Pearson vs Endeavor/Irwin

cruisingmom · #1 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

Hello ALL. your sage advice welcome. We own and love our Pearson365 which was our home for a year. It is solid, and it sails well, though it is getting a bit tight for the five of us. ( and 3 of the 5 are still growing). We are considering selling our 365 and have found an Endeavour 40, and an Irwin and Cheoy Lee 41 in our price range. What are thoughts about sailing ability and durability? I noticed both it and the Irwin absent from the bluewater list. Though we will do mostly coastal cruising , you never know... the Caribbean is definitely a goal. If you had to rank, say, an Endeavor, Irwin ,Cheoy Lee ,Pearson, Hunter, Catalina, and Beneteau in performance and, more importantly safety, strenghtand durability- what order would they be? ( #1 being the most safe and strong yet still able to sail without turning on the motor) Many thanks for your insight. Cruisingmom

xort · #2 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

I think you will find all of those boats cruising the carib. Every one of them. My E-42 went to Trinidad and back.

The one thing to look for with Endeavours is the fuel & water tanks. Many designs have them in the keel sump where water can sit and corrode them. Not sure if the 40 has this issue. Many have had the tanks replaced and are good for another 20+ years. Most have had upgrades that slow down future corrosion issues.
I like the fact that my keel is encapsulated in fiberglass. No issues with keel bolts and much less to worry in a hard grounding.

mirhon · #3 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

Going to give you a slightly basis view but after owning 2 Catalina sailboats, my last being a Catalina 30, I woiuld prefer this one of the ones you have selected especially in the size boat you are looking into. I have not only raced my own Catalina 30 but a hunter as well and i felt that i could point up into the wind much easier in my boat. Maybe because she was mine and I knew her and how she would react upwind I don't know. Like you my future wife and I are looking into a new boat and it will be a Catalina 36 to 40. She has expressed an interest in living aboard and I feel either boat will suit us just fine. Hopefully her transfer to Lihue Kauai comes through in accouple of weeks and we can start the process. Of the vessels you are interested in they all sound like great choices. As far as safety is concerned, I was caught back in the mid 1980's in a hurricane off the California coast out around Newport Beach and I never felt I was in any immediate danger on ny Catalina 30 during the storm. Very safe boat. Good luck. let us know what you decided.

SimonV · #4 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

I believe it is a misconception that you need a serious ocean sailboat to Cruise the oceans, unless you want to go where no sane man has taken his family. These boats are designed for the ultimate storm conditions, but lack liveabord comfort . In this day and age where weather information is readily at hand and relatively accurate, you can plan and cover vast distances across oceans if you stick to the known routs and weather patterns. At every anchorage visited, I saw more plastic fantastic older and Young production boats and lots of catamarans. If it floats someone has crossed an ocean in or on it. Just be weather wise and self sufficient and select a well founded boat and enjoy.

cruisingmom · #5 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

Thanks SimonV, Mirhon, and Xort- much appreciate your input.Cruisingmom Maine

camaraderie · #6 (**permalink**) 12-30-2008

Having owned an Irwin44...I heartily disagree with Simon though I take his point. They do not belong at sea. Nor do many Catalinas (but not all) Nor do many other boats. Other boats which were built for sea duty may have deteriorated so badly that they are no longer suitable.
To Simon's point however...many production boats can have perfectly safe passages over long distances if they go at the right time of year, go downwind mostly and be sure the boat is thoroughly inspected and sound before leaving port.

cruisingmom · #7 (**permalink**) 12-31-2008

I appreciate the input so far and it has raised some valuable questions and issues. Our family is looking at the Endeavour 40 (1983 sloop model) which appears to have a all fiberglass hull and a balsa core deck. The standing rigging appears to connect through the toerail to the hull leaving more space on deck but an issue has been raised regarding the access to the chainplates through the liner (seems that this can be remedied by cutting access holes). The fuel tank in the keel seems to be a real issue from a leakage and replacement perspective. The below the waterline hull seems to be a modified shoal keel and a hung rudder (similar to our Pearson 365). The two boats we are looking at both have been repowered by Yanmar engines - Does this design sail well to weather, and are there other issues relating to the robustness of this 25000 pound displacement boat. We would like to cruise to the Carribean with this boat and want to feel that our boat can handle the potential seas and weather (even choosing the right weather window with Chris Parker can lead to some adverse conditions). Thanks all for the help.

xort · #8 (**permalink**) 12-31-2008

have you been here: Endeavour Sailboat Owners Forum

You'll find owner reviews of every E made plus a lot more.

MAMT · #9 (**permalink**) 01-07-2009

I am currently doing restoration work on an Endeavour 40 for one of my customers here in Maryland. It is a well built sailboat based off of my findings thus far. However, we are going to have to remove the fuel tank in the keel and the water tanks and replace/repair them. As mentioned earlier, this is a fairly common problem on these boats.

cruisingmom · #10 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009

Hello

We saw that both the Endeavour 40s (both 1983) had deck core water ingress issues. This may be cronic or related to the year. Scared us though thinking that it was a Endeavour issue. If you can give us a ballpark - what is the approx. cost of removing and replacing the fuel tank in the keel?
Thanks