# Hello! Two newer sailors, Boston area, with a '74 Pearson 35



## WanderingOnTheWay (8 mo ago)

Hello! My wife and I are both newer sailors, living in MA, and the owners of a 1974 Pearson 35 which we purchased in August 2020. We've sailed her _once_ -- and then started in on a multi-year refit. This was her the year we bought her:










So far we've:

Replaced the original Universal diesel motor with a new Beta 25
Replaced the original prop with a new feathering MaxProp
Replaced standing rigging
Sourced and installed aluminum spreaders (replacing, weirdly, wooden ones?)
Added new lifelines
Replaced the toerail, rubrail, and cockpit coaming with new teak
Added new-to-us Lewmar 44 self-tailing primary winches, replacing the non-self tailing smaller ones that came with the boat
Replaced the pedestal and binnacle compass
We're in the middle of putting in a full B&G electronics setup, with chart plotter, instruments, a hydraulic autopilot, etc. all being installed prior to commissioning her this year. My wife is in the process of sewing all new upholstery for the boat, as well. 

We have a long list of other things to do, as we're hoping to start sailing locally first and further afield in the coming few years. We've completed ASA 101 and 103 so far, and are taking a 4-day live aboard ASA 104 course at the end of June. 

Nice to meet you all!


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Sounds like you are having a great time with a great boat. Get out sailing some more this season!


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Welcome!

Why did you replace the Universal Diesel? What model was it? Do you still have it?


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Sounds like you're doing lits of work. 
Welcome to SailNet! 😊 😊 


Mark


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## Siamese (May 9, 2007)

'Bout time you got here!


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## WanderingOnTheWay (8 mo ago)

eherlihy said:


> Welcome!
> 
> Why did you replace the Universal Diesel? What model was it? Do you still have it?


It was an MXP-25, poorly maintained by the previous owners (likely not the most recent, but those who came before her); it was leaking exhaust, diesel, and oil into the bilge. We’re planning to do enough sailing and far enough out that we didn’t want to have to worry about the motor.

Did not keep it - barely anything there to salvage given it’s condition.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

WanderingOnTheWay said:


> It was an MXP-25, poorly maintained by the previous owners (likely not the most recent, but those who came before her); it was leaking exhaust, diesel, and oil into the bilge. We’re planning to do enough sailing and far enough out that we didn’t want to have to worry about the motor.
> 
> Did not keep it - barely anything there to salvage given it’s condition.


Too bad. Your boat had been re-powered with the MXP-25. I believe that they were introduced in the '90's. Some of the parts for them are much sought by other owners - timing case cover, exhaust manifold, bell housing.

The Beta is a great engine too. They are based on a Kubota block, just like the Universal.


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## WanderingOnTheWay (8 mo ago)

Live and learn, I suppose. The old one was a tough job to get out, per our rigger, but I'm excited to have a feathering prop and a reliable motor this season! We also had a new fuel tank fabricated, as it seemed like the right time to deal with, just in case. Some of our "in progress" pictures:


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Gee... is that a holiday in the varnish about 8.75" aft of the starboard winch? The whole coaming piece will have to be stripped and re-varnished with seven coats, no? Having the wheel forward makes handing coffee &. sandwiches up to the helmsperson a lot easier. It also makes the dodger much more useful for them. Nice design feature on the P35.


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## nolatom (Jun 29, 2005)

Welcome, and best wishes. I remember the Alberg-35, which I recall was full keel. Is your Pearson-35 a keel-centerboard? That'll give you more access to some of the shallower harbors, aroung the Cape and elsewhere. Where will you moor her?

Though a New Orleanean for decades, I grew up in Marblehead and learned to sail young. It;s different down here, shallower, lighter wind, but a good sailing community out on "Lake" Pontchartrain, which fortunately is not a true lake, it gives us access to the sea through a narrow gut.


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## LaPoodella (Oct 5, 2018)

WanderingOnTheWay said:


> Hello! My wife and I are both newer sailors, living in MA, and the owners of a 1974 Pearson 35 which we purchased in August 2020. We've sailed her _once_ -- and then started in on a multi-year refit. This was her the year we bought her:
> 
> View attachment 143500
> 
> ...


I did something similar. Bought a boat in 2018. Sailed a handful of times. Started a total overhaul in 2020 and just finished. Hubby and I will be sailing in the Nantucket Sound this summer. Out of HYC. Give a shout to me if you get near there.


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## WanderingOnTheWay (8 mo ago)

nolatom said:


> Welcome, and best wishes. I remember the Alberg-35, which I recall was full keel. Is your Pearson-35 a keel-centerboard? That'll give you more access to some of the shallower harbors, aroung the Cape and elsewhere. Where will you moor her?
> 
> Though a New Orleanean for decades, I grew up in Marblehead and learned to sail young. It;s different down here, shallower, lighter wind, but a good sailing community out on "Lake" Pontchartrain, which fortunately is not a true lake, it gives us access to the sea through a narrow gut.


It is a full keel with a centerboard. One of my projects in the off-season is to drop that board and check it fully, and then apply new anti-fouling. On the P35, my understanding is that the centerboard pin and sheave often wear down and become a source of leaks, typically directly into the (encapsulated) keel area. Not sure yet if we're going to be grappling with that, as we're still on the hard for the major refit work.


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## WanderingOnTheWay (8 mo ago)

LaPoodella said:


> I did something similar. Bought a boat in 2018. Sailed a handful of times. Started a total overhaul in 2020 and just finished. Hubby and I will be sailing in the Nantucket Sound this summer. Out of HYC. Give a shout to me if you get near there.


Nice! We're in Quincy, and trying as hard as possible to get her in the water this season. So many projects still...


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## WanderingOnTheWay (8 mo ago)

A few late-season updates, as we’re getting her pushed further along. 

We swapped the Origo 3000 for an Origo 6000, which my wife found on eBay while we were still on the hard. We have had no issues using unpressurized alcohol so far, and the P35 has a small locker in the galley to hold it; while the original Pearson bottle is long gone, I bought a 1 gallon stainless steel jug and it fits well. Baked bread while at sea awaits.










On the other side of the galley, I put together a small nav station. I plan to re-insulate the icebox (perhaps with aerogel sheets, if I can source them, as they offer good r-value with minimal thickness), and install a cold plate before we go cruising.










This summer, I swapped out all of the old incandescent DC lights with modern LEDs; many appear to have been AC house fixtures that some previous owner rewired. I also found so many wire nuts that I’ve replaced with proper heat shrunk butt connectors, including for the head sink DC pump, which is in the bilge and was a fire waiting to happen.

I added a clock, barometer, and temp/humidity instruments on the main bulkhead, a couple of oil lanterns, cabin fans, the cushions which my wife re-upholstered, new fire extinguishers, CO detectors, and various odds and ends to make the cabin a bit more comfortable. 





































She’s starting to look a bit more shipshape, and I’ve been both compounding the fiberglass and working on the bright work as weather and time have permitted:











The winter project list is extensive:


Finally deal with the mast compression post block (replacing the oak with G10)
New sails (still working with Doyle on the full setup)
Replace the running rigging once the new sails are in, with clutches for the lines, and everything run aft (especially reefing lines)
Install our secondary winches
Pending a quote, install a dodger
Add a saddle to the boom and install the Gybe Easy
Resolve some leaks from the headsail track (likely just a pull/rebed job)
Refurbish the hatches, adding new gaskets and touching up the glasswork; I called Hatchmasters and Tony said they wouldn’t be able to help us, and advised against trying to retrofit Lewmar Ocean Hatches despite my interest in doing so; I’m also going to add backing plates for the hinges to make them a bit more suited for offshore weather
Replace the anemic bilge pump with a more robust system overall - likely a Rule Gold 2000 as the primary, with a Rule Gold 3700 backup, a set of Water Witch switches to control them, and a proper bilge monitor
Add a new inverter, replace the main panel with a modern breaker setup, and install USB and DC sockets throughout, as well as replacing the AC outlets with proper marine grade outlets and wiring
Install 400W of solar and the associated controllers; panels are in my garage waiting for next season
Remove the old head and install the Airhead that’s currently sitting in its box in the v-berth
Service all of the throughhulls
Add larger cockpit scuppers/drains
Replace the centerboard wire with Dacron line
Service the centerboard pin setup, as it appears to leak a bit

Once all of this is done, we have a shower sump to install, and want to add a hot water heater, replace the freshwater hoses, and with the old holding tank out, increase our freshwater tankage.

We’ll still have some things to tackle (I want to add teak to the cabin various places, redo the non-skid, add forward handrails, add pad-eyes for jacklines along the centerline of the boat and in the cockpit with stout backing plates, add a windvane, add a water maker, and various other smaller jobs) but we’re inching closer to feeling that she’s ready to take offshore with confidence. 

Sometimes I wonder why I didn’t just save a bit more and buy a more “ready to go” boat, but we will have touched nearly everything on board Wanderer by the time we take off, which has its value.


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## paulk (Jun 2, 2000)

Good to know that you will be staying out of trouble this winter. Idle hands make Devil's work!


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