Catalina Morgan Yachts

The Catalina Morgan 440 Cruising Yacht

The Catalina Morgan 440, introduced in 2004, is the first cruising sailboat offered under the CatalinaMorgan name. The Morgan is a good-looking sailboat, with clean, modern lines and the style of a Catalina.

But the Morgan 440 is more than just a pretty boat. This yacht is well-equipped for comfortable offshore cruising, with rugged construction, ample storage, and the safety features needed for bluewater cruises.

Morgan 440 Safety and Cruising Features

A structural foam and aluminum grid system attaches the fiberglass hull to the one-piece molded liner. This grid system supports the engine and tanks, reducing weight and stress on the hull itself.

The Morgan includes high bulwarks and a watertight collision bulkhead that separates the forward anchor locker from the rest of the boat. The bulkhead is heavily fiberglassed to the hull and deck to provide extra safety and peace of mind. A 10-inch bridgedeck and high coamings help prevent flooding, and drainage capacity is designed to allow the cockpit to quickly drain incoming seas.

The mast is deck stepped with a stainless steel through-deck compression post, minimizing the risk of leaks and providing additional strength where it's most needed.

In the transom is a lockable stern locker with storage room for a 6-person liferaft.

The Morgan 440 includes 31-inch lifelines to provide safety when going forward, and stern gates that retract into the stern rails, to provide safety while permitting easy access to the transom when needed.

A molded-in skeg protects the rudder, and the rudder post is made of solid stainless steel for durability and strength in heavy weather.

The Morgan provides plenty of storage capacity for long cruises: A 117-gallon fuel tank, 176-gallon water tank, and 55-gallon holding tank. Ample stowage space allow the offshore cruiser to provision the boat properly.

Sail Handling and Rigging

The in-boom furling makes it easy to deploy and drop the mainsail from the cockpit. In-mast furling is also available, but the in-boom furling has the advantage of allowing the use of battens and roach.

An electric 2-speed central winch is standard on the Morgan 440, with line hangars for the halyards to allow wet lines to dry. The traveler controls can be operated from the same location.

Handling, Comfort and Ergonomics in the Catalina Morgan 440

The 9-foot cockpit seats with deep backrests make the Morgan comfortable and secure. All the cockpit hatches are accessible without removing the cockpit cushions. The cockpit table includes a storage bin, and foot braces on both sides under the table provide for secure seating while heeling on either tack.

The raised deck saloon provide space and and brightness usually not found on boats of this size, with great visibility from the large cabin windows. This arrangement allows for a large space below the sole for stowage space and for machinery and tanks.

The table in the main saloon, which seats 6, raises and lowers electrically to convert to a double berth. The settees provide storage space underneath the seats.

The galley includes a 3-burner stove, propane oven, and built-in microwave. The Morgan features a front-opening refrigerator and a separate freezer/refrigerator compartment located in the aft part of the galley. Both are AC and DC powered, and automatically switch to AC when shore power is connected.

An aft head near the companionway has two entrances, while the forward head is accessible only from the owner's cabin. The forward head has a separate shower enclosure, and both heads include an electric toilet.

The Morgan offers a separate workroom with a waist-high workbench. The workroom is accessible from the cockpit, and can be used for equipment repair, an extra berth, and extra storage.

The Morgan's Auxiliary Power

The Morgan is powered by a 75-horsepower turbo-charged diesel by Yanmar. The freshwater-cooled engine is located under the structural grid in the main cabin, providing excellent engine access.

The engine room includes sufficient space for installation of a generator and watermaker.