Just bought P424 -- ADVICE NEEDED

[patjj]

Hello --

My offer on a Pearson 424 was just accepted and I'm heading to the east coast to close the deal. The boat is in New England and I live in Portland, OR. I won't be near the boat all winter and intend to start using it next Spring on an extended cruise.

First question, any suggestions on a good surveyor?

Second question, winter storage. I've never had a boat in a climate where I needed to shrink wrap it. Is this really necessary in New England? Can I just leave it in a slip with a tarp? Custon Sunbrella cover? Crazy not to shrink wrap and store on the hard in winter in New England?

Third question, any specific issues, other than fuel tanks, that I should have the surveyor pay particular attention to during the survey?

All advice/help, sincerely appreciated.

Thanks,

Pat
P424 (soon to be named)

[captlar]

For survey, I would highly recommend Gene Barnes 978-281-6040. There are many good surveyors but Gene is great. As to issues - too many to list. Get the right surveyor. Different boats have specific issues resulting from original design and build.
As to covering - people do different things. A custom cover is expensive so I would hold off a year. Most shrink. Some cover themselves. Different yards have different rules. Biggest issue is freezing water from ice, rain, sleet, can crack hoses, block scuppers and raise hell with varnish. If you are not around to inspect frequently, I would shrink.
Its late to be looking for storage. Where is the boat now ? Most insurance companies require haul out during winter, but there are exceptions. Also, insurance companies are picky right now on age of vessel. Making sure the boat is insurable was hopefully a condition of purchase.
I'm near Boston. Let me know if you need more help.
Larry

[camaraderie]

Good luck with the 424....nice boats!
Yes... you do need a cover...the plastic shrink wrap works just fine. No cover means ice and flooding in the cockpit and water below aside from the protection the cover affords to your fittings and fiberglass and teak.No...you cannot keep it in the water...water in many hrbors freezes 2 feet thick at times and can crush your boat and spring through hulls and sink it. COMPLETE winterization of all lines, heads, engine etc. is necessary to withstand -20 temps!
Go on the Pearson e-mail list or owners group and ask others what issues came up on their surveys so you can better guide your surveyor on problem spots to look for. Make sure you get a diesel guy to test the engine & compression in water before haulout as you don't want any surprises come spring and most sailboat surveyors are NOT diesel guys!
Good luck!

[SailorMitch]

Congrats on your purchase. The 424 is a fine boat that will take care of you. Camaraderie gave sound advice in suggesting that you post any questions on the Pearson email list here on Sailnet. Also, if you send me a PM I can give you the email address of a fellow in RI who used to own a 424 and sailed it quite extensively on the east coast and in the Caribbean. There's also Whoosh who used to post here regularly. I probably have his email address as well that I'll pass on to you.

[hellosailor]

Pat, "New England" covers a lot of territory.<G>

Personally I don't like shrink wrap, it can also ensure that any moisture which gets in, stays in. If there are no leaks it should not be necessary, most boats stay uncovered here in the winter. You might want to trap the cockpit so snow can't build up in it. Certainly take down the sails. I wouldn't leave Sunbrella up on it, that's just a waste of good material and a winter storm might shred it anyway. The yards here can show you what is typical and what you need will vary with just what part of New England you are in.

I wouldn't leave a boat in the water unattended, as marinas in New England can and will ice up if there's a hard winter, and that can sink the boat. We've had a number of warm winters so folks sometimes forget about this. And even if the marina has a bubbler...sometimes the power goes out. Not good if you can't hop down to the boat.

As Cam suggests, COMPLETE winterization. Much simpler than fixing frozen "stuff". That also means putting a trickle charger on the batteries (solar or mains) or planning to throw them out now, so they can't freeze or burst.

You might also want to have the rigging checked, ice forming in the swages, etc. aloft can damage them in New England winters, and if the rigging is 20 years old...more and more riggers are saying that's time to replace it proactively, no matter how good it looks. If you decide to do that, you might want to simply pull the mast(s) before laying it up for the winter, and not re- rig until spring. Most of New England doesn't pull the sticks for the winter (what, a Yankee spend money?!<G>) but again, if you won't be here...the boat is more stable when they are down.

I'd be surprised if you don't find articles on "winterizing" in the sailnet archives, too.

[sailnuts]

Pearson 424 Informational Site

[P424]

I have a 78 P424 number 26. I have lived on it in the Central Florida area for several years. I took it to Bahamas this winter. I am now back. The only issue I have is with the bow flexing foward of the first bulkhead bellow the floor. They didnt put any support in the hull foward of the front cabin door. The rest of the hull has a ridge along the sides for strength but it stops before the cabin. Mine was patched a long time ago and when I peeled the hull I found the patches. I had them redonebut its caused by fexing along the floor line. I am planning a fix now. But for now the glass repair is holding. The whole front of Hull flexes and look for stress cracks in the gellcote. I found the original repair had stress cracks under a layer of cloth put on by some yard. I also found polaroids of the repair with an old survey. I couldnt see the patches nder years of old pint and the glass cloth kept new cracks from showing in the paint.. Other than that the Boat is a dream to sail. I single hand her and only have issues getting into slips and off docks in wind. Had her since Feb 2004

[wiffe]

I lived in Sweden for 8 Years (east and west coast) and had a boat (power and sail) all the time.
Winte prep.:
- get her out of the water
- mast off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- batteries out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- propane bottles out!
- complete winterize her; no water, gasoline, diesel in the boat/engine
- use mast to build a tent over the boat. Do not shrink wrap her; the boat has to earate.
- secure "tent" well to the ground.
wiffe

[cjmcfall]

Congrats, great boats!

[pegasus1457]

Most yards will not allow you to secure the tent to the ground. I have found that a combination of plastic tarp grippers (don't use the built-in grommets -- they tear) on doubled-over folds in the tarp in combination with bungee cords passed under the hull to keep tension on the tarp works like a charm.

Question: why remove the propane bottles?

Many seem to agree that the boat should not be in the water, but nobody has mentioned osmosis (blisters)! You can ruin a good hull by leaving it in the water for 12 months per year, and the repair is expensive (or labor-intensive)