Morgan 30 Buyer's Guide
Shopping a used Morgan 30 means looking at a design from Morgan Yachts of Largo, Florida, with more than 300 built and a few owner-finished kit hulls likely still afloat. She is a shoal-draft centerboarder whose quirks are well documented, so the buyer's job is less about spotting rarity and more about judging how a specific example was finished and maintained.
Layouts on the Used Market
The standard boat carries a galley running fore and aft to starboard with a dinette to port and a full 6-foot, 2-inch headroom below low freeboard. A pocket door beneath the mast partners separates the forward V-berth, head, and hanging locker from the main cabin, and the cabin sleeps seven on paper. There is no navigation station, and the companionway is guarded only by a low sill — relevant because the cockpit drains are small. Later boats added molded fiberglass pan-liners in the bow and main cabin, while some examples began life as bare-hull kit boats, so interior joinery quality varies by who finished the work.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Original propulsion was gasoline, either a Palmer M60 on older boats or a Universal Atomic Four, with a 14-gallon fuel tank and 58-gallon water tank; manual sink pumps served the galley and head. The boat came with one battery and a simple 12-volt DC panel, a cast-aluminum stemhead fitting, and chain led below through a hawse pipe. On the used market these boats often carry solar, spinnaker, bow thruster, electric winches, bimini, dodger, teak decks, autopilot, and chartplotter as often-seen additions rather than original spec.
What to Inspect
The deck-to-hull joint is a common source of leaks where the deck was through-bolted to an inward-turning flange, so test the joint and cabin sole for staining. Broken centerboards, leaky ports, and corroding mast steps are known restoration problems, and blisters have been documented in many Morgan hulls though earlier models seem less prone and reportedly have thicker layup schedules. The fiberglass jackknife centerboard should seat into the keel without intruding into the cabin; verify it moves and is intact. Small cockpit drains and a low companionway sill demand a close look at drainage paths and any history of flooding.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats typically appear in the United States and United Kingdom. For a shoal-draft cruiser with an easy motion and self-steering balance, the Morgan 30 rewards a careful survey focused on the deck joint, centerboard, ports, and mast steps.
- Confirm deck-to-hull flange leak history and cabin staining
- Inspect centerboard for breakage and free movement
- Check ports and mast steps for corrosion
- Verify hull layup condition; earlier thicker hulls less blister-prone
- Review kit-built provenance and interior finish quality
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Morgan 30. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 4 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 25 | 1 | $ 12,000 | — |
| Aug 25 | 1 | $ 3,000 | -75.0% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $ 10,000 | +233.3% |
| Jul 26 | 1 | $ 15,000 | +50.0% |
Where they're listed
Morgan 30 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 3.
Country view
3 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ 10,000 | 3 | 2 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Yachts 34 | 34' | $ 40,000 | 14 | 3 |
| Morgan Yachts 32 | 31.92' | $ 26,891 | 9 | 0 |
| Morgan 30You are here | — | $ 10,000 | 3 | 2 |