Morgan 42-1 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used market for a Morgan 42-1 means looking at a Charles Morgan-designed 1968-era masthead sloop with a fin keel drawing about 5.5 feet and a heavy-cruiser displacement profile, its hull a solid fiberglass layup from Morgan Yachts.
Layouts on the Used Market
No distinct brokerage layouts or coach-roof variants are separated for the 42-1, so a buyer should expect the as-built Charles Morgan arrangement rather than a later center-cockpit or Out Island derivative. The 42-foot length with an 11.5-foot beam and 30.5-foot waterline defines the envelope; individual used Morgan 42-1s will vary in how owners have refitted the saloon and berths over the decades.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used fleet, radar and chartplotter are commonly fitted, the two electronic clusters a buyer should expect to find at the helm or nav station as standard modern cruising equipment. Beyond those, the brief does not elevate any other gear to a prevalent tier, so items such as generators, watermakers, or rig upgrades should be treated as absent until verified on a specific hull rather than presumed.
What to Inspect
The Morgan 42-1 carries no known systemic weakness in its construction or rigging. A buyer's survey should therefore follow normal late-1960s fiberglass practice—checking hull integrity, rigging fatigue, and tankage—without a model-specific defect pattern to chase anchor. At a viewing, tap the solid fiberglass hull for prior repair history and confirm the keel-hull joint bedding is sound.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats are typically found in the United States. For a viewing, work through a short consequence-focused list:
- Confirm the fin keel draft near 5.5 ft matches the loaded trim.
- Verify radar and chartplotter function at the nav station.
- Inspect masthead rigging for 1960s-era fatigue.
- Survey solid fiberglass hull for prior repair history.
- Check lead ballast bond and keel-hull joint bedding.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Morgan 42-1. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26 | 1 | $110,000 | — |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $11,000,042 | +9900.0% |
Where they're listed
Morgan 42-1 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 2.
Country view
2 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $5,555,021 | 2 | 1 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
10 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First First 42 | 42.92' | $ 49,500 | 24 | 6 |
| Morgan Yachts Morgan 44 | 44' | $ 95,000 | 23 | 0 |
| Palmer Johnson J/42 | 42' | $ 151,950 | 18 | 3 |
| Tartan 42 | 42' | $ 89,000 | 13 | 11 |
| Catalina Morgan 45 | 45.25' | $ 40,000 | 11 | 9 |
| Morgan 40 Cruising Ketch | 40.16' | $ 26,000 | 11 | 2 |
| Tartan 41 | 40.63' | $ 61,450 | 8 | 3 |
| Morgan 42-2 | 42' | $ 23,000 | 7 | 4 |
| Morgan 38 | 37.67' | $ 69,000 | 5 | 1 |
| Morgan 42-1You are here | — | $ 5,555,021 | 2 | 1 |