# Pearson 26 thoughts ?



## genki (Apr 1, 2010)

Hi All, 

We are pretty much newbies with a couple of seasons of sailing rentals on Barnegat Bay New Jersey. We have completed Basic Keelboat with US Sailing a few years back and we want to move up to basic cruising. 

We've seen a 1977 Pearson 26 for sale that looks to be in good shape and wondered how suitable that would be for long weekend cruising and the occasional week long cruise around the Long Island Sound. Would be great to make trips out to Montauk, is that possible? 

We live in Queens and have never owned a boat so are also looking for a place to either moor or slip. 

What do you think guys, are we crazy or would this work out ? 

Originally I wanted a Sabre 28, the lady has convinced me that we should try to spend less, around 5k for our first boat and move up later to the Sabre or similar.

I guess I'm wondering how the Pearson holds up against the Catalina, O'Day and others that seem plentiful on Yacht world. It seems to have a better reputation than the others...

Thanks !


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Owned a Pearson 26 from 1979 to 1989. Wife and I cruised her every summer from Western Long Island Sound to points east including Block Island, Newport, Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod. So what you propose is definitely doable in a P26. There are lots of them around so don't get hung up on a particular one. The P26 has some well documented issues but in general is a well built boat for its vintage. For more comfortable cruising, something a little bigger would be nice. The outboard has its pluses and minuses. Less expensive to repair and replace, but not as good at pushing the boat in any kind of waves. An extra long shaft engine makes a big difference in keeping the prop in the water when pitching in rough seas.

Here's a good site for P26 info.

Pyxis - Pearson 26


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

The P26 is a great starter boat. They are well made and sail very well. I would rate them a point higher than the comparable Catalina or O'day for build quality and fit/finish. The website provided by Jim is a great place to find more info.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

Depending on where you live in Queens you could keep your boat at one of the south shore marinas (Sheepshead Bay area) or up on the north shore (Great Neck/Manhasset). I'd recommend you keep a boat as close as feasible. If you are at all near Steppingstone/Kings Point I would consider using it. Summer traffic on LI on the weekends can really ruin the relaxation achieved from a nice sail.


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## genki (Apr 1, 2010)

Hi, Thanks for all the replies. We are in Sunnyside Queens, I drove out to City Island this weekend. Did not realise that it would be such a hike and I don't think it's a feasable place to moor for us. I've never heard of Sreppingstone/Kings Point but I just looked on the google map - looks good. Is there a particular marina there you would recommend ? 

Thanks again


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## paul323 (Mar 13, 2010)

Dunno about Marina's - but regularly sail on a friend's P26 of a similar age. Solid, well-built, forgiving, and surprisingly nimble - won the local beer can race a number of times! I am told it feels cramped for more than a 2-day cruise (having been below, I can well imagine!) - so you need to think carefully about how important the cruising element is for you - otherwise it is a great value starter boat. Oh yeah, one warning - once you get used to a Pearson design and build quality, it is hard to go back....


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Steppingstone is a park that is run by the town of Great Neck. Generally limited to residents, but I saw something recently that they are accepting outsiders to moor their boats. Pretty sure they have launch service but that's about it.

Edit. Here's a link. They do have accept non-residents.

Great Neck Parks - www.greatneckparks.org


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

paul323 said:


> I am told it feels cramped for more than a 2-day cruise (having been below, I can well imagine!) - so you need to think carefully about how important the cruising element is for you - otherwise it is a great value starter boat.


I once spent 3 1/2 weeks cruising on mine!!


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## tempest (Feb 12, 2007)

The P26 is a solid, nice sailing vessel. I've taught on them for several years now. So, If the boat has been taken care of, I don't think you'd go wrong.

However, if long weekends and week long cruises is going to be the plan, I might consider spending the money for a little more comfort! 

Have the two of you sailed the P26? spent a weekend on one? You can probably rent one on Barnaget bay and spend a weekend to make sure the Comfort level is satisfactory.


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## KindOfBlue (Nov 22, 2005)

I used to own a P26. I sailed her all the time and alway did overnights. It's a bit of a challenge to hang out below for extended periods of time. Sleeping is fine, but if you are anchored for the weekend and it starts raining at noon, you are going to want to find another place to be. A 30 foot catalina is an example of a boat that has enough room and the comforts below to relax with a friend or two while it's raining outside.


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## CalebD (Jan 11, 2008)

*NY/LI mooring options*

Sunnyside is a bit of hike to City Island + tolls. 
JimsCal gave you the link for the Steppingstone facility. They will accept non-Great Neck residents for a slightly higher fee (not sure what it is now). We kept our boat there for 2 seasons and it was a positive experience over all. They do have bathrooms and a snack bar but the rest of the park is for Great Neck residents. Launch service on weekends and otherwise you can dinghy out to your boat. If you do go here make sure you have 2 pennants from your mooring - don't ask how I know this. 
There is also a marina near LaGuardia and the fair grounds. It is a bit industrial compared to Steppingstone (SS) and is firmly in the East River while SS is in the westernmost LI Sound with better sailing right there. SS does not provide winter storage for boats (only summer) so you will have to shell out another $1k+ for winter storage somewhere else like City Island. 
The next best option (in my opinion) would be the Hempstead Harbor Club which is in Glen Cove. It is a bit of a drive to get there but the Sound is also wider and more open there. HHC is also reasonably priced, has nice members AND has options for winter storage right there. There are some members of HHC on this forum (JimsCal may be a member there for all I know).
In the summer you will probably get to know most of route 25A as the LIE can be a parking lot, especially on Sunday evenings as you probably already know.
People also do put moorings in Little Neck Bay but I know precious little about what costs or clubs are involved with that. I'm also of the opinion that Little Neck Bay is pretty damn shallow and muddy but have no first hand experience to state this as fact. I'd suggest you think about getting a Maptech chart book for the LI Sound which will show you all the marine/marina facilities up and down the Sound. There is also ActiveCaptain which is free if you register to use it that gives similar information.
https://activecaptain.com/



genki said:


> Hi, Thanks for all the replies. We are in Sunnyside Queens, I drove out to City Island this weekend. Did not realise that it would be such a hike and I don't think it's a feasable place to moor for us. I've never heard of Sreppingstone/Kings Point but I just looked on the google map - looks good. Is there a particular marina there you would recommend ?
> 
> Thanks again


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## genki (Apr 1, 2010)

Guys, thanks so much for all the responses, this is great information. I was completely clueless about where to moor the boat around NYC. Now I will start to call around to check out mooring prices. 

I am also going to expand the search to slightly larger cruisers of the following type,

1. Sabre 28 - My first choice. Hard to find good cheaper examples. 

2. Pearson 28 - The girlfriend loves the interiors. Don't seem to be many around for less than 20k

3. C&C 27 - Really like these and I've heard they are fast. I've seen a couple of these priced around 15k, one with outboard and racing sails, another with an inboard diesel.

4. Catalina 27 / 28 - Looks like a lot of boat for the money. 

5. O'Day 28. 

Newport 28 ? Don't know much about these and I've heard the C&C is overall a better choice. 

I would include Cape Dory 28 and Tartan 27 but the lines do nothing for the lady. 

Thanks


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

genki said:


> Guys, thanks so much for all the responses, this is great information. I was completely clueless about where to moor the boat around NYC. Now I will start to call around to check out mooring prices.
> 
> I am also going to expand the search to slightly larger cruisers of the following type,
> 
> ...


You didn't specify a budget, but it looks like you are trying to stay under $20k. At that level, you should certainly be able to find a late 70s early 80s 27-30 footer in decent shape. The list you have is good. I would add boats like the Cal 28-2 and 31, the ODay 30, the Pearson 30, and Tartan 30 to the list. With any boat of that age, condition is everything, so the challenge will be finding something within your budget that you like and has no major issues. At a given price level, the smaller boats are likely to be newer and in better shape than the larger ones.

And CalebD, yes I am a member of the Hempstead Harbour Club in Club in Glen Cove. Thanks for your kind words about us.


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## omaho5 (Jun 5, 2008)

The two areas of concern on the P26 are. 
1. Rudder bearing/ bushing. 
2. Keel bolts.
Make sure that these areas have been attended to.


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## genki (Apr 1, 2010)

Hi, 

Yes I was trying to stay well under 20K but I'm also trying to be realistic and get something that will last a few years and is good to go. I am not much of a handyman although I'm sure I'll be learning soon, with buying a boat.

I've lined up a few other boats to look at, I'm excluding anything with a Volvo(expensive parts) but not Atomic 4 as long as they've had decent maintenance. 

1990 Pearson 27 
1985 Pearson 28-2
1984 Cal 27 - Yanmar
1974 Catalina 27 
1977 Sabre 28
1985 C&C 27 
1982 O'Day 28


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Looks like you have a busy spring genki! If you haven't already done so, read Sailingdog's sticky at the top of this forum section on Boat Inspection Tips. Maybe a bit more than you want to do, but it does have a lot of good suggestions that might help you eliminate some boats from consideration.


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## Medusa28 (Feb 22, 2010)

*Sabre 28*

I was in a similar situation two years ago. I ended up with a Mariner (New Hampshire) 28. It is very similar to the Sabre, but less well known, so possibly less expensive.
I was looking for an O'Day 28, and still have a soft spot for them, but once you get used to the construction quality of the Sabre (and Mariner) the O'Days seem less desirable. I am in NJ near Sandy Hook. 
lou


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## Medusa28 (Feb 22, 2010)

I have no connection with any broker dealers, but spent many months prowling through boatyards. Right now, lockwoods boat works and morgan marina, both on Raritan Bay have some boats which seem to fit your parameters. check their websites. I found the Pearsons to be a bit cramped inside compared to a similar sized O'Day. I bought my boat in November 2009, and it was a buyers market. I don't think it changed much down here. 
Lou


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## calden (Aug 11, 2006)

genki said:


> Hi,
> 
> Yes I was trying to stay well under 20K but I'm also trying to be realistic and get something that will last a few years and is good to go. I am not much of a handyman although I'm sure I'll be learning soon, with buying a boat.
> 
> ...


Among these boats, I have only looked at Catalina 27s and eventually bought a Catalina 25.

I was really, really surprised at the lack of space in the Catalina 27s, especially in the v-berth. Also with the dinette model - it feels like a small and cramped boat inside. If you are looking for something with some feeling of space, I would vote for the twin settee model. My Catalina 25 is a double settee and except for the lower headroom has more interior space than a Catalina 27 with the dinette. (Not that I am advocating the Catalina 25 for your needs.)

Carlos


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## Sabin Colton (Jul 23, 2017)

I lived on my 1972 Pearson 26 for three years in graduate school, moving between anchoring in Frenchman's Bay, Maine and Woods Hole, Mass. The boat gets bigger the longer you are aboard it. I now live on it for 6 to 8 weeks each summer, cavorting up and down the Maine Coast. It's still a blast after 48 years.


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## thumper53 (May 26, 2017)

I have a Pearson 303 1986 as my first boat.
Have had her for 4 years and it has been a great boat.
Good room and storage for the size of the vessel.


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