New member, New boat. 1967 Pearson Commander Hull # 261

[wobbly]

Hello everyone. I am the new owner of a Pearson Commander and look forward to sailing her next spring. I switched from a J-24 to this boat and could not be happier. This boat is in amazing original condition with an inboard atomic four engine. Her name is wobbly and was sailed out of Youngstown N.Y. for many years and was meticulously maintained. Jeff Zimerman

[Commander 147]

Welcome aboard Wobbly!


I love seeing new commanders here because that increases the number of people that can teach me something.

[wobbly]

Thanks! I  really feel like I am starting at square one again with this boat. I need to figure out the traveler system and the basic rigging. Does this sailboat use a boom vang, outhaul, and Cunningham system? I purchased this boat the day before it was hauled and the boom was already off and stored. Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Jeff Zimmerman

[Commander 147]

Well................yes to all of the above for some and no for others.  These boats have been around a long time and there are as many ways to rig them as there are owners.  

I am nearing the end of a long refit and I can tell you how mine will be rigged when it is done.  Others will have different setups and hopefully they will offer you other insights.

Fo me I converted my boom to a fixed gooseneck and because I did I will have a cunningham.  I also am installing a 4:1 purchase on my outhaul which will be internal.  Since we have end boom sheeting most use a traveler at the end of the cockpit.  Mine will be made up of Harken parts which I can give you the part numbers if your interested.  And most captains will have a vang on their commander.  Mine will be an 8:1 cascading soft vang but many like the hydraulic version better.

Buying a new to you boat is always a discovery mission in the beginning.  You have to sift through everything to figure out where you are starting from before you can decide what you might want to change.  But if you have been sailing for any length of time you already know that.

I wish you the best on your discovery mission!!

[Bill]

Does this sailboat use a boom vang, outhaul, and Cunningham system?Any information will be greatly appreciated.
Jeff Zimmerman

Jeff, start searching using key words such as vang, rigging, outhaul, etc. and you should find plenty of opinions and systems to consider.  For best results, use the Google search instruction sticky posted in the Off Topic forum.

[Cup O Tea]

Great boat Jeff - painted coamings!  Where is your engine situated?  Can you post pictures?  I'd love to lose the little outboard I have - it does a good job but it's in the water all the time.   Scott

[ebb]

Interesting subject.
 All pictures of Alberg Commander/Ariels  have mahogany coamings.
Tall varnished coamings on a Commander are two of its most commanding features.
Easy to recognize.

Not all the earlier Pearson Alberg Tritons had wood coamings.
West Coast Tritons have them in fiberglass.  Usually white.

A lighter, stronger material for painted coamings might be made with meranti plywood.
Having no plank grain, (although the two 'A' face vaneers can have very nice mahogany grain)
it's not going to split like it often does.  This high tone plywood will be easier, imco, to get it to
match the fancy paint job on the coachroof. Assuming.

These days I'm hanging with The Alberg Design Fleet of SFBay,  which has a bunch of West Coast Tritons.....
they have molded coamings and very little varnish, except for the handrails.  Could argue, the only place for varnish is inside.
I've already made my Ariel coamings out of honduras, but haven't put them on yet.
It's obligatory to have varnish on an historical little Alberg ship.  Who says so?
Exterior varnish is a PITA!.

I'm seriously thinking of remaking the coamings from 1/2" meranti ply.  It's engineered phillipine mahogany
made with phenolic glue. Can't split, can't delaminate, zero voids, boil tested, lighter, looks pretty....
If I want  winch handle pockets under the winch islands,  the holes aren't  going to weaken it.
With  thin layers of glass on both sides, and white enamel,  I can get a match the hull.  
OR varnish it, put a  cap on it, and nobody would ever guess it wasn't $30 a foot.
Could epoxy it, seal it good,  paint it, then come back later and remove the paint, if I ever really desired varnish torture again.
The top veneers are quite thin, and vunerable to thru sanding.

Anyway, this is to point out that one of the earliest of Alberg's classy boats had gelcoat coamings.  
You know, so you don't have to feel that stripping the paint on yours is necessary in any way!
And white coamings aren't  as hot as varnish in the summer.

[wobbly]

Scott, Thanks for the positive comments. I just purchased this boat and I am on the fence regarding the painted coamings. Part of me wants to strip the paint and bring the mahogany back to life, but the other half likes the fact that paint is much easier to maintain. Just staying on top of the teak on my J boat was a full time job for me. Regarding the inboard, I was really surprised that this boat had an atomic inboard. Just pushing a button and shifting into gear is so great compared to having to fuss with an outboard. There is a removable hatch cover in the middle of the cockpit that exposes the engine for maintenance. The area where the outboard goes is a storage locker. There is also access to the rear of the engine behind the stairs. I will post some photos for you to look at. Looking forward to spring already.
Regards. Jeff

[C-195]

Welcome Jeff / Wobbly;

Very nicely maintained.  Love Wobbly's color and the inboard to boot.  Took my coamings off for a winter restoration project last month.  One has a split in it and figured I could never properly repair it in place.  While I am at it will bring the mahogany back to life.  Will let you know how it turns out.  Happy sailing (in the spring) C-195

[wobbly]

Thanks! it is refreshing having a color other than white for a change. Not sure if it is original though. the shine is amazing. Perhaps being stored indoors most of its life prevented fading. Good luck repairing your coamings this winter. Jeff

[wobbly]

While I was inspecting the sump in my Commander, I noticed triangle shaped weights with a large eye hook imbedded in what looks to be cast iron. Should these be in there? Jeff Z. "Wobbly"

[Bill]

Search the board for ballast discussions using Google. Type this into the Google window: site: pearsonariel.org ballast (no space between the colon and the p)

[wobbly]

Just found some more pics of Wobbly.

[Commander227]

Hi and Welcome.
Wow going from the worlds most uncomfortable boat to the the most comfortable...
Interesting to see the water pump on the front of the A4. I've only seen the gear driven pump on the stbd aft.

[wobbly]

thanks for the response, Regarding the j-24, you are so right regarding the comfort level. having the traveler right in the middle of the cockpit was terrible with the boom chin level a
nd ready to hit you without warning. I have yet to sail the commander so I don't know how it will feel. I cannot wait until next summer to find out. Jeff