Morgan 24/25 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Two interior plans turn up among used Morgan 24/25s. The dinette version pairs a single sail locker to port with a table and better cruising storage, a hanging locker, and an offset head for privacy; it is the more sensible choice for a couple. The two-quarterberth model trades that for twin sail lockers. Either way, the boat is really a two-sleeper, two-eater vessel, with a galley to port and sink and ice chest to starboard, 5′ 8″ headroom, and a marine toilet between the bow V-berths. Sitting four at the dinette is awkward because the deck overhangs the outboard seats, so judge the layout against two people, not four.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

The base M/24 was a bare cruising boat with small #2 sheet winches, end-boom sheeting without a traveler, short genoa tracks, and no spinnaker gear; a factory racing package added spinnaker gear, larger winches, longer track, a vang, and a traveler. A bimini is commonly fitted on boats offered today. Beyond that, the most consequential buyer items are the through-hull valves and the centerboard rig: most boats left the factory with faucet-type gate valves, and many owners have since fitted barrel or ball valves, while the original pendant system is often the weak point you should probe rather than admire.

What to Inspect

The centerboard pennant arrangement is the boat's weakest detail. The lower stainless pennant sits in seawater, corrodes rapidly, and cannot be inspected without complete disassembly; in southern waters some have failed in less than a year. The piston can part from the stuffing box unless the owner has fitted stops at both ends, and the short hose bridging stuffing box and trunk is a known cracking and leaking trouble spot reported by several owners. The forward turning sheave is almost inaccessible, so check whether an access hole has been cut and whether it has been lubricated. On the hull-deck joint, older 24s with teak toerails and through-bolts are stronger; later 25s with pop-riveted joints are more likely to leak. Common to both are leaky windows and crazed Plexiglas, and the mast hinge lacks any provision to stop side sway when lowering or raising the mast. The cockpit drains via a single 1¼-inch centerline scupper and pools water to leeward in rain; some owners have enlarged it. Also confirm the icebox drain does not simply discharge into the bilge, and that any portable fuel tank has a sane stowage place.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats are found in the United States. For a shopper, the takeaways are straightforward:

• Prefer an early 24 with teak toerail and through-bolted deck joint over a pop-riveted 25
• Budget for centerboard pennant inspection or rebuild; verify piston stops are fitted
• Check windows, Plexiglas, and the mast hinge for the usual faults
• Confirm through-hull valves are barrel or ball, not original gate type
• Choose the dinette layout for cruising; treat the boat as a two-person vessel