Charley Morgan, 1929-2023

[Blissboat]

The reformed sailors on TF will recognize the name of the founder of Morgan Yachts, and creator of the legendary Out Island line of cruising sail boats. The "never sailors" among us may recall that Charley, along with the late Chuck Neville, designed the Heritage West Indian 36, one of the handsomest small trawler style production yachts I know of.

In a long and eventful life, Charley achieved a lot in sailboat racing and in the twentieth-century boating industry. He passed away last Friday, January 6, in St. Petersburg, Florida, at 93. Peace and smooth sailing to him and all who admired him.

 

[Jeff F]

He was a giant in the industry for a long time. I watched a long discussion with him recently that may be of interest. Mostly sailing, but also engineering and building challenges.

https://youtu.be/JJKqf8ZZBhY

 

[PierreR]

Charley Morgan had great influence on me in choosing and designing boats when I was young. May he rest in peace.

 

[Keysdisease]

A Giant in the Industry has crossed the bar

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

Lord Alfred Tennyson

 

[Juliet 15]

Thx. Love that poem.

 

[Jc180]

Oh my, a fate that will befall us all. But Mr Morgan truly was a major player in the industry. Got beat routinely by a Morgan 24 when in younger days used to race sailboats around the buoys. And chartered an Out Island 46 back in the day. Now own a Gulfstar which was made in St Petersburg, FL along with the Morgans.

 

[Dougcole]

My first dog was named after Charley Morgan and all of our subsequent “big” boats have been named after that long departed dog. Most people think we got the name “Morgan” from either the pirate or the rum, but it has been Charley all along.

RIP

 

[sbu22]

Had an 84 OI 41, ketch rigged and shoal keeled. My then teenaged sons and I ran all over the Gulf Coast in that boat. Built like a tank and great layout for a sailboat. Great boat.Still miss it. RIP and thanks, Mr. Morgan

 

[jleonard]

Another Charles Morgan:

 

[garbler]

I met Mr. Morgan years ago in Tampa where he was bidding on a Manitowoc crane and some rubber tired compressors. It was a big equipment auction and he and a mechanic were bidding. It was was a two day auction and next day I saw him setting alone at a restaurant for breakfast. He recognized me and asked me to set with him. Forty minutes with a guy who had all kinds deals in his head and a scratch pad where he talked and wrote stuff down the whole meal. I hardly got in a word but I think he just didn’t want to eat alone. He was a man who was continuously planning. Later I came to know one of his coterie who gave me some insight on his remarkable skills. He was one of the major movers in the boat building world. He seemed to know everybody and was able to link up deals that nobody could fathom. Not just a business man but a talented man who had his hand on what the marine market future looked like from engineering, design and construction. Never heard anybody call him dishonest but always a guy who took no prisoners and most of all created businesses that going in sounded wrong but ended up successful. I don’t think you’ll ever see the likes of Mr. Morgan again cause these days it’s all big Wall Street consortiums or Private Equity firms etc. who typically end up gutting a companies for parts. Morgan will be missed in an industry that appears to be getting stale these days.

BTW I understood he and Art Kady ( Kady Krogen ) were friends and business associates of some type.

Rick

 

[kehoff]

well he really did create a following , I chased some O/I's around and could not find one that suited me

 

[kthoennes]

On garbler's description, I've watched two, maybe three guys in my life who were like that. My grandfather was one. The family would be out at a restaurant and he'd always leave the table and ask to tour the kitchen and he'd end up talking to the manager about business operations until his food got cold. Or else he'd sit there covering napkins with figures. He got off the boat at 19 with almost nothing and when he died he was a real estate tycoon and my grandmother didn't even know what he owned. They definitely are a rare breed. Wish I would have met Charley Morgan.

 

[Durant F]

He had an eye…
If you search his earlier Morgan 41 (not the out island) it was simply stunning!
Looked like a Hinkley Bermuda 40..
Classic overhangs and sweet sheer.
His early 34 was much the same.
He also had an intuitive sense of where the industry was going, hense the later cruising designs with tons of room.
RIP

 

[Jeff F]

If you search his earlier Morgan 41 (not the out island) it was simply stunning!

Not a very good picture, but that's a 41 on the right. Owner on the great lakes did a complete refit. New rig, deck hardware, complete repaint. The boat has its own trailer and goes to the owner's shop every winter. Better than new.

There aren't many old boats worth putting that effort into. That's one of them.

 

[Hippocampus]

As you cruise (particularly in the Caribbean) you continuously see his boats. His boats were designed by someone who understood what it means to actually cruise a boat so people are willing to put in the elbow grease and money to keep them going. This philosophy seems to have been lost in many current offerings. They seem to be aimed at boat show glitz appealing to the admiral not day to day living and sailing.
Wish current designers and NAs actually would live on a boat for a year or two. Think we’d have better choices.

 

[Osprey69]

His Morgan MORC/IOR 27/30/33 were rocket ships to me as a kid. They still look impressive. When I was a kid we raced against a 27 raced by an engineer, in Huntington, NY. Nice man and he cleaned up.

Almost posted this before I found out they were designed by Ron Holland when he worked for Charley. Still cool boats