Morris Yachts – Highlights
‘Every boat built by Morris is a work of art!’ — John Neal of Mahina Expeditions.
The shortest Ocean Series design that the Morris yard is currently offering is the Morris 34. The First Mate and I were aiming for circa 30 foot designs as he’ll be solo sailing most of the time – but these boats are so gorgeous we can’t resist taking a peek.
The Morris 34 was Best Overall Boat of the Year for 1998 at the Annapolis Boat Show so we are not alone in our admiration it seems.
Not that many built…
The Morris site notes the Morris Annie 29 design was built 1980~ and only 16 were built. The Linda 28 design is meant to be similar – again only 16 were built. But for Morris, these seem to be long runs.
‘More recently… production numbers have increased quite a bit, but I doubt Morris has yet built its 300th boat. If so, that boat would have been built fairly recently.’ – Richard Reinhart, Morris Yachts post, Sailnet
We had the Morris Annie in our sights, but I think finding one of these on the market will be more than a little tough.
Hard to find present/past owners’ opinions online…
Since not so many Morris boats have been made, not so many owners (or past owners) are around. Can’t seem to find too many specific comments on specific Morris boats in sailing forums (just general comments on the Morris yard and their great production standards and after service).
Ditto can’t find an owners’ association or any sail mag reviews on the shorter Morris designs (though reviews for the Morris 45 and 52 can be seen at Cruising World online).
But there are some useful comments online…
So for what it’s worth, here are the highlights of the few the bits we’ve found online, focusing mostly on the Morris 34…
Pluses
- cockpit is set up for either tiller or wheel steering* (tiller is the way we’re planning to go – simple systems mean fewer breakdowns and also the auto-helm will be easier to attach)
- interiors can be customized* (doesn’t mean much to us who will be buying used, but may appeal to others…)
- ‘Morris Yachts is well known for building sailboats that border on floating works of art.’ – bluewaterboats.org, Morris Linda 28 page
- ‘(Morris) don’t wait until a vessel is in the new owners hands to see if there are problems. They look for problems before the vessel is delivered.’ –JHJensen, Marine Educator/Surveyor, Morris Yachts post, Sailnet
Minuses
- ‘Asking prices on the Morris 36s seem to have been rising pretty steadily for the last 5 or so years.’ – Richard Reinhart, Morris Yachts post, Sailnet
- (Seems to be true for Morris boats in general. Not so great if you are buying; quite nice if you are selling…)
Specs for the Morris 34*
LOA: 33’9″
LWL: 26’1″
Beam: 10’5″
Draft (Scheel Keel): 4’3″
Displacement: 11,400 lbs
vs
Bavaria 34, 12 yrs old: $89,804
Contour 34, 12 yrs old: $125,000
Hallberg Rassy 34, 12 yrs old: $182,676
Sample Pricing for the Morris 34**
Morris 34, 7 yrs old: $345,000
vs
Beneteau 34, 7 yrs old: $97,530
Jeanneau 34, 7 yrs old: $108,367
Catalina 34, 7 yrs old: $114,900
Morris 34, 12 yrs old: $235,000
vs
Bavaria 34, 12 yrs old: $89,804
Contour 34, 12 yrs old: $125,000
Hallberg Rassy 34, 12 yrs old: $182,676
We’d love to have a Morris and will definitely keep our eyes open for examples to take a look at during our research (more likely to be found in the US though). We’re hoping we come across a Morris Annie 29 or a Linda 28.
However, the Morris 34 looks awfully pricey for our first boat. We’d like to make mistakes and learn on something a little more moderate when we outfit for long distance the first time.WOW, they are pricey. Though beautiful. Ouch.
We’d love to have a Morris and will definitely keep our eyes open for examples to take a look at during our research (more likely to be found in the US though). We’re hoping we come across a Morris Annie 29 or a Linda 28.
However, the Morris 34 looks awfully pricey for our first boat. We’d like to make mistakes and learn on something a little more moderate when we outfit for long distance the first time.
For now, for us, the Morris 34 doesn’t make the short list.
But we’ll keep it on the long list for future reference. We are confident there will be more than one boat in our long term future.
Have you ever sailed or owned one of these boats?
What do you think? Would you buy this boat (or buy it again)?
–Captain Cat
(transcribed by the Can Opener)
* Data taken from http://www.morrisyachts.com/Morris-34
** Sample data taken from yachtworld.com
Southerly 32
I can’t find any owner reviews that have too much negative to say about this design – except that it is expensive. Notably, one comment said bow thrusters are a must due to the twin rudder system. This could be a weakness. What if the thrusters give out while docking in poor conditions? What’s the backup? Overall, great reviews though.
Holds Its Value
Another big positive is that the model and boatyard are still in production/ producing. Sounds like a boat that will hold its value.
We can hardly wait to see one at the Boat Show this winter!
- LOA: 32ft 9in
- Beam: 11ft 10in
- Draft keel up: 2ft 4in
- Draft keel down: 6ft 11in
- Tanks fuel: 137 litres/30 gallons
- Tanks water: 165 litres/36 gallons
- Displacement: 7192kg/15,855 lbs
- New – ? ( …makes my fur stand on end just wondering.)
- 5yrs – ?
- 10yrs – ?
- 15yrs – ?
- 23yrs – £46,000 ($71,180)
- 26yrs – $59,900 (£38,715)
- 32 feet LOA
- good beam
- holds its value
- blue water designed, tested and
- a popular design series
- expensive
<Update: we have sadly taken the Southerly 32 off our short list for now.
After reading John Vigor’s “The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat”, we realise that a narrower boat is a better choice for one we’ll be taking on heavy duty ocean crossings. A boat will right itself more quickly if it’s relatively long and thin in the event of a capsize.
The Southerly’s beam is appealing for its addition to living space but seaworthiness is our primary concern for our first voyaging boat.
Therefore the Southerly moves to our long term list – for now. When we are older and turn our focus more to coastal sailing, the Southerly will be a hot contender then.>
The Cruising Kitty 