Corsair IV was commissioned by J.P. Morgan Junior and built at Bath Iron Works, Maine. When she was launched in April 1930 she measured 343 feet in length and was the largest private yacht ever constructed in the USA. Nicknamed the "Princess of the Sea", she was an object of beauty with her black hull, clipper bow and elegant teak interiors. Morgan adored her, and reveled in the privacy she afforded him. One of his annual guests while cruising in Europe was the UK's Archbishop of Canterbury, and on one memorable occasion the two of them sailed across the Mediterranean to the Holy Land.

Following the outbreak of WWII and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, most privately-owned yachts in America were requisitioned by the US Maritime Commission and converted for use as gunships or patrol boats. For reasons which aren't entirely clear, Morgan gave the Corsair IV not to the US Navy but to the British Admiralty. Based in Bermuda, she served out the war as a patrol ship in the Western Atlantic.

Life as a Cruise Ship

After the war there was a dearth of cruise ships on America's West Coast. Many of the great Canadian Pacific and Japanese liners that serviced this coastline in the 1920s and 1930s had been lost in sea battles or fallen victim to mines. To plug this gap, the Pacific Cruise Lines company was formed in 1946 and promptly snapped up J.P. Morgan's Corsair IV . The yacht was re-named Corsair and taken to Canada to be converted to a luxury cruise liner.

With accommodation for 82 passengers and a crew of 76, the new Corsair exuded luxury. Staterooms were not only bigger and better equipped than rival ships, they were fitted with carpets and air-conditioning (almost unheard of at the time), and included furnishings made from the finest materials. The Corsair debuted in September 1947, offering two-week cruises from California to Acapulco. Ticket prices were high, but in booming post-war America, so was the demand.

The Corsair was a great success. Her cruises sold out well in advance and her popularity exceeded anything her new owners had imagined. Before long she switched from Mexico to Alaska and became the first ship to offer luxury cruises to the Inside Passage. Soon after she reverted to Mexico, the Panama Canal and across the Caribbean to Havana. And then tragedy struck: in November 1949 the Corsair hit a rock off the coast of Acapulco and sank. Fortunately none of her 55 passengers or crew were harmed.

Made in China: the Nero

In the early years of this century, British entrepreneur Neil Taylor began hunting for a classic yacht to restore and re-model along the lines of the Corsair IV . When he couldn't find what he wanted, Taylor set up his own company, Corsair Yachts, and commissioned a near replica of J.P. Morgan's yacht from Yantai Raffles Shipyard in China. Launched in 2008, the sleek, black-hulled superyacht was christened Nero . The following year she triumphed in the "Best Motor Yacht Over 75 Metres" category at the ShowBoats Design Awards.

In 2014 the Nero was bought by Irish billionaire Denis O'Brien. Two years later he had her refurbished in Spain, requesting that she be brought up to European standards and given a classic, contemporary elegance. The Nero is now available for summer charters in the Mediterranean and winter service in the Caribbean & Bahamas. Since her introduction to the charter circuit she has won praise for her fusion of old-world charm and tasteful styling, with many clients commenting positively on her spacious interiors, Ralph Lauren decor and relaxed living environments.

Pinnacle Marine New Zealand

We have years of practical experience dealing with luxury yachts and are supported by a network of contacts throughout the industry. If you would like more information about luxury yachts, or anything else connected to the world of yachting, please feel free to contact us.

Grace, Michael (2008), The Tragic Life of the Corsair IV , New York Social Diary

Merl, Risa (2017), Nero: Inside the 90m Modern Classic Superyacht's MB92 Refit , Boat International

Viju, Mathew (2016), Eight Ways J.P. Morgan Defined the Good Life , Robb Report

Wisner, Bill (1975), The Golden Age of Yachts , Motor Boating and Sailing

Related Articles

The Classic Talitha

27 August 2021

Owned by the Getty family since the early 1990s, the Talitha is one of the most luxurious classic motor yachts afloat.

The Legendary Nabila

26 September 2022

One of the most famous yachts ever built, the Nabila was once owned by Donald Trump and starred in a James Bond movie.

How can we help?

Please enter your full name

Please enter a valid email

Please enter a valid phone number

Please enter a message

Send Enquiry

Thanks. Your message has been sent. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Looking for information or advice? Ask us anything

We'll reply ASAP

Please use a modern browser to view this website. Some elements might not work as expected when using Internet Explorer.

• Landing Page
• Luxury Yacht Vacation Types
• Corporate Yacht Charter
• Tailor Made Vacations
• Luxury Exploration Vacations
• View All 3706
• Motor Yachts
• Sailing Yachts
• Classic Yachts
• Catamaran Yachts
• Filter By Destination
• More Filters
• Latest Reviews
• Charter Special Offers
• Destination Guides
• Inspiration & Features
• Mediterranean Charter Yachts
• France Charter Yachts
• Italy Charter Yachts
• Croatia Charter Yachts
• Greece Charter Yachts
• Turkey Charter Yachts
• Bahamas Charter Yachts
• Caribbean Charter Yachts
• Australia Charter Yachts
• Thailand Charter Yachts
• Dubai Charter Yachts
• Destination News
• New To Fleet
• Charter Fleet Updates
• Special Offers
• Industry News
• Yacht Shows
• Corporate Charter
• Finding a Yacht Broker
• Charter Preferences
• Questions & Answers
• Add my yacht

MORDAN Interior & Exterior Photos

44m  /  144'4 | heesen | 2009.

• Amenities & Toys

NOTE to U.S. Customs & Border Protection

SIMILAR LUXURY YACHTS FOR CHARTER

Here are a selection of superyachts which are similar to Mordan yacht which are believed to be available for charter. To view all similar luxury charter yachts click on the button below.

44m | Palmer Johnson

from $185,000 p/week

48m | Oceanfast

from $180,000 p/week ♦︎

43m | Mondo Marine

from $161,000 p/week ♦︎

45m | Feadship

from $245,000 p/week

Imperial Princess Beatrice

40m | Princess

from $188,000 p/week ♦︎

39m | Bilgin Yachts

from $105,000 p/week ♦︎

47m | Acico

from $177,000 p/week ♦︎

44m | Acico

from $155,000 p/week ♦︎

45m | Christensen

from $180,000 p/week

40m | Westport Yachts

from $110,000 p/week

from $129,000 p/week ♦︎

As Featured In

The YachtCharterFleet Difference

YachtCharterFleet makes it easy to find the yacht charter vacation that is right for you. We combine thousands of yacht listings with local destination information, sample itineraries and experiences to deliver the world's most comprehensive yacht charter website.

San Francisco

• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Instagram
• Find us on LinkedIn
• Add My Yacht
• Affiliates & Partners

Popular Destinations & Events

• St Tropez Yacht Charter
• Monaco Yacht Charter
• St Barts Yacht Charter
• Greece Yacht Charter
• Mykonos Yacht Charter
• Caribbean Yacht Charter

Featured Charter Yachts

• Maltese Falcon Yacht Charter
• Wheels Yacht Charter
• Victorious Yacht Charter
• Andrea Yacht Charter
• Titania Yacht Charter
• Ahpo Yacht Charter

Receive our latest offers, trends and stories direct to your inbox.

Please enter a valid e-mail.

Thanks for subscribing.

Search for Yachts, Destinations, Events, News... everything related to Luxury Yachts for Charter.

Yachts in your shortlist

The global authority in superyachting

• NEWSLETTERS
• Yachts Home
• The Superyacht Directory
• Yacht Reports
• Brokerage News
• The largest yachts in the world
• The Register
• Yacht Advice
• Yacht Design
• 12m to 24m yachts
• Monaco Yacht Show
• Builder Directory
• Designer Directory
• Interior Design Directory
• Naval Architect Directory
• Yachts for sale home
• Motor yachts
• Sailing yachts
• Explorer yachts
• Classic yachts
• Sale Broker Directory
• Charter Home
• Yachts for Charter
• Charter Destinations
• Charter Broker Directory
• Destinations Home
• Mediterranean
• South Pacific
• Rest of the World
• Boat Life Home
• Owners' Experiences
• Conservation and Philanthropy
• Interiors Suppliers
• Owners' Club
• Captains' Club
• BOAT Showcase
• Boat Presents
• Events Home
• World Superyacht Awards
• Superyacht Design Festival
• Design and Innovation Awards
• Young Designer of the Year Award
• Artistry and Craft Awards
• Explorer Yachts Summit
• Ocean Talks
• The Ocean Awards
• BOAT Connect
• Between the bays
• Golf Invitational
• BOATPro Home
• Superyacht Insight
• Global Order Book
• Premium Content
• Product Features
• Testimonials
• Pricing Plan
• Tenders & Equipment

Moran sells motor yacht Rochade with Fraser and Camper & Nicholsons

A call to Stuart Larsen at Fraser Yachts brings great news that his joint listing with Michael Rafferty at Camper and Nicholsons, the 47.5m motor yacht Rochade , is sold with Ross Tannock at Moran Yacht & Ship bringing the buyer.

Built by Delta Marine, Rochade was delivered as recently as 2011. LLoyds classed and MCA compliant, she sleeps 10 guests in five staterooms and 10 crew in five cabins. Twin 3650hp MTU engines give her a cruising speed of 18 knots and a range of 2,700 nautical miles.

Rochade was asking $34.5 million.

Sign up to BOAT Briefing email

Latest news, brokerage headlines and yacht exclusives, every weekday

By signing up for BOAT newsletters, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy .

More stories

Most popular, from our partners, sponsored listings.

• Sails & Canvas
• Hull & Structure
• Maintenance
• Sailing Stories
• Sailing Tips
• Boat Reviews
• Book Reviews
• The Dogwatch

Select Page

Charley Morgan and the Fiberglass Factory

Posted by Daniel Spurr | Sailing , Sailor Profile

Charley Morgan — 1929-2023

Sailing legend Charles E. Morgan (Charley to his friends, which was just about everyone) passed away January 6, 2023 on Treasure Island, Florida, at the age of 93, mere hours after the passing of his wife Maurine.

The following Good Old Boat article that I wrote in 2005 tells the high-points of Charley’s illustrious career but, he deserves emphasis for a few of the most notable: 

• Longtime designer, builder of custom and production sailboats, and sailmaker.
• Probably the only person in the long and storied history of the America’s Cup to design, finance, build, skipper, and make the sails for a Cup boat —  Heritage .
• Winner of two SORC (Southern Ocean Racing Conference) events in boats he designed, built, and skippered (1961 and 1962).
• Revolutionized the Caribbean charter trade with the Morgan Out Island 41, of which more than 1,000 were built.

And a genuinely good guy. RIP, Charley. 

– Dan Spurr

Charley Morgan, left, with Paul Benfield, owner of the Tibbets Boatyard. Behind them is a Morgan Out Island 51.

He found the best way to win was to build his own boats

Florida, like California, with its eternally warm weather and friendly skies, is a natural place in which to build boats — and was especially so back in the early days of fiberglass when hulls were cured outdoors using sunlight as the catalyst. A cheap labor pool also was available. Boatbuilders sprang up on both Florida coasts — in Miami and in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. Many are still there, not on the water where real estate is too expensive but — as in Costa Mesa, California, the Mecca of 1960s fiberglass boatbuilding in this country — inland, back in the dusty, nondescript industrial zones next-door to plumbing and building supplies.

Charles Morgan, born November 17, 1929, in Chicago, now a yacht designer and consultant, hasn’t built a sailboat in many years, but during the late 1960s and through the 1970s he was a formidable force in the exploding fiberglass sailboat industry. He was the designer of Heritage , a 1970 America’s Cup 12-Meter; the designer and builder of Paper Tiger , winner of the prestigious Southern Ocean Racing Circuit (SORC); a production boatbuilder of Morgan Yachts; and an independent designer and consultant. He’s done it all.

Aeronautical engineer

Charley Morgan grew up on the west coast of Florida messing about in boats and went to college close to  home, first to Valencia Junior College in Orlando and then to the University of Tampa, where he planned on being an aeronautical engineer. Following graduation he worked a short time for a telephone company before getting sidetracked by sailing.

“I went queer for boats,” he says, explaining why he took a job at Johnson Sails in Tampa and then opened his own loft, Morgan Racing Sails, in 1952 in St. Petersburg.

At Morgan Yachts’ St. Petersburg, Florida, facility, men worked from scaffolding on boats of all sizes. Note how the decks were moved and positioned from overhead beams.

Rust, shatter, and rot

Charley Morgan’s first boat, Brisote. Demonstrating considerable resourcefulness, she had a Star Boat keel and rudder, a Thistle mainsail, and a modi- fied Penguin sail for a mizzen.

Charley built the hull and deck himself, with help from a young aerospace engineer named John Mills. Charley recalls stopping by the local yacht club one day after finishing work at the shop. “The old savants were sitting in the club, and I came in with resin all over me. One of the guys said, ‘I under- stand it’s got a steel backbone, wooden decks, and a fiberglass hull; you know, it’s gonna rust, shatter, and rot.’ ”

Paper Tiger was perhaps Charley’s most famous design. She won the SORC for two consecutive years, in 1961 and 1962.

Clark Mills, designer of the International Optimist Pram and the Windmill, finished Paper Tiger for Jack Powell, for whom Charley had designed her. But at first Clark was skeptical. When Charley showed him the boat, Clark hooked his thumbs in his pockets, chewed on his stogie, cocked his head, and said, “Well darn- it, I’ve built boats from scratch, kits . . . you name it. But this is the first time someone’s brought me a coat of paint and asked me to build a boat inside it.”

History will not forget what that “coat of paint” accomplished. In an unprecedented feat, Paper Tiger twice took overall SORC honors in 1961 and 1962.

Charley next designed the 28-foot Tiger Cub and began looking for a builder. The search proved futile, so he did the only logical thing he could — he formed Morgan Yachts and built them himself. They were all essentially one-offs, that is, they were not built from the same reusable mold.

The Tiger Cub later became the Columbia 31, but that didn’t happen until after Dick Valdes and Vince Lazzara put Charley’s 40- foot Sabre into production as the Columbia 40, a generous move by Vince which was intended to help Charley launch his own business.

The one-off Rare Aves, the first fiberglass boat Charley ever saw, inspired him to build Paper Tiger out of the same new material. Rare Aves still sails today from her home port in the Florida Keys.

Lost the Circuit

The speedy centerboarder had nearly won the 1964 SORC and looked to be a good bet for the general market. “We won the Nassau Race and the Lauderdale Race,” Charley lamented years later, “and still lost the Circuit, if that’s possible.”

Also that year he built what he says was then the world’s largest fiberglass sailboat, the 60-foot Maredea , whose hull form was tank tested. The result: first place in the St. Petersburg-to-Venice, Florida, race.

In 1965 business was so good the company temporarily stopped taking orders. They were building a wide range of boats, from the $995 Wind- mill to a $44,900 45-footer. Gross that year was $1.7 million. Unlike a lot of builders, Charley handled finances well, once remarking, “Nothing leaves that driveway out there unless and until it’s paid for.”

Charley’s childhood friend, Bruce Bidwell, joined him that year and together they introduced the Morgan 34, which the ads described as “an immediately successful racer/cruiser and an attractive, beamy, keel-centerboarder, CCA-style yacht . . . for families for whom yachting is a way of life.”

The Cruising Club of America (CCA) rule attempted to encourage designs that would be safe, comfortable family cruisers as well as decent performers on the racecourse. Notable features included short waterlines (the long overhangs would immerse when heeled to increase sailing length beyond the measured length), large mainsails and small foretriangles (partly because big multispeed winches hadn’t been developed yet). These boats were often yawls because the mizzen staysail was essentially unpenalized by the rating rule. A lot of them were centerboarders because shoal draft was important in Charley’s native waters of south Florida.

Smaller wetted surface

In the Morgan 24, the rudder was separated from the keel-centerboard — a major step forward in yacht design. Charley wasn’t the first to do this, but the Morgan 24’s racing record helped to validate the idea. Not only did the emergence of the fin keel help the boat turn more quickly in prestart maneuvers, it also greatly reduced wetted surface area, which meant less friction and, therefore, faster speeds.

The Morgan 24 is still a good performer by today’s standards, with moderate displacement and shoal draft. And — priced around $5,000 — it’s a terrific value for anyone looking for a boat in this size range.

Morgan 41 Illustration

Other boats to follow included the Morgan 30, 41, and 45, which later was built as the Starrett & Jenks 45. But it was the development of the Out Island series — 28, 33, 36, 41, and 51 — that gave the company a big burst of business.

Charley’s interest in racing never waned, though, and he continued to de- sign and build custom boats. One was Rage , which he, with Halsey Herreshoff as navigator, took to second place in the 1968 Newport-to-Bermuda race.

The Out Island series

“The Morgan Out Island 41,” Charley says, “was the extension of a long study period, where we tried to create a commodious and comfortable tri-cabin arrangement. In 1970 we finally got it worked out — human engineering and ergonomics. We designed and aimed it at cruisers as well as the charter-boat market. We sought input from a lot of companies big and small, including the Moorings and Jack Van Ost [a dentist who became a successful builder of CSY boats for his charter business].

“The boat was designed to compete with the boats being put out by Gulfstar, which were for a new market that Vince Lazzara [who by now had left Columbia in California and started Gulfstar in Florida] had perceived. Our dealers had requested for a long time a boat without a centerboard that was shoal with lots of room; it didn’t need to sail like a rocket. It came out at the Annapolis Boat Show and was an instant sellout. We built, in the first calendar year, over $4 million worth — 120 units. Eventually we built those boats on two lines, with them coming off the combined lines one a day. They number in excess of 1,000.”

In all, Morgan Yachts built more than 40 different production models, beginning with Charley’s trademark centerboarders, the Out Islands, the Henry Scheel-designed 45/46 (originally built by another builder as the Scheel 45), and a number of boats designed to the International Offshore Rule (IOR), including the Morgan 33 ¾-Ton and Morgan 36 One-Ton. Sailing Kit Craft made a number of designs avail- able in kit form because, as Charley says, “there were so many people who wanted to get a hold of one of our boats who couldn’t afford a finished boat.” But along with a handful of other 1970s builders, such as Islander and Columbia, Morgan Yachts dropped the practice because many owner-completed boats were poorly finished, reflecting adversely on the manufacturer.

Retirement day

Charley remembers well the day he retired. It was June 6, 1972, he recalls with certainty. It was easy to see that divorcing himself from the company he’d created was a watershed in his career . . . and life. He’d merged the company into Beatrice Foods four years earlier (1968) and had stayed on as chairman of Morgan Yacht Corporation. But for Charley, like many people, working for a large corporation was difficult after he had been in business for himself.

Later, Beatrice Foods sold Morgan Yachts to Thor Industries. Subsequently, in 1984 it was passed along to Frank Butler and Catalina Yachts, which continued to build the Morgan 38 and the Out Island 41 (Classic 41) for a number of years before finally putting them to bed.

Of Morgan Yachts’ many accomplishments, one that makes Charley positively beam is the boats he built for Disney World long before it got into the cruise business. “There was a time we built the largest fiberglass boats in the world,” he said. “Morgan Yachts designed and built the principal original watercraft for Disney World, a whole fleet of them, the largest of which is around 120 feet — sub- marines, the jungle cruise boats, the steam launches. In all, more than a hundred. It’s exciting the way you can completely create out of glass some- thing that looks like wood; on the submarines we faked the scales and rivets. We created an incredible theatrical appearance for Disney.”

Charley also designed motor yachts such as the West Indian 36, a hover- craft, and Heritage , the last wooden American 12-Meter ( France II was the last in wood among all nations). Alas, Heritage lost to Intrepid in the 1970 defender trials.

Between 1971 and 1984 more than 1,000 Morgan Out Island 41s were built. Later, after Catalina Yachts acquired some Morgan molds, the 41 was resurrected with minor modifications and sold as the Morgan Classic 41.

Way of measuring

Cindy Goebels, reporting in Southwinds magazine, said Charley ex- plained his interest in the America’s Cup thus: “It’s all just another way of measuring yourself. Competitive men always want to know how big they are in relation to others, how they can perform. Dollars are a way of keeping score. There may be other means in a more mature society. Why this? Well, there’s damn little you can justify out- side of wanting to keep on breathing.” Charley Morgan was always a good interview, seldom mincing words.

Morgan Yachts’ St. Petersburg facilities were considered modern and first-class. “We maintained a laboratory and did a lot of outside testing,” Charley says. “We were using balsa cores from the beginning. Later I was a great proponent of Airex. Then came Divinycell, Klegecell, carbon fibers, Kevlar, and the utilization of high- modulus materials. Way back in 1965 and 1966 we were researching work done in the aircraft and aerospace industry. But those materials had no place in yacht building in those days because lightness was not the key- note; the economic issues were more important . . . and the ability to have readily available resources.”

Charley likes to talk about how the advent of fiberglass changed the face of American boating. “You didn’t have to be an extremely wealthy person to think about owning a boat,” he says. “The concept of the non-wasting asset. You could treat ’em and deal ’em like automobiles. You had an orderly market and the burgeoning charter boat and used-boat market. It just altered completely the brokerage firms. Back in the days after the end of World War II, you could count on your fingers the brokerage firms: S&S, Northrop & Johnson. Bang, bang, in one fell swoop, the tides changed and ripped over us.

Dramatic change

“The thing that kept coming through to me was the dramatic change that was made by fiberglass and the huge opportunity given to the American boater.

“Look at the Ensenada Race – all the ones going down to Mexico – huge clusters of boats! In the Great Lakes, the Mackinac Race had a few entries before the war, but bang! At the end of the war they started getting some fiberglass boats on the scene – my word! — you’re looking at 100-boat fleets or better. It made a major change for Americans who wanted to become part of sailing and yachting. Our ad used to say, ‘The past decade’s most exciting new construction medium.’ How prophetic those words were.

“What sort of disturbs me these days is when they tag the sailing boat people as elitist. I like to say that they’re really more dedicated and enthusiastic about their sport and therefore have organized it more so it has the appearance of elitism.

“The only boats I’ve seen break up are some racing boats that were really lightly built, crossing the Stream or something. I’ve traced a few of those stories about boats splitting in two – bull! I’m sure there are some examples, but the truth is that fiberglass is marvelous.”

And of the strength and longevity of fiberglass?

“I hate to tell you how quickly a wooden boat goes down. We crossed the finish line down in Sarasota after getting chewed up in a nor’wester at the crack of dawn. We could see the committee boat in the murk, saw her lights and the farewell marker at Sarasota Pass. We went zooming by, struck the chute and mizzen staysail, jibed over, cranked up the engine, cleaned up the forward deck and started banging through the slop up toward the pass. Dawn had come. I looked up and yelled, ‘Hey, look! There’s some spreaders sticking up out of the water.’ The committee boat broke its line, blew up on the bar, popped like a cantaloupe, and went straight to the bot- tom. Pieces floating; heads bobbing around and lifejackets. She went down that fast. You kidding me?

“Yet I saw a whole night when [the fiberglass sailboat] Inferno sat over on the bricks at Lucaya [Grand Bahama] banging and slamming and scream- ing and moaning on those bricks. My heart was going out to that boat . . . the sea bursting over her. Three days later I saw her hauled out at Spencer’s in Palm Beach, and I went over and got up inside the boat, looked at the keel – gnawed up a little bit. Not bad!”

Another company

Guys like Charley Morgan are never really retired, even though they sometimes think they are. In 1975 he started yet another boatbuilding company, the Heritage Yacht Corporation. Perhaps anticipating the trend toward power, this time he built both fiberglass sailboats and trawler motoryachts. That venture wasn’t as financially successful, however, and he was forced to seek protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code. Subsequently, in the early ’80s he served for a short time on staff at Chris-Craft, while the remaining assets of Heritage went to Catalina, which had also bought Morgan Yachts from Thor Industries.

Today, Charley keeps a design studio in his home. Recent projects include two long-range motoryachts, one steel, the other aluminum, by Top- per Hermanson. But, he says, new de- sign commissions have fallen off considerably since 9/11. He says, “I’d love to do a full-powered steel auxiliary for the right person. Totally self-sufficient with watermakers, air-conditioning, whatever they want.” Like a lot of other people in the industry, he sees his aging followers taking an interest in the comforts of motoryachts, but not all want to go to sea without some sort of stick overhead.

To fill his time, Charley is teaching himself painting, taking after, in a reverse sort of way, his son and daughter, who are both artists.

And, of course, he still finds time for sailing. He was active in the local Star fleet until his wife became ill six years ago; he nursed her until her death in February 2001.

But, he says, he’ll do his yacht club’s Mexico race this year, and there’s always the Morgan Invasion, a rendezvous for owners, in which he participates.

Last October, the 19th annual Invasion was held at the Treasure Island Tennis and Yacht Club in Treasure Island, Florida. The event coincided with Charley’s 75th birthday. More than 100 boats participated. Nothing makes a designer or builder happier than seeing his boats still going strong and his owners happy. One of his favorites, Paper Tiger , recently resurfaced in the West Indies,” he says with pride. “And she’s till honkin’.”

So, too, one might add, is Charley Morgan.

Note: This article is a revised version of information included in Heart of Glass: Fiberglass Boats and the Men Who Made Them , by Dan Spurr.

About The Author

Daniel Spurr

Dan Spurr is a contributing editor with Good Old Boat and editor-at-large with Professional Boatbuilder. He is the author of seven books on boats and sailing and was formerly senior editor at Cruising World and the editor of Practical Sailor.

Related Posts

Renaming a boat? How bad could that be?

July 24, 2019

The Rata of Seville

September 1, 2018

The Cost of Sailing

June 1, 2018

Sailing Soulianis

April 24, 2019

Current Edition

Join Our Mailing List

Get the best sailing news, boat project how-tos and more delivered to your inbox.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Breakwaters have protected Galilee from storms for over a century. Now repairs are needed

NARRAGANSETT – On a recent overcast morning fisherman Mike Marchetti boards his vessel Mister G, a 50-foot lobster boat converted into a scalloper, and gently pulls out of the Port of Galilee ’s UU dock.

The slate water reflects the sullen sky, but Mister G chugs along pleasantly past the docks, through the breachway and out to the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge.

That name – “Harbor of Refuge” – is at risk of becoming a misnomer to Marchetti.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge in the early 20th century when it constructed a series of breakwaters to protect the port from hazardous sea conditions.

These days the sea is winning. As Mister G nears the main breakwater – a v-shaped 6,970-foot-long wall of massive boulders – Marchetti looks out the starboard window and points at wide gaps in the breakwater.

“This is much, much worse than it was two years ago. I am personally shocked at how bad it is,” Marchetti says.

Once a 10-foot wall above mean lower low water – the average lowest tide recorded over a 19-year period – and 20 feet wide, the breakwater here looks like it's missing several teeth. A skiff could easily navigate through it, Marchetti observes. Even Mister G rocks under the unbroken waves that slip through the gaps.

For fishermen like Marchetti, the breakwater is essential. It creates a safe zone for fishing vessels as they go in and out, as well as protects the shoreline from erosion and the port at large – with its beach houses, marinas with expensive yachts, recreational spaces, Block Island ferries and seaside businesses – especially during hurricanes. As of July, the breakwater also shelters a new commercial fishing pier that cost the state $46 million.

Without it, Marchetti says, “you couldn’t have commercial activity here. You would be limited to the tide and weather.”

But the waves are steadily chipping away at the breakwaters, at times sending huge boulders flying into the water, according to Marchetti. Unless repaired, Marchetti and others warn the harbor could lose vital infrastructure that has protected its port for over a century and allowed it to prosper.

Safe harbor from the storm

The Port of Galilee is Rhode Island’s largest and one of the busiest ports on the East Coast. It is home to 308 fishing vessels, which in 2023 brought in over $56 million worth of fishery landings – about 70% of all landings in the state – according to an annual fisheries report from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

The port owes much of its commercial success to a series of infrastructure projects that have ensured vessels could safely navigate out of Point Judith Pond and out to Point Judith, a small cape next to Galilee historically known for turbulent waters.

“Point Judith was a notorious hazard, the cause of many wrecks for ships rounding the Point en route between Newport and Providence and New York,” wrote Virginia Lee in a 1980 report about coastal ponds in Rhode Island.

Between 1891 and 1914, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built three rubble mound breakwaters to create a harbor of refuge. The colossal walls – two arms, one on the west side of the breachway and the other on the east off the tip of Point Judith, plus a main breakwater further out – measured about 2.4 miles in length and took close to 2 million tons of stone to build. Two gaps measuring between 1,200 to 1,500 feet allow boats to navigate in and out of the harbor. The total cost of the work was $2.5 million, according to a Providence Journal report from 1983.

Over the years storms have battered the breakwaters, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has rehabilitated them. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 caused havoc and sank 3,000 boats between Westerly and Narragansett. In 1950, 19,090 tons of stone were hauled to shore up the main and east arm breakwaters.

Then came Hurricane Carol in 1954, one of the worst storms to hit New England in the 20th century. The hurricane devastated fishing fleets in Galilee. In 1961-1963 another 119,000 tons of stone were brought in to shore up the breakwaters.

A third rehabilitation was tried in 1983-1984. About 20,275 tons of new and reset stones were placed on the breakwaters, but the work was never completed because the contractor defaulted.

Other smaller repairs have been carried over the years, perhaps most recently in 2014-2017 when 15,000 tons of stone were added to the east shore arm breakwater.

In 2015 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers considered rehabilitating them again , noting “the main breakwater is presently in a severely damaged state.” But after a technical analysis that included wave modeling, the Corps decided “there will be negligible impacts to the [harbor of refuge] function and to navigation transiting to and from Galilee Harbor” by reconstructing the main breakwater.

“The impacts to storm damage protection are minimal if the breakwater is not repaired,” the Corps concluded.

At a breaking point?

To fishermen navigating in and out of the Point Judith Harbor of Refuge that assessment looks antiquated these days, particularly after the most recent winter storms.

“These last few storms in the last four or five years have done such devastating damage to [the breakwater],” said Fred Mattera, a former fisherman and director of the East Farm Commercial Fishery Center.

In March, Mattera sent a letter to Patricia Morgan, a Republican state representative who is running for the U.S. Senate.

More: Charlestown's breachway is filling with sand, threatening businesses and Ninigret Pond

“The Breakwater is approximately 30% of what it was originally intended and deteriorating rapidly,” Mattera wrote.

Morgan introduced a resolution in the Rhode Island House of Representatives prodding the body to request the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the condition of the breakwaters and repair them. The House State Government and Elections committee held the resolution for further study.

In a statement Jenifer Thalhauser, New England District Navigation Chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the Corps has received survey data and is “currently reviewing it to determine if the project is still serving its purpose of providing a Harbor of Refuge or if repairs are necessary.”

It is unclear how much repairs to the breakwaters would cost. In 2003 Sen. Jack Reed, a Democrat, also requested a survey to be taken of the breakwaters, which found even back then they were not at “authorized dimensions.” The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated repairs would require 81,000 tons of stone and cost $15 million to $20 million, according to a statement from Reed in 2006.

Those figures are likely outdated, too, and damage to the breakwaters over the decades has made the task greater. An upcoming winter season also threatens storms that could do more damage.

Reed has not given up on the breakwaters. On Sept. 12, he sent a letter to Michael Connor, assistant secretary of the Army Civil Works, which oversees the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, urging the Corps to review survey data collected after last year’s winter storms to determine next steps for repairs.

More: Corporations are buying up Rhode Island's marinas. Should boaters be worried?

Mattera and Marchetti are not sure the issue can wait much longer.

“All it takes is one terrible catastrophe” before people start taking notice, Mattera said.

At the helm of his boat, Marchetti rues that old infrastructure projects like the breakwaters sometimes get overlooked.

“Our priorities are on what is shiny and new,” Marchetti says.

He has made it a personal mission to bring attention to the condition of the breakwaters but is frustrated by the perceived lack of action.

“Why do we have to beg for maintenance?” Marchetti says.