Choosing a Blue Water Boat

[captainstubbie]

OK, I have looked at & surveyed only to walk away some Pearson 365 ketch cruisers. To be honest, the V-drive scares me.....

In looking around, I have found some nice Allie - Mistress & Princess - can anyone tell me the pros and cons of them?

Your help is very much appreciated. Hope to keep her on Lake Superior for 2 years and then off to destinations unknown.

[captainstubbie]

Allied, typo..........my bad

[daddle]

What's wrong with a V-drive? Like a Hurth?

[captainstubbie]

not opposed to one, maybe just got frustrated with the survey issue and one surveyor simply did not like it. tell me more......

[Mambo]

Go to the pearson owners site and see whether the v drive is an issue. I suspect it isn't. Most 365 owners I have talked to about their boats really like them. You can find reasons not to buy any boat. A 365 is a widely respected boat -- if you are satisfied that you are in the right general category for your intended use and your preferences for style / design, then I wouldn't second guess your decisions too muc. Nice boats.

[daddle]

A V-drive transmission (E.g. Hurth) has no special issues. Some boats have a regular transmission and then a separate V-drive unit. Again no special issues. One extra drive shaft in the second case.

Sometimes the V-Drive setup puts the stuffing box under the engine. That's a pain, but in the scheme of things no big deal.

Saildrives are another issue. More love-hate there.

[skipmac]

Have a Pearson with a V-drive and am getting more familiar with the system every day. If you want to read a lot about long term experience, loves and hates from a large group of users go to pearson424.org :: Index

Generally they are acknowledged to be reliable and sturdy. My main concern/complaint is access. Part of my overhaul plan is to rebuild the stuffing box but it is up under the engine and transmission. Want to replace the motor mounts anyway so will disconnect the engine and jack it up and redo the stuffing box at the same time.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by skipmac

My main concern/complaint is access. Part of my overhaul plan is to rebuild the stuffing box but it is up under the engine and transmission. Want to replace the motor mounts anyway so will disconnect the engine and jack it up and redo the stuffing box at the same time.

G'Day all,

The above is enough of an issue for me to rule out this boat. To not be able to access the stuffing box readily is a serious safety issue IMO. Ya know, those buggers can sink your boat!

Otherwise, I'd agree that for the most part Pearson's were well thought of boats for many years.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Trinity Inlet, Cairns, Qld, Oz

[hpeer]

Geeze,

The poor guy was asking for some help on the pros and cons of an Allied - Mistress & Princess and he gets a lecture on something else instead.

Back on topic anyone?????

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Geeze,

The poor guy was asking for some help on the pros and cons of an Allied - Mistress & Princess and he gets a lecture on something else instead.

Back on topic anyone?????

A lecture? Doesn't look like a lecture in any way to my reading, just information and answers offered in a respectful way.

And, if you look at the OP's third post in the thread he specifically asks for more information on the V-Drive.

[Dockhead]

I think comments on the P365 and specifically the v-drive are entirely on topic.

I have some years of experience with this boat and found the v-drive to be bulletproof. As Skipmac said, the real issue is access, which is a nightmare. But the P365's were all built (as far as I know) with the Westerbeke 4-108 which is just about a bulletproof engine as you could hope to find. Spews oil all over the place, but that's how you know it's healthy! I would not be turned off from the P365 because of the propulsion system, which on the whole is good, effective, and reliable. Another advantage is that it has quite a lot of power for the size of boat (50 horsepower depending on which rating you believe).

If you check the archives you can find a lot of information on the P365. In a couple of words, this is a very strong, seaworthy, seakindly sea boat which will take you anywhere you want to go. Quite poor sailing qualities due to long keel and simple rig. Slow, tubby, and forget about sailing any place vaguely upwind. Good thing the motor is powerful and reliable, because P365 sailors use it a lot. Cramped accomodation for the size of boat because there is no accomodation aft of the companionway -- all that space is devoted to deck storage, which is exceptionally capacious for that size of boat. Nice heads compartment with separate stand up shower, nice nav table, but the boat is cramped for more than two people, maybe three if two are a couple. Read the archives.

You'll have to ask someone else about the Allieds as I have no direct experience. They look sturdy and seaworthy to me, and probably more comfortable than the P365. But that keel! That will be a porky, slow sailer, I bet.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

G'Day all,

The above is enough of an issue for me to rule out this boat. To not be able to access the stuffing box readily is a serious safety issue IMO. Ya know, those buggers can sink your boat!

Otherwise, I'd agree that for the most part Pearson's were well thought of boats for many years.

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Trinity Inlet, Cairns, Qld, Oz

I have to admit that the access problems gave me great pause when buying a v-drive setup. After careful consideration I decided that access to the adjusting nuts on the packing glands was adequate. The main problem is access to the connection between the stuffing box assembly and the hull.

Since I have not yet been able to see it I am assuming that like most boats this connection is a heavy rubber hose that clamps to a fiberglass nipple on the boat side and the end of the stuffing box on the other. Based on the condition of the boat from the previous owner I am also assuming that this hose is the original 1984 rubber so time to replace. This will be the hard part to access but then not an annual maintenance item so decided I could live with it.

[captainstubbie]

thanks for the mind easing replies on the 'bullet proof' design of the power train.....that helps. still wondering about the allied boats though- can anyone tell me more about them? i didn't find a good web site to peruse when i googled it. thanks all in advance........btw - killing frost here last week, most MN boats are on the hard for the winter.....the gales of november be a comin' soon! ugh!!!!!

[skipmac]

Hi,

Well I can't offer first hand experience on the Allied boats but back in a previous life I was a yacht broker and general opinion among serious cruisers was very good. Solid boats built in the early days of fiberglass so "overbuilt" by today's standards.

Performance reasonable to good for a boat designed for cruising. Accommodations good. Finish and woodwork ok. If you haven't found it there is an article about the Allied boats here Allied Seabreeze, Mistress, Princess: A Diverse Fleet of Classic Plastics - Cruising World

My main caution would be that they are getting older. I think production was mid to late seventies so inspect carefully the structural things that could make the boat too expensive to fix. For me that would be major deck delamination, bulkhead failures, serious hull-deck joint problems, etc.

[billsull]

Hi Cap'n,

I have an Allied Seawind 30, so I can't speak directly about the Mistress and Princess models, but in general, Allied built a bullet-proof hull and installed a fairly simple and small interior relative to newer designs. If you are looking for an older boat that will do its part to get you to your destination safely, there are few better than an Allied, When it comes to the Seawind 30 though, just make sure your destination isn't upwind or somewhere that requires backing down under power - those are not it's strong suits!

Hull to deck joints can be an issue on the Seawind 30 model, but I think they resolved that problem on most of their other designs. Check out these yahoo groups:

alliedboatco : A discussion group for owners and enthusiasts of Allied Boat Company cruising sailboats
Allied_Seawind_II : Mailing list of the Allied Seawind II Owner's Association.

Seawind II owners also have a good website:
Allied Seawind II Home Page

I love my Allied and I think you will find that to be the case with the other Allied owners in those groups. Good luck with the boat search!