Morgan Yachts 461/462

BoatsMorgan Yachts 461/462

See her sail

The Morgan Yachts 461/462, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Practical Sailor

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 38 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 38

CoastalBluewater

At 1.69 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.69

LightHeavy

244 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 244

EasygoingPowered-up

11.8 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 11.8

TenderStiff

25% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 25%

A capable offshore cruiser with an easy motion when the sea gets up.

Heavier than ~88% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~91% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2177 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Morgan Yachts 461/462, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Morgan Yachts 461/462 is a masthead ketch designed by Henry Scheel and built by Morgan Yachts from 1979 to 1984. This 14.2-meter sailboat, with a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, was a collaboration between Morgan Yachts and Moorings, updating the Morgan 45. Variants include the Moorings 46, Morgan 461, Morgan 462, and Morgan 463, with the 462 having 3,000 pounds less displacement than earlier versions.1:02 Aboard *Practical Sailor*, the Smith family lived on a Morgan 462 for seven years, emphasizing its role as a tool for adventure and advocating for anchoring to reduce costs and increase mobility.1:43 They advise adhering to an "80% rule" for readiness to avoid endless maintenance and view strict budgeting as a source of freedom.6:02 Kyle Jackney, with 40 years in the marine industry, identifies Morgans, including the 46, as good value for cruising.0:02

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

25.4%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Masthead Ketch

Ratios

SA / displacement

11.8

Displacement / length

243.6

Comfort ratio

38.5

Capsize screening

1.69

Hull speed

8.4 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

1893

Hull

Hull type

Fin with rudder on skeg

Construction

FG w/plywood in deck

Ballast type

Lead

Production

Years built

1979–1984

Units built

162

Designer

Henry Scheel

Builder

Morgan Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Moody 4614.06 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Bill Dixon-designed cutter with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for comfortable, stable blue-water cruising

O’Day 40 - A Budget Cruiser for the Bahamas9:00 from Practical Sailor

Tayana 47 CC14.33 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA Robert Perry-designed center cockpit cutter built for offshore comfort with a high sail area to displacement ratio

RISKING IT ALL! Sailing into the WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS HARBOR ENTRANCE!! Ep 403 from Sailing Nandji - Frothlyfe

Malo Yachts 45/4614.20 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 14-metre blue-water cruiser that evolved from the M45 to the M46, featuring a 39% ballast ratio for offshore stability

Nigel Calder: The Truth About Philosophy, Gunboats, and Marine Engineering29:04 from Be The Captain

Kelly-Peterson 4614.10 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Doug Peterson-designed cutter built for long-range comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder and a high displacement-to-length ratio

We Took Her Out - And Got HUGE News | S.1 - Ep.710:18 from Plan-Sea

Liberty 45813.96 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterAn extended iteration of the Peterson 44 hull featuring a unique deck and coach roof configuration on a cutter rig

DIY Boat Restoration - Can Old TEAK Decks Be Saved?from Living For Sail

Hylas Yachts 4614.10 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA German Frers-designed masthead sloop built for offshore performance with a high sail area to displacement ratio

HEAVILY MODIFIED Hylas 46 World Cruiser Full Tour0:45 from Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Morgan Yachts 46 (Scheel)A masthead ketch featuring Henry Scheel's original Maine-built molds and a skeg-mounted rudder for offshore stability Morgan Yachts 45-2A Henry Scheel-designed masthead sloop sharing the robust hull molds of the Morgan 46 series Morgan Yachts 452A masthead ketch with a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder, engineered for offshore stability and steady passage-making Morgan Yachts 45-4A Nelson-Marek masthead sloop with a performance-oriented fin keel that served as the versatile base for multiple models Morgan Yachts 45A long-keeled masthead sloop with a high comfort ratio, built by Charles Morgan Jr. between 1966 and 1970

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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