Motor Boat & Yachting - July 2018

BOAT MASTER FINDME A USED...

Francis Charles Morgan Giles was

a boat designer based at Hythe. In

1920 after the Great War, in which he

served in the Royal Naval Volunteer

Reserve, he purchased Teignmouth

Shipyard, renaming it Morgan Giles

Ltd. It quickly gained a worldwide

reputation for its very high standard

of workmanship. In 1939, a new

shed was built that could take

vessels to 100ft and the yard won

many Admiralty contracts for military

launches. Morgan Giles launched the

Monaco range of fast motor boats in

the 1950s, many of which campaigned

in the Cowes-Torquay race.

INTERIOR

Another aft-cabin layout taking full

advantage of the length of the vessel,

the Monaco 38 has two single berths

and a small ensuite back aft of the

open-backed wheelhouse. The

forward accommodation is very

simple, the main saloon has settee

berths either side and a heads and

galley in its aft corners. A separate

forward cabin has vee berths.

EXTERIOR

The shape of the Monaco 38 is

absolutely classic 1960s motor

boat styling, with just enough

curves to its otherwise set square-

shape profile to give it real elegance.

Ergonomics in the ’60s weren’t

what they are today – note the

throttles positioned on top of the

helm console!

PERFORMANCE

Hard chine planing hulls and multi-

diagonal glued mahogany plywood

planking on mixed sawn and

laminated rock elm frames kept

the weight down (comparatively

anyway) and the speed up – these

were proper planing boats. Top

speed with the twin Perkins 145hp

diesels should be about 18 knots

• super fast by ’60s standards!

SEAKEEPING

The Monaco range of boats came

with racing pedigree as standard;

these were designed to be proper

offshore boats.

1968 £70,000

DATA FILE

Length 38ft 6in (11.6m)

Beam 12ft 3in (3.7m)

Draught 3ft 0in (0.9m)

Displacement 10 tonnes

Fuel capacity

150 gallons (682 litres)

Engines Twin Perkins

145hp diesel

FOR SALE Sandeman Yacht

Company. http://www.sandeman

yacht company.co.uk

Morgan Giles Monaco 38

If not the

current era

Fast for its era



RATING

Throttles on top

of the helm from an

era before ergonomics

The main saloon is

simple but elegant

White panelling

helps keep the aft

cabin light and airy