Hi I actually posted the original questions but since I bought the Morgan 323 pictured in my avatar I can actually now answer these and any other questions you have! Funny too because I havn't been on sailnet for about 3 months (busy with new job) and the one day I come on I see my old thread bumped. Meanwhile back when I asked it I checked for answers every day.
I’ll start off with an apology for such a long response but when I was looking to buy I couldn’t find any info on the Brewer Morgans (hence my original post just being responded to now a year later) so I am going to give you a lot of info. Hope it helps.
Anyway...I love the boat. I don't want to sound biased and say its all great but for the most part I have had no problems and realized how good of a decision I made to buy this one. To start off on Morgans in general and from what I have discussed with other Morgan owners is that the Ted Brewer designed 321, 322 and 323 as well as the 382,383 and 384 are the more preferred designs. They are very heavily and well built, have more classic
lines, and perform better than the Morgan Out Island models that are much more abundant.
The 323 is very heavily and in my opinion well constructed. It has a displacement length ratio of around 316 if I'm not mistaken and is built with a solid fiberglass hull. The same can be said for the 383's as they are very very similar but some of the 38 foot models were said to be constructed with cored balsa hulls. The 323 has 4 foot draft with lead internal ballast so no keel bolts to worry about. The hull also has no flat portions on the underside so the boat never pounds – just gracefully splits the water when it comes off a big wave. (love this as my last boat pounded badly) The rudder is skeg hung and well protected as is the prop so it makes snagging a lobster pot a little less likely.
The 323 has excellent sailing characteristics but does take a little wind to get moving especially off the wind which isn't surprising with the 316 D/L ratio. But when it is blowing more than 10knts she sails great and handles more weather gracefully. Once I got used to the boat I actually preferred to take her out when there were small craft advisories. Mine is also equipped with a 20hp Yanmar 3GMD and this is one area where I can say something negative. The boat really should have come with a 30hp as it is slightly underpowered especially for such a heavy boat. It won't be winning many races but I use it mostly for cruising.
As for the interior, there is 6'3 standing headroom which is great for me because I am 6'2. The cabin sole is constructed of teak and holly and there is plenty of teak to give you that "shippy" feel throughout the whole cabin.
One other negative is that the forward V birth is very tight to get into. Once you are in it, it is not that bad but overall is very tight compared to other similar sized boats. My girlfriend hates it and refuses to sleep up there but one of the settees in the saloon converts to a double so we sleep there.
The boat I purchased was a 1983 that was completely cared for and refitted by the two previous owners. The exterior teak was shinny and re-finished, the cabin wood was flawless, and the engine 100% rebuilt and runs perfect, all decks refinished and painted with non skid algrip, hull and decks moisture free. Also in the past 5 years the owners added brand new, Lofrans project 1500
windlass, new Furano rader,
Garmin GPS, 4 new Gel Cell batteries and charger system, Dickson diesel heater, Origo stainless alcohol
stove and
oven, new head and
holding tank, new water heater, cabin and cockpit speakers, dingy outboard motor mount and lifting arm, new
radios, etc.
So......long story short, the boat I bought was 1 out of 1000 in my opinion. I spent months and months looking at hundreds of boats and none were as clean, well maintained and extensively upgraded as this one and especially for the price I got it at. I thought that there had to be something as it sounded too good to be true but myself and 2 surveyors found nothing. Now after a solid season spent sailing and cruising LI sound, Block Island and Newport and being in a wide range of weather conditions I can say the boat is an absolute dream. My girlfriend actually keeps making fun of me because I am the type of person to buy something whether it is a car, motorcycle, boat and 2 months later I want something bigger and better. This is the first thing I am completely satisfied with and would sell everything else I owned before letting go of this boat.
Now however all the listings I have seen online for other Morgan 323s look no where as clean, well maintained or well equipped, yet they are still just as expensive if not more. So what I am trying to say is I truly believe I got a gem and is part of the reason why I love the Morgan 323. I don't know if I would be as impressed if I stepped on the average one that looks like a 25 year old boat. I do however think they are well designed, built very strong, and looks beautiful on the water. If you are looking for a sturdy midsize cruiser (not looking to win races) that can handle a blow, get you around safely and comfortably and you find a Morgan 323 for a decent price, I doubt you will regret it.
Here are some pics of mine. Also sorry for the really long reply but as you can tell I am very passionate about my boat and also know from my own experiences that there is very little info out there about the Ted Brewer Morgans so if you are serious about them this should help you. Feel free to ask more questions. I'll be on sailnet a lot now.
Thanks
-Nick
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