Description
The Morgan 45-4 Tall Rig Sloop (commonly known as the Morgan 454 or Nelson-Marek 454) is a versatile performance-cruiser designed by the renowned Nelson/Marek team and built by Morgan Yachts in Largo, Florida, from 1983 to 1987 as a blend of racing agility and bluewater comfort in a fiberglass fin-keel hull with spade rudder, offering shoal-draft accessibility via optional keel/centerboard for gunkholing while the tall rig boosts sail power for spirited upwind performance. With around 50-60 hulls produced before evolving into the center-cockpit Morgan 43 and later Catalina iterations, this masthead sloop targeted competitive sailors and liveaboard couples with its efficient deck layout, spacious teak interior (two staterooms, two heads, U-galley, and saloon sleeping 6-7), and balanced helm that shines in varied conditions—from coastal races to offshore passages—earning acclaim for seaworthiness in 45-60 knot gales without structural failures
