Morgan vs Pearson

[gregreinhard]

I have been interested in a 41 Morgan Classic Center Cockpit 1988 or 99 vintage. My broker is trying to convince me that a 1981 Pearson 424 Ketch would be a better boat. Both are comparably priced and equiped with many upgrades. My wife and I are retired.
We hope to cruise in the Caribbean next winter. Any comments would be welcome.

[Jeff_H]

I would say that you have probably found an honest broker who is trying to look out for you. In a general sense the Pearson began life as a better built boat, and a boat that sails better than the Morgan OI. On the other hand a 1981 Peason is a significantly older boat than a 99 vintage boat and so unless it has been upgraded and had the necessary long term maintenance performed, the Pearson could require more work to prep for the kind of cruising that you are proposing.

Jeff

[gregreinhard]

Thanks - my error it was 1988 or 89 vintage.

[WHOOSH]

Greg:

Since I am currently cruising a 424, it would be easy for me to jump onto your broker''s side. But in truth, I''ll instead suggest that the two boats are very different despite seeming to be quite similar (shoal draft, double sleeping cabin, ketch of sloop-rigged older boats).

If you and your crew/family spent some time on each boat, both probing around but also relaxing below and in the cockpit, I''d be surprised if you didn''t end up feeling much better about one boat that the other...as they were designed and built quite differently. E.g. the 424 is a glass hull-deck inside which the R.I. workers built a wooden boat. No liners, everything accessible, lots of wood (which can make it a bit dark), and an aft cockpit. The Morgan was originally intended for Florida waters with a long, shallow keel and sailed far more poorly than a 424, altho'' your Classic may have had the newer keel built. I find the OI series to ''feel'' more like a power cruiser down below than a conventional boat. And then there''s the center cockpit - something many people thing is a great asset but which I would choose to avoid for several reasons.

So...I guess my point is that your broker''s view aside, I''d try to get a solid fix on which boat feels more like what you want, where you want to live aboard, given how you plan to use her.

Now for my subjective remarks: Bill Shaw designed a 424 for exactly your intended use, short-handed sailing from New England down to the Caribbean and back. We''ve cruised WHOOSH thru-out the Caribbean and think she was a great choice. We''re currently heading for the Baltic and, with suitable changes, found her a good boat to cross the Atlantic in-season aboard. So a 424 is a good choice...but the real question is whether it''s the right choice for you.

I don''t think there''s inherently big differences between a ''81 and ''88 boat; in that age ballpark, it''s more about how they have been maintained, upgraded and used.

Good luck! If you''d like some more info on 424''s you might consider dropping in at www.svsarah.com, a site John Stevenson (a 424 owner) maintains and where we''ve posted a number of articles on 424 improvements related to cruising Europe).

Jack