I'm a newbie fresh and green!

[Clay Smith]

Hello all,
I'm so excited to start this new adventure. After learning so much about sailing over the last 2 years, today I wired my down payment on a 1986 Pearson 36-2. Escrow closes no later than 5/5/23 I've watched a ton of videos looked at thousands of boats for sale and probably drove a lifelong sailor friend of mine nuts with all of my questions. Captain Ron thanks for always being there to answer all of my questions. I am looking very forward to this new adventure and will probably drive some of you nuts to as I ask do and learn.

 

[jssailem]

Welcome to the SBO Forum Clay. Glad to have you here.
The Pearson is a great boat.
We will be looking forward to you sharing pictures of her.
Share why this boat over the others you explored.
What plans you have for the boat, building your sailing skills and what sailing dreams you want to experience.

Welcome

 

[BigEasy]

Hello all,
I'm so excited to start this new adventure.

Congratulations on the purchase of your new boat! You have less than a month to get insurance, arrange for a slip, get it registered / redocumented, and countless other tasks that a new boat owner faces. It’s going to be a learning experience and lots of work and fun along the way. No worries, you won’t drive us crazy with questions; however, we may drive YOU crazy with a multitude of answers!! Welcome aboard SBO.

 

[kappykaplan]

Congratulations on your new-to-you boat and welcome to the forum! I'm quite fond of my 1983 Pearson 37.

 

[Clay Smith]

Here are some photos of our new to us 1986 Pearson 36-2. Our story is long, but I'll keep it short. After some life changing events I actually started looking at boats 2 years ago mostly through the internet, we don't live forever. I visited a few in person. I was looking for that "super deal" a few of the U-tubers talk about unrealistically. In fact about 9 months ago I had been in the very marina I found our Pearson. I was looking at a delipidated old girl that needed more love, attention, and $ than I wanted to give her. I probably even saw our boat (as it was for sale at the time) but ignored her because she was above the price I thought I wanted to pay.
Oh by the way before I go on, Abby my wife of 38 years is sure I am obsessed with this dream. But the lord blessed me with an absolutely wonderful life partner who has always given me her full support in my various adventures.
In a perfect world I wanted to purchase a boat on lake Ontario, (close to our home in upstate N.Y.) learn to sail her there, and learn all I can about sailing in general. After Abby retires in just 2 years I want to take her and my new love to the Atlantic via the Saint Lawrence or the Erie Canal ( not sure about the Erie Canal she is a fin Keel). My dream is to then cruise the east coast and maybe do some island hopping
After almost two years of searching for that super deal I came to my senses and increased my budget for a boat up to 125k. Now I started seeing lots of options, most in the ocean, to far from home for this wannabe sailor. I never deviated from wanting to learn on lake Ontario so buying on the ocean meant hiring a captain to sail with me to Lake Ontario.
Then two days ago I came across her, Oh how beautiful she is! And right where I needed her to be. We settled on a price that was less than a third of what I budgeted for! CAN YOU SAY UPGRADES? There has been so many coincidence's along the way that I believe this journey was always planned for in the grand scheme of things.
So that's my story, I hope it didn't bore you to much. Oh, and thanks for the welcomes.

 

[jssailem]

Nice Clay. She looks to be in good shape. Pretty bling filled interior. Will make a cozy home for you guys. I’m hoping you hired your own surveyor to inspect the elements of the boat most newbie’s have no experience to use in evaluating the conditions.

Here is a link to some insights from a good Marine surveyor who has published solid articles about the buying process.

Boat Owner and Buyer Articles | Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting

Another good resource is John Harries at: Attainable Adventure Cruising
He has some free reports to get a look at his writings and a paid side. I’ve subscribed to his page for 5 plus years.

 

[Clay Smith]

we are in the process of hiring a surveyor now.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Welcome aboard the finest sailing forum on the Net, Clay. Congratulations on your new relationship. Pearsons have had a great reputation for decades. Have you got a name to share for your new mistress? She certainly is a beauty.

We all are looking forward to following along with you and Abby on your new adventures. Just remember, as a married sailor, you now qualify as polyamourous. And, the captain is the lowest rank.

-Will

 

[Clay Smith]

Not so fast! I got a good look at the bottom side of this boat today and I'm crushed right now just praying the surveyor says its ok but if he does I'll have to get a second opinion. So I looked and studied and looked some more at the pics posted on this boat. Knowing that I could get my deposit back if there was something not right I wired a deposit to Pop Yachts in order to lock this boat down. After booking a surveyor for next week I decided even though I had not yet received a appointment to view the boat I would go look at the bottom side at least. So upon walking up to the boat it appeared she was going to need new running rigging. Okay I was prepared for some stuff like this, then I had a look at the hull & keel. My heart sunk in my chest as I noticed the front of the fin keel shows she hit something hard. There is a bit of a dent in the front bottom leading edge of the fin. Worse yet there looks to be a 1/16" to 3/32 " gab between the front of the fin and the hull. I may be a green horn but even I know that could be catastrophic life threatening issue. I'm waiting for a return phone call from the surveyor, in the mean time what do you guys think? Is this the end or is there still hope? How much could this repair cost me if its even possible?

 

[Will Gilmore]

A hard, underwater collision would have wide reaching effects on the entire boat. It may not be any worse than pulling keel bolts and having the keel rebedded, or it could have had a detrimental effect on every chainplate, mast connection, garboard and mast step from stem to stern. The engine might shift on its mounts and misaligned the drive shaft with the propeller shaft. This could cause a bend in the shaft if the boat was run much before realignment. Just picture a sailboat, most likely under auxiliary power in a harbor, pass or shallow bay, doing six knots, when it strikes an underwater object.

That boat struck hard enough to separate the keel from the hull against 5/8" - 7/8" keel bolts. The entire vessel came to a sudden stop starting at the bottom of the keel. The mast head was among the last parts to stop its forward movement. It strained the backstays both top and bottom. The cables stretch and spring back, straining the forestay. This would be compounded by the sudden pitch of the bow forward and down followed by the bounce of the bow back upward, snapping the mast backwards like a whip. The spreaders could have been affected, even. Without adequate mid-mast support, it could even over flex the mast as the inertia of the mast, sail and boom are forced suddenly against the center.

The pictures you posted show a keel stepped mast. Better than a deck stepped mast but a bend at the cabin top could also have happened. The sudden tightening of the stays against the masthead would pull very hard, downward. The keel line that the mast foot sits on has just flexed downward with the keel's collision and that would pull the mast down, loosening or deforming the boot at the deck. The possible snap back into shape might strain the cables even more, but worse would be if the boat didn't immediately return to shape. Because then, the stays would be loose and any tightening that tried to correct that would strain the hull in its slow return to its original shape. The deformation would likely remain.

Then there's the auxiliary drive train. If the engine was pushing when the boat struck, the engine is suddenly stopped in its forward movement by the engine mounts. This means the engine was still being driven forward by the propeller against the propeller shaft and forcing itself against the linkage to the engine drive shaft. Bending, misalignment, I don't know what else, can all be a concern.

Inspect the boat yourself first. If you see any other damage than a separated keel that could have been caused by this collision, save your money on the survey and keep looking. If you're not sure, and it looks like the damage is correctable (ask the yard what a rebed costs), then hire the surveyor. I wouldn't recommend buying without a survey, but you don't need one to walk away.

-Will

 

[Clay Smith]

Thanks Will for laying out the implications of this issue. I figured a hit like this was likely to cause more damage than I was seeing but hadn't thought it through as thoroughly as you have explained. I am going to see the seller and broker at the boat yard on Sunday and I am supposed to speak to the surveyor tomorrow. It kind of sounds like I should be running as opposed to walking way. But she is so pretty inside. And from one woodworking chicken Farmer to another Thankyou for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Will Gilmore]

from one woodworking chicken Farmer to another Thankyou for sharing your knowledge.

Ha ha ha. I'm not a chicken farmer any more. The local bear, coyote, mink and raptor population said no. It's a battle I'm not able to willing to fight. I'm concentrating on keeping my bees from going the same way.

-Will

 

[dlochner]

Not so fast! I got a good look at the bottom side of this boat today and I'm crushed right now just praying the surveyor says its ok but if he does I'll have to get a second opinion. So I looked and studied and looked some more at the pics posted on this boat. Knowing that I could get my deposit back if there was something not right I wired a deposit to Pop Yachts in order to lock this boat down. After booking a surveyor for next week I decided even though I had not yet received a appointment to view the boat I would go look at the bottom side at least. So upon walking up to the boat it appeared she was going to need new running rigging. Okay I was prepared for some stuff like this, then I had a look at the hull & keel. My heart sunk in my chest as I noticed the front of the fin keel shows she hit something hard. There is a bit of a dent in the front bottom leading edge of the fin. Worse yet there looks to be a 1/16" to 3/32 " gab between the front of the fin and the hull. I may be a green horn but even I know that could be catastrophic life threatening issue. I'm waiting for a return phone call from the surveyor, in the mean time what do you guys think? Is this the end or is there still hope? How much could this repair cost me if its even possible?

Don't hit the panic button yet. It is not at all unusual for there to be a slight gap between the keel and the keel stub. It is often referred to as the Catalina Smile, Sabre smile, whatever boat brand smile. The big cause is differential expansion of the lead keel and fiberglass hull. Typically this is just a cosmetic issue. The caulk/adhesive (probably 5200) seals the keel agains the hull, but the fairing compound used to hide the joint will fail. If the surveyor says the boat is fine, then make certain the keel bolts are properly torqued.

As for the keel. How bad is the dent? Lead is pretty soft and will absorb much of the impact of a grounding with out causing much damage. Up on the St Lawrence there are lots of rocks and rock ledges, if the boat hit one of this at speed and came to a complete stop, there could be significant damage. However, if the boat hit the rock and bounced up and over the rock and did not come to a screeching halt, then the damage could be limited to some minor damage to the lead keel. This is probably unrelated to the crack you see between the keel and the hull. A dent in the lead keel is an easy fix.

If the boat hit the rock at speed and came to a dead stop, then the place to look for damage is at the aft end of the keel. The force of the impact will drive the aft end of the keel up and into the hull. Look for delamination of the hull just aft of the keel. To the extent possible inspect the bulkhead tabbing for cracks and separation. Cabinetry will be impacted with doors and drawers not fitting properly. The surveyor should be looking at these things. Try to be there for the survey.

To give you some perspective the attached photos show keel damage from a hard grounding. This grounding caused hull delamination and cracked several floors timbers. (Note, I did not cause this damage. ) Causing a divot as deep as this one and breaking off the end of the keel means the boat was traveling at speed and hit a rock pile, stopping suddenly.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Beautiful boat and hoping for a good survey

I am looking very forward to this new adventure and will probably drive some of you nuts to as I ask do and learn.

We're already nuts. We own sailboats

 

[Clay Smith]

Ha ha ha. I'm not a chicken farmer any more. The local bear, coyote, mink and raptor population said no. It's a battle I'm not able to willing to fight. I'm concentrating on keeping my bees from going the same

Ha ha ha. I'm not a chicken farmer any more. The local bear, coyote, mink and raptor population said no. It's a battle I'm not able to willing to fight. I'm concentrating on keeping my bees from going the same way.

-Will

Don't hit the panic button yet. It is not at all unusual for there to be a slight gap between the keel and the keel stub. It is often referred to as the Catalina Smile, Sabre smile, whatever boat brand smile. The big cause is differential expansion of the lead keel and fiberglass hull. Typically this is just a cosmetic issue. The caulk/adhesive (probably 5200) seals the keel agains the hull, but the fairing compound used to hide the joint will fail. If the surveyor says the boat is fine, then make certain the keel bolts are properly torqued.

As for the keel. How bad is the dent? Lead is pretty soft and will absorb much of the impact of a grounding with out causing much damage. Up on the St Lawrence there are lots of rocks and rock ledges, if the boat hit one of this at speed and came to a complete stop, there could be significant damage. However, if the boat hit the rock and bounced up and over the rock and did not come to a screeching halt, then the damage could be limited to some minor damage to the lead keel. This is probably unrelated to the crack you see between the keel and the hull. A dent in the lead keel is an easy fix.

If the boat hit the rock at speed and came to a dead stop, then the place to look for damage is at the aft end of the keel. The force of the impact will drive the aft end of the keel up and into the hull. Look for delamination of the hull just aft of the keel. To the extent possible inspect the bulkhead tabbing for cracks and separation. Cabinetry will be impacted with doors and drawers not fitting properly. The surveyor should be looking at these things. Try to be there for the survey.

To give you some perspective the attached photos show keel damage from a hard grounding. This grounding caused hull delamination and cracked several floors timbers. (Note, I did not cause this damage. ) Causing a divot as deep as this one and breaking off the end of the keel means the boat was traveling at speed and hit a rock pile, stopping suddenly.

View attachment 214164

View attachment 214165

I told you guys my wife says I'm obsessed with this. I have already found another boat of the same make model, and production year on lake Ontario. She is a center board model though which I think is even better for what I want to do. The present owner is about to put her on the market. I already know what he paid for her two years ago a few thousand more than we settled for on the first boat. I've seen two year old pictures of the boat and the interior shows just a bit nicer than the first boat only this girl has more and newer compliment of sails, and has more and newer electronics.
So here I go making lemon aide out of lemons.

 

[dlochner]

I told you guys my wife says I'm obsessed with this. I have already found another boat of the same make model, and production year on lake Ontario. She is a center board model though which I think is even better for what I want to do. The present owner is about to put her on the market. I already know what he paid for her two years ago a few thousand more than we settled for on the first boat. I've seen two year old pictures of the boat and the interior shows just a bit nicer than the first boat only this girl has more and newer compliment of sails, and has more and newer electronics.
So here I go making lemon aide out of lemons.

If you can get out of the other deal. If you bought the boat through a broker they may take issue with your decision or you may forfeit your deposit. Where's the new boat?

BTW, there is a nice CS36 at Navy Point to consider.

 

[Clay Smith]

Yeah no it says all over the paper work that I have a right to back out of the deal at anytime and the broker is required to refunde the money asap.

 

[NYSail]

My last boat was a Pearson 36-2 1986 centerboard. My boat was neglected and we did a major refit to her…… re-cord decks (make sure surveyor checks side decks around traveler tracks), rebuilt centerboard lift amongst other things…. Touched every part. great boat! We had ours for 10 years before moving on…… many fabulous memories!
Good luck
Greg

 

[Clay Smith]

were moving on to a little bit bigger boat

 

[Clay Smith]

Well I know she's a long way from the pearson 36-2's I was looking at but after canceling the sales contract on that first 1986 Pearson 36-2 This is what I ended up with. Shes a 2000 Hunter 42' passage I Decided I wanted a little more boat. Her new name will be "Carol Ann". Newbies, go figure!