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pearson 30 1973

10K views 20 replies 7 participants last post by  hamburking 
#1 ·
hody mates,
well i took the dive an got a pearson 30 1973.its used so not w/out problems.its in the shop getting mast restepped and 2 dimples in hull from sitting on peir blcks to long fixed.complete hull repaint.some minor electrical work then off to s.pacific.anyone got a knowledge of a cheap gps/chartplotter nnew,w/plug in for radar at a later date that i can get???there seems to be so many to choose from that this decesion is becoming hard.
 
#2 ·
hody mates,
well i took the dive an got a pearson 30 1973. its used ............
I'm sure others enjoyed that you pointed out this 1973 is used. I don't think there are any new '73's out there any more. I bought my most recent Garmin GPS w/chart on eBay. You can often "google" the generic description of equipment you desire and find some alternate sources at good prices. Take care and joy, Aythya crew
 
#3 ·
PERTINENT ADVICE for blocking a P30 on the hard with jackstands:

If you dont set the jackstands correctly on a P30 when storing on land you will be ultimately surprised with significant hull deflection ---- a P30 CANNOT have ALL its weight setting DIRECTLY on the keel.

1. the aft section of the keel at the bottom is HOLLOW and should NOT have any blocking under the HOLLOW portion. This risks breaking the hollow section and MOST IMPORTANTLY will cause the aft end of the KEEL to 'rotate' INTO the hull. This 'rotating' will cause sometimes SEVERE hull deflection - especially UNDER THE ICE BOX area and the area under the quarterberth locker!!!!!

How to correctly block a P30 (should be given to the yard when hauling and blocking a P30):

1. Set one block 'just aft' of the keel leading edge bottom
2. Find the hollow aft section of the keel by tapping and place the second block about 8-12 inches IN FRONT of the area of the 'hollow' - this will be a straight line down from where the aft part of the keel 'flares' to meet the flat sections under the hull. If the second block is aft of this 'imaginary line' then the keel will deflect INTO the aft section of the hull and you WILL get 'deflection'
3. Premark on the waterline where the vee berth bulkhead meets the hull (small square made from 'tape', etc.)
4. Premark on the waterline where the quarterberth 'small bulkhead' (inside the locker) meets the hull and place a small 'square' on the waterline.
5. (there is no small bulkhead on the stb aft side) ... mimic / locate on the stb. aft where the quarterberth bulkhead is located .... on the stb side.
6. Leave the backstay TIGHT - to help supprt the hull from 'sagging'
7. lower the boat onto the 'blocks' and set the jackstands exactly at the 'squares' on the waterline (bulkheads) tighten the jackstands.
8. use "VEE POPIT" jackstands at the bow .... and between the Rudder and PROP - set TIGHT.

This will stop/prevent all that 'hull distortion' when blocking.

---------------------------------

A P30's hull is TOO DAMN 'FLIMSY' to sail to the South Pacific, The bulkheads are in 'flanges' and will significantly 'work' in a heavy sea. The P30 will need some VERY SIGNIFICANT 'strengthening' if you plan to sail such a boat for long periods of time in the OPEN OCEAN. The P30 is a 'lightweight' performance-cruiser whose design was intended for 'sheltered waters' - NOT an 'open ocean boat !!!!!!! .... its going to catastrophically FALL APART out at sea. BAD boat for long term open ocean sailing !!!!!!!!!!
 
#4 ·
reply to s.pacific

i leave the next haul out and blocking to the boatyard its in.they know what they are doing.thanx for the tips tho.an i quess we,ll see what open ocean does to it as there are alot of opinions that dont agree w/that"fall apart"opinion.its even been called bullet proof,now i would try shooting into it,or out of it.im told its very tuff hulled on more than one occasion.thanx for the reply tho.
 
#5 ·
Fascinating. We've had our P30 since about this time of the year in 2007. So that means we've had her on the hard, for winter storage, three times. In '07 and '08 we joined a club haulout and storage, so we did it ourselves, with guidance from fellow club members. Last winter we paid a yard. Six jackstands: A vee on the bow and three along each side. Took care to space them well and make sure the boat was balanced, with a slight tilt toward the stern for drainage. I don't recall how she was blocked under the keel for the previous two years, but she had one on the leading edge and one further back last winter. Nothing's ever oil-canned or collapsed.

First I've ever heard of the P30 being structurally inferior. I've always heard most Pearsons, the P30 included, were built like tanks. What I've always heard makes them unsuitable for off-shore use is the spade rudder.

Jim
 
#6 ·
I've owned Grey Goose since roughly the same time and have experienced no oil-canning or hull distortion in the 3 seasons we have wintered her on the hard. As Jim has stated, balance and adequate support is important. As far as off-shore use -- yeah, the spade (actually scimitar) rudder is a little vulnerable and I might look towards a full keel for greater stability. P30s are regarded as being somewhat 'tender' and I'm inclined to agree. Structurally inferior? Compared to what? Not sure I would call it a tank, but I would say they are structurally more sound than some other production boats (no names...).
 
#7 ·
p30 blocking

if any yard rested any boat on its keel w/all that weight i dont think they,d be in business to long.the dimples are in forward section and were told it sat on them for a lttle over a year,that what caused the dimples.so were told.there is no cracking in fiberglass or damage to hull.just needs to be pushed out again from previuos owners neglect of letting it sit on them to long.interesting about the keel and rudder not being worthy of open water.the previuos owner said they made a trip to hi.then back to mexico in it w/little problems.i called them on that and they showed me pix.well maybe i,ll just coastal use her then buy a larger vessel in a few years and sell her.i dunno,so many conflicting stories.im leaving it to the yard its in now as the owner has 38 years experience working on vessels both power and sail.im thinkin he knows what he,s doin at this point of his career.he,s the most sought after guy in his area.thanks for all the feedback tho.
 
#8 ·
Sorry to bother you. I owned and raced a P30 (#443) for 25 years and sailed her from the Canadian Maritimes to FL several times. Had many discussions with the Pearson Brothers ... and installed longitudinal 'stiffners', etc. which stopped the oil-canning, etc. I 'think' I know what a P30 can do ... and I wouldnt take one offshore on long passages. So, I guess you didnt discover the typical rot in the compression post base, yet. nor the rotted baltec deck core. Sorry the P30 was designed as light as possible to fit the market target of a 70s cruiser/racer ... not an offshore boat. Load up one with lots of stores and your waterline is going to be VERY deep -- about 1" deeper for every 800 lb. of load.
 
#9 ·
oil canning pearson hull

i see.your not bothering me,i appreciate your help and advice.so the dimples you n i are discussing in forward hull port an starboard are from oil canning?i did some research on oil canning and it seems you are probably correct there.it seems that once the paint is removed,which it will be this week,i need to inspect for stress cracks in and under gel coat.since both dimples are exactly on opposite sides directly across from each other,once pushed back out a rib could be placed inside to give it stiffner strength,correct?if there are cracks then would that be repairable?
i appreciate your advice very much as at survey haul out there was no mention of oil canning which on reveiw of what ive now researched should have been mentioned.after what i know now thanks to you alerting me to oil canning i would have stopped survey and simply walked away.however i own it so now i need to fix it.the guy who is doing the repair has extensive fiberglass experience and i have asked him to advise me on cracks,and or using a stiffner once dimples are pushed out.he is hard to reach as he is a hands on kinda guy,so i need to be patient.
although you say pearsons of my age and model are no good in the ocean,yet you sailed one from canada to fl.many times,wouldnt that be in the ocean?im kinda confused here.since you are friends of the pearson brothers do you have alink that i can have to contact them?it would be greatly appreciated.thank you for alerting me to this problem and your help w/it.i quess i,ll be getting another boat to go to the s.pacific.any suggestions on what to shop for?size?
 
#10 ·
post compression

yes we found the mast post compression at survey so you are correct and experienced on pearsons.the shop has removed the mast and rotting wood and is going to place a solid fiberglass plate uder the mast before restepping it.he also is going to use a bondo compound under the pulleys and winches that turn the lines into cockpit area thru dodger.that way it wont matter what gets wet under the winches or mast.you are correct again my teacher,as the mast had sunk into deck i/8 inch and caused considerable cracking inside the deck and even down below where beam goes into hull.we found that the beam had not compress into keel step so that was good.while mast is down im having deck lights installed for night use and also a light on top as i the name of that light eludes me this early.also having a windex mounted on top.thanks for sharing your knowledge of the pearson w/me.this boat will never race anything,it will be an old mans surf safari type boat.as im retired and thinkin after hearing your knowledge,which is good,i,ll just cruise the pacific coast to mexico an back surfing along the way till i find another more worldly-worthy boat.thank you again.
 
#11 ·
Youre probably not going to find stress cracks in a Pearson hull as the Pearsons knew the proper ratios of glass to resin with which to lay up. ... and thats how they became the 'masters' of lightweight solid hull construction in the 70s.

However, such solid layup is subject to FATIGUE ... and such fatigue is additive and renders such a hull to a 'defined service life'.
Suggest you do a websearch for - "Fatigue endurance of fiberglass hulls (US NAVY)". Fatigue in a hull will lead to sudden catastrophic failure. Maybe JeffH can be encouraged to add some comments on the needed parameters on a hull to prevent FATIGUE, etc. Thats why the P30 isnt going to be a good 'ocean boat' --- the hull is 'too thin' and the load cycles on the hull will be FAST and tremendous. For ocean sailing youre going to need a boat that is built 1.5 to 2 times the STRENGTH of P30.

;-)
 
#17 ·
P-30 Hull indentations (oil canning ??)

I have a 79 P 30 that has developed an indentation about 1.5 ft. below the rub rail on the port side under the upper shroud. It is about 4" in diameter. There is no cracking in the gel coat. There is a more subtle, smaller indentation on the starboard side under the forward shroud. How serious a problem do I have here. Is it related to shroud tension ? they are to spec. not overly tight. a bulkhead problem ? I've also noted a slight discoloration in the hull ( it's just a little darker than the rest of the gel coat) on the port side. This is in the same general mid-ship area but is along distinct vertical lines ? Are these related problems ?
 
#18 ·
dimples in side reply

this is in reply to the tbh sailor w/dimpling.i just bought a 1973 pearson 30 that on haul out survey had dimples in port and starboard about 18 inches in size,perfectly round and 3/16 inch deep.just forward od the inside bulkhead.i had the boatyard try to push them out however pearsons of that era being bullet proof it wasnt gonna happen.the boatyard,and surveyor assure me its from miscare and the boat sitting on peir blocks to long and placed incorectly,ok i,ll buy that.however now that you have the same im a little more concerned.the surveyor assures me the hull has no oil canning as rich h has stated on this post.so i have to go w/surveyors and boat yard explaination of neglect on improper placement of blocking at sometime.i cant get a detailed history on the boat.
remedy--the boatyard after trying to push the dimples out from the inside decided to grind them out some to adhere fiberglass and filler to them and making dimples flush perfectly w/hull again before repainting the hull again.
it kind of perplexes me that you have found this same issue.it is about 1-2 ft.below water line.if you send me your e-mail address i can send you pix of the repairs and tell me if the same spot as yours,as that would mean it wasnt pier blocking and may be some defect we dont know about in pearson hulls.mine is-tminiola@yahoo.com this causes a little more concern and i now wonder if any other pearson owners have had this same problem.
 
#20 ·
dimples in hull

ok rich i listened to your input.while helpfull it was incorrect.i had a hull expert and my surveyor go re-inspect them.the dimples are from peir block jacks that were placed just forward of the inside bulkhead.after not being able to push them out they are fixed.the hull has no oil canning whatsoever.thanx for the input tho.
 
#21 ·
I have a 1974 P30. I noticed that there is a hull indent right where the upper stay meets the hull below. Obviously I immediately loosend the uppers. On closer inspection, there are minor indents at the lowers too...and both sides...although you really have to search for it. The indent for the upper is significant...very visible because of the shiny hull.

So, I think the indent is caused by overtight rigging. The question is...is the damage permanent? Or can I just retune and be on my way?
 
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