Pearson 424 hull & Build

[shadow]

Hi All,
I was curious how well Pearson's are built.. Like decks, hulls, etc.. Was curious if the hull is solid fibreglass or cored? I also assume that the decks are the usual balsa cored since this one is early 80's.. I did some searching and there is some talk of the overall sailing ability, V-Drive, etc... but was curious if there were things to really look out for?

Thanks as always in advance for everyone's input, opinions and real world experiences..
Cheers!!

[GordMay]

The Pearson 424's hull is hand laid fiberglass, while the deck is a fiberglass and end-cut balsa core sandwich.

[Spindrift NH]

It is my experience that the 424 is a well built stick, not liner boat. Some were built with a cored hull with areas around hull penetrations of solid glass.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Spindrift NH

It is my experience that the 424 is a well built stick, not liner boat. Some were built with a cored hull with areas around hull penetrations of solid glass.

As an owner, I would expect Spindrift will be much more knowledgeable, than I.

[Svsumurun]

I've never heard of a cored hull from Pearson ? The deck - yes , but the hull is built like a brick s,-house of solid hand lain glass. Our 365 is the little sister to the 424 . Look for all the normal things you would look for in boat this age- soft deck, engine maintenance , rigging, etc.
Bill Shaw designed these boats as 'his' cruising boat and it shows .. huge cockpit that you can stretch out in , separate shower stall, big tankage, etc

[Spindrift NH]

There is another 424 owner that posts on here frequently so he may chime in on this soon. According to him, he has peeled his hull down to where he could see the core blocks. I know that on my boat I can see on the interior where the coring begins about 1 foot above the waterline and extends down. I also can see where pearson stopped the core around each thruhull.

[Svsumurun]

Learn something new everyday! I started looking and found the 424 forum and there is a discussion about this- looks like it changed around 82-83..they were solid before that, and then starting coring some of them. 'Plan C' boats, whatever they were...seem to be the ones that are cored.
So I guess the answer to the OP is, it depends!

[shadow]

Thank you everyone!! as always, you are the best knowledge base out there!! I think it's either a 1980 or 1981 so I assume it will be solid glass.. I was pretty sure about the hull and decks, but really wanted to get 2nd/3rd opinions.. It's a friend's friend's uncle selling it and I think he just installed a new engine and has a lot of kit, etc.. Thank you again and if you can add anything that is always appreciated!! Cheers all!!

[Peregrine1983]

1983 424 plan C ketch owner here. Our hull is solid glass everywhere and our deck is cored. The boat is awesome. Pearson424.org is our owners forum and it's also awesome.

FYI a plan C interior is this layout - two heads (one forward) and an aft stateroom with its own head. Galley to starboard. This boat is a cutter, but it's the same interior layout as ours -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-KNQTE25B8

[shadow]

Thanks Peregrine1983!! I appreciate your input and opinion!! what are your thoughts and experiences with the V-Drive? cheers!!

[roverhi]

Originally Posted by Svsumurun

I've never heard of a cored hull from Pearson ? The deck - yes , but the hull is built like a brick s,-house of solid hand lain glass. Our 365 is the little sister to the 424 .

The 40' whale bottom center board boat has a cored hull. It was intended as a racing boat like Hood's similar designs of era. Assume they went with a cored hull to make them lighter.

[Svsumurun]

Originally Posted by Peregrine1983

1983 424 plan C ketch owner here. Our hull is solid glass everywhere and our deck is cored. The boat is awesome. Pearson424.org is our owners forum and it's also awesome.

FYI a plan C interior is this layout - two heads (one forward) and an aft stateroom with its own head. Galley to starboard. This boat is a cutter, but it's the same interior layout as ours -

Ahh...so that explains the Plan C thing! And BTW Peregrine- that just reminded me to send you the pictures of the davits on Sumurun- I took them for you and forgot to send them!

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by shadow

Thanks Peregrine1983!! I appreciate your input and opinion!! what are your thoughts and experiences with the V-Drive? cheers!!

Hey Shadow, no problem! Our V-drive has never given us any issues. I don't believe them to be problematic. Other owners have had theirs rebuilt as they are old now. I just make sure ours is full of oil and it's been fine for over 5000nm.

I'm pretty sure the owner of Silverheels, writer Tor Pinney, even bypassed his v-drive's raw water cooling to cool his engine better and he cruised the Caribbean and Central America for years without issue. I heard they were built for something like 250+ horsepower, so operating with an 80 horse motor is a walk in the park. They are old though, so excess vibration, noise, heat, would be worth looking into.

Have you ever seen a 424 in person? Go see one and look down in the [absolutely gigantic] bilge. I've never seen a thicker laid up boat. Also, notice there are no keel bolts!!! One of my favorite features

[Peregrine1983]

Originally Posted by Svsumurun

Ahh...so that explains the Plan C thing! And BTW Peregrine- that just reminded me to send you the pictures of the davits on Sumurun- I took them for you and forgot to send them!

Oh, hey! No problem! Hope you are well. Our davits are actually finally arriving this week, so no worries. We went with Kato down in Annapolis. Excited to see them and mount my new solar set up

[Peregrine1983]

Here's a shot of our plan C interior with some dirty dishes and the boat hound dog. Nav station to the right, entrance to the aft stateroom and aft head to the left, forward head up and left.