Pearson 26 Owners Comments
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Comments and information from Pearson 26 owners. E-mail me to with your comments and I will add them. dan@pfeiffer.net
Tom Ashton (1974, #788, Kona) [ardaground@aol.com] Bellingham, WA
Tom has done extensive work on his keel. He has been kind enough to share his experience. It is written up on my keel page.
Scott Barlow & Pat McNitt (# 792, Andiamo) [swbarlow@earthlink.net] Norfolk, VA
First keeled boat, former wet boat sailor. Excellent condition for her age, sound boat sails well. Could use a larger engine well for the 9.9 to fully come out of the water.
Andiamo Web Site
Scott Beede (1971, #271, Manana) [SBeede@sad22.k12.me.us] Lamoine, ME
Manana has been 'our baby' for five years now. I found her in a lobstermans yard, where she'd languished for almost nine years, added radar, new cushions and charts under fiberglass on all of the surfaces. We love her cabin and her speed for a 26-footer.
Rick and Peg Boyer (1976 #1287, Tamure) [rick.boyer@altavista.net] Swanswa, MA
"My first boat, I couldn't have asked for any better. Incredibly easy to sail, very stable for a new sailor. "
Doug Carmichael(1976 #1410, Whisper) [doug@pamlico.net] Oriental, NC
"I love my boat."
Dave Gibson (1979 #1781, Godfrey Shew) [daveg@fultoncomputer.com] Mayfield, NY ( F )
Pearson made two versions of this boat... a family type cruiser and a "one design" (the OD model had a larger cockpit and a very small cabin). The cruiser was a very popular model, and known for its very good overall sailing abilities. My wife and I purchased ours new in 1979, and have been weekending and racing it for almost twenty years.

Well designed older boats have much going for them. We've been very competitive PHRF racing on our lake in upstate New York, usually with just my wife and me as crew. It sails very easily to its 210 PHRF rating, especially in medium to heavy air. It is also surprisingly competitive in no-air racing, where its 5400 pound displacement has an inertial advantage to ghost through holes.

They do not have the accomodations of more modern boats, lacking quarter berths and forward headroom. The interiors compare with newer 24 footers. This probably accounts for their relatively low resale value. I believe they are a much better buy than used O'Days and Catalinas, for example, because of their superior construction and good sailing qualities.

Dave sold his P26 and moved up to a beautiful Hallberg-Rassy 33 Mistral. Visit his excellent HR web site:
www.fultoncomputer.com/classic.htm


David Greenberg (1973 # 635, Blue Moon) [ Harbormgr@aol.com] Allen Harbor North Kingstown, RI
A 3 cyl. Universal diesel engine rated at 18 hp. has been installed in this boat,turning a 14x12 prop on a 1" stainless shaft.Blue Moon will motor at 7 kts.@2500 r.p.m., burning .75 gals.per hour.
Leonard Grubb(1974, Redemption) [leng9643@aol.com] Fairport, OH
Great "pocket" cruiser. Sails well - Was a dealer for Pearson in the 1970's and always felt that the P-26 was a great family boat - Be Wary if you have a version without the gas tank platform molded in. Gas fumes in the bilge are very dangerous. Make sure your have plenty of ventilation if the tank is below decks.
Carlos Johnson(1973, Sea Dancer) [carlos.johnson@libertymutual.com] Beverly, MA
"An incredibly stable and pleasant craft. She sailed well through a storm on the way from Newcastle to Cape Ann. Comfortable for weekend trips. Wouldn't spend more than a week on her though. She is fast, nimble, and easy to handle. Only flaw is it's difficult to see over the cabin top for working close quarters in harbors, etc. "
Bill Kloepping (OD #224) [kloepping@argontech.net] Greenville, TX
Bill contributed a write up of his rudder bushing repair process on my bushing page.
Fred Moor (# 1535, Little Dipper) [fmoor3@aol.com] South Hero, VT
Fred has has re-sealed his main cabin windows and has donated a write up of his project for the site. Window Leak Repair.
Gary Nelson (OD #29, Release) [seasailor@earthlink.net] Richmond, CA
Great SF Bay boat.
Douglas Nikila (#620, Xingu) [nikkilad@earthlink.net] Kinston, NY
We have done extensive upgrades to Xingu. From gutting the interior including most of the hull liner, reconfiguring the interior, rewiring, complete redo of the exterior, you name it we did it. If anyone would like any info on any aspect of fixing up a P26 please feel free to contact me.
Dan Pfeiffer (1976 #1205, Pyxis) [dan@pfeiffer.net] Fairport, OH
(These comments are taken from my Boat Check Owners Review.)
We are extreemly happy with our P26. We looked at a lot of other boats and think we got more for our money with the Pearson. It held up much better then Catalinas and Hunters of the same vintage that we looked at, partly because it was well cared for but mostly, I think, because it was better built. The longer we have it the more we think we made the right choice. I have made many modifications to improve perfomance and livability. These include longer genoa tracks, in-boom 4:1 outhaul, in-boom topping lift, additional locker space, 2nd battery, re-wiring, enlarged engine well drain, and new bottom. Email me for details and check out my web page. You can click on the link below.
Dan Pfeiffer's P26 Page (you're here now!)

John R. Pollets / Wendy J. Hobbs (1972 #382, Lilly Pea) [pollets@gladlaw.com] Hingham, MA
Great boat and fun to sail. The cast iron keel is a lot of work to maintain and I have delamination around the tiller that needs to be fixed this year. However its worth the effort.
Stuart Rogal (1974 #938, Ariel) [StuartRogel@msn.com] Tampa Bay, FL
Still trying to get this boat shipshape but so far this one has been a beauty. Very fast and responsive. This Pearson was given to me for $10 by a friend who had it for 15 years but had neglected it for the last 5 years. The boat is in very good condition but all systems need a good overhaul and refitting. The work is slow, expensive but fun. This is an excellent family boat. My wife loves it and my 6-year old daughter stands on the cooler that I put in the cockpit sole and sails Ariel with great ease and much zigzagging through the course. This one is going to be a great boat!

Ralph E Stone(1979 #1562, The Wind Belle) [stone@sulphurcanyon.com] Heron Lake State Park, NM [New Mexico Sailing Club]
Thoroughly enjoying the quality, performance, comfort of our Pearson 26. A very common phrase heard at our marina is "Oh, you're the people with the Pearson." It has an excellent reputation even at this far-inland location.
Ted Strudwicke (1972 #414, Adagio) [Tstrudwicke@hotmail.com] Mayo, MD
I've been very impressed with the boat, sails very well for her age and remains stable and controllable through a wide wind range. Although like all older monos she is a bit sluggish in really light air, which is pretty common on the Chesapeake in July/August.
Corey Swanson (1975 #1177, Courtney) [swanny@whidbey.net] Whidbey Island, WA
Corey has his own P26 web site.
Corey Swanson's Pearson 26 Page

Byron Thomas (#1112, Bonnie T) [thomasrcnr@hotmail.com] Saint John, NB. CAN
Byron has has re-sealed his main cabin windows and re-painted his non-skid. He has donated a write up of his projects for the site.
Window Leak Repair | Deck Painting
Ed Vorbach (1974 #779) [DocSkoli@aol.com] Oak Orchard, NY (L. Ontario)
Ed has his own P26 web site.
Ed Vorbach's Pearson 26 Page (and more)

Gary Walter (1975 #1201, KALM) [kalm123@hotmail.com] Toronto, ON CAN
I have enjoyed this boat for several years and have been extremely impressed by her seaworthiness, and the comfort when at the dock as well.
Dave Ward (1978 OD#43) [BrothBlk@aol.com] Chicago, IL
Dave has had new rudder bushings fabricated at a local machine shop. He describes the process on my Rudder Bushing page.
John and Julie Whitney (1979 #1781, Godfrey Shew) [juliwhit@aol.com] Mayfield, NY
Bought the boat to learn to sail and have a place to sleep at the lake. So far its going great. The amazing thing about sailing is how many ways you can do any given thing wrong!
SailNet's Boat Check Owners Reviews
SailNet is a great resource for all sorts of boat info including P26 info. SailNet has a service called Boat Check where owners off all sorts of boats add their names to a list of people willing to share their knowledge. Many of them have posted reviews of the boat for you to read. The P26 is well represented on Boat Check.
SAILNET:
Boat Check - Look for reviews under Pearson 26 and Pearson P26 on Boat Check

More Info...
Practical Sailor review of the P26
Info on buying a P26
P26 Production Time Line
P26 PHRF Ratings
Decoding Pearson Serial Numbers
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