Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch Buyer's Guide
Shopping for a used Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch means looking at a Charles Morgan-designed, solid-fiberglass ketch first built in 1969, a boat whose 21,000-pound displacement and 8,000-pound ballast mark her as a serious cruiser rather than a daysailer. Ex-charter examples are common, and the used fleet shows both owner and charter-influenced histories, so a buyer should evaluate each boat on its own maintenance record. The documented configuration — Scheel keel, masthead ketch, gas auxiliary — sets the baseline against which any upgrades or wear must be measured.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts are the more common on the used market, but both are available; ex-charter examples are common. The Morgan 40’s 40.16-foot length and 11.25-foot beam, paired with the documented 200-gallon water and 100-gallon fuel capacity, support a volume-oriented interior suited to liveaboard or passage use. No source describes the precise berth count or galley geometry, but the tank capacities and heavy-displacement hull confirm a boat built to house a crew for extended periods rather than a minimalist coastal layout.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market, solar, inverter, air conditioning, lithium batteries, hot water, autopilot, chartplotter, bimini, dodger, starlink, and freezer are commonly fitted. A swim platform is often seen. Heating and cockpit shower appear as sometimes-or-owner upgrades rather than standard or prevalent equipment. The baseline boat documented in the record carries a gas auxiliary and masthead ketch rig with a 12.28-meter mast height, so any electrical or cockpit additions should be assessed against the original 40-horsepower Universal-Atomic Atomic 4.
What to Inspect
The documented record for the Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch enumerates no structural defect, blistering, or rigging failure mode, and no safety-relevant flooding paths or drainage faults are cited for this model. The known facts are limited to configuration and dimensions: solid fiberglass hull, Scheel keel, 4.17-foot maximum draft, and gasoline auxiliary power. A buyer should still confirm the condition of the gasoline auxiliary installation given the fuel-type record, and verify the mast-step and rigging of the masthead ketch against the documented 12.28-meter mast height, but no enumerated faults are listed for this model.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch is typically found in the Dominican Republic and United States. For a buyer, the takeaway is straightforward:
- Confirm three-cabin vs. other layout and ex-charter history
- Verify gas auxiliary and fuel-system condition
- Check ketch rig and mast height against documented specs
- Expect commonly fitted modern cruising gear; treat heating and cockpit shower as owner additions
- Inspect in Dominican Republic or United States markets
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 3 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 26 | 2 | $ 38,000 | — |
| May 26 | 7 | $ 26,000 | -31.6% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $ 26,000 | 0.0% |
Where they're listed
Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch listings appear across 2 countries. Dominican Republic has the most listings with 5 (62.5%), followed by United States.
Country view
8 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dominican Republic | $ 26,000 | 5 | 5 | 62.5% |
| United States | $ 26,000 | 3 | 2 | 37.5% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island Packet 40 | 40' | $ 159,000 | 44 | 11 |
| Morgan Yachts Morgan 44 | 44' | $ 95,000 | 25 | 9 |
| Hughes 40 | 40' | $ 69,900 | 17 | 3 |
| Siltala 40 | 39.37' | $ 129,900 | 16 | 2 |
| Morgan 40 Cruising KetchYou are here | — | $ 26,000 | 10 | 9 |
| Bayfield 40 | 45.5' | $ 98,500 | 7 | 4 |