|
In their day, Pearson built boats of a wide range in quality. Some like the Flyer or Lark were not as well built as the First series Beneteaus. Others like the Pearson 26 or 30 (while nice boats for the dollar and boats that I personally like) had a build quality pretty much on a par with present day Hunters or Beneteau Firsts and perhaps a notch above present day Catalinas.
Pearson built a number of 36 footers during the 1980''s. In the early 1980''s the built a nice looking cutter that seemed to be a good cruising boat but a little on the heavy side. In the mid-1980''s Pearson built a IOR based 36 footer which was also sold as the Pearson 37. I have always liked these boats.
In the mid to late 1980''s Pearson designed and built a coastal cruiser that was a smaller version of the Pearson 39. I never thought much of the Pearson 36 of that series. They were a bit tender and really not up to the build quality of earlier Pearsons. A surveyor friend once came back from surveying a brand new Pearson 36 (or its immeadiate replacement the Pearson 37 (not to be mistaken for the earlier 36/37) which was an extended transom version of the 36). His opening comment was "Boy is Pearson going downhill". Near the end, Pearson was trying to jazz its image. It produced boats with lots of glitz but lacking in some of the solid virtues that was the foundation of Pearson in the early 1980''s.
Jeff
|