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Edwards Yacht Sales
- 866.365.0706
1984 Pearson 385
- Ft Myers Beach, FL, US
Yacht price
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"Starboard Tack" is a clean and well kept vessel that would make a great family cruiser, live aboard or island Hopper. The layout is very open and roomy. The Pearson 385 is a tribute to William Shaw's design talent.
Please be sure to see full specification/descriptions section along with the video!
With a custom hardtop and canvas section that connects to the dodger, "Starboard Tack" affords a comfortable place to escape the weather.
"Starboard Tack" is large for a 38' vessel. The vessel sports two full staterooms and two heads. Both heads have showers, with a shower stall in the Master head.
The vessel has one new start Battery and three new house batteries as of 2017. Also, she has two new chart plotters and Furuno radar.
The vessel's decks are solid all over and sides are waxed and shiny.
You will not be disappointed with "Starboard Tack"!
Things To Consider
* New 2017: Xantrex 1000 watt inverter charger. * New 2017: One new start battery. * New 2017: Three new house batteries. * New 2016: Garmin Echomap DV multifunctional at helm. * New 2016: Garmin GPSmap 545s chart plotter below. * New 2016: Bottom Paint in June 2016. Bottom Cleaned monthly. * New 2016: Main engine heat exchanger. * New 2015: Replaced FM radio. * New 2015: West Marine VHF tranceiver at helm * New 2013: High gain TV antenna. * New 2013: Vizio Flat panel TV. * New 2010: Proctor Silex Microwave. * New 2002: Yanmar diesel main engine.
Brokers Observations
This Pearson 385 exceeds expectations. These are sturdy and comfortable vessels, especially since the custom hardtop has been added. The vessel has all the navigation equipment necessary for safe and efficient passagemaking, including radar. This is a lot of vessel for the asking price and is in very nice condition. "Starboard Tack" represents an excellent opportunity to get into a safe seaworthy vessel for a reasonable investment.
Please be sure to see full specifications/descriptions and video!
Specifications
Descriptions, basic information, dimensions & weight, tank capacities, accommodations.
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Engine
* Yanmar 4JH3E normally aspirated four cylinder diesel main at 40HP. * RACOR 500FG fuel filter/water separator with vacuum gauge. * New coolant heat exchanger 2016. * Kidde Mariner automatic engine room fire extinguisher. * Yanmar manuals.
Electrical
* One Duracell Ultra group 31 Start Battery 2017. * Three Duracell group 31 House batteries 2017. * Xantrex 1000 watt inverter/charger 2017. * AC/DC breaker panel located in Salon. * AC voltage gauge. * DC voltage Gauge. * Perko start battery switch. * House battery switch. * Two 30 amp. shorepower inlets on bow and at cockpit.
Galley
* Force 10 Stainless three burner propane stove with oven. * Xintex S-2 Propane Monitor: On/off with alarm monitor. * Proctor Silex microwave oven. * Stainless galley sink with drinking water spout. * Black and Decker toaster oven. * Seagull water filter under sink. * In counter refrigerator/freezer. * Ample stowage with custom over sink cabinetry. * On demand hot and cold running fresh water.
Electronics
* Garmin GPSmap 545s at Nav. station. * Uniden UM525 VHF tranceiver with distress at Nav. station. * Sony XR-CA400 AM/FM cassette at Nav. station. * Vizio flat panel TV in Salon. * Garmin Echomap DV multifunctional plotter at helm. * Furuno Model 1623 RADAR at helm. * Furuno scanner dome on RADAR mast astern. * West Marine Submersible VHF585 transceiver at helm. * SIMRAD WP5000 autopilot at helm. * Raymarine ST-60 speed log in cockpit. * Raymarine ST-60 wind/true and apparent in cockpit. * Raymarine ST-60 depth with alarm in cockpit.
Mechanical
* FCF 16,000 BTU reverse cycle A/C. * Jabsco 4 gpm Fresh water pump. * ShurFlo 3 gpm fresh water pump. * Par-Max3 3.5 gpm bilge pump.
Salon
* Large area with settee's port and starboard. * Reading Lamps. * Three overhead hatches for light and ventilation. * Teak folding table with two leafs on centerline. * Hangup closet. * Stowage cabinetry and book shelves behind settee's. * Two teak overhead grab rails to port and starboard.
Master Stateroom
* FCF Marine AC with remote and control pad mounted here. * Large double berth arranged athwartships. * Reading lights. * Overhead hatch for light and ventilation. * Large chest of drawers with countertop. * Settee at side of bed. * Ensuite head.
Master Head
* Jabsco electric toilet. * Large shower stall with seat. * Large counter with stainless sink. * Large mirror behind sink. * Ample stowage. * Hot and cold running water.
Forward Stateroom
* Large double "V" berth. * Settee in "V" of berth. * Ample stowage cabinetry. * Reading lights. * Hangup closet with chest of drawers. * Overhead opening hatch for light and ventilation. * Ensuite door to forward head.
Forward Head
* Jabsco manual pump toilet. * Folding door to Salon. * Ensuite door to forward stateroom. * Stainless sink in counter. * Ample stowage. * Wet type shower. * Mirror over counter. * Hot and cold running water.
Navigation Station
* Electronic instruments mounted up and out of the way. * Chart table atop desk. * Navigation equipment storage in lift up chart table top. * Under counter stowage cabinetry. * Flexible lamp.
Cockpit
* Center cockpit design with ample seating. * Cockpit cushions and two removable chairs. * Jib winches on combing. * Helm pedestal on centerline aft cockpit. * Stainless destroyer ship's wheel. * Binnacle with Ritchie magnetic compass.
Ground Tackle
* Ideal 12 VDC electric windlass. * 35# Bruce anchor with 25' chain and 120' nylon rode. * Spare Danforth anchor in bow anchor stowage compartment.
Sails
* Furling Genoa at 140%. * Mainsail fully battened. * Lazy Jacks.
The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.
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First impressions First impressions are long lasting, even if they do date their authors when revealed. There was a well-kept Pearson 26 moored just down the dock from my family's Sabre 28 on the Clinton River in Mount Clemens, Michigan. We're talking back in the early '70s. I remember clearly (despite my tender age) how it had a putrid green deck and cabintop. Seasick green we dubbed it. The Pearson 26 was one of the first boats available in different colors, and the shades offered were interesting to say the least. Still I liked the lines of the P26 then and continue to appreciate them today. The qualities that led to Pearson's popularity are evident in the 26. It is solidly constructed, handles well when the wind pipes up and is extremely user-friendly. It is also an excellent value. The P26 has a modest sheer, typical of the times, and an unobtrusive stair step in the cabintop that provides headroom and light below. The Weekender and the One-Design have a straight cabintop and consequently about 5 feet of headroom. The clean, gentle entry has a fair amount of overhang and leads to a rather flat forefoot. The fin keel is swept back as is the spade rudder. Displacement is 5,400 pounds, with 2,200 pounds of iron ballast providing a 40 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio, which partially accounts for the boat's stiffness. Sail area is 321 square feet, translating into an SA/D ratio of 16.6, a classic so-called coastal cruiser. Beam is a generous 8 feet, 8 inches and the draft is 4 feet. The sloop rig has an air draft of just over 35 feet. The boat motors smartly with a 9.9-horsepower outboard.
Construction The Pearson 26 construction varies a bit from early boats like the Ariel, Wanderer and Pearson Alberg 35. Production techniques were becoming more efficient and Pearson didn't hesitate to employ them. The hull is solid fiberglass, and like almost all boats of that time, the deck is balsa cored. In fact, Everett Pearson was a pioneer in developing end-grain balsa as a coring material. The P26 makes use of molded liners, which are a blessing and a curse. While liners streamline production and offer a bit of hull rigidity and uniformity, they make accessing wiring and hull fittings very difficult and can also give the boat a sterile look. The hull-and-deck joint is on an outward flange, sealed, through-bolted and covered with a vinyl rubrail. What is interesting about this joint is that it is fiberglassed from the inside. This makes it watertight, and few 26 owners complain about leaking hull-and-deck joints. However, the external joint is exposed to damage from smacking into docks and other things that boats occasionally smack into. If production efficiencies were responsible for this joint, then I would understand because it is easier to manufacture boats with external flanges. However, glassing over the joint from the inside is anything but efficient, and we all know what a bother vinyl rubrails can be. Still, it's important to note that few 26 owners mention problems and replacement rails are available. The keel is cast iron, which is something of a maintenance headache, and externally fastened with eight hefty bolts.
What to look for If you are considering a P26, the first thing to look for is Dan Pfeiffer's Web page. It can be found at www.en.com/users/danp/boat/boat.htmor by searching for Pearson 26. Other P26 owners refer to Pfeiffer as "The Guru," and his site contains an incredible amount of detail about the boat, so be certain to check it out. He has an owner's page with comments from many P26 owners, both past and present, which is very informative. Naturally, with so many boats floating about, most problems have been well documented, as have most solutions to those problems. Let's first take a look at some changes made during 13 years of production. In 1975 the Weekender first went on the market. This model has the identical hull shape of the P26, but the cockpit is a couple of feet longer and the cabintop is a bit shorter, reducing interior volume. If you plan to strictly daysail the Weekender or the later One-Design, which had slightly tighter sheeting angles, might be the models to look for. Also in 1975, a separate shelf was added in the port locker for fuel tank storage. This was an important addition since it was otherwise possible for gas fumes to end up in the bilge. The Weekender was phased out in 1976 and the P26 One-Design was offered until the last year of production in 1983. According to Pfeiffer and most P26 owners, the biggest maintenance issue on the boat is the rudder shaft and bearings. The rudder itself is a rather heavy blade made of solid fiberglass, and the stock is aluminum, a poor choice of material since it's soft and subject to wear. Fortunately, the problem has been around for a long time and many 26 owners have replaced the rudder and/or the bearings that slowly eat away at the stock, particularly on the bottom bearings. When evaluating a P26 be sure to carefully check the rudder stock when the boat is out of the water. New bearings can help solve the problem, and if necessary, a new rudder with a stainless stock can be purchased from Foss Foam Products, in Warwick, Rhode Island. Other items to check for are a delaminated cockpit sole, keel bolt corrosion, keel corrosion and faulty wiring. There is also a plywood core under the maststep on deck that may be rotten. Of course, all age related items, from standing and running rigging to tired sails and outboard motors, should be inspected. Be wary of bargains, especially if you want to spend your time on the water, not in the yard bringing the boat up to speed.
On deck The Pearson 26 has a roomy, relatively comfortable cockpit for three or four adults. As noted earlier, the Weekender and One-Design have slightly larger cockpits. All boats came with tiller steering, although I am sure somewhere in the world there is a 26 retrofitted with wheel steering. There are two sail lockers for storage, and the mainsheet traveler is aft, allowing for end-boom sheeting, which keeps the cockpit clear. There is not much of a bridgedeck-basically just a sill-but this is not a boat intended for offshore sailing. The cockpit seats are low and visibility from the helm over the deckhouse is not great, especially if you're short. The tradeoff is more room below and a drier boat. There are teak handrails on the raised section of the deckhouse and double lifelines with well-supported stanchions. The boat feels bigger than 26 feet when you make your way forward. The nonskid may be quite worn and not particularly effective, although older Pearsons have aged well and you don't see the gelcoat crazing and cracking common on other boats. The mast is deck stepped, with a compression post below. Look carefully for a depression at the step; it may be sign of delamination. The genoa tracks allow for decent sheeting angles and many boats will be set up to fly spinnakers.
Down below Few people buy the Pearson 26 for its spacious accommodations below. However, the interior plan is well-thought-out, and the boat has more room than you might think. Dropping below, the first thing you'll notice is the headroom, about 5 feet, 10 inches by my estimate. The galley is to port and the icebox faces forward, with the nav station opposite and the settee serving as the seat. Other details may vary as owners have made changes over the years. The boat I recently climbed through here in Ft. Lauderdale had a two-burner stove and sink facing aft. Most boats have a dinette arrangement to port in the saloon, which is a good use of space in a small boat. This can usually be converted into a double bunk. There is a straight settee to starboard with storage lockers behind. The head and hanging locker are private, with a large V-berth forward. Many boats have a 22-gallon water tank under the forward berth. Teak trim accents the molded white finish, and the overall effect is rather cozy. Two large ports light the saloon, while two smaller ports are in the head compartment. If you live where it's warm, converting these into opening portlights would be a good idea. There is a hatch over the forward cabin. The boat was designed for an outboard motor, with a built-in motor well eliminating the need to mount a bracket astern and providing a solid, midtransom mounting platform. The fuel tank storage shelf accommodates a standard 6-gallon plastic tank rather nicely. The boat handles well under power, using the tiller for steering and the rudder can be completely turned around for control in reverse. Today's outboards, especially four-strokes, are quiet, clean and reliable. They're also convenient. If you have a problem, you can toss the engine in the trunk and take it the mechanic. Although it is rare, I have heard of P26s fitted with inboards.
Under way Owner comments reflect the forgiving nature of the P26. It's an ideal first "big" boat because it's easy to sail and will stand up in gusty conditions. The helmsperson can control the tiller and sheets, and with a bit of experience, it's ideal for singlehanding. Pfeiffer refutes the notion that the boat develops weather helm, arguing that if sailed on its lines and not wildly overcanvassed it is not an issue. The shape of the hull supports his claim as the P26 has a flat forefoot; the only effect of heeling will be to create leeway. The rudder is also large and located well aft, which serves to reduce helm. Several owners report that they race their boats locally under PHRF. By all accounts they perform best when the wind is more than 10 knots. The P26 needs a headsail, since performance is marginal under main alone, and a large 130- to 150-percent genoa can be carried upwind with a full main in winds to about 15 knots. At that point shortening up the headsail flattens the boat and keeps the speed up. Most owners tie a reef in the main as the apparent wind inches toward 20 knots. The P26 handles well off the wind, and several owners describe surfing downwind at near double-digit speeds.
Conclusion The Pearson 26 is an ideal boat to test the waters, so to speak, to see if sailing is indeed something you might enjoy. If you find you can't get enough time on the water, the P26 is not a boat you will quickly outgrow. It pleases on a variety of levels. With prices ranging from $6,000 to $9,000, it is hard to go wrong with this popular American-built favorite.
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- Farewell to brothers of the sea
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Pearson Yachts Portal
Pearson yachts history.
The year was 1953. It started, naturally enough, with an idea.
In 1953 Everett Pearson, who had his first boat at 8 years old, was a Junior at Brown University and his cousin Clinton was in the Navy. They had been sailing all their lives and on spring vacation they built a plug for an 8' dinghy and started molding fiberglass boats that summer. Clinton came out of the Navy in 1955 and Everett went in and was based out of Newport. At that time Clinton started building an 8' dinghy and a 15' runabout behind the house out in Seekonk Massachusetts where he experimented before considering commercial production. Clint ran the operation pretty much by himself from 1955-1957 as Pearson Plastic Corporation. Then when Everett got out of the service in 1958 production began with classic models such as the sporty Marauder runabout and the Plebe sailing and Cub rowing dinghy. Within a year and a half the boys had moved up to 15' boats, all being built and sold out of their garage. "Clint and I ended up getting a line of credit from the bank for $2,500 each. That's all the bank would give us, initially. We built that up with lines of credit from our vendors."
Clinton and Everett and fellow Brown alumnus Fred Heald eventually worked out of headquarters located in the basement of a textile building in Bristol, Rhode Island. "We couldn't even stand up straight while working on boats because of overhead sprinkler pipes". They experimented with glassing techniques and resin formulae as they went along. They became proficient at the art of lofting fiberglass runabouts and dinghies. They built the 8' dinghy and runabouts of 15'-20' until 1959", apparently changing the brand from Pearson Plastic to Peerless Boats by Pearson .
Up to 1961 were the toughest years of the business, as they used a timeclock and logged 93 hour weeks for four years. Everett said "It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Selling the runabouts was a real rat-race, kind of like selling used cars, it was a real chore to survive while you bang the boats out in the spring and take them to the show to sell in the fall in a cyclical pattern. We really couldn't see the forest for the trees as to where we were really going. By the summer of 1958 Tom Potter, who worked for American Boat Building in East Greenwich, asked if the cousins, now working out of an empty textile mill in Bristol, Rhode Island, would consider building a fiberglass boat that would sell for less then $10,000. Carl Alberg did the design and the Triton was born. Tom had been with American Boat who was building the Vitesse 40' Yawl, which became the Block Island 40 '. Tom walked in with the plan and we jumped at it! We thought that this would be a goal and a real challenge for us." It was 1959 and the start of the Triton project and Pearson Yachts Incorporated .
Pearson Cousins on the Privateer
Pearson Corporation added several new boats in 1959, including what was to become the flagship 28' Triton auxiliary cruising boat rigged either as a sloop or yawl. The line, then known as Peerless boats were made of fiberglass. The Peerless Triton was offered with alternate interior arrangments as well as the choice in rig. She is said to have room equal to that of a 25' boat of wooden construction through space-saving advantages of fiberglass. She has full headroom under the cabin trunk and bunks for four or six. Power is a Universal Atomic Four of 25 hp. She has an enclosed head, stainless stell sink, fully insulated molded fiberglass icebox, air foam mattresses and a 12-volt lighting system.
The Pearson Triton was designed by Carl Alberg at the request for a "28-footer that sleeps four". It became one of the first fiberglass auxillary sailboats in the country. The design was brought to the Pearsons who worked with Alberg to adapt it to the fiberglass construction which resulted in a roomy interior unlike any comparable wooden boat of its size on the market at the time. They had the opportunity to bring hull #1 to the New York Boatshow in 1959. In preparation for the boat show Everett said "We worked 3 1/2 days straight to get the first boat ready for the show and slept aboard. We loaded it at 2 AM, rode the truck to NYC, the engine still not wired!" At that time, Pearson was down to less than 10 employees and could not come up with the cash for the $1500 balance of the display fee for the NYC Show until a family friend came up with a $3000 loan to get them there. They came back from the Show with 18 cash deposits, all sales direct - no dealers. "We came close to never having our boats." But the Triton went viral at that show with orders upwards of $170,000, so the loan was paid back and the company was off and running.
The success of the Triton not only launched Pearson Yachts but also the career of the designer Carl Alberg. Eventually about 750 Tritons would be produced. A quote on Pearson's work in developing construction standards for fiberglass: "We designed the hull laminate from the waterline down so that the boat, laid over on its side with the entire weight of the boat resting on the keel and one square inch of the hull would yield not more than 1/2 inch and produce no structural damage to the boat".
The Company
In the early 1960's, Pearson Yachts, working in partnership with several famous designers, built a reputation for fine quality construction with sound designs and outstanding beauty and performance. They attracted the attention of Grumman Allied Industries who in 1961 bought a controlling interest in the company and brought stability to the fledgling company. And so began an era of continued steady growth. Everything grew bigger, including the boats themselves. There was a full line of powerboats, and a series of increasingly large and innovative sailing yachts. Among the powerboats was the 34-foot Sunderland; among the sailing auxilliaries, the Invicta 37 and the Rhodes 41.
In true entrepreneurial spirit, Clinton left the company in 1964, bought out Sailstar and formed Bristol Yachts, who's first design was Alberg's Bristol 27. Everett left in 1966 to form Tillotson Pearson Inc. (TPI) in industrial applications and boats which included brands such as Freedom, J-Boats, Rampage and Alerion.
In 1964 Pearson Yachts had hired a young Naval Architect by the name of Bill Shaw who had sharpened his design skills at the prestigious firm of Sparkman & Stephens, including serving as chief designer of the Americas Cup defender Columbia . He had also exercised hands-on experience building boats in the Far East. He combined the scientific mind of the engineer, the creative eye of the artist, and the realism of the builder and sailor. At Pearson Yachts he carried on the Pearson legacy by leading an in-house design team for a long line of production models at their newly built 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. This location was one of the most prolific boatbuilding operations of their time, providing affordable yachts to the booming market.
To this day, Pearson boats continue to sail the world's oceans and are readily available on the resale market. For a new generation of sailors it is an excellent opportunity for getting started in yacht ownership. Sadly the company closed its doors in 1991 in conjunction with a major recession in the boat building industry, and no more Pearson Yachts were produced. For more history you will find links below to interesting articles on the web.
Perhaps to you a new Pearson Yacht is the finalization of a dream, an escape, family fun afloat. Or perhaps it's a shelf full of trophies. To us, however, each Pearson Yacht is a reflection of the philosophy that there's no place in boating for anything less than the highest integrity and quality. As one of the pioneers in fiberglass sailboat construction, all the experience we have goes into every yacht that comes out of the Pearson yard. Design, construction, performance... all combine to produce a yacht that will continue to do whatever you ask of her. No one deserves less. — Pearson Yachts Inc.
Pearson History on the Web
The pearson era.
The Pearson cousins began the modern era of fiberglass production sailboats…
View details at GoodOldBoat.com »
25 Years of Pearson Yachts
It all started, naturally enough, with an idea. The year was 1955…
View original document here »
PearsonInfo.net
A wealth of information compiled by Dan Pfeiffer…
View details at dan.pfeiffer.net »
National Triton Association
"Design me a 28-footer that sleeps four" was the request….
View details at AlbergSailboats.org »
Pearson Yachts Inc.
Pearson Yachts was a manufacturer of fiberglass sailboats…
View details at WikiPedia.org »
Pearson Triton 28
The Pearson Triton’s launch at the 1959 National Boat Show in New York…
View details at BlueWaterBoats.org »
Pearson 26 by John Kretschmer
This early fin keel and spade rudder coastal cruiser makes a great first big boat…
View article at SailingMagazine.net »
Pearson 26 by Practical Sailor
When Bill Shaw in 1970 drew the lines for the Pearson 26, Pearson Yachts had been in business for 14 years…
View article at Practical-Sailor.com »
Pearson Yachts was founded in 1959 in Rhode Island…
Pearson Yachts 1958-1990
It was the 28' TRITON sailing auxiliary that put the company on the map…
View details at SailboatData.com »
The National Pearson Yachts Owners Association from the 1990's…
View old website at Archive.org »
The Pearson Current
The NPYOA archive of newsletters called The Pearson Current …
View issue archival at Archive.org »
Everett Pearson speaks at New England Triton Assocation
Let's Clear the Air:
Pearson Yachts win races, too!
They're not just for cruising. Down below you might think so. All that comfort is deceiving. But take another look topside. Notice the rakish sweep from stem to stern. The flowing lines of true racing craft. Pearson boats race. And race to win!
In the East, a Pearson Wanderer, Ariel, and Coaster swept the top three spots in Class B-2 of the famous Off Soundings Race.
On the Great Lakes, a Vanguard took Class D of the Port Huron-Mackinac Race, a Triton first place in Class C of the Trans-Erie and Interstate Races. On the western scene, Pearson performed with equally dramatic success. On Puget Sound, an Alberg 35 took top honors in the Winter Spring Series. And for the second year in a row, the Alberg 35 Adelante was first place winner at the Maple Bay, B.C. Regatta, again taking the coveted Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy.
Results like this speak for themselves!
If you have a particular idea about the kind of boat you'd like to race — and the kind of races you'd like to win — think about a Pearson yacht. Comfortable. Beautiful. Racy! And simple to acquire.
Pearson Yachts Inc. 1966
Name Your Pleasure
Pearson makes it.
Small, big or in-the-middle. The new line of Pearson Yachts has a lot of different boats to make a lot of different people happy.
Take the competitive racer who wants a fast racing craft and wants to day sail, too. The skipper who wants to compete and win in fleet and handicap racing. The family who wants to cruise with safety and comfort on an overnight or weekend. The sailor who chosses to cruise for extended periods on the open water. Different people with different needs. Calling for a different kind of boat.
Take the competitive racer who wants a fast racing craft and wants to day sail, too. The skipper who wants to compete and win in fleet and handicap racing. The family who wants to cruise with safety and comfort on an overnight or weekend. The sailor who chooses to cruise for extended periods on the open water. Different people with different needs. Calling for a different kind of boat.
Pearson builds a lot into every boat. More performance, more comfort, more safety, more quality extras. More boat for the money.
Name your pleasure.
Motor Boating/January 1968
Preference is Personal
It comes in many shapes and sizes.
Our designers recognize the motivating impulses that prompt sales. We build in comfort for cruising... speed for racing... seaworthiness for safety... lasting value for satisfaction. We cater to many tastes. Industry's broadest line of fiberglass sailboats is proof! Day-Sailers • Auxiliaries • One Designs. Choose from over fifteen designs and models. All with custom features at "production-line" costs. Easy to own with new Lease-Purchase plan. Visit your Pearson dealer soon or write: Pearson Yachts, Bristol, Rhode Island.
Pearson Yachts, Inc.
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The Pearson Era
Posted by Steve Mitchell | Sailing , Sailor Profile
Starting in a garage, cousins Clinton and Everett Pearson initiated an era in yachting history
It’s a familiar story to sailing buffs. The Pearson cousins, Clinton and Everett, began the modern era of fiberglass production sailboats at the New York Boat Show, in January 1959, with the introduction of the Carl Alberg-designed Triton sailboat. They sold 17 of those 28-foot boats at the show, and “it started us chasing money,” says Clinton. Indeed, that one show put the fledgling company on the map and in solid financial shape, but this well-known story reveals only part of the roots of Pearson Yachts.
“The Navy ROTC sent me to Brown University,” says Clinton, “so after I graduated, I had to serve three years of active duty on the destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy. This was from 1952 to 1955. While on the Kennedy, I built a small model for an 8-foot fiberglass dinghy. Later, I built a mold for the dinghy in my father’s garage. I started the company in May 1955 with the $2,000 I received when I left the Navy.”
Clinton tried making the dinghies using a vacuum process. “But I had no luck with it after six or seven attempts. So I started making them from mat and resin in a lay-up in the garage.”
It didn’t take Clinton long to run out of money. He started working for an insurance company during the day and making the dinghies at night. But sales were promising enough for him to incorporate in early 1956. A high-school classmate named Brad Turner helped out by investing $5,000 in the business.
Clinton’s cousin, Everett, who was a couple of years behind Clinton at Brown, also served in the Navy after graduation. He worked with Clinton, building the dinghies when he could, and was able to come to the new company full-time in 1957. Fred Heald, a fellow Brown alumnus, joined them as head of sales.
At the request of customers, the cousins built larger dinghies, which they exhibited at the New York Boat Show in 1957. Sales were so good that the young company needed room to expand. The Pearsons found an empty textile mill on the waterfront on Constitution Street in Bristol, R.I., with a flexible lease that allowed them to pay just for the space they used. Soon they were renting the entire first floor. By the time of the show in 1958, they also were making 15- and 17-foot runabouts based on Clinton’s designs, in addition to the line of dinghies.
Things started to gel in 1958. “A fellow named Tom Potter, who worked for an outfit called American Boat Building, over in East Greenwich, asked us if we would be interested in building a 28-foot fiberglass sailboat that would sell for under $10,000,” says Clinton. “Tom knew Carl Alberg, who was working at the Coast Guard Station in Bristol, across from where we were renting space. We agreed, and Tom had Carl design the boat for us. So Tom Potter was really responsible for the concept of the Triton.”
Big in Europe
“I had an idea for a family cruising boat using fiberglass,” says Tom. “Family cruising was a big thing in Europe at the time, but not in the U.S. The idea hit me that we could do the same thing, and it would be successful if the price was under $10,000. Everyone was still building boats from wood, but I thought fiberglass was the way to go.” Building with fiberglass allowed for a much roomier interior compared to wooden boats.
Tom adds: “I approached a number of people about my idea. My employer at the time, American Boat Building, wasn’t interested. I talked to Sparkman & Stephens. They wouldn’t give me the time of day. I got to know Carl while I was at American Boat Building, and talked to him about the idea. He’s the one who introduced me to Clint and Everett. He knew they were building fiberglass dinghies and runabouts across the way from him and thought they might be interested in building a sailboat. Naturally they were. So Carl designed the boat, and I financed the tooling for it. Carl had been designing ammunition boxes for the Coast Guard when the Triton idea came along.”
The cousins built the boat and had to borrow money to truck the Triton to the 1959 New York Boat Show. They didn’t even have the cash between them to pay the hotel bill. The boat’s base price was $9,700. When it became an instant success, with $170,000 in orders, the hotel bill was paid, and the young company was off to a solid start.
“Right after the boat show,” continues Clinton, “we still needed money to build those 17 boats. We already owed the bank $6,000, and we had to go back to the bank to ask for even more. We asked for – and got – $40,000. That started us chasing money. From the very beginning, we had to chase sales to pay off loans, a never-ending process.
“Carl sold the Triton plans to us for $75,” states Clinton, “and then he wanted royalties of $100 per boat sold.” The Pearsons agreed to those terms, although eventually it would work against Carl.
Flush with the success of the January 1959 show, the cousins took the company public that April. “The shares opened at $1,” says Clinton. “They were $3 a share the next day. By the end of 1959, the price was $13 a share.”
Sales stayed strong enough for the company to add another production site. Pearson bought the legendary Herreshoff Yard in November 1959 for $90,000, half in cash and half in stock. Production also continued at the Constitution Street site in Bristol.
Clinton explains, “In 1959, the market was just right for us. The price [of the Triton] was right. Leisure time was a big thing. They were pretty simple boats to build at the time, and we tried to build one boat a day to keep up with the demand.”
Controlling Interest
In 1960, the Pearsons were trying to obtain approval for another stock offering, but had trouble getting the proposal through the Securities and Exchange Commission. The money chase was continuing, and the company needed another cash infusion to finance its rapid growth.
“Luckily, Grumman was there and interested in the company,” says Clinton. In 1961, Grumman Allied Industries bought a controlling interest in Pearson Yachts for $800,000. Grumman wanted to diversify its military-aircraft business. It already had an aluminum-canoe division as a toehold in the boating industry. Grumman sought a stake in the developing fiberglass-technology area, and Pearson was a leader in the field at the time. The Grumman purchase started a long period of growth and stability for the yacht manufacturer.
With the full backing of the new owners, the Pearson cousins expanded production to include more boats, both large and small. Most also were Alberg-designed boats. The 20-foot daysailer called the Electra, “which we made into an open 22-foot daysailer called the Ensign,” says Everett, was added in 1960. The Alberg 35 followed in 1961.
According to Clinton, “When we started building the Ensign, it was an exception [to the one boat a day goal.] We eventually got that line up to two a day, then three a day” to meet the demand. It became a popular one-design racer, with nearly 1,800 produced in its 21-year production run.
Other Alberg designs were the Rhodes 41, a 26-footer called the Ariel, and a 16-footer called the Hawk. Pearson also built the Invicta, a 38-footer designed by Bill Tripp, in the early 1960s. “It was the first production fiberglass boat to win the Newport-to-Bermuda Race, which was the 1964 race,” Everett says proudly. The young firm also produced powerboats, including the 34-foot Sunderland.
States Clinton, “A lot of credit for the early success of the company has to go to Tom Potter for selecting a line that would sell.” For his part, Tom says, “Fred Heald and I were close friends, and we ran the marketing end together. I primarily worked with the designers on boats we thought would sell, while Fred worked more on marketing the boats. It was a pretty exciting period of my life.”
As with the Triton, Carl Alberg received a royalty on each of his designs that was sold. “As the boats got more expensive, the royalties went up,” states Clinton. “By 1964, Carl was making $40,000 a year from us, on top of what he made from the Coast Guard. Grumman wasn’t happy at all with the royalties and said we should hire our own architect.” But first, Everett approached Carl about renegotiating the deal on royalties. “He was a stubborn Swede and refused,” says Everett. “So we had to say: ‘No more boats from him.’ ”
A Grumman employee named John Lentini had a hand in the next serendipitous step for Pearson Yachts. John had purchased a sailboat designed by the prestigious New York firm of Sparkman & Stephens. One of the naval architects involved in that boat was a young fellow named Bill Shaw, and he and John became acquainted. When Lentini learned of the opening at Pearson Yachts, he mentioned it to Bill, who went to Bristol, R. I., for an interview with the Pearson cousins.
Momentous Year
“I had worked for Sparkman & Stephens for 11 years before leaving to work for an outfit called Products of Asia, which also was based in New York,” says Bill. “It imported custom wooden yachts from Hong Kong, and I ran their marine division.” The company’s most famous import later on was the Grand Banks line of trawlers.
The interview went well, and Bill was hired as the Director of Design and Engineering with a starting salary of $18,000. “We hit it off,” says Everett. “It worked out very well.”
“Rhode Island was my home state, and I was thrilled to be able to return there,” he adds.
As it turned out, 1964 was momentous for Pearson Yachts for more than the hiring of Bill Shaw. Grumman financed the construction of a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Portsmouth, R.I., and planned to move the company there the following year. “Lots of people didn’t want to make the move,” says Clinton. “Plus, Grumman fired me in 1964.”
“Yep, fired.”
“My boss was a sailor,” explains Clinton, “and thought himself an expert. He was the comptroller of Grumman but actually acted more as the treasurer. We got along OK for a couple of years, but what set him off was a new concept we had. Tom Potter had an idea for a full-powered auxiliary. This comptroller said we needed to sell five of them before we could go with it. We discussed this for an hour at a board meeting. At the end of the discussion, they took a vote, and I won. I knew that sealed my fate. The boat turned out to be the Countess 44, which was quite successful.
“I really hated working for a big company,” Clinton goes on. “I had already made plans to do something else. I was ready to resign anyway. If they had just waited a few more weeks, I would have left on my own, and everyone would have been happy.”
Clinton bought out a troubled sailboat-maker called Sailstar in West Warwick, R.I. “I still had the lease on the Bristol factory, and moved the company there,” he says. “Carl Alberg designed a 27-footer for me. I called it the Bristol 27, and soon the Sailstar name faded away.” He changed the company’s name to Bristol Yachts, and thus was born another famous sailboat manufacturer with a Pearson pedigree.
Back in Portsmouth, business was booming for Pearson Yachts, but not everything the company was building would float. Grumman combined the sailboat company with its subsidiary that made aluminum canoes and truck bodies. “Grumman was building aluminum trucks for United Parcel Service,” states Everett. “Soon Pearson Yachts was making the fiberglass rooftops and fronts for the trucks. We did it really just to accommodate Grumman.”
Tom Potter was the next to leave. “I hated working for Grumman,” he says, “and I quit. I actually was out of work for a while when Clint asked me to join him at Bristol. He was building stock boats, and I wanted to do custom work.” Tom stayed with Bristol Yachts until he retired in 1972. He then went back to school to become a naval architect and began a second career designing boats. Today at the age of 84, he’s still designing sailboats.
Special Permission
By 1966, Everett Pearson also was ready to leave. According to Everett, “We were run by a board of directors. We had to write quarterly reports and go to board meetings. I didn’t like it at all. My interests were in producing sailboats. I decided to go out on my own. I agreed not to compete with the company for three years, so I decided to go into the industrial business.
“But first,” continues Everett, “I helped out with a 58-footer for a fellow I knew named Neil Tillotson. I had to get special permission from Grumman to do the boat, which was granted since it didn’t compete with anything Pearson was building.” Later, he teamed up with Tillotson to form Tillotson-Pearson, Inc., which has become a major force in industrial uses of fiberglass-reinforced plastics and other, more exotic composites. Known today as TPI Composites, its varied product line includes windmill blades, flag poles, aquatic therapy pools, and J-Boats, among other sailboats and power boats. Everett, 65, now serves as chairman of the board of TPI. Just 10 short years after it all began in Clinton’s garage, no one named Pearson was running Pearson Yachts.
“Shortly after [Everett left], Grumman asked me to run the company,” says Bill Shaw. “Never having done that, I said sure.” Bill was made the general manager of the Pearson Yacht Division.
“We put together a great team,” he continues. “And Grumman was great to work for. They were very supportive in getting us the best equipment and machinery. We had computers to help us cut out materials. They also expanded the Portsmouth facility later on so that we could build bigger boats.”
According to Bill, Grumman also started making firetrucks and motor homes based on a truck body. “It’s interesting to build boats on one side of a plant, and motor homes on the other. I had to be a diplomat. At one point, we even built some modular housing for Grumman. We erected it at the plant and used it as an office as a prototype.” Grumman began manufacturing the housing at another site and continued making aluminum canoes in New York.
Under Bill Shaw’s leadership, Pearson Yachts enjoyed rapid growth in sales in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The product line was varied and included powerboats as well. Sizes ranged up to 44 feet, thanks to the new production facility Grumman funded. Then the fuel crisis hit in the early ’70s, and the company found itself at a crossroads of sorts.
“When the fuel problems hit,” says Bill, “the powerboat business was hurt badly. We found that people went to sailboats who never thought they’d set foot in one previously. We decided we were a sailboat company and wanted to concentrate on that. We also came face-to-face with the realization that to be successful in that line of business, we had to be committed to the dealers. Other manufacturers were always after our dealers, too, trying to steal them away from us.”
Bill started holding meetings with an advisory board partially composed of dealers. “The boats were developed with specific price points in mind and with dealer input,” he continues. “A new design had to satisfy a lot of people; otherwise it wasn’t worth the trip. More than once we had what we thought was a great idea, but the dealers would turn it down. We would pull them into the plant and bounce ideas off them. They were extremely helpful to the success of the company.”
John Burgreen, who now owns Annapolis Yacht Sales in Annapolis, Md., one of the earliest Pearson Yacht dealers, was one of those dealers Bill counted on. “Pearson would get a group of us together from different parts of the country,” explains John, “to brainstorm new ideas. We talked about what should go in a particular boat, what the market was demanding. We’d discuss such things as heads that had to be bigger, or we had to have stall showers, or we needed more performance-oriented boats, or more cruising boats. All the dealers worked together pretty well.
“One boat that comes to mind,” muses John, “is the Pearson 37. We called it the condo boat. We had more fun than you can imagine working on that boat. We went berserk. Everyone there was at fault for that one, although it did pretty well.”
The 37 was introduced in 1988 to considerable dock chatter. At the Annapolis Boat Show, people could be heard saying, “You’ve got to see the Pearson 37!” The boat had a queen-sized island berth forward, two swivel chairs in the saloon, a television and stereo center, and a separate shower stall. The cabin was about the most luxurious to be found in a production sailboat. It made a definite statement about how serious Pearson was at attracting new customers in a changing market.
Another key factor in the company’s success was its advertising firm, Potter-Hazelhurst. “Their strength was marketing, not necessarily in printing pretty ads,” Bill says. “One of their employees developed an index of buying power by county and city for the whole country.” The company used the data to develop sales estimates for particular markets, a most effective tool. “It worked well for the dealers, giving them sales goals, and a good idea of what their sales should be,” he adds.
According to Tom Hazelhurst, his firm handled Pearson’s marketing and advertising efforts from 1969 until the end in 1991. “Pearson grew during that period, and so did we,” he says. “Under Bill’s tutelage, they built damn good boats. I’m not saying that because I was their advertising man, but because I bought two of their boats. The boats just don’t break.”
In 1980, Grumman expanded the Portsmouth plant to 240,000 square feet to build even larger sailboats. The Pearson 530 was the largest boat the company ever built. The firm also began building powerboats again, although none was designed by Bill.
By the mid-’80s, Grumman started looking for a buyer for Pearson Yachts. “I tried to buy the company in 1985,” says Clinton, “when Grumman made it known they wanted to sell. But the deal didn’t come off. Times were already starting to change in the sailboat business. Pearson only lasted as long as it did because of the kindness of Grumman. I doubt the company ever made any money for Grumman.”
Bill Shaw disagrees. “We certainly had some lean years, but we also had some very productive ones,” he states. “Sure, Grumman looked at it as a business, and we turned a good profit for Grumman in the healthy years, especially when we started building the larger boats with larger profit margins. I don’t think they would have kept the company that long if we weren’t doing well for them.”
Business Downturn
In March 1986, Grumman sold Pearson Yachts to a private investor group headed by Gordon Clayton.
“Gordon had no prior experience in the boating business,” says Bill. “When he came on board, we looked forward to taking advantage of his overall business experience to add a healthy element to the company. It’s unfortunate that when he came along, business started going badly for the entire industry.”
The company was also faced with an aging model line. “Things like aft staterooms and open transoms were popular, and we couldn’t add those features to many of our boats,” Bill explains. “We worked with the models we could adapt. For example, we brought back the 34, and we also changed the Pearson 36 , which we extended and called the 38.”
In 1987, Pearson introduced several new designs with wing keels and 10-year warranties against hull blisters. “I’m partial to centerboarders myself,” adds Bill, “but not everyone is. The wing keel was a good way to get shoal draft.”
Gordon Clayton was “aggressive in picking up Sunfish and Laser for us,” says Bill, “and also O’Day. That gave us entrée to a segment of the market we had missed before.” O’Day also had acquired the Cal name earlier, so Pearson had a number of well-known names for marketing purposes.
But a general drop in business was well under way. The money chase that began in 1956 for Pearson was getting tougher.
Bill Shaw says of the demise of the company: “It was a number of things, not the least of which was a rapid fall-off in sales volume. When we thought about it, the most serious competition we had going against us was our old boats. Also, sailing was getting so expensive, and that created a loss in interest [by the public.] When the Ensign first came out, it sold for $4,000 to $5,000. At the end, it sold for $14,000, and not one screw was different. The Ensign association wouldn’t let us change anything. Add to that the rising costs of slips and insurance, and owning a sailboat was simply too expensive for many people.
“We needed volume to make a go of it,” continues Bill, “and without that, we had to increase prices. We couldn’t just cut out the unneeded overhead. We had that huge 240,000-square-foot plant for one thing.”
By 1990, the boating industry was rocked to its roots by an economic recession, and by a 10-percent federal luxury tax on such items as new boats costing over $100,000. While Bill maintains the luxury tax had little impact on Pearson, because few of its sailboats cost over $100,000, the buying public was confused about what the tax did and did not apply to. For example, the tax did not apply to brokerage boats – but sales of those fell, too. Many wealthy clients simply stopped buying boats altogether, refusing to pay the luxury tax on general principle even though they could easily afford it.
The end result was disastrous for many boat manufacturers. The drastic drop in sales forced Pearson into bankruptcy court in 1991, with Bill retiring just before the end. “I miss the business tremendously,” he states. Bill, now 73, has had some health problems, but “with medical science these days, they keep me going,” he says.
Record Production Run
When asked to name his favorite from the many designs he did for Pearson through the years, Bill laughs, saying, “I get that question a lot. When I was active in the company, my answer always was ‘the next one.’ In its day, the Pearson 30 (pictured on Page 19) was quite successful, especially with racing in mind. I’m helping my son do some alterations to his 1972 P-30. I also am very partial to the 365 as a cruising boat. It was so popular we had two production lines for it. It’s a good, wholesome cruising boat. The Pearson 35 was one of our most successful. It was in production for 14 years, which was quite a record. We never approached that again. Most designs would last five years or so.
“I get several calls a week from boat owners, asking for help,” he continues. “When the company went on the blocks [with the turmoil of many ownership changes] we lost control of so much. Everything was documented so well, and that’s all gone now. When I get calls now from owners about their boats, I can’t answer them unless I can remember, and that is getting to be more of a problem,” he chuckles. “It was a wonderful 27 years for me.”
Shortly after the bankruptcy, the Pearson molds and trademarks were sold to Aqua Buoy Corporation. To make the situation even worse, Aqua Buoy went bankrupt before taking possession of the molds and moving them from the Portsmouth plant, which Grumman still owned. Grumman reacquired the molds in a bankruptcy sale.
This began a tumultuous time for the remnants of the Pearson name and molds. Through a series of other sales and actions, the Pearson and Cal molds and trademarks eventually were sold to a new company, formed in January 1996, called Cal-Pearson Corporation. In the disclosure statement sent to prospective stock purchasers, the principal office was listed as Bristol, R.I., but the corporate office was in Bethesda, Md. Clinton Pearson was listed as the chief executive officer and Christian Bent as the chief financial officer. The company began a campaign to raise the capital needed to build Cal 33s and 39s and Pearsons ranging from 27 to 39 feet. Bristol Yachts, then owned by Clinton’s two sons, was to build the sailboats.
The exact number of boats Cal-Pearson actually built is not known, but certainly is in single digits. The company exhibited boats at the AnnapolisSailboat Show in 1996 and 1997. By 1998, no one was answering the phone at the Bethesda office, and the company disappeared in a cloud of lingering debt. A big part of its demise was the bankruptcy of Bristol Yachts, which left Cal-Pearson with no manufacturing partner. According to one insider, Cal-Pearson essentially ceased to exist when Bristol Yachts was forced into bankruptcy and its assets were sold at auction.
According to Clinton, “The Bethesda group offered me some stock to help them start the company. They were looking to publish the fact that I was involved to stimulate interest in others. They found it harder to raise money than they had thought. They did raise money in New York, but the overhead was so high with lawyers and accountants. It was a good idea, but only if they could have gotten proper financing. Training a new crew is so hard. It just takes quite a bit of money to get something like this started. Quite a few dealers were enthusiastic about the name returning to the market, too.”
Clinton, who is now 70, is “not currently active in the boat business, and I have no intentions of getting back into it,” he says.
Different World Today
Says Everett of the Cal-Pearson Corporation, “So many people jump into the boat business without knowing what it takes. They were trying to market 10-year-old designs, and that is tough to do in today’s climate. People knew they were old designs because their competitors were constantly pointing it out to the public. And trying to start the Cal line at the same time was too much.”
Bill Shaw has a similar take on the short life of Cal-Pearson. “People absolutely lose their smarts when they get around boats,” he says. “It’s a different world out there today. Unless you have a big bankroll, you can’t make it. To develop a new 35-footer, with molds and tooling, would take several hundred thousand dollars. If you are looking at a line of eight to 10 boats, as they were, it just doesn’t make sense.”
But the venerable Pearson Yachts name refuses to die. At the National Pearson Yacht Owners’ Association rendezvous in Bristol, R.I. in August, Everett Pearson announced to the group that his company, TPI, had just purchased the trademarked name of Pearson Yachts.
Says Everett, “I wanted to grab the name while I had the chance. We didn’t buy the molds. All that stuff is too old.”
He continues, “We do plan to develop new models. I bought the name so we’d have it there. But we have some projects involving buses, people movers, and a couple of other things that I need to get moving before we start [on a new Pearson product line]. We have some guys working on it, studying the market. Up here in New England, we’re more efficient at building large boats, rather than competing with small-boat manufacturers. So we probably will start with something over 35 feet, maybe in the 40- to 42-foot range.” It probably will be at least one to two years before any new Pearson yachts hit the market.”
When asked the purchase price of the trademarked name, Everett replies, “I haven’t told anybody. I paid too much. But when you’re buying your own name back, you get carried away.” He was determined to make the purchase. “It took me three months of phone calls to track these people down,” he says.
TPI will handle the marketing itself, as it has done for several of its other boat lines. Everett foresees a network of six to eight dealers. “That’s all we’d want. We need to give them enough territory so that they don’t compete with each other.”
With some 20,000 boats out there bearing the Pearson name, from eight-foot dinghies to 53-foot sailboats, the Pearson legacy is already well-established in the history of boating. Very active owners’ groups keep interest in the boats quite high. In some areas, certain Pearson models sell by word-of-mouth without even being advertised. The Pearson name also is one of the most active on the Internet. Pearson bulletin boards abound on the net, and usually are among the most active in the online sailing community.
Certainly, Pearson owners can take solace from knowing that for the first time in over 30 years, someone named Pearson once again is in charge of Pearson Yachts. The symmetry of events is satisfying for a company that has endured so much turmoil in the last decade. Pearson Yachts sails on.
Article first appeared in Good Old Boat magazine Volume 2, Number 6, November/December 1999 .
About The Author
Steve Mitchell
When not working at his job for the federal government or single-handing his 1989 Pearson 27 in the Annapolis, Md. area, Steve Mitchell is a part-time freelance writer. He writes for a variety of business and boating publications.
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Pearson Yachts began in a garage building sailing dinghies. Eventually the two cousins Clinton and Everett Pearson combined to found Pearson Yachts. There first true sailing yacht was designed by Carl Alberg and was the first production sailboat in fiberglass offered to the public. Pearson Yachts debuted their Triton 28 in 1959 at the New York Boat Show. A complete success, the cousins took home orders for 17 boats. The Triton 28 went on to sell over 750 of this family cruising boat. Pearson Yachts went onto build many more boats from different designers in many sizes. Pearson went through many owners and tribulations of the 1980’s and eventually sold off all assets but the name has gone back to the Pearson family. Contact Us for more info of the Pearson Yachts listed below.
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53 best revenge.
Pearson 530 for Sale
Best Revenge info » $565,000
53 Rocky CS
Rocky CS info » $145,000
45 Socrates III
Pearson for Sale
Socrates III info » $40,000
Pearson 424 for Sale
info » $49,950
Pearson 39 for Sale
Avoriaz info » $79,900
40 Majestic
Pearson 40 for Sale
Majestic info » $43,000
38 Gypsy II
Pearson 386 for Sale
Gypsy II info » $59,000
38 Wind Dancer
Wind Dancer info » $28,000
Pearson Invicta for Sale
info » $37,500
Pearson Convertible for Sale
info » $118,000
Pearson 36-2 for Sale
Silent info » $44,900
37 Springtide
Pearson Pilothouse 365 for Sale
Springtide info » $42,000
PEAPOD info » $39,000
info » $40,000
34 PROVIDENCE
Pearson 34 Sloop for Sale
PROVIDENCE info » $22,500
34 Endurance
Pearson Sloop for Sale
Endurance info » $22,900
PROVIDENCE info » $34,500
Pearson 10M Cutter for Sale
ROJO info » $24,500
Pearson 323 for Sale
info » $29,900
info » $22,577
info » $19,000
30 DYER WOLF
DYER WOLF info » $12,500
30 Puffin II
Pearson 30 for Sale
Puffin II info » $6,000
Pearson Auxiliary Sloop for Sale
info » $29,000
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Pearson is a yacht manufacturer that currently has 83 yachts for sale on YachtWorld, including 4 new vessels and 79 used yachts, listed by experienced boat and yacht brokers mainly in the following countries: United States, Canada, Spain, Mexico and Malaysia. The selection of models featured on YachtWorld spans a spectrum of sizes and lengths ...
Our goal is to preserve and enhance information for those sailing and maintaining classic plastic Pearson boats. The site is regularly updated as new information is discovered. As many boat owners websites come and go on the internet, this site serves as a resilient portal for Pearson boat owners. It features a repository of enhanced original ...
Pearson Yachts was a sailboat manufacturer founded by Everett Pearson and Clinton Pearson in 1956. [ 1] One of the first fiberglass sailboat manufacturers, they grew rapidly during the 60s and 70s, while also developing and designing new boats. However, the company changed ownership throughout the 1980s, after which the company filed for ...
Key to Table. Model: Pearson model name Type: Hull and Cabin Design LOA: Length Over All, the maximum length of the hull, in feet, from stem to stern measuring parallel to the waterline Beam: Width Amidships Depth: Depth Amidships Weight: Weight, the vessel's weight in pounds, calculated from the volume of water displaced by it Max HP: Rated Engine Capacity ...
Key to Designers. Shaw - William H. Shaw joined Pearson Yachts in 1964 as Chief Architect, eventually running the entire Pearson Yachts Division of Grumman. During his tenure, he and his team designed over 50 different sail and power boats. Bill Shaw ; Alberg - Carl Alberg's successful career as a designer can be linked back to his partnership with Pearson Yachts and early fiberglass yacht ...
William Shaw was named general manager of the Pearson Yacht Division. Under Shaw's leadership, Pearson Yachts continued it's rapid growth during the late 1960's and early 1970's. The product line continued to expand with new Shaw designed models up to 44 feet. In 1980, Grumman expanded the Portsmouth plant to 240,000 square feet and the company ...
Find Pearson 303 Pearson boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of Pearson boats to choose from.
Offering the best selection of Pearson boats to choose from. ... 1989 Pearson 34-2. US$27,500. New Wave Yachts | East Boston, Massachusetts. Request Info; Price Drop; 1965 Pearson 44 Countess Ketch. US$95,000. ↓ Price Drop. DQ Yachts | Miami, Florida. Price Drop; 1987 Pearson 33-2. US$22,000.
43' Pearson Motor Yacht. 1973 . 43' $ 29,900 43' Pearson Motor Yacht 1973 with twin 2006 John Deere 150 hp 4045 turbo diesels. Cruises 7-8 kts at 3 gph. Hull painted 2006-2008. … 43' Pearson Portsmouth Trawler. 1973 . 43' ...
410-698-6793. Pearson 36-2. Catawba Island, Ohio. 1986. $53,000. We are selling our Pearson 36-2 to pursue other interests. This has been a great boat for cruising Lake Erie. In fact, it has always been on Lake Erie (fresh water boat). Why we have loved this boat for over 12 years: • This is a fast, comfortable, cruising boat with a fin keel ...
View a large selection of Pearson boats for sale at Edwards Yacht Sales, the source of brokerage boats and yachts on the web. ... 1981 Hatteras 48 Motor Yacht Vero Beach, FL, US $198,750. 2002 American Tug Pilothouse Merritt Island, FL, US $280,000. 2019 Monachus Issa 45 Fort Lauderdale, FL ...
The history of Pearson Yachts parallels the history of the American sailboat industry in many ways, at least until the 1990s when the once proud company gave up the ship in a sea of red ink. Cousins Everett and Clint Pearson launched their modest enterprise in 1956, first building dinghies and runabouts in an old textile plant in Bristol, Rhode ...
At Pearson Yachts he carried on the Pearson legacy by leading an in-house design team for a long line of production models at their newly built 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. This location was one of the most prolific boatbuilding operations of their time, providing affordable yachts to the booming ...
Under Bill Shaw's leadership, Pearson Yachts enjoyed rapid growth in sales in the late '60s and early '70s. The product line was varied and included powerboats as well. Sizes ranged up to 44 feet, thanks to the new production facility Grumman funded. Then the fuel crisis hit in the early '70s, and the company found itself at a ...
Find Pearson boats for sale in United States. Offering the best selection of Pearson boats to choose from. ... 1978 Pearson 31 Pearson. US$19,900. Coral Gables Yachts | Muskegon, Michigan. Request Info; Price Drop; 1985 Pearson 530. US$199,900. ↓ Price Drop. North Point Yacht Sales Southern Bay | Gloucester Point, Virginia.
Find 44 Pearson boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Pearson boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader! ... Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 | Redmond Boats and Yachts. Request Info; New Arrival; 1975 Pearson 35 Pearson. $17,990. Long Key, FL 33001 | All Florida Yacht Sales. Request Info; 1985 Pearson 36-2 ...
Pearson Yachts began in a garage building sailing dinghies. Eventually the two cousins Clinton and Everett Pearson combined to found Pearson Yachts. There first true sailing yacht was designed by Carl Alberg and was the first production sailboat in fiberglass offered to the public. Pearson Yachts debuted their Triton 28 in 1959 at the New York ...
Pearson Yachts preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Pearson Yachts used sailboats for sale by owner.
THIS 1985 43' PEARSON MOTOR YACHT IS LOCATED IN CONNECTICUT The Pearson 43 is the perfect boat for comfortable weekend cruising, travelling the ICW or the Gr...
1 diesel inboard. Location: Saint Petersburg, Florida. Asking: $65,000. Featured Sailboat Added 28-Jul-2024 More Details. McCurdy and Rhodes designed Tillotson Pearson Yachts Navy 44. Length: 44' Beam: 12.5' Draft: 7'.
True North 38. The Pearson True North 38 is one of those rare cases where beauty and practicality seem to merge in perfect harmony. Innovation is an overused term in the yachting industry, but it certainly applies to the True North. Her Downeast styling was unique when the 38 was introduced in 2002 and the twin doors built into the 38's ...
Listed below are used yachts for sale that have just entered the market in the last 30 days. Use our search portal to search globally and view thousands of newly listed motor yachts, long range cruisers, sportfish yachts, express cruisers, trawlers, center consoles, superyachts, sailboats, and catamarans.Search top brands like Sunseeker, Princess, Azimut, Hatteras, Prestige, Monte Carlo Yachts ...
Motorized yachts are more common than sailing boats in Saint Petersburg with 492 powerboats listed for sale right now, versus 54 listings for sailboats. Yacht prices in Saint Petersburg. Prices for yachts in Saint Petersburg start at $15,800 for the lowest priced boats, up to $3,023,846 for the most expensive listings, with an average overall ...