There are few things more interesting and useful to me than a tour of another experienced offshore voyager’s boat—there’s always something to learn.
So, in that spirit, here’s a video deck tour of our own Morgan’s Cloud.
View Full Screen
This is a high resolution video and so you will see more detail if you click the full screen box icon (like the one to the right) that appears in the bottom right corner when you hover over the video after it starts playing.
Questions and Comments
We have deliberately kept the commentary—and therefore the video—short on the theory that you will only be able to stand seven minutes of me prattling on. So if you see something that interests you that I did not explain, please leave a comment on this post, not YouTube.
Links to Articles Discussed
During the video I mention several articles that explain some of the gear I cover. Here are links to those articles:
- Why we have a SPADE best bower (primary anchor)
- Fortress kedge anchor
- Why we don’t often use two anchors
- The perfect anchor roller
- Snubbers
- The importance of chain brakes
- Why our windlass is the way it is
- Why we are rigged as a cutter
- Why we don’t want a short wide boat
- Why we keep the decks clear
- Why we handle halyards at the mast and don’t run them aft to the cockpit (with video)
- Why no clutch on the main halyard—old geezer hoisting the main in less than two minutes (with video)
- How we reef
- Why we moved the electronics on deck
- More on our radar
- More on forward scan sonar
- Our navigation system
- The cockpit enclosure we added since the video
We have also replaced the Northstar GPS that I mention with a B&G plotter to backup the computer-based navigation system.
Hi John, Nice video. You have a few upgrades that I will definitely be using. I like the double anchor roller and the chain break for starters. I have an ongoing project boat in my back yard which is a 50 ft one-off aluminum Cutter rigged French sloop. All paint has been stripped and I kind of like it that way with all the horror stories about paint on aluminum issues. Your deck is impressive and well organized and will be scrutinized to the fullest. I haven’t decided on what anti-skid deck surface to use as yet. Is yours Treadmasters? Also, just for the record, what type of deck paint are you applying, and what preparation was taken to achieve good adherence?
Great Website. Very informative and well researched.
Worth very penny.
John
Hi John,
Thanks for the kind comments. To answer your questions:
By the way, I agree, don’t paint the boat.
Good luck with the project.
Hi John,
I am jealous, it looks like a very good setup.
Out of curiosity, what line are you using for your running backstays? Also, how do you tie them forward when off the wind so that they don’t swing around?
Eric
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the kind words. It is indeed a good setup, but then we started off with a great McCurdy layout and have been tweaking stuff for 24 years, so it would be sad if it wasn’t pretty good by now!
The runners are one of the high tech high modulus lines, but I have to confess that I don’t remember which. I do know that they are not Spectra, because of the creep issue. I tend to just trust our excellent rigger on these things. If its important I can check with him and find out.
And for tying them forward we just use some heavy shock cord attached to a pad eye with a plastic clip to attach to the runner. From time to time I think of something more complex that would let us pull them forward from the cockpit, but then my preference for clean decks kicks in, so it never happens.
John:
Nice!
Hi,
I am thinking of upgrading my clutches. Any opinions on the Lewmar D1 / D2 series of clutches ? Originally i was thinking of just putting spinlocks in but the Domino Rings feature of the D1/D2 series sounds very attractive from the point of view of being kind to the lines.
Regards
Patrick
Hi Patrick,
We have both Lewmars and Spinlocks. Both work well, but I guess I would give the nod to the Lewmars by a nose. Having said that, neither seem to chew the line much.
Hi John,
Tnx for the feedback.
Regards
Patrick