The Fabulous Pearson Wanderer

NEW STUFF!! The Pearson Wanderer -

"Not all those who wander are lost."
(JRR Tolkien).

THIS BOAT IS FOR SALE. GO TO:
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/newp-wanderer/ for many more photos, plus details and an inventory of equipment.

Finally, after nearly forty years, here is a web site for the Pearson Wanderer. You can ask questions here, or add your own pictures and text about sailing you have done with your Wanderer, improvements you have made, or problems you are having. I've created this site for you, the Wanderer owner, prospective owner, or fan. Just send me an e-mail with your text, and attach pictures as jpeg files of less than 30k. To send me email just click on the button at the bottom of this page, or send to pquorum@aol.com.

Interesting fact: Top professional sailors Ken Read and his brother Brad grew up racing and cruising on his family's Wanderer.

FOR UPDATES TO THIS PAGE - Go to the bottom of this page and click on the WANDERER PAGE UPDATES link. This is probably klugey, but it's progress compared to what I have been doing.

I'm Peter O. Allen, Sr., of Rochester, New York. I thought we retired in 1997 when Peggy and I sold our business, but then she got an offer she couldn't refuse and has been happily working ever since.

I then took a part-time job in Sodus Point as a broker with a regional yacht sales agency. We moved our Wanderer to Sodus Bay (about 35 miles east of Rochester) to use as a cottage and a place for me to stay while working up there. It's a great place to sail.

Three years later I took a new part-time job with the BoatU.S. retail Marine Center two miles from our home. It's great to get paid to talk about sailing! after West Marine bought BoatU.S. I moved to their store in the Harbor District of Rochester. We left the boat in Sodus Bay for two years, but now have it at Genesee Yacht Club in Rochester.

Our boats - I have sailed since 1967, racing and cruising a variety of boats ranging from an Interclub frostbite dinghy, to Lasers, Snipes, an Ideal 18, O'Day Mariner, J/22, J/27 (my favorite keel boat), two different Pearson 26s, a 24' Hinterhoeller Shark, and now our Wanderer. Peggy and I campaigned the Snipes, Pearson 26 and the two J/Boats around the Northeast and as far south as Tampa Bay. We retired from racing in 1994. I am a Certified Race Officer and still enjoy racing on OPBs (other peoples' boats). We don't race the Wanderer, but do have a PHRF certificate for her, so the possibility of participating exists. We also have a 12.5' Zodiac (FR 380) that will plane with its 5 hp outboard, even with two aboard. And we have a 1960s vintage O'Day 7/11 sailing/rowing dinghy that makes an interesting harbor toy. In the fall of 2005 we bought an Alden Appledore, an 18' Adirondack guide boat, for rowing around on the bays and rivers. What a nice boat!

Our Wanderer

Our Wanderer is a 1968 model, #116. It is the first with the "new" deck, with fiberglass coamings. Our deck's non-skid is that beloved Seafoam Green, which explains the background color of this web page. Between 1966 and 1973 Pearson built 177 Wanderers, plus an unknown number of Coasters, the deep-keeled version of the Wanderer.

The new deck is easily distinguished by its molded cockpit coamings, among other features. We are trying to locate all the Wanderers.

We bought #116 in suburban Boston in April 1998. She is named "Canto" and has an all wood interior (as opposed to wood-grained Formica), Barient #23 self-tailing sheet winches plus spinnaker winches, and an aft galley with no quarter berths. She won out over four other Wanderers that we inspected during a weekend's One Lap of New England by car.

The Engine - She has a late issue, fresh-water use only, Atomic Four. I don't know what happened to the original engine, but this one is from a 1982 C&C 34 from Toronto. We've been very pleased with the engine, which has an electronic ignition.

Sails, Furler & Reefing - Canto was apparently raced extensively during her early years and came with a large inentory of sails. The best of these would have been rejected by any self-respecting house painter looking for drop cloths. But we used them for the first season as it was already May and we wanted to get sailing.

Really Old Sails - I've been around sailing - both racing and cruising - for a few decades and knew the Sobstad name in sails. But I had never before seen a sailmaker's label - a light blue square - with just the name "Larry Sobstad" on it in white block letters; really vintage stuff! We replaced the sails with a main, a 150% and a 100% from Haarstick Sailmakers, a quality loft here in Rochester.

We also installed a Furlex roller furling unit at the beginning of the second season. For general sailing purposes "the next time" I would get a ~125% genoa. The 150 is just a tad too big for much of the sailing I want to do. The original number one that came with the boat had a 180% overlap, so the boat will handle more. But if the air is that light I can motor.

I am very pleased with the Furlex unit. I installed it myself and found the kit to be very complete and easy to install. If you have the original pattern (low-aspect) working jib, you will find that it works best when the sheets are lead outside the forward lower and then inside the upper shroud and aft lower, to a block in the side deck by the main saloon windows.

While she came with geared roller reefing on the boom, we have installed jiffy-reefing, which gives much better sail shape and is quicker to implement. Sail Care's lazy jack kit was installed to control the main and keep it out of the skipper's view when dropping the main. We kept the spinnaker, reacher/drifter, and staysail from the original inventory, but don't use them much. An asymmetrical spinnaker is a possible future purchase.

Other Modifications - Canto's original lifelines were cracked and rusty, so I had replacements made. One of the original spruce spreader's root was dry rotted. I probably could have filled the root with epoxy. But I decided I didn't want to have to think about it. So I had a set of tapered airfoil aluminum spreaders made up by JSI's spar shop in St. Petersburg, Florida. They did a beautiful job and I've never regretted my decision.

I replaced the cap (upper) shrouds and the backstay when I installed the Furlex unit. The Furlex kit comes with a new forestay, so now all the upper rigging was new. New turnbuckles were installed on all the upper rigging, just as a precaution. This spring I will split the backstay, for easier boarding from the transom-mounted swim ladder. I installed lengths of PVC pipe as turnbuckle boots. The boots on the upper shrouds are extra long, extending about 15" above the lifelines. These let the lifelines lead outside the shrouds without chafing through their soft vinyl covers. This effectively widens the side decks. There are no caps on the turnbuckle covers. Let the spiders live without a roof! Finally, I replaced the original halyards with 3/8" StaSetX.

Electrical - During our second winter with Canto I decided to replace her electrical distribution panels. She came with two, six-switch Perko fuse panels, which were showing the effects of 30 years of exposure to salt spray by growing blue-green crystals from every crevice. I elected to install a BlueSeas model 8068 breaker panel with 13 breakers, plus an ammeter and voltmeter. The voltmeter has a switch that lets me look at the state of charge of up to three batteries.

I think about added a third battery in its own box on the port side, but haven't done it yet. AC power is supplied by an outdoor extension cord with a threeway adapter. It is mostly used to power the West Marine charger that keeps our two gel cells filled. Footman loops were thrubolted to the bottom of the battery box, to securely contain the batteries in the event of a knockdown.

While I was at it, I rerouted the primary electrical circuit. For some reason Pearson installed the master switch on the port side of the cabin, while the batteries and the electrical panels were on the starboard side. I was able to eliminate at least eight feet of heavy electrical cable by moving the master switch to the starboard side, between the batteries and the panel. I also installed a master circuit breaker, in compliance with ABYC code.

The general wiring was mostly in good condition. The only wiring I have replaced so far is about three feet abaft each forward running lights (from the bow). I just kept cutting back until I found wire that wasn't green. The wire is of excellent quality, finely stranded copper, but is not tinned. I have a copy of Pearson's wiring diagram. If you would like a copy drop me an e-mail.

Mast Step - Canto's last owner, after the money had changed hands, mentioned the "shower" in the head compartment. After the first rain I knew what she meant, as we found a small leak where the radio antenna had been led through a hole drilled in the mast step.

I removed the mast step and saturated the holes (with GitRot) where the four lag screws had held the step to the cabintop. That was a small mistake! The GitRot ran down where the water had been going and glued the trim to the wooden partitions that form the compression posts for the mast step. I hope I never have to take that wood apart. I have now drilled out those holes to 3/4" and filled each with 406 filled WEST epoxy. This completely filled and sealed each hole. I then drilled out each hole to accept 3/8" lag screws, without breaking through the new, filled-epoxy cores.

Currently the massive mast step itself is being sandblasted and painted. I've added a couple of quarter inch drain holes in the side webs adjacent to the widest part of the mast.

Chainplates - I noticed a little water at the head of one of the vee berths and found that the forward port chainplate was leaking. The Wanderer is blessed with chainplates that are easy to access. I pulled all six to inspect them, as I had heard tales of catastrophic chainplate failures. After wire brushing and dye testing it was obvious that they were all in good condition. While they were out I sealed the core around holes in the deck with filled-epoxy. There wasn't much to seal, but a little balsa coring was showing in a couple of the holes. I then used a 3/4" countersink in my drill motor to rout out a large "V" around the perimeter of each chainplate hole. This produced a deep reservoir to accept a lot of caulk once the chainplates were reinstalled, using new fasteners. I then filled the routed-out reservoir around the top of each chainplate with BoatLife's LifeCalk. My expectation is that this thick collar of caulk (as opposed to the original thin film seal) will remain solid and flexible and will stay attached to both deck and chainplate, and be watertight for years to come. It sure looks better (you can't see it at all under the chainplates' little keeper plates) and will certainly be more effective than the gobs of silicone a previous owner had slopped around each chainplate.

Dodger - We added rear braces to the dodger's framework, to stabilize it. We leave the dodger up all the time. We have also installed fore-and-aft grab rails to the outer top sides of the dodger, to provide a secure handhold when going forward. It's not a pilothouse, but it provides great shelter from both sun and rain.

That Wooden Rudder - The Wanderer came with a wooden rudder comprising four planks that are pinned together with several long bronze rods that are in turn welded to the stainless steel rudderpost. Prospective buyers often express concern when they see a boat that has been out of the water for more than a few weeks, as the wood planks have dried out and shrunk, leaving space between the planks. This is perfectly normal and should not cause any concern. Several Wanderers have fiberglass rudders. At least a couple of owners swear that these are factory built. I doubt this, as it is not listed on the factory published options list, but you never know. A careless yard crew cracked the top outboard tip of our rudder several years ago. I bolted WEST epoxied 1/4" plywood plates to each side of the damaged area and then epoxied over the whole repair. So far the repair is holding up very well, but the rudder is getting old and shaky. I will have it covered this spring with fiberglass and epoxy, as many others have done.

Miscellaneous - The rudder gudgeon (the shoe at the bottom of the rudder) has been rebushed. A tillerpilot is being installed. A deep (long) swim ladder has been installed on the transom. Nicro 24-hour solar vents have been added in the head and over the galley and work well.

I've installed 30" handrails on either side of the forward hatch. These are mostly to keep the genoa sheets from catching under the hatch cover when tacking. Some Pearsons don't seem to need this, but if you have the problem this is a great enhancement. You might even appreciate the extra handhold! I borrowed this idea from an early Wanderer I found docked in Green Cove Springs, Florida. A photo of this modification is posted.

While it's a small thing, I am especially pleased with my replacement for the incredibly cheap, plastic thruhull that Pearson used as a fairlead for the centerboard pendant. Every Wanderer I've seen has the same cheap, worn fitting. What an anomaly this fitting is compared to the rest of the boat!

I bought a 3/4" bronze thruhull. I chucked it into a friend's lathe, smoothed its bore, then "belled" its mouth, to give the pendant a smooth, round surface to run over on its way to the cleat. I get a kick out of it every time I look at it. It looks so nautical, especially when I remember how crappy the original worn fitting looked. An anchor roller has been installed on the bow and is a real back saver.

What Else Does She Need? - The original deck has been regelcoated. Her topsides were tired and got a new coat of paint in 2004. The upholstery has been renewed.

See my blog for more information on the unexpected 2004-2005 restoration of Canto.

Sailing the Wanderer

We sail our Wanderer out of Genesee Yacht Club, on Lake Ontario, at Rochester, New York. We are members of Genesee and Newport Yacht Clubs, both in Rochester. The opening photo was taken in 2003, while we served as principal race officer of a Snipe regatta for Newport YC,on Irondequoit Bay, off Lake Ontario.

I think Canto is at her best sailing to windward in heavy air. She loves it! With the main eased just a tad she has steered herself to weather for hours, with just an occasional nudge on the helm when a rogue wave knocks her a little off course. But she's no slouch in light to moderate air, either. And if the going gets tough, the Wanderer heaves-to very nicely, while you fix lunch or catch forty winks.

Our best passage to date has been a broad reach of 78 nautical miles in 12h 40m, under double reefed main and working jib. Under these conditions she wanted her centerboard down, to help overcome some weather helm. Oh my, did she ever fly; it was an exhilarating sail! We also made a heavy air run from Rochester to Sodus Bay, a distance of around 30 sm, in just over four hours, staying with several much more modern designs with lower ratings. During that run one of the other skippers noted that he had gybed the boat four times; twice intentionally. The Wanderer was easy to handle with full main and working jib, sailing deep reaches and gybing easily, with just Peggy and I aboard.

The Centerboard Question
Several prospective Wanderer buyers have asked about the centerboard. Is it a problem? Does it have to be locked down for stability? Et cetera.

The Wanderer was Bill Shaw's first design for Pearson after he signed on as the company's General Manager. Shaw came to Pearson from Sparkman & Stephens (with a two-year detour to work for John D. Rockefeller III). While Shaw was with S&S that firm was probably the foremost designer of racing/cruising keel/centerboard sailboats. These included Finisterre, a 39' yawl that was known worldwide as an extremely successful racer and cruiser. I suspect some of the S&S experience can be found in the lines of the Wanderer. Shaw also designed and built "Trina," a 24 foot keel/centerboarder that became the prototype for the S&S Dolphin, a very successful pocket cruiser.

Pearson soon introduced the Pearson 35 (This was actually the second 35 from Pearson. Earlier they built the Alberg 35.) and Pearson 33. Both evolved from the Wanderer and are very similar, as did the Pearson 39. Don't confuse these late 60s/early 70s designs with later Pearson models that use the same designations. Pearson wasn't big on using "Mark II" in their model numbers. See Dan Pfeiffer's outstanding web site (link shown below) for more information on both the Wanderer and most of the other Pearson models. He has some excellent technical information on the Wanderer. I have also given a link to the P-35 web site, as many of the upgrades shown there are applicable to the Wanderer. The Coaster has a deep keel and draws 4' 6" versus the Wanderer's draft of 3' 6." The Coaster was modified to fit into MORC's requirement that racers be under 30 feet LOA, while the Wanderer is 30' 3" LOA. Go figure.

Back to the centerboard: The Wanderer's centerboard is solid fiberglass, with a small chunk of lead in the lower tip, just to help the board drop down. Five years ago I carried the board across the yard without help. I had removed it to facilitate painting inside the trunk with antifouling.

The boat is entirely stable and comfortable with the board either up or down. All her righting moment comes from her hull form and the considerable amount of lead that lies in her keel, on either side of the centerboard trunk. With the board down she will point higher, just as she should. Off the wind the board will bang around in its slot a little, but it's a small price to pay. Pearson built a small number of Wanderers with a pilothouse deck. This model, known as the Pearson 300, had NO centerboard, demonstrating that the boat will sail to weather with no board down.

Sailing in heavy air she is generally as dry as any other 30 foot sailboat. She sails to weather quietly, with no banging, slamming, or bouncing such as will be experienced in most fin keelers. She coddles her crew and treats them well, as would be expected of such a hull.

While commissioning Canto for her first season I pulled the board's pivot pin and found very little wear. It should be good for another 30 years or more. The pendant does need to be inspected periodically, especially if you are in salt water. The owner of a New Jersey Pearson 33 (derived from the Wanderer) tells me he has replaced the wire pendant with StaSetX and doesn't worry about it any more.

For more information on the restoration of Canto, go to http://www.sailblogs.com/member/newp-wanderer/

Links to other Pearson sites:

Dan's Pearson Site
Pearson 35 web site (very helpful)
Wanderer Page Updates

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