Pearson 27 Triton vs Pearson 27

[Supercat568]

Hello,
Looking for information on this boat. It's quite confusing because it's supposed to be the same boat but the early Pearson 27 Triton has a wider beam and is heavier.
Doug Peterson is listed as the designer of this "unauthorized" boat sometimes called the T 27, built between 1984 and 1985. This boat has 9'6" beam, 6250lbs with 2024lbs ballast.

William Shaw is listed as the designer of the Pearson 27, built from 1986 to 1991, which again, is supposed to be the same boat. But this boat is listed at 9'1½" beam, 5800lbs, 2175lbs ballast and has shoal keel.
I don't understand why they'd make such small changes to a boat. Besides the kel, the boats look the same.
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,

[Adelie]

Redesign to fit the boat to updated racing handicap rule maybe.

[Supercat568]

Originally Posted by Supercat568

Hello,
Looking for information on this boat. It's quite confusing because it's supposed to be the same boat but the early Pearson 27 Triton has a wider beam and is heavier.
Doug Peterson is listed as the designer of this "unauthorized" boat sometimes called the T 27, built between 1984 and 1985. This boat has 9'6" beam, 6250lbs with 2024lbs ballast.

William Shaw is listed as the designer of the Pearson 27, built from 1986 to 1991, which again, is supposed to be the same boat. But this boat is listed at 9'1½" beam, 5800lbs, 2175lbs ballast and has shoal keel.
I don't understand why they'd make such small changes to a boat. Besides the kel, the boats look the same.
Any information is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,

I think i figured it out. The Doug Peterson, '84/'85 "Pearson 27 Triton" boats are made from the US Yachts 27 moulds. They're 9'6" beam, 6250lbs disp, 2024lbs ballast, fin keel, and the most notable difference is the spade rudder with through the hull rudder post.

The William Shaw, '86 to '90 "Pearson 27" boats are completely different boats. They're 9'1 1/2" beam, 5800lbs, 2175lbs ballast, shoal keel, with a transom hung rudder.

The unusual part is none of the things i've ever read about these boats states that the boats are different. It's "the Pearson 27 Triton became the Pearson 27...." So i thought they were the same, but the disp numbers were different, and i totally overlooked the transom hung versus spade rudder in the boat specs. So i looked at the US Yachts 27 which became the Peterson designed Pearson 27 Triton and saw that it was a spade rudder, mystery solved.

Having been saving and looking since 2020, I find it amazing the number of different manuf's and models in the 20 year span of boats I was looking at. Seems like the 70's through late 80's was the heyday of sailing in the US.

Sailboatdata site specs are incorrect for the Doug Peterson boat. Looks like someone mis-typed 2924 when they should've typed 2024, so the ballast to disp number isn't 40, it's 32.8 unfortunately!


Here's the US Yachts boat transom, no rudder.

[Adelie]

Did you let SBD know? They are very good about correcting errors.

[Statistical]

Good detective skills. Sailboat manufacturing from the 1980s was a wild west.

[Supercat568]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Did you let SBD know? They are very good about correcting errors.

Yes, I used their link which have me a tab to write in.
Thank you!

[Shoshana]

Are you talking about the renegade? The Pearson renegade is a salty 27’ ft pocket cruiser designed by Bill Shaw. The mast is @ 1’ shorter than the Triton and the interior is all teak. She’s the perfect day sailor!

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Shoshana

Are you talking about the renegade? The Pearson renegade is a salty 27’ ft pocket cruiser designed by Bill Shaw. The mast is @ 1’ shorter than the Triton and the interior is all teak. She’s the perfect day sailor!

I was half owner of a Pearson Renegade for about ten years way back when. IIRC sold around 1986. Very well built boat but a little tender. The interior was fiberglass with teak trim. The setee, on port would fold down to make a berth. It also had quarter and V berths. It came either as an inboard or an outboard in an engine well in the lazzarette. Mine had the outboard. We did a lot of Lake Michigan miles in that boat.