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

BILL SHAW ANSWERS THE MAIL
The Pearson Current - Volume 4, #4 - 1998

I am currently replacing the rudder on my Countess 44 (hull #37). I have the drawings from the Alden office. Others have replaced their rudders and I would appreciate hearing of their experience. Foss Foam in Clearwater has apparently built a couple and has a mold. However, I do not want to remove the rudder post and worm gear steering, so my plan is to laminate from ½ marine ply, & west epoxy with some carbon fiber a port half and stbd half with routed and bunged holes for the bolts, laminate the two together and slip it in place. The two straps are missing so I will need to fabricate or locate them. Thanks.
— James R. Pluzynski

Dear James,
It is very difficult to evaluate what you have in mind from the description you provided. Given the importance of this particular piece of equipment, you might give more consideration to actually removing the rudder and making sure everything is done correctly. Why are you replacing the rudder in the first place? Is there something wrong that requires a completely new one? You might want to talk to Foss, who we do not know, or someone who has already gone through this process before you take it off. Please get back to Bill Lawrence and let us know what you end up doing.

We are thinking of installing a Nicro Vent fan on the roof of the cockpit of our 1971 P30. How many feet away from the mast would be safe without weakening it?

We would also like to run the controls to the cockpit. Presently we have to cleat the mainsail at the mast. We would like to run all rigging to the cockpit without weakening it.
— John & Linda La Sala

Dear John & Linda,
We have commented often on placement of vents on the deck and recommend not locating them near the mast. You do not want to penetrate the additional support built into that section of the deck.

As to the rigging—at the time we were building your boat it was not in "vogue" to locate halyards, etc., back to the cockpit as it is today. You can do it, but you must be aware of the fact that the cabin top where you will want to locate a winch is not reinforced. The deck is balsa core and will not support the strain that newly routed rigging will surely create. My recommendation is to make sure you back the winch or clamps you install with a large enough plate so the strain is spread out and not concentrated on the liner or cabin top. I prefer 3/16" to 1/4" aluminum plates with acorn nuts to minimize injuries if a crew member bangs into it.

I have a question about my l966 Wanderer; perhaps it has already been answered in an earlier issue of The Current. I regularly check the centerboard pennant and the associated tubes and blocks, but I’m unsure what, if anything, needs to be done to the centerboard pivot point. It does not seem to lend itself to easy disassembly, but I worry about the condition of the pin and consequences of a failure. Is the pin removable, or is the system glassed in and thus inherently watertight? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance and thanks for a great publication/organization.
— Peter

Dear Peter,
This is something you should definitely "worry" about. You should check the pin and cable at least once a year prior to launching. When the boat is on the lift, have the board dropped down for inspection. In this position, you can replace the pin or cable if wear is evident. If this is too difficult, use a f lashlight to look up the centerboard trunk. When the boat is in a sling and raised, the full CB and pins are accessible. This should be a standard part of your annual equipment inspection.

I am the proud owner and racer of Pearson 26 OD #231. Each year I would repair a small crack between the back of the keel and the hull. This year I have a crack down one side of the keel as well as the back. I opened the crack and found a hollow between the hull and keel. The keel bolts look silver in color and are not rusted. I am guessing they are stainless or galvanize. I checked the torque. 100 to 200 ft pounds moved two of the eight bolts a very small amount. When I repair this should I fill the void? Should I use West-system epoxy with a high or low-density filler or chopped glass? Or fill with something like 5200 and cover with epoxy. Will the crack reappear? Can I stop it?
— Peter Cavalla, Fleet Captain Chelsea Yacht Club

Dear Peter,
We always used a flexible sealer or bedding compound between the hull and keel to allow for inevitable movement. I recommend you do the same. I am confused about the crack you mention in the keel because the 26 has a cast iron keel. The crack you are seeing might be in the sealer that was put on every keel we had produced. You can use an epoxy-type filler to repair that crack.

We have a l990 Pearson 39 with a wing keel. There is some kind of gasket/sealant between the bottom of the fiberglass hull and the top of the keel. This material is showing signs of deterioration at the outside edge. Can you recommend a maintenance procedure for this? Thank you.
— Brian Walters

Dear Brian,
Time and use will cause some movement between the hull and keel, although it should not be a frequent issue for you to have to deal with. Prior to setting a keel, we would lather the surface with an elastic, gasket-type of sealant. You do not want to use something that will set up hard and not be flexible. As I suggested to Peter above, I would suggest you use a similar material to make the maintenance repairs you are now doing. Your yard can provide a recommendation from their stock. You will have many more choices than we did when your boat was made. If you do not have to tighten up the bolts, you can just clean the area around the keel and place a bead of sealant around the base of the whole keel.

I was wondering if any other Pearson owner has experienced the same nightmare as I. "Wandering C’s" is almost a dream come true. She is a l969 Pearson 33, #114 with a hopefully rare problem. Her deck gel coat is delaminating. Apparently, the mold was sprayed and left to cure and then sprayed again, giving her an overly thick and separating gel coat. The last Painter/Glass man stated, it was the worst deck he had ever been on, and wanted $7000 as a rough appraisal. Having an indirect connection within the marine industry, I can rely on his reputation and he is willing to work with me on the job. He steps in where skill is required, and I, when sweat is needed. Has anyone had or heard of this problem? Was it Friday the l3th when my boat was started? I would be grateful for any insight to this problem. The paint on the topsides is also bubbling close to the water line, (1/8 inch diameter, average). So, thanks to my surveyor, for his skill and lack of knowledge, as well as my own, I have a complete paint job to get done. I wonder if I alone have this problem or have there been other reports. My sister and her husband own a l965 Pearson Vangard. So I do believe in the basic manufacturing integrity, and of course, Bill Shaw has a sense of beauty. Thanks for your time.
— John Cowher

Dear John,
I have never heard of this problem and we are publishing it to see if any one else has had this experience. The gel coats were brushed on where the non-skid was located and the smooth areas were sprayed in the conventional manner used on the hull. You might have gotten some leakage that spread throughout the deck before it was caught. Since it is a totally new problem that has never come up before, it is hard to comment on what to do or what might have caused it on your particular boat. Please take pictures and let us know what you end up doing to repair the deck.

I had a survey done on a Triton 27' Pearson, l984. It is listed in the NADA Marine Appraisal Guide under Pearson Yachts. What can someone tell me about his boat? Its overall length is 27' draft shoal keel 42", Beam 9'6", displacement 5836 lbs. It has a "pea" serial number. Some enthusiasts tell me it is not a "true" Pearson, but the surveyor thinks it is . . . Help.
— Terry Weisbrich

Dear Terry,
It is a Pearson but not the venerable Triton most people recognize. The company had received some tooling from Bayliner when they brief ly went into sailboat production. Pearson was looking for a low end day sailor for folks who did most of their sailing on lakes. Pearson produced the Triton 27 for a while, but I do not recall how long or how many were actually produced. It was priced lower than the standard line. Pearson used the Triton name since the original one was no longer in production and they wanted to differentiate this line from the Pearson line.

A note on the Pearson 28 regarding its draft was sent to Dan Spurr at Practical Sailor who forwarded his reply to us.

Received your fax re: the draft of the Pearson 28. Our records show that it was offered with 3'0" shoal draft and 4'0" deep draft. There are several possible ways to explain your measurement of 5'3".

First, the draft listed is usually a "designed" dimension calculated by the naval architect. Same with displacement. Many builders never bother to take actual measurements after the boat is built. So, if the boat as built was heavier than as designed, its draft could have been deeper than planned.

Listed draft also does not take into account the weight added by the owner. With ground tackle, personal belongings and the addition of other gear, most boats do settle down deeper into the water, raising the scum line, as you call it.

We don’t know that Pearson made custom keels for this boat, though you could contact the Pearson Owner’s Association to inquire. It is also possible that after conducting sea trials of early hulls, they decided to increased draft to add stability, but either never wanted to or didn’t bother to change the "official" specs. For the moment, I guess it’s a mystery. I would say that a 5-inch difference is not within tolerances of careful workmanship, but production boat builders are not necessarily careful or scrupulous.

Dear Dan,
You are correct that the a 5- inch difference is certainly not within tolerance, and boats often end up drawing much more than specification due to the things that are added over time. What is causing the confusion on this, however, is that there were two separate production runs on the P28, one prior to the energy crisis in the early 70s and another in the 80s. The later boat had the deeper draft.

I own a l978; 31 foot fractional rig Pearson. Have been sailing it for almost three years in the lower part of the Chesapeake. It has a wheel and I have difficulty trimming the boat to take weather off the helm. Is this design, with wheel, inherently hard to balance or are there some suggestions or techniques that I might employ to alleviate this dilemma. Thank you.
— Mike Maddocks

Dear Mike,
Most excessive weather helm is due more to sail trim than anything else. Weather helm is strongest on reaches and the tendency of many sailors is to over trim sails. Trim the front of the jib and the leach of the main when hard on the wind, this will change the pressure on the sails and ease the weather helm. A little belly in the luff of the main on this tack will not hurt you and will ease the weather helm. You might also try easing your traveler to leeward. Another major cause of excessive weather helm is due to allowing the boat to heel too much. When a boat heels over, two things happen: First, the shape of the hull becomes distorted which makes it want to head into the wind; and second, the center of effort of the sail plan is off the centerline of the boat, causing it to round up. The combined effect of these two factors is a major cause of weather helm.

Reducing sail area so that the angle of heel is no greater than 22 to 25 degrees should also help solve the problem. If reefing is not an option, then de-power the rig by easing the main out, again, easing the traveler to leeward and move the jib lead aft. This will allow the head to fall off, lowering the center of effort of the jib.

I want to rebed my stanchions on my 1986 P33 but can not locate any access to their underside. Are the stanchions thru bolted? Or screwed into a threaded plate so that all work can be done from the deck? Also, where can I get replacement stanchion gaskets. If they are not available what should I use as a substitute?

My P33 did not come with an auto bilge pump. Installation looks limited due to a very shallow bilge. Please advise on installation, including suggested products. Many thanks.
— Al Silverman

Dear Al,
All stanchions were thru bolted and backed with a plate, usually aluminum. We often placed a wood plate along the liner in the cabin for cosmetic purposes. This can easily be removed to reveal the underside of the deck and the stanchion bolts. Most elastic sealant will work as a gasket, be sure both surfaces are clean. I have recommended using an old tire tube cut to size. This has worked for many owners in the past.