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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Mon December 30, 1996
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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The boat sails great. Put first reef in main at 15knots, second at 20 knots. Interior has more space than many classic 35 ft. boats. Will reach hull speed under power at about 2700 rpm in calm seas. Plenty of storage and water capacity. Engine access or checking oil requires you to stand on your head in the starboard lazarette. Displacement to length ratio of 275 make it a safe and strong coastal cruiser compared to newer "fast and flimsy" vessels.
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Wed February 5, 1997
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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I have owned this boat for approx. 1 year. We have found the Pearson 323 to be an excellent cruising boat with a lot of room for her size.
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Thu December 18, 1997
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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This is a truly well built cruising boat. Handles well to weather and is very forgiving. Boat is Hull#298. It has proven to be a very low maintenance boat. It has been stored with the mast up, outside on a steel cradle every winter and shows very little wear and tear. Health reversal precludes using the boat at this time and it is now for sale.
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Fri December 26, 1997
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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This is very heavily rigged boat; the ratio of water line to overall length makes it fast enough. For small production boat it is very heavy relative to its length.I have sailed this boat on San Francisco Bay for eight years and find it to be very confortable in most wind conditions.I do wish I had a quarter berth however for overnite coastal crusing.The access to engine could be a bit more user friendly,hard to get aft end of the engine.The base plate for the Edson wheel should be checkedfor corrosion periodically.Aside from these few comments I have been very satisfied with this boat.
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Fri February 27, 1998
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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This is a very strong boat and a serious cruiser. However, the heavy weight and modest sail plan,as well as the large cruising prop require a trade off with speed. The boat is very comfortable for up to four on short cruises and carries plenty of water for longer trips. The engine access could be better. Overall, I think I'll keep her.
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Wed July 29, 1998
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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A strong coastal cruiser. Have heard a lot about lack of speed, but the weight and strength allow a lot of canvas. With a 160% genny we regularly make over 80% of hull speed average on 2 to 3 day runs with winds of 12 to 15 kt. Gets very close to the wind without excessive leeway. The skeg mounting of the rudder, I think, has saved some damage on groundings in the Northern Gulf of M. where we sail. She wallows a bit in heavy seas. Tends to work the helmsman especially on overcast nights when steering by binnacle only. Takes a skinny contortionist to work on the engine. Poor as a motor sailor, loud and obnoxious. All in all, great for off shore coastal cruising. Fun, strong, forgiving little boat. I'm in love.
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Wed November 11, 1998
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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Well built sloop rigged cruising boat. She sails well on all points but needs a big head sail down wind.The Volvo engine pushes her easily. At 1500 RPM in calm water she will do 5.5 knots. There is plenty of power for headwinds, chop, currents and emergencies. The three blade prop increases drag but I would not cruise without it. She pulls strong to starboard when backing but will respond to the rudder when it gets moving. The rudder is large, strong and controls the boat well. The cruising fin and skeg rudder combination makes for a responsive, relatively close winded boat. The interior room, storage and arrangement sold us. We've owned the boat since May 1996, delivered her ourselves from Ft. Lauderdale to Tampa Bay, and cruised offshore to the Dry Tortugas and the Keys this past summer. I found gelcoat blisters when I removed all the old bottom paint last year. No structural blisters only cosmetic. I just faired everything in and covered with two coats of West epoxy. Anything further will have to wait until it's worth the work and expense. We really like this boat!!
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Thu December 24, 1998
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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Just finished our first Summer with our recently purchased Pearson 323. We find it to be a very fine boat! It has plenty of space down below, compared to many other 32' boats. Sails well and is solidly built. Access to the engine is quite easy once the ladder and cover are removed. Checking oil in the engine and the V-drive is a snap, because the engine faces to the stern.
We have received several complments from people who really like, and remember the Bill Shaw designs.
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administrator
Administrator
Registered: January 2000
Location: maryland
Posts: 1857
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Review Date: Sat December 26, 1998
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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S/V "ALMA" Pearson 323 is a strong, dry, comfortable coastal cruiser. The Pearson construction is superb. It's not a coincidence that todays finest production yachts (J boats, Freedom, Alden, etc.) use TPI- Tillotson Pearson Inc. to manufacture their hulls. The use of a fiberglass pan interior is durable and maintenance free. We are able to inspect all areas of the hull from the interior. Bill Shaw's design exploits the best in GRP construction. We are especially pleased with the great volume of storage in the huge lazarettes with the elimination of a quarter berth. The added secure storage is much more shipshape than a quarter berth stuffed with crusing gear.
The oversize double lower shroud rigging is an added bonus when the weather gets nasty. The cruising style modified fin keel does not pound. A full size nav station just inside the companionway is everybody's favorite seat.
ALMA has the original 20+ year old Atomic Four gas engine mounted with a Vee drive that has power to spare and in this configuration makes all mainrenance a snap! Raw and engine water pumps, carb, ignition system, transmission, oil fill, dipstick, and alternator are easily accessed through the engine hatch below the companionway steps.
After stripping away 19 years of bottom paint we found no hull blisters. After drying out over winter and spring an Interlux barrier coat and ablative bottom paint has resulted in a boat that sits high on her DWL which is engraved in the solid GRP hull during molding.
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Review Date: Wed November 3, 1999
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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Original owner of #7. I have all the original drawings and owners manuals. Atomic 4 gas engine with a folding prop.
Boat is fully loaded from the factory with propane, pressure water, bow sprit, mucho upgrades.
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emilk
Junior Member
Registered: November 2000
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Review Date: Wed August 9, 2000
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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By adding winglets on the keel the boat tracks much better.For value this boat cant be beat.I've had the boat for 15 years and have not had any major repairs done.Mast has been stored up for 8 years with annual inspection showing no problem
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mckay
Junior Member
Registered: November 2000
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Review Date: Mon November 20, 2000
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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We've owned Ceilidh, hull # 261 since '88. We've lived aboard and cruised for 5 years, the Bahamas to Maine. She sails well, against Hunter 34, two 165 nm days in 20-25 knts beam reach with 90% and double reefed main, avg. 6.8 knts. Strong hull, sturdy rig. More space than 35'-40' boats. Main salon is much more human friendly than new models, especially when you pit table at top of pole near overhead. Panels in inner hull liner allows great access to rail and fittings and to run wiring. No Destroyer wheel, so there is room for 4 in cockpit. Canvas stretched from Aft pushpit to inside cockpit combing makes VERY COMFORTABLE back support. It takes a skinny contortionist for engine work, but the lazarette storage is significant. When Volvo MD11C died, replaced it with Yanmar 3GM30 FV. Always performed well when we've been caught in heavy seas. Found nothing we preferred at Annapolis Boat Show, except maybe new W class. Recommend Strong Buy for cruising couple.
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michaeledelson
Junior Member
Registered: March 2001
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Thu February 14, 2002
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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A very solid boat. Hull is solid GRP and is very thick. The deck is plywood cored and very strong, bolted to the hull. Rigging is oversized and strongly built. Mast is keel stepped. Interior space and layout is excellent. V-Berth is not all the way forward, which means two people could actually sleep in it without having to lay their feet on top of one another. I have been in 37 footers with less room. Interior is mostly teak plywood with solid teak trim. Lots of storage space both down below and in the massive cockpit lockers. You could fit about five sailbags in one of those lockers and then throw some scuba gear on top of them. Downsides are mostly as stated by others. Hard to reach the oil dipstick, very hard to reach alternator and belts.
Boat sails great in all kinds of weather.
I bought this boat thinking I would sail it for a year or two and then buy a new one. Since then, it has become 3 or 4 years, then 5 or 6. Now it's "I may buy a new one soon, but I'll still keep this one".
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mfatic
Junior Member
Registered: July 2002
Posts: 15
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Review Date: Tue November 5, 2002
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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Solid as a rock but doesn't sail like one. Pretty stiff, but reef when you get to 20kts of wind. She'll like it better. No real serious problem areas but check the mast step collar in the bilges for corrosion. MD11c can be expensive to repair but is great otherwise.
Take care of her and she'll take you wherever you want to go.
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Review Date: Mon August 25, 2003
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: None indicated
| Rating: 0
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Sailing beautifully in the waters of the Southern California Coast.
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