Pearson 40

[CuriousGeorge]

Hi, I saw a Pearson 40 the other day hauled out and that whale keel is very interesting.

I wasn''t able to find much in the way of information on them. Just know that they are k/c sloops that have very nice interiors.

Anyone here own one, or sailed one, or can tell me anything about their offshore, windard, and other performances. Thanks.

George

[WHOOSH]

George, the P40 was designed by Bill Shaw to race in an IOR class but was simply too heavy (aka: well built) to be competitive. It''s a favorite choice of cruising sailors and these have been sailed across oceans numerous times without problem. You have to like a relatively dark cabin without the visibility a trunk cabin provides, accept the K/Centerboard for its virtues and liabilities, and not be troubled by the absence of either an aft head or quarter aft cabin, things you find more commonly on boats these days. For cruising, you''d probably want to modify the interior and gain accessible storage at the expense of some of those berths.

When the New Pearson Owner''s Assoc. sponsored a seminar on a few years ago on cruising aboard Pearson boats, one of Bill Shaw''s statements that was part of the presentation was his personal view that a P40 was probably the Pearson model he would have the most confidence in sailing across an ocean.

Jack (currently cruising a Pearson 424 Ketch)

[gstraub]

Check out www.pearson40.org for lots of info and photos.

Gerhard

[paulk]

PHRF ratings between 108 and 120 (depending upon where you are/local conditions) indicate a reasonable turn of speed for a cruiser, especially from that period. The dimensions give her a heft and spaciousness that can be very comfortable. Despite being roomy inside, the seamanlike design keeps the spaces from being cavernous hangars that you would get tossed across if the boat launched off a wave. Nice boats.

[CuriousGeorge]

Thanks for all the great input. Sounds like a boat that would be worth my while getting a ride on, and perhaps owning later.

It seems it would be a great boat for the sounds pacific or other areas that require a boat to have a relatively shallow draft, but also be able to travel open oceans in safety and comfort.

George

[CuriousGeorge]

i''m sorry, south pacific

george

[Jeff_H]

Do you mean a whale body hull or a whale keel? The Pearson 40 (late 1970''s early 1980''s era keel/CB race boat) that I know was actually a whale body hull design, made popular under the IOR rule of the era. I have spent a little time at sea on these boats. They are miserable boats in a seaway, rolling wildly downwind snap rolling off of the topsides on a beam reach in a chop. While they have very large ballast ratios the ballast was carried very high in the hull (there was no keel stub as I recall) and so resulted in a boat that was heavy but tender. Because of the high ballast ratio these boats were extremely heavy and yet were not all that sturdy, rugged or well suited to carrying a lot of payload. The ends are quite pinched in making cockpit is quite narrow and uncomfortable and giving the boat a tendancy to broach. The whale body design makes the rudder quite vulnerable to damage. The flush deck is quite difficult to move around in a seaway and ventilation was quite poor as I recall (a couple deck hatches but no portlights). The pinched ends and lack of portlights make the interior seem quite small and claustiphobic.

These boats were pretty good upwind in moderate conditions but were not so great at either end of the spectrum. They were a bear to sail downwind and really took a higher level of skill to sail in a stiff breeze. These would not be good boats to short-hand.

These have never been a favorits of mine and would really make very little sense in the rolling swells of the Pacific.

Respectfully,
Jeff

[CuriousGeorge]

I don''t know if whale body hull is the more common term perhaps, but the general shape is almost that of a v-hull power boat. From looking at it one of my first thought''s was that it would be rather rolly sense it lacks a real appendage.

But Jeff, your view differs quite drastically from the others on this BB, though you are also the only one that has sailed one from what I can tell so this makes sense. I also agree with your general view of flush decks, I personally veiw them as a hazard for open ocean sailing. I also agree that the rudder could be a real hazard area and very prone to damage in a grounding or intentional beaching.

George

[SailorMitch]

Anyone interested in the P-40 should contact current owners at the pearson40.org site. Also, read some of the posted articles about people who have done some blue water sailing in the boat. I''m familiar with one of the boats (Fortuna) for which there''s an article about a sail to Bermuda in a variety of wind conditions. Check that out. Fortuna''s owner formerly kept the boat in the northern Chesapeake and came to a few rendezvous for the Pearson Sailing Association of the Chesapeake. I was on the boat several times and admire it for what it is. While I agree that the P-40 would not be my first choice of a boat, owners usually rave about the sailing abilities of the boat in a wide range of conditions. It always pays to seek a variety of input for any boat.

I once asked Bill Shaw about the inspiration for the hull shape of the P-40. His joking response was "a quahog." He then admitted it was an old design used by others that intrigued him. He was pleased with the result, and also pleased that the P-40 association was always bugging him to speak.

Disclaimer: I have owned two Pearson''s (currently a P-33-2) and am closing out my third year as commodore of the PSACB.

[Curt]

Hello Jeff. Say for clarification is there any way you could post a picture of the keel design you are suggesting is not a good option for the pacific? I have read and re-read this thread and still cannot come to a conclusion.

Originally Posted by Jeff_H

Do you mean a whale body hull or a whale keel? The Pearson 40 (late 1970''s early 1980''s era keel/CB race boat) that I know was actually a whale body hull design, made popular under the IOR rule of the era. I have spent a little time at sea on these boats. They are miserable boats in a seaway, rolling wildly downwind snap rolling off of the topsides on a beam reach in a chop. While they have very large ballast ratios the ballast was carried very high in the hull (there was no keel stub as I recall) and so resulted in a boat that was heavy but tender. Because of the high ballast ratio these boats were extremely heavy and yet were not all that sturdy, rugged or well suited to carrying a lot of payload. The ends are quite pinched in making cockpit is quite narrow and uncomfortable and giving the boat a tendancy to broach. The whale body design makes the rudder quite vulnerable to damage. The flush deck is quite difficult to move around in a seaway and ventilation was quite poor as I recall (a couple deck hatches but no portlights). The pinched ends and lack of portlights make the interior seem quite small and claustiphobic.

These boats were pretty good upwind in moderate conditions but were not so great at either end of the spectrum. They were a bear to sail downwind and really took a higher level of skill to sail in a stiff breeze. These would not be good boats to short-hand.

These have never been a favorits of mine and would really make very little sense in the rolling swells of the Pacific.

Respectfully,
Jeff