New owner - questions / introductions / etc

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tipsyravensailing

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Apr 25, 2017
195
pearson 26 holland mi
Hello all!

I'm a new Pearson p26 owner! hull 1533. I managed to pick it up on the cheap and have gotten it to my shop and i've started tinkering on it. Got some questions though, as i'm sure is to be expected, and I'm definately not going to assume i know what i'm doing with certain things. but first, a bio:

i'm 33, male, living in Lansing MI USA. I originally learned how to sail on little sunfish at boyscout camp, a fairly long time ago. I doubt i'm ready to sail the pearson, despite hearing its an absolutely forgiving boat for learning on. I've been motoring around in my trihull 16ft fishing boat for a number of years and kept staring at the sailboats when i was out. the whole situation was a bit of blind luck really. Just happened to have some loose cash laying around, just happened find a boat that i thought i could manage... justhappened to be crazy enough to take a stab at it.

I'm pretty damn handy, having gotten my eagle scout a while back. I have worked in engineering jobs since, strong tech background. I've already rebuilt the motor on it, and have the boat like i said to my personal shop where i've started the process of getting it cleaned up to fix cracking and then paint and refit.

I've been getting my hands dirty with the tear down. mast is down, obvious due to move, but when i got it the boom was already off. The traveler and rigging for it was bundled on the floor and the mainsheet assembly laying next to it. I've been staring at it for a few nights now and have come to the conclusion i have no idea how to 'ikea' it together... in fact, i'm now stuck with the frustration that i can't proove that the mainsheet block and lines are actually to this boat... simply because i can't reconcile how they might be. hugely frustrating.

So... what i'm hoping for, is someone who has a picture or three of their rigging on a pearson so i can go 'oh.' and stop busting my own balls over trying to figure it out :D I've been chasing videos and pictures online of boats underway and coming up empty for the effort. Finding anything resembling a diagram for the pearson has proven to be wildly frustrating in of itself. Yes, i've been to Dan Pfiefers page - he even sent me the dxf drawings of his pearson so i have all that too.

Thats it :D here's some links if you're curious to see what i got myself into:

https://www.facebook.com/tipsyravensailing/
http://tipsyravensailing.imgur.com/

any ideas or thoughts or advice are very welcome!
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Welcome to the forum TI. Pearson is a nice boat. Sailed on one in the Cheasapeak back in the early 70's.
If you have not test found Sailboatdata website, this might help...
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=616
Not much big water near Lansing to use the Pearson. You thinking Lake Michigan or up north? Got a brother in law down in Plainwell, but even Gun Lake is a bit shallow for your boat.
You indicate it is in the "shop", and that you are ready to tear into it. What does that mean?
Are you starting with the rigging, then the hull?
We have many different boats on this forum, pictures of what you have and the what you want to do will go a long way to getting ideas from the sailors here.
 
T

tipsyravensailing

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Apr 25, 2017
195
pearson 26 holland mi
Yup. got a slip figured out in Holland MI. not gonna be able to use it much around here. its here only long enough to get worked on. i have a metal and wood shop at the house - i've done artisian metal work as a blacksmith most of my life. - rigging is down, gotta take everything out of the inside, remove all deck hardware, grind out cracks, reexpoxy holes, paint, no skid, remount hardware, re-rig boat to test results (and then back down again to ship it to holland). i'm not sure yet how far down i need to go inside ... though wit hthe mast off i'll likely inspect the beam and supports for the mast in the cabin. might as well right. The links have a lot of photos. I'll upload a few key ones as a response here during my lunch :)
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
TI,
When you get back to the rig, remove the furler from the mast releasing the forestay at the mast head. Get a friend or two to help you lay the furler out flat. The base of the furler is heavy, and if left in the current condition to the mast can put a kink in the furler luff foil. It is an extruded aluminum sleeve the slides over the forestay (the wire that runs from the bow to the top of the mast). There the luff foil comes in pieces about 4 -6 foot in length. The sections are joined with an inner sleeve with bearings that allow it to rotate on the fore stay. Kink them and your into a timely repair taking the furler all apart to remove the bad section and then putting it back together. I had mine down and we removed it trying it up to a fence long enough to maintain it straight and supported by multiple ties to the chain link, while I refurbished the rest of the mast and rigging.
 
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tipsyravensailing

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Apr 25, 2017
195
pearson 26 holland mi
Oh! Thanks for the tip. First thing when I get home to the shop. At least get it down onto the ground. Thank you!
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Looks like a nice Harken furler.
Photos are not showing many glaring issues. How is the deck. Solid or spongy? The mast base does not show any obvious damage. Any leaks? The Pearson was constructed using fiberglass on a balsa core for the deck. I would inspect all the fittings. Check out MaineSail's website for ideas on rebedding the hardware. Things you want to remove in a short period (2-4 year window) like deck hardware I would use his butyl tape (above the water line). Things that you want to be chalked but for a longer time frame I use 3M's 4000 UV (like the mast base). And stuff that will be stuck on forever (like the joint between the hull and the deck) 3M 5200, something I do not plan to ever have to remove. Just my opinion.
 
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jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
On to the ground, but on something. Avoid dust and grit getting into the turning pieces.
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
You can rinse the furler with fresh water. If it is a Harken, they use Delrin bearings
Delrin® ball bearings are made of a composite material well-suited for low- to moderate-load applications.​
No lube needed. Just a good rinsing with fresh water.
 
T

tipsyravensailing

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Apr 25, 2017
195
pearson 26 holland mi
No known leaks. Deck is very solid beneath my feet. I'll take a slew of photos today highlighting every little problem area I can find. That way I can get some opinions on each. I think it says harken on the furler. I plan on taking down all chain plates and any backing plates they have to inspect each and confirm I have all the hardware after the move. I'll also get detailed pictures of the rope and tackle assemblies to see if anyone has suggestions for what I'm looking at there. I hope to go through a Rust-Oleum offer of sponsorship for my paints and clear coats ... Anything that is part of the Rust-Oleum branding I can get my hands on pretty quick and cheap. Problem with that is the lady asked me to make sure there's purple in the Paint theme lol. But that's a detail and challenge for a further bit down the road. More pics than what's on the original two links will be available tonight. :)
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
You can always use purple for the wind tell tales on the sails. That way you can get her to look up and down at the boats color plan... :biggrin:
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
From your post, understand you did not have the boat surveyed. Boats of this age can develop soft spots, usually from an unknown leak. Surveyors will tap the hull and deck with a small hammer to hear the ring of solid material. Kind of like the tap on a piece of steel will ring. When you find a soft spot there will be a dull thud. Places to explore are anywhere there is a screw or bolt into the fiberglass.
I mentioned MaineSail. Here is the link to his website. https://marinehowto.com/ You'll find a number of good ideas here.
 
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tipsyravensailing

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Apr 25, 2017
195
pearson 26 holland mi
i'm already kinda planning on doing epoxy repackings of every through hole in the deck - i presume it wasn't done properly before. I have boatworks 'subscribed' on youtube already - love the videos! sailrite and royal yachting association too :)

And i'll tell her about the telltales idea - but i'm going to be putting a strip of purple on the hull somewhere :p
 
jssailem

jssailem

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Oct 22, 2014
21,088
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Everyone needs a bit of purple in their life.
West Systems and Maine Sail have good articles on the potting of deck holes for boats. Just be sure that you get all the moisture out before you try to fill with epoxy. Water and epoxy do not play well together. I had to do 37 holes in my former 15 footer. There was some rotten balsa core that needed to be addressed before I could fill the holes. Was very pleased with the final results, just more work then I had imagined. It was when I learned about boat repair time.
 
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tipsyravensailing

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Apr 25, 2017
195
pearson 26 holland mi
Haha indeed. I'm plan ing on spring of 2018 to launch. Spend the rest of this year chartering and such. With the boat next to.my.ship which is at my house I get a fair amount done on it each night. Right now the frustration is the inventorying of parts... I'm still convinced I have two main sheets lol. I'm gonna get a whole mess of pictures tonight and be hypercritical of every part of the boat. And photograph the parts off of it trying to figure out what is what.
 
S

SFS

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Aug 18, 2015
2,070
Currently Boatless Okinawa
You will find this to be a helpful crowd. Post the pictures and ask your questions. The questions are MUCH easier to answer with the pictures present. Welcome aboard!
 
T

tipsyravensailing

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Apr 25, 2017
195
pearson 26 holland mi
http://imgur.com/gallery/UrtEL

well. here's the first batch of photos. i'm confused as to the application of some of the blocks on boom and mast. i'm trying to figure out if my boom vang looks a lot like my mainsheet in how its configured. i'm also trying to figure out a few other small details. I'd love any help getting it straight.

Why is there a hook on the gooseneck? Why is there that 45deg bended threaded bar? maybe a shackle goes on it and its bent like that to make it easy to come and go? Hows the overall quality? Whats the name of the ring on the forward side of the mast that has the halyards shackled to it? :D i have questions.
 
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