Backstay adjuster for P-30 for racing; C''mon Jeff

[VIEXILE]

O.K. I''ve got a line on a P-30 that I can get for next to nothing. I''ve surveyed it - newer standing rigging that''s never seen a sail, likely rudder bushing replacement, frozen Westerbeast, nastified belowdecks from liveaboard. I know all the potential problems. I plan to buy the boat, dust it off, and race it in the CORT series and all the other little races here in the Carib. It actually looks like a pretty tough boat. I''ll just say I can prep it for racing for under $7K, including sails. I''ve raced on several boats down here, mostly driving and mainsheet and making sure nobody got hurt. Mr. Shaw says add a backstay adjuster - anyone done it? Also, see www.caribbean-racing.com. That''s the rating system for everything from Key West race week south. There are two P-30''s listed under the rated boats. I have not investigated rating systems in any depth as yet - no expertise. The plan is to rig this boat out, try to set up at least 4 permanent crew between the cockpit and foredeck, and campaign in earnest. The only reasons are I need a hobby besides partying in the Caribbean, working too much and the cost is minimal (in comparison to the cruising boat I just completely refitted and painted). The other side of it is that the overall investment wouldn''t kill me if the boat got toasted in a hurricane. I''m already worried about what to do with the cruising boat next Septober. I''ve got friends racing in New England and checked with them. Apparently, the old P-30''s can be raced effectively with the right sails for the locale. However, the question is how do these boats compare under the CSA rating system as opposed to PHRF? Can anyone look at the CSA website, knowing boat-for-boat and make a few comparisons? I''m just curious before I lay out - hah, thought I was going to tell you how much, didn''t you? Thanks for any help.

[VIEXILE]

O.K. I get the message. Ahh weee. Must''ve pissed ''em off at some point.

[Jeff_H]

Sorry Viexile, I have been short on Internet time this week with a big workload in the office and a number of evening meetings. Pearson 30''s are still raced as a one design class around here. They all seem to have backstay adjusters in one of two forms; either a big turnbuckle with a ''speed wheel'' or a cascade tackle (1:24 if I remember right) with I believe a double cascade and then a 6:1 tackle.

Pearson 30''s are good old boats. Typical problems areas are rudder, mast step, hull to deck joints, bulkhead rot and attachment and I believe they share the keel bolt problems with the P-26 but I may be wrong on that one.

Jeff

[RichH]

P30 suffer from the following problems:
1. The compression post/bulkhead (bottom) was attached to the hull/bilge by driving in a wooden wedge and then tabbing it in place. Since the wedge sits in the bilge it is subject to rot and the tabbing will eventually collapse. The rot will spread into the lower portion of the compression post. Evidence of wedge rot and settlement of the compression post is discovered by seeing how well the door to the head fits and how the lock hardware lines up. The fix is easy: cut out the rot, cut off the bottom of the compression post and replace with a glass filled ''pedestal''. The compression post only supports the bulkhead which in turn supports the mast.
2. the P30 must be precisely blocked when on the hard or deformation of the hull can be be the result. The boat must be supported by wood blocks under the ''forward'' portion of the keel and the stern of the hull supported with a vee poppit and two fully loaded jackstands at the area adjacent to the trailiing edge of the keel .... otherwise the adjacent aft section of the keel will deform *into* the hull and the rear hull will severely buckle. This is especially evident at the hull section under the ''ice box''.
3. Rot under the cockpit coaming and rot under the traveller.
4. The hull is extremely thin laminate layup at the keel root .... and will benefit (vs. oil-canning) by adding tabbed in 1" high longitudinal stringers to the hull (under the cabin seats).
5. P30s dont have the rudder problem (like the P26) as it has a SS shaft
6. Delrin rudder bearings are prone to excessive wear due to abrasion. The remedy is to wax the shaft and overlay the bearings with carbon filled epoxy and ''whack it loose'' when cured.
7. The keel is encapsulated iron .... but the rear trailing section is hollow and subject to water penetration during a severe grounding.
8. the stancheon bases are connected with a ''rubber pad'' to allow shock loads on a very thin FRG layup. The rubber ''moves'' and permits leakage .... the foredeck is thus prone to rot into the adjacent core if the stancheon bases are not regularly re-caulked.
9. hull to deck joints are tabbed .... not a problem.

P30 is a damn-good old boat.

[VIEXILE]

Thanks. I''ve joined several email lists to ascertain what and where the problems and tricks are going to be. I''ve been told by a gentleman who had a P30 here in the Carib years and years ago, and raced it extensively, that I want a good suit of sails, including the 150. He used to race as far downisland as Antigua, using an outboard for aux. with engine blocks set under cockpit for ballast. An email list person also informed me that a good stiff dacron sail is probably better overall than a racing type sail, since the boat overall won''t be able to take advantage of the rationale for true racing sails. Now I''m wondering whether some high tech headsails would make a difference. I''m going for every 1000''th of a knot I can get, and six months of current and wind experimentation. What was the aftermarket source I saw somewhere for the rudder bushing? I''ve been riding a grinder and doing blister jobs (after sodablasting back to gelcoat) on several race boats as well as my cruiser. I believe I can maximize the boat itself, but the racing education, even after several years of crewing, is just beginning. Good thing is I can sail all year down hereabouts. Thanks for everything. KW

[RichH]

A source of Delrin Pearson rudder bushings is(was) D&R Marine in Marblehead Mass. About $75.00 a set. Buy a few as you will need them to replace often.

The carbon filled epoxy method works BEST for bearing repair. Go to the Pearson 26 website for details.

A proper hull fairing, and the high(est) tech suit of sails you can afford will definitely benefit a P30, although I personally think that a 135 is the max that is truely efficient. A hull stiffening with longitudinal stringers will stop the typical ''oil-canning''. A decent backstay adjuster is a MUST, my old P30 used the simple handwheel adjuster.

P30s are only subject to "Pearson Pox" - zillions of teeny gelcoat level blisters that hardly ever penetrate into the matting layer .... just use an extra heavy layer of barrier to prevent reoccurance; no need to peel or remove the matting layer.

[Jeff_H]

A low stretch, light weight kevlar 150% genoa would do you a lot of good because it would dramatically increase performance at both ends of its useful wind range and have a longer racing lifespan than dacron or a Pentex type oriented polyester. I suspect that you can get by with a dacron mainsail.

Jeff

[VIEXILE]

On the backstay adjuster: I''ve used a line/jamcleat purchase system on one boat and a system that had two arms that lift to turn on another. The jamcleat system was on a 30'' frac rig that you could really see what was happening, and feel it, as the boat was driving on the main. On the mechanical wheel/arm type system - it was on a masthead rig. I can''t imagine that the line purchase/jamcleat system will put noticeable rake in a P30 mast. Who manufactures these things, should (or do) they have stops that might limit your ability to overdo it and does opting for a wheel/arm type rotating adjuster make more sense? Again, I''m just a cruiser formerly conscripted to drive/trim on boats a lot different than the P30 - and really only because I know the tides, currents and lifts. Thanks, KW.

[VIEXILE]

I meant 39'' frac rig - noticeable and immediate improvement in performance to windward when you lean on it. I''m just thinking the stiffness of the P-30 mast might require something a little more mechanically powerful. Thanks.