Bill Shaw Answers The Mail - The Pearson Current - Volume 1, #4

BILL SHAW ANSWERS THE MAIL
The Pearson Current - Volume 1, #4 - 1994

My wife and I sail a 1980 P323 which we love dearly. Over the years, we have prepared our vessel for a long passage including the installation of a storm jib forestay with running backstays, wind vane, wind generator, etc.

What is your opinion on this boat for cruising? Is the safety factor great enough on this boat? Do we improve our safety factor by carrying our heaviest anchor and chain "locked in place" at the base of the mast under the floor when blue water sailing? Can I put a 2" drain through the transom from the cockpit without jeopardizing integrity? Are there any other suggestions you might have to improve strength or safety factor? We feel the 323 to be a rugged, well-built boat and are proud of her wherever we go. In May of ’95, we are leaving for Venezuela and are anxious to share ideas and experiences with other 323 owners. — Skip & Pat Klamp Brandon, FL

Dear Skip & Pat, Size has a lot to do with safety. For a given amount of energy in a wave, a large boat has more resistance to rollover than a smaller boat. The chances of a knockdown are increased with a smaller boat.

The 323 is a very safe cruising boat, but remember that she was not specifically designed for ocean passage. Putting the heaviest anchor and chain down low contributes to the yacht’s stability. But many other factors must be considered such as: adding aluminum hatches like "Bowmar," or "Lewmar"; gasketing the sail locker hatches and adding positive latching devices to secure them from below deck; revising the companionway hatch; adding tethers to each drop slide, providing positive latching devices so they can be locked on and below deck; securing the batteries so they will remain in place even when upside down.

The list goes on and on and would require a volume to cover all the necessary points. I suggest you read the Fastnet Race Report put out by "US Sailing." I also suggest that you refer to the ORC publication which sets forth standards based on where you intend to sail.

Adding a 2" drain poses no problem provided you add 3 mats and 3 rovings (1.5 mm, 18 wr) to the transom and cockpit. Glass a solid nipple to the transom and cockpit. Put a short length of neoprene hose between them and then double clamp each end.

I own a 1983 Pearson 303, hull #41. The lower portion of my skeg, upon which the rudder is hung, is slightly loose. There appears to be a detachable portion of the skeg. My mechanic wants to re-glass over the entire skeg, but I am hesitant to let him do that. Perhaps it is supposed to be capable of disassembly to remove the rudder. . . I don’t know.

Also, how can I keep rainwater from running down the sail track and into the bilge? This is the only leak in the entire vessel and I’d really like to cure the problem. — Clinton Lanier Vero Beach, FL

Dear Clinton, Do not glass over the entire skeg. At some point, it may be necessary to remove the rudder and you will want access to the gudgeon fastenings. The piece that is loose is probably just a fairing piece. Contact Bill Richards at 401-254-0775, he has access to drawings. I cannot remember the exact configuration of the mast track you ask about, but I believe it is internal. If this drawing is correct, fill up the mast track with silicone several inches above the mast partners and run it down a couple of inches below the cabin top.

I am the owner of a Sublime Pearson 323 (#54). I have owned the boat from its beginning and have sailed it extensively including 2 trips to Bermuda. Recently, we noticed our Fueltrol (electric solenoid) was getting hot. We disconnected it and put the fuel line onto bypass. The company has gone out of business and apparently, there are no similar devices available. The fuel solenoid was put on at the factory as, I assume, a safety measure. I realize it is not necessary, but I am curious as to whether anyone knows of a replacement or a reason why one would not want to replace it.

A second question I have related to mast pumping. Since we have put on jib roller furling, I have noticed that at times, when no sail is set, the mast has a tendency to pump. I have played with rig tension in order to minimize the pumping. — Carole Heller Fairfield, CT

Dear Carole, About the Fueltrol valve, I’m not sure if you are referring to PYC or Fueltrol as out of business. Sorry, I can’t answer this one. Try asking other tank manufacturers.

As for the mast pump, adding a roller furler will often do this. The big furled sail starts to oscillate and then the mast starts pumping. Try putting a line around the mast at the spreaders. Tie off the lower end way forward, near the stem head fitting with lots of tension. If this works, you can add a small block at the height I’ve drawn here, sort of like a boom topping lift. Sometimes, a line around the furled jib led aft will work.

I am the proud owner of 1977 P35. The gelcoat on my boat is in extremely good condition and is not even close to needing a polyurethane paint job. However, I have seen several P35s built in 1968 and 1969 which had extensive crazing on the topsides and decks. Is this condition likely to develop on my boat and were layup procedures altered to eliminate this problem?

What is your opinion on the usefulness of a boom vang with the standard aft mainsheet traveler position? Can the traveler be moved to the coachroof?

I have been sailing my P35 for 3 years and it has performed beautifully at sea in near gale and full gale conditions. The P35 is acknowledged as a great coastal cruising boat by many experts. What is your assessment of its capabilities as a blue water cruiser? Does the large cockpit present a serious offshore safety hazard? What modifications if any would you recommend? Would a removable inner forestay for a staysail work well on this boat? Peter J. Imbesi, Matawan, NJ

Dear Peter, With reference to gelcoats — in the 60’s, gelcoats were rather hard and lacked flexibility. Thus, when deflected, they crazed, creating small hair line cracks. Later on, more flexible gelcoats were developed

which reduced the problem considerably. Service is also a factor. If you do a lot of sailing where the hull is slamming for long periods of time, crazing will develop. About the boom vang — very effective, especially with end of boom sheeting. The traveler cannot be located on top of the cabin trunk.

As for your question about blue water sailing, the large cockpit is a negative for offshore and should be reduced per ORC regulations. Forestaysails are useful on most any boat. They provide better balance under storm conditions. However, the lower end of the forestay must be attached to a fitting which in turn is attached to the hull. Running backstays are also required.

I sail a 39' 1989 sloop and a hydraulic backstay. Could you advise the maximum pressure I should use on the backstay? — Marvin B. Gordon Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Dear Marvin, We use 1/4 the breaking strength of the wire. We would need the wire size to determine this value.

Have you had any input on the different ways some owners have approached putting a bow roller/anchor holder on their 303? I could use some help on lessons learned and things to avoid. What brands are better or easier to install, etc? Is there any guidance from the company itself on installing after market bow rollers/anchor holders? What’s the best way to attach them?

What can you tell me about converting the stock electrical battery charging system to a more modern three stage system. What is the "normal" voltage expected from the Hitachi 35 amp alternator on my Yanmar 2GMF, 13 hp diesel?. . .

What kind of history is there concerning rudder stock failure on 303s? Recent articles in Practical Sailor have discussed problems on Pearson 34s, but made no mention of any such trouble on other sizes of Pearson boats. Evidently, the 34s had experienced enough trouble with stress corrosion to warrant a recall while Pearson was still in business. — Kenneth R. Pugh Lynn, MA

Dear Kenneth, There are many bow rollers available, so here are some guidelines: 1.) They should be made of stainless steel. 2.) They should be long enough to extend beyond the stem to keep the anchor clear of the hull when raising or lowering and long enough to provide ample support on deck, 15"-17". 3.) They should always be three bolted.

Your questions concerning the alternator should be directed to the engine manufacturer, in this case, Yanmar.

About rudder failure, I do not believe we had any 303 failure. The rudder failure on the 34 was an experimental design which we replaced. The failure was not stress corrosion but the fact that the entire blade was made of high density foam and broke away.

There are no stability range figures available on the P365 from the Yacht Racing Union. Is there any other information available on the positive stability range of the 365? Is the positive stability range at least 120 degrees? Was the boat designed for blue water passage? I am very please with the way my 365 handles.

Although I have been Coast Guard licensed for more than 40 years — running sportsfishing vessels, I have only been sailing since 1988 so my sailing experience is limited. The only weather of any consequence we have been caught out in was a little 7 hour blow with the wind gusting to 40 knots. We were beating to windward, going up offshore from the Florida Keys. The boat handled very well with one reef in the main and after finally rolling the jib up to the size of a storm jib, we were even able to put the boat on Auto-Pilot (an undersized Autohelm 3000).

With its 41% ballast to displacement ration and 1.76 screening value, the boat seems very stiff and stable to me.

I don’t know where the Practical Sailor obtained its information on light weight construction of the 365. My bottom is about one inch solid fiberglass and the hull from chine to rub rail is 5/8 solid fiberglass.

Her shallow draft makes her perfect for the Bahamas but I am wondering if she is capable of a trip to the Caribbean and also for an Atlantic Crossing to the Med? — F.M. Atherton, Jr. Miami Beach, FL

Dear F.M., You’re correct, there are no stability figures from US Sailing — the boat was never measured for IMS. We used an empirical formula known as the Dellenbough Coefficient which estimated the angle of heel in a 15kts breeze. For a given size of boat, we had some standard values for this coefficient. The DC was around 12°± for the 365. If it had been 20° we would have added more ballast and possibly reduced the rig.

I do not know what the range of stability is under IMS. It should be large based on my sailing experience with this boat. The boat was designed for extensive cruising offshore coastal water. She was not specifically designed for ocean passages and would require some modifications.

I have a question about the wing keel. Every year I have had to patch the wing, most times the filler has just broken away from the wing. It’s always the same wing and most times, groundings were not involved. My marina has suggested that I remove the filler from the outer 6 inches of the wing and replace the filler with fiberglass over the bare metal outer edge of the wing. Since I’m concerned with the performance would this be recommended? Has any one else had this problem? — Larry Conforti Princeton, NJ

Dear Larry, I do not recommend FRP over the wings because; 1.) ungelcoated glass will not last long and, 2.) adding the glass still might require fairing. Epoxy fillers should be used, not a polyester base. Vol. 1 No. 4, 1995