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Well, it's been a year since i sold the SC....... I have regretted it ever since. I picked up an Oday 25 last fall for 1,300 bucks but i really don't feel safe with my kids on it in the ocean!!! It is sooo tender and has a hard time fighting to windward with the centerboard. I have been really bummed out about having to sell the SC and have not been feeling like a man w/o a boat that can handle rough weather . Sooooooo, I just returned to the realm of 30 footers with a 1978 Pearson 31. Although a totally different boat than the SC....it has some features that the SC doesn't have. First and foremost is a keel stepped mast! Another plus is how beefy the chainplate/ strut assembly is!!! No bulkhead mounted chainplates on this boat (not that the SC had them... I was refering to the O- 25)! Actually everything about this boat seems incredibly well built. The hull to deck joint is much better than on the other Pearsons of this vintage and the rudder is better supported. One downside is the Atomic 4 ....... but I am hauling it out to western MA for the winter to work on it. If there are any other P-31 owners out there please let me know. I am new to the boat and would love any advice. These things are a huge labor of love but man does life suck w/o them!!
What's your presumed downside to the A4? It's a rock-solid engine that lives forever if taken care of, and easy to fix when it's not. Quieter than a diesel, too. Sure, it runs on gas, but a few precautions and there's nothing to worry about.
I too have an A4, 46 years old, well used and still going strong. The previous owner planned on replacing it when it died, but after waiting for 20 years he finally sold the boat with the spare engine, half rebuild because the original never died, so he never finished the rebuild on the replacement Oh, and it's "Raw water cooled", lived in salt water all it's life. Man, just can't trust those raw water cooled engines eh?? Rust right through in no time. What a dumb idea...
Don't get me wrong, it is running like a top, but tops do fall over all the time, so I never quite understood that phrase. It has died on me plenty of times, but so far it has been just the basics, dirty plugs (it runs a bit cool in the PNW waters) corroded wires (Planning a rewire soon) and other minor maintenance issues. Sure, you do not have plugs or as many wires on a diesel, but you do have injectors to clog, air in the lines to bleed, and other issues.
I am also working the rebuild because I am a realist. A 46 year old engine of any verity is likely to go soon, so hopefully the rebuilt one will go another 20 years or so.
Well, she just arrived at my house yesterday after a 115 mile trip inland! I've already had one curious neighbor stop by. Pictures will follow sometime in 2011 The Pearson 31 is a very well built boat..now she's in my yard! No more Marina fees and no more driving to work on her....well worth the money.
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