Pine Island-Moving my Pearson 26

bffatcat · Dec 29, 2011

Motoring a pearson26

I have a P26 weekender that I have owned for 12 years. I dont know much about Florida
but I know a lot about motoring the P 26. If you have no rudder you can use the tiller on the outboard to steer. I will assume your motor is a long shaft. I have a 2008 tohatsu 8hp
and it moves my boat at hull speed at half throttle. D&R marine in Assonet MA has the original mold for the rudder. They will make you a new one complete with a stainless steel rudder post. about $1400 when I last checked good luck

Gail R · Dec 29, 2011

We sailed a Pearson 26 for several years. Nice boat. We would occasionally use the engine to supplement the rudder if we were maneuvering in a tight spot. But I don't think it would be wise to take the boat any appreciable distance without a rudder.

The Pearson 26 rudder is fairly big, and swept back. It is integral to the safe operation of the boat, IMHO. Also, due to its size, it's pretty heavy, too. I know it is because we did the customary rudder bearing replacement. So the trim on the boat could well be off if the rudder is missing; it could be bow-heavy.

Not to mention your apparent inexperience with this kind of thing, I think trying to move it through the water without a rudder would be imprudent.

Since the boat seems to need major work, much of it requiring that it be out of the water anyway, why not have it trucked to a storage yard and put on the hard so you can actually get some real work done on it? Yes, that costs money, but part of the responsibility of boat ownership is having a place to put it and the time/resources to work on it.

Just curious, why buy a boat without a rudder? It's not like there's a shortage of P26s. I hope you didn't pay much for it.

Sumner · Dec 29, 2011

Shep83 said:
I didn't realize it didn't have a rudder, I probably wouldn't have bought it.
I got it for $300 and the slip rent was paid for the month. ($180)

So yea, I got it cheap. I like the lines of the boat and it's very solid.
If it had rudder it would have been a steal..

Anyway, if, but, coulda, woulda, shoulda..
I got it and I gotta move it.
I can't afford to pull it out ofthe water right now (I plan on doing it this summer)
I really didn't think moving it would be such a monumental undertaking.

Gail made some very good suggestions. You have $300 in it now, but if you had a problem trying to move it you could have a lot more in it, especially if you caused damage to someone else. We have done the 'miserable mile' a couple times and you are in very close proximity to other boats even on weekdays. Please don't try it on a weekend. We ran aground with the Endeavour and I swear we were in the channel and it draws 4'6". We were able to get off in a minute or so, but I thought we would be using the tow insurance. We also didn't do the whole stretch as we went in and out going to Ft. Myers Beach, so didn't do the part past Shell and that looks tricky looking at the chart.

At this point if you have the option to abandon the boat back to the owner and just be out the $300 I would seriously consider that or give it to someone else if that is an option. It isn't a route that any of us like to take, but at one point or another most of us have to make a decision like this,

Sum

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Gail R · Dec 30, 2011

Best option might be to get friendly with someone who can tow it or hip-tie to it and barge you to where you need to go. If you don't have cash on hand, then barter with something you do have. Are you good at anything like odd jobs? Barter some labor time. Get creative.

Or just call it a loss, you didn't pay that much.

LANCE ON CLOUD NINE · Dec 30, 2011

you could probably make a "disposable" but usable rudder out of construction grade lumber for very few bucks.

rhr1956 · Jan 9, 2012

Just stumbled upon this thread and thought I would chime in. I bought a P26 about a year ago also without a rudder. The guy I bought it from lost the original in the lake, not sure how. I hung a brand new 6HP Nissan on the transom and motored across the lake to a new marina on a very windy day with big rolling waves. The waves coming directly from starboard made it a very rolly ride, but it was easy to control direction with the motor alone. The seller gave me a rudder he had made from a scrapped Catalina, but was not finished..needed glass work etc. I finished it, installed it and have been satisfied..even though it's not a Pearson design. This is the rudder as it was given to me.

MacNCheese · Jan 19, 2012

Shep, if you need a rudder for a Pearson 26', I have one and am selling my rudder for $175