Newbie and a Pearson 422?s

[Kalimniosjohn]

Originally Posted by Paperbird

Another 422 here, sitting in Eleuthera as i type this. Also did a complete refit including repower. Very satisfied with the boat. The crew is def the weak link in the system!

Also have lots of notes that we could share.

BTW- there might be a 422 willing to be sold in Treasure Cay in the Abacos. At least there was last season

Excellent, congrats on the refit! I like notes, but I cannot Private message yet. My email however is J . Kalimnios at yahoo . Com

Originally Posted by buzzstar

You will find almost as many opinions about "best" as you will find boats. A couple of general thoughts may be worthwhile. No matter what anyone says, keep in mind it is your dream, your budget, and (I do not necessarily mean this in the full meaning of the word) your problem. The bigger the boat, the higher the expenses. You do not say how many would be involved, but you might find something in the mid to high thirty foot range more doable on the longer term if you like what you are doing. Cutters are indeed great, particularly if running. In the area where your initial sailing will be you might find a ketch more desirable, but maybe not. Both rigs tend to be easier to handle than a sloop. also keep in mind that draft is important in many places, and I do not mean shallow draft alone. One possible important thought, while I think your monthly budget is low, I definitely can be incorrect, but I truly believe some decent portion of your $100k probably belongs in a reserve. It is with great envy (because I cannot do it again), I say have fun with your venture and enjoy the adventures.

Ah yes I'm sorry, it will be just my girlfriend and I. My ultimate goal is the South Pacific and beyond, however I think the first year will be spent in the Bahamas close to home. Year two will be spent in the Caribbean, and after that to the pacific. The only reason for wanting to be in the 40ft range is "stuff". Both my girlfriend and I are avid divers, she an instructor currently working on a dive live aboard. We very much plan to bring all our dive gear and a compressor. I want to dive remote reefs that are as close to pristine as possible. That said we may be off the beaten path for large bits of time. So I wonder how necessary a water maker becomes..? Plus I'd like to have a pretty decent amount of solar power. It just seems like much of this we will have a hard time fitting on a 35. Any truth to that?

Thanks for the concern about my budget, the 100k I mentioned for the boat is only my boat budget. I was planning on $70,000 for the boat and $30,000 for upgrades. The cruising kitty a separate budget which may need to be increased somehow, and still different is the "bail out" fund which will be approx $150,000.
All of these numbers could change depending on the sale of the house though. The only one I feel is concrete is the bail out fund.

[JPA Cate]

Sorry, I don't have a link for it, but some friends just recently installed some flexible solar panels on top of their bimini. A PM (when you can do them) to Sapient Sue on this forum could elicit the physical size of the panels, and their output.

Jim & I cruised 18 yrs. on a boat without a dive compressor. Do find a way to bring it. Having to rely on others for re-fills is a real pita.

Another boat you might consider is a Petersen 44. Might be able to hide a compressor under the bed in the aft cabin.

Ann

[Kalimniosjohn]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Sorry, I don't have a link for it, but some friends just recently installed some flexible solar panels on top of their bimini. A PM (when you can do them) to Sapient Sue on this forum could elicit the physical size of the panels, and their output.

Jim & I cruised 18 yrs. on a boat without a dive compressor. Do find a way to bring it. Having to rely on others for re-fills is a real pita.

Another boat you might consider is a Petersen 44. Might be able to hide a compressor under the bed in the aft cabin.

Ann

Hey, Ann! Thanks for the tip on flexible solar panels. I'll have to research that.

Yes we definitely want to be able to dive as frequently as we feel the desire. I am an avid free diver also, so did consider forgoing the compressor. However, Liz enjoys scuba much more then freediving and I want this experience to be equally as enjoyable for her as I know it will be for me. So the compressor is a must. Do you have one on board now? What kind is it? Would you recommend it to others? If anything, what would you change about it?
Thanks in advance!
John

[Dave22q]

I fear your budget is a little tight. Not a lot for maintenance and those little surprises that crop up on older boats. That said, your plan is not unreasonable just tight. In fitting out your new boat I would restrict my 'nice to have' additions in order to reserve $20k or so as an emergency fund.

[robert sailor]

Your planning a long cruise to far away ports which is great. Try to find a boat that might cost a bit more but has recently been refitted and kept up to a high standard. You can't afford a bargin with your future plans as you have laid them out. If it means a smaller boat then so be it. We also enjoy diving and carry all our gear onboard but no compressor, having one would be great. We have over the years been able to get them filled in many areas but never in the out of the way places we love. Fortunately we've managed to hang out with others who have compressors in those situations and have been able to pay for refills or supplying them with excessive fuel for their compressor. But as Anne said, it's not the best situation but I'd compromise if necessary to buy a boat that you can afford.

[Kalinowski]

We've owned a sloop rig for 20 years before our 9 year love affair with our Pearson 424 ketch. She's berthed in Honolulu. I have to say that we really enjoy the ketch rig because of the many sail options. My son sails her by himself.

The Pearson is a well built, sturdy yacht and a great liveaboard. The two companion ways are a great feature that gives the aft cabin complete privacy.

Tot Pinney, a frequent contributor to Sail and Cruising World is selling Silverheels. His price is $100k. If you could afford it, this would be the 424 to buy as The maintenance has been first rate and the upgrades numerous. You could set sail for anywhere in the world tomorrow if desired.

Visit the Pearson 424 owner website for a rundown on the boat and availabilities. Welcome aboard.

[Kalimniosjohn]

Yes I have been in contact with Tor, and he like a true steward to the sailing community echoed what others have said, and mentioned that a smaller boat might be in my best interest first. And I being the stubborn person that I am insisted that I think I know what I'm doing and asked to see silverheels in April when he and she arive in Florida. So I will go to see her and if it is meant to be, it will be.

[JPA Cate]

, Liz enjoys scuba much more then freediving and I want this experience to be equally as enjoyable for her as I know it will be for me. So the compressor is a must. Do you have one on board now? What kind is it? Would you recommend it to others? If anything, what would you change about it?
Thanks in advance!
John

Sorry, John, no help here, we just still have tanks, but are slowing down on the diving, any way, and mostly use a hookah for cleaning the bottom, these days.

A.

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

... and mostly use a hookah for cleaning the bottom, these days.A.

Any particular hookah brand or arrangement. I've never used one, but to me it seems less hassle, even though I've been SCUBA diving since the 1950's. Age has its necessities.

[Gabriel Heyman]

Hi John,

It is interesting to read about your thoughts and plans. We had a similar reasoning 9 years ago when buying 'Juno', our P 424, but for somewhat different reasons.

I had something like 40 years of experience of sailing, cruising mostly, in Scandinavian waters, Scotland, and the Mediterranean and my wife had a similar background when we decided in 2008 to look for a find a simple, sturdy and well-conceived cruising yacht in the United States. We both wanted to see new waters and we were longing to sail in a warmer climate.

Now, this wasn't as easy as that. The thing is, I am a yacht designer (see website at Start - Heyman Yachts)
This does not make me terribly rich though and sad as it may be I cannot really afford the yachts I design. But I have very specific demands on a yacht I can see myself owning. Not that it needs to be particularly fancy, but it has to satisfy a number of basic design requirements: Relatively easy to manage, a robust build, a clever layout, technically straightforward, a good cockpit.

Being a yacht designer myself, I also looked at things like volume distribution of the hull, keel position, rudder size, rig position in relation to the underbody, steering / handling and stability. I would nevery buy a yacht like many of the modern cruisers with keels too far forward and a tendency to lose control and broach, even on the wind. I have never really been tempted by yachts from 70s to late 80s with very small transoms and cramped cockpits.

In addition, for the sailing we had in mind, I wanted a shoal draft yacht.

The Pearson 424 is an excellent design in all these respects. (The 422 maybe not so much, because its cockpit is somewhat too small, with lower coamings, and is placed too high up and too far forward for my liking. I felt the motion would risk being somewhat uncomortable, like riding a camel)

We started in your part of the world, in Florida, took the Amtrak up the coast to New York and stopped in several places looking at 424s for sale. After a few decades, it turned out these yachts were very different...
We did find one though which had had its engine replaced for a more modern Perkins diesel and had a very fresh set of sails - having to replace either is usually one of the greatest costs for a boat owner! In addition, it had had major improvements in the galley.

This yacht, called 'JUNO', has been our summer home and escape for the past 9 years and has turned out to be just what I hoped, and in some respects better than anticipated.

We have made a number of significant improvements of course. One of the most significant was changing her fxed propeller for an Autoprop (mentioned earlier in this thread), a highly efficient propeller for motoring but also feathering under sail. I believe (yes, really!) that we gained just over a knot under engine, and close to a knot under sail.

With a smooth bottom and the right prop, the P 424 doesn't point very high into the wind (the basic physics apply for all designs) but she runs along at a good speed and is always enjoyable. We have added a gennaker with a snuffer, a spinnaker and a spinnaker staysail to get the most out of her in the relatively light winds when cruising between Long Island Sound and Maine.

In addition, we have made major upgrades to things that make her brighter and cleaner and more attractive to be on board - new hatches letting in more light, new canvas, complete new upholstery, a perfect cockpit table, things like that. When cruising, you spend days and weeks on board, sometimes without even getting off the boat, and it was absolutely vital to us that she is clean and attractive. We are usually only two on board, sometimes with two guests.

I don't think there has been anything in our 9 years with this yacht that we regret or would do differently today. If anybody is interested, we have put her up for sale though. Travelling back and forth between Europe and USA to do a little maintenance or sail her has become too demanding and we are again making new plans. (Is it very inappropriate to mention that she is on Yachtworld, under P 424 'Ketch' I think, located in Bristol, RI?)

This time, I believe, we will be buying another old (10 years older, in fact) shoal-draft design, located in Greece. Again, with a fresh engine and fresh sails. Will be interesting to see what this new chapter brings...

I wish you the best of luck in your hunt for a Pearson 42x ! To me, it sounds like a good plan.
Best regards,
Gabriel Heyman
heymanyacths.com