She's Ours...

And so, after years of talking about it and months of diligent planning, we bought a sailboat. She's a beautiful 1972 Morgan M30. The M30 was designed and built by Morgan as a versatile cruiser-racer, and according to the original manual “many happy owners agree she’s the all time champ for family fun and cruisability...not only that...she’s a proven racer, too.” Oh, here we come fast, comfy adventure! Introducing our Lil’ G...

How She Became Ours....

We found Lil’ Gem on craigslist and arranged to take a look at her in Sarasota on a sunny Friday afternoon. A local guy, Frank, was selling her and we immediately took a liking to them both. Frank won us over first with a compliment as we approached him on the dock, “Well you guys look like cool people,” and later that day with a few delicious IPAs at his craft beer bar, Tavern on Main. And Lil’ Gem won us over with everything she had to offer, both as a speedy sailing vessel and a compact home-sweet-home. We spent an hour that afternoon scouring her inside and out, taking note of everything that was right about her. Here’s what we found:

She’s the perfect size, 30 feet long and 9 feet 3 inches wide. She has a shoal draft keel that draws only 3’ 6” which is great for exploring the keys of Florida. In addition she has a centerboard that draws 8’ and can be lowered for better stability and speed. She has a tiller rather than a wheel, which really is just personal preference, but we prefer a tiller for two reasons. First, we think it has a more authentic feel while on the water and second, it is simply a more basic mechanism and in turn insures less mechanical problems and if need be, easier repair. 

Her mast is keel stepped, which has both positive and negative aspects. A keel stepped mast is stronger and more stable which drastically reduces the possibility of being demasted at sea, which I consider a very good thing. However, if or when it needs to be lowered, a crane is required and your wallet will suffer the brunt. Since ours were nearly empty already, we didn’t dwell on the thought. 

All of her rigging is used but not abused, with no signs of detrimental rust or corrosion. Her hull looked sound from the inside and out and the deck is in good shape, without a single gelcoat crack. The bilge was fairly clean with only a bit of water in the bottom, which is typical. 

She has a 9.9 horsepower outboard motor, which again is both a positive and a negative. We weren’t boat shopping based on one or the other, but we like the fact that an outboard motor is generally less problematic and easier to maintain and repair. Plus in a worst case scenario we could replace it for hundreds of dollars (or as we figured, a couple days of Key West panhandling) rather than the thousands it would cost to replace an inboard motor. 

The cabin is perfectly setup for a liveaboard with room for guests. *Hint, hint* The V-berth is a cozy fit for two and the center part of the cabin has a wrap around dining area and easily converts into a double berth. There are also two quarter berths in the aft part of the cabin, which would comfortably fit one person each and when no one is occupying them, will make great storage space. 

She has four portholes on each side and all but the front two open. This might seem like an odd thing to note, but we looked at a few boats where all or most of the portholes had been sealed shut or replaced with stationary ones - just think, musty sea stank without adequate ventilation. Oh no, we’re not falling for that. 

Her head (or bathroom rather) is clean with a fairly new toilet. It also has a door, for those who prefer some privacy. The galley (or kitchen) has good storage space to stock up on canned yummies and a clean, rust-free sink. There isn’t a stove, but a section of the countertop pops out and below is space where a stove could easily be installed. However, we figured for the time being our Coleman stove would sit nicely there and work just fine. 

Some of the other very exciting, but less essential selling points were the matching cushion covers and curtains. Remember the fun, 80‘s splatter paint thing? Yes, it’s on every material surface. If only the splatters were neon pink...instead they are a pretty bland navy blue. Or black, if you ask Adam. Also, it came complete with 6 of these, brand new. It just seemed like a sign. 

And yes, I know what you’re thinking....they’ll go perfect with my PBR headband!

And so after taking a look at Lil' Gem and then walking down the street to enjoy a few persuasive brews at the Tavern with Frank, we parted that evening with plans to sail her the following afternoon. Like I said, we liked the guy and we liked the boat, but we also figured we had better see what she did on the water before handing over the last of our cash. 

...

The next day we met Frank at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron in the early afternoon. The sun was out and the wind was steady as we climbed aboard and motored out through the markers into Sarasota Bay. Adam took the helm and I raised the jib first, and then the main. We took turns at the tiller and crawling around inspecting the rigging, hull and cabin as we sailed steadily north on a beam reach. After a bit we tacked and headed back south. 

She sailed simply and so smoothly, aside from our own personal hiccups. The sails looked used but happy, and the lines were roughened a bit but in good condition. It just felt right. And so, after a couple of hours out on the bay, we headed back in and tied her up to the dock. We told Frank that we were sure she was the right one and would be in touch shortly with the final verdict. Then we set out for some late lunch, and in a quiet Thai restaurant we decided to make an offer on Lil’ Gem. After eating, we stopped by the Tavern on Main for a celebratory beer. We sat down at the bar next to him and told him we wanted to buy her. He accepted our offer which was a few hundred less than he was asking and agreed to meet up Monday morning to finalize the deal and fill out the paperwork. The excitement we felt is indescribable, but the odd jumps, jerks and frolics that exploded from my body as we made our way back down Main St said it all.  

...

Monday morning came and the winds coming off the Gulf were nearly a gale. We were headed to Sarasota to buy Lil’ Gem but there was no way we were going to be able to sail her north that day. Frank agreed to let us keep her at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron for a few days and after signing the paperwork, we headed out to make sure she wasn’t going to break loose and sail away with out us. 

There our Lil’ G was, at the very end of the dock, where the wind was hitting directly on her beam and the waves were rolling in and crashing against her side and rear. We decided we had to get her closer in to land, and since the depth allowed and there were no other boats on that side of the dock, we set forth moving here slowly using dock lines and pylons and cleats. Normally we would have just walked her, one of us with a bow line and the other with a stern line, up the dock. However, since the winds were blowing over 20 knots and coming in right on her beam, she would have just pulled us into the water and blown right into the sailing squadron mooring field, crashing into the closest boat. So instead Adam devised a plan and in a mechanical leap frog of lines we scooted her forward a few feet at a time. After a little over an hour, we had her moved up the dock about fifty feet and around a slight bend, so that she was protected from the surf and the wind was blowing more across her bow. Then we locked her up and double checked our knots. We felt confident, well mostly confident, she'd still be there when we returned a few days later for our maiden voyage.