Selecting a Pearson?

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Tim Banjo

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Mar 6, 2011
3
Pearson 33 St. Clair
Hi everyone,

I am new to the site today and am in the process of gathering information to upgrade from my O'Day Mariner to a larger Sailboat that I can share with my family. The O'Day was great to learn the basic skills of sailing, but it's not so good for an overnighter. The main requirement for my new boat will be a Draft of less than 4 Feet, Sleep 5-6, and a length of 28-36 Feet. The boats I have looked at so far: Pearson 33 Centerboard, Tartan, and Chris Craft Cherokee, and Alberg. My budget is 8-20K. I really look forward to direction in helping me make a good choice! Again, I am relatively new with sailing, but am enjoying the educational process of taking the next step. Thanks- Tim
 
Ed Schenck

Ed Schenck

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Jun 2, 2004
5,802
Hunter 37-cutter, '79 41 23' 30"N 82 33' 20"W--------Huron, OH
The Tartan or a Pearson without a centerboard would be high on my list. I have a shoal draft at four feet and would not want the maintenance of a centerboard. It is rare that I care that my boat won't point as high as a fin keel. Well not that rare I guess, just whenever another boat tries to pass me. :)
 
Bad Obsession

Bad Obsession

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May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
www.yachtworld.com That is a cool place to browse boats. Take a look through out the country and see what appeals to you.

The difference between a 28 and a 36 feet are the difference between a 1 bedroom apartment and a 3 story house. The 36 has almost double the room.

I have a catalina 30 wing keel. You can pick them up for around 20K if you get an older model. I draw 3'10" on the wing keel, I sleep 7, and have a descent amount of room. In the 30 foot boat, you won't find bigger than a Catalina.

The Pearson and Tartan are good boats as well. Centerboards are nice, but there are a few other things extra to worry about and the maintenance on them is important. You may also get some extra noise from them when you are anchored and the water is a little sloppy (or at the dock for that matter if the water is slightly sloppy).

Have fun and good luck.
 
Sailm8

Sailm8

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Feb 21, 2008
1,750
Hunter 29.5 Punta Gorda
Sleeps 5 - 6? Are these adults and kids? How comfortable? Boat apec's always overstate the sleeping arrangements. Sure you can lay down but can you spend several days with fitful sleep??
 
Ted

Ted

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Jan 26, 2005
1,271
C&C 110 Bay Shore, Long Island, NY
You have a large range of sizes to consider. You will find that boats with gasoline inboards as opposed to diesels, are going to be less expensive. There are so many used boats on market that most people are shying away from gasoline. If fuel choice isn't a safety issue for you, than your market just expanded tremendously. Tartan has a reputation for building a quality boat and well maintained older ones would be a good buy. Some of their models employed a Scheel keel which is a shallow draft design with better stability than conventional shoal draft keel designs. It's worth looking at them however your $8-$20k budget may be limiting. Some of the more traditional boats such as the Alberg will have less interior volume. Enjoy the search.
 
RAD

RAD

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Jun 3, 2004
2,330
Catalina 30 Bay Shore, N.Y.
Oday has a good center board design where the keel hangs on a 2" plastic hinge so maintenance is pretty easy other than replacing a cable when needed....I was looking for a Catalina or a Pearson when I upgraded from my Bristol 24 for the same reasons and looking and finding a shoal draft was diffecult......winged keel Catalina's were the first choice because of the room on a 30 but I found my Oday 32 by accident and with a 3'6" draft and plenty of room it has been a perfect family boat in the shallow Great South Bay
 
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ghost

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May 18, 2007
50
NULL NULL Toronto
"how many does it sleep?" is the first question that comes from people who are new to boating or know nothing about boats.

Last year my wife invited a bunch of her co-workers for a sail on our boat and after the initial introductions, guess what the first question was? :)
 
RAD

RAD

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Jun 3, 2004
2,330
Catalina 30 Bay Shore, N.Y.
gghost said:
"how many does it sleep?" is the first question that comes from people who are new to boating or know nothing about boats.

Last year my wife invited a bunch of her co-workers for a sail on our boat and after the initial introductions, guess what the first question was? :)
Click to expand
Boy that is so true......next to "where do you sail to" that is always a universal question and I'm always kidding around and blurt out a silly number like 17 and love the expression on their face :D
 
NYSail

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,136
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
I have a 1986 Pearson P36-2 shoal draft of 4'2" with Centerboat to 8'. The centerboard is little maintenance as long as all the sheives are in good shape. Also, I do not have noice from the trunk at anchor... noice is at dock and not that much. Had to do it again, I would get the shoal draft with centerboard. Gives nice access to tight places. Also the room on this boat with its 12'4" beam is great.

Once you get in the 36 range, however your budget will not suffice unless it is a 60's or maybe 70's vintage for any boat in need of some work... prices jump, but I am sure you can find people looking to unload.

Good Luck
 
Alex Dare

Alex Dare

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Apr 15, 2009
302
C&C 30 Annapolis
In that budget, I'd look for a clean older Pearson 30 with a diesel. If you can stretch the budget a bit Bristol 32's start to become an option. With many 80's vintage Pearsons soft decks are a very common problem and not particulary cheap to fix. If you come across one that still has the original rubber gaskets under the stanchion bases you can almost count on the decks being wet. This doesn't seem to be a problem on the older Pearson's like the 30 and 35 k/c.
 
Prime Time

Prime Time

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Sep 25, 2008
544
Bristol 43.3 Perth Amboy
The real issue on any used boat of the vintage that you are looking at is condition!
Look at lots of boats. It is a buyer's market. Find an experienced friend to come along.
-Replacing an engine is a big deal.
-Age/conditions of rigging and sails
-Structural issues (deck or hull delamination, hull blisters, bulkhead tabbing

Best to find a boat that someone else has done the rehab than you spending your money doing it in most cases.
 
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Tim Banjo

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Mar 6, 2011
3
Pearson 33 St. Clair
Thanks!!

Wow! I thank all who have provided direction and comments to my post. I wish I would have started here with my search, but it took quite awhile to filter through the different styles of boats to get here. This will help a lot as I found finding the best boat to fit my needs is very similar to buying a Diamond (You don't know, what you don't know!) I look forward to continuing my research with the information provided. Again, thanks to all!!:dance:
 
Joe

Joe

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Jun 1, 2004
8,158
Catalina 27 Mission Bay, San Diego
gghost said:
"how many does it sleep?" is the first question that comes from people who are new to boating or know nothing about boats.

Last year my wife invited a bunch of her co-workers for a sail on our boat and after the initial introductions, guess what the first question was? :)
Click to expand
Roger that, my brother. The think it's a camper... Second most asked question? "Why don't you fish from your sailboat?" I usually answer "because I might catch something, heh heh!" I love to fish, but not on a sailboat when out daysailing. Now, cruising it's different... don't you know.
 
ifmdalvey

ifmdalvey

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Feb 2, 2010
373
Island Packet 37 Hull #2 Harpswell Me
I have a Pearson 31 with a fin Keel which i really enjoy, a sporty sail and i would assume a shallow draft would be similar.
There are many to choose from, look at lots of them, how up to date is the electronics, sails and rigging.
I would definateley advise getting a good surveyor involved and maybe your initial offer can be up to 25% below the asking price.
Good Luck
 
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