The Pearson 30 was designed by naval architect Bill Shaw. Approximately 1,185 fin-keeled, spade-rudder P30 sloops were produced in Portsmouth, Rhode Island from 1971 to 1981 attesting to her tremendous popularity. The P30 was designed, primarily as a coastal cruiser, however, she had a good turn of speed and was successfully and actively raced throughout the country under PHRF, IOR, and MORC certification. She won the 3/4 Ton North American Championship in 1972.

Pearson was one of the oldest fiberglass boatbuilders in the country. Their Triton and Alberg 35, preceeding the P30, are two of the classic modern boats. In the 1970's, with over 20 years of fiberglass boatbuilding research and development, and practical experience, Pearson had solved most of the construction problems that seemed to plaque some builders. The hull structure is a hand layup in a one-piece mold of alternating plies of 1 1/2-ounce mat and 18-ounce woven roving. Two layers of omnidirectional mat are used beneath the gelcoat. Below the waterline is a solid seven-ply layup, yielding an average bottom thickness of .29 inches. Along the keel, the the plies from each side are overlapped, doubling the thickness. The topside skin is five plies of mat and roving with an average thickness of .21 inches. The deck is a fiberglass/end-grain balsa sandwich. The hull-to-deck joint is made by glassing together the external flanges of the hull and deck and backed up with stainless steel screws every four inches. The ballast is molded lead which is encapsulated in the fiberglass keel molding. Resin is poured over the ballast and locked in place avoiding the need for keel bolts. The mast is deck stepped and made of 6061-T aluminum. It is supported by an oak compression post that is glassed into the top of the keel. Chainplates are bolted to primary structural bulkheads that are glassed in. Much of the interior construction is bonded to the hull, including the fiberglass floorpan and molded headliner. Pearson hull strength is considerate, having slightly heavier scantlings than average. The rigging is strong and somewhat larger than most boats of her type making her very suitable for the coastal cruising conditions she was designed for.

The interior is spacious considering a boat of this vintage and relatively narrow beam. There is plenty of compartmentalized stowage both belowdecks and in the cockpit locker and lazerette. Headroom, in the main cabin is five feet, eleven inches, and six feet, one inch, in the area just under the companionway hatch, near the galley. The cabinet and locker face sufaces are easily cleaned, low-maintenance white formica, trimmed with teak. The headliner is smooth, rounded, and light colored. The forward and aft bulkheads, as well as the door seperating the forward and aft cabins from the head were constructed of plywood and covered with a teak-patterned (non wood) veneer that makes a good candidate for renovating with a fresh coat of mildew-resistant marine-grade paint to lighten up the interior even further, while at the same time reducing the inherent mismatch of simulated wood grain contrasted with real teak. With four portlights (including one in the head, that opens), a forward opening transparent hatch, and two long, main cabin windows, the interior has a clean, airy feeling. There is enough teak trim in the form of handrails, cockpit storage bins, companionway hatch coverings, winch and turning block bases, etc. to provide a classic touch without the heavy maintenance required of traditional all teak interiors and heavily teaked exterior decks and cockpits.

The original 30hp Atomic 4 engine provides adequate power to move through chop and windy conditions. A recent trip in 30 knots of wind with 6 foot chop yielded an average speed, going to windward, with an opposing current of about one knot, of 3 knots/hr. Typical cruising speed is 6 knots plus under power. The venerable A4 engine is relatively quiet and smooth. Access to the engine is easily gained by removing the companionway steps, the quarterberth access cover, or by access from the sail locker. Engine access for routine maintenance is reasonable once you, literally, get the feel for it (some tasks like checking the oil require that you reach around, behind the engine to retrieve the diptick -- since you can't see the dipstick from the access door on the front side of the engine compartment you must feel for it, and with a little practise it becomes easy to find, remove and replace the dipstick. This is necessary when draining the oil as well. However, it's easy to add or replace oil, as the oil filler cap is right in front). Some tasks require some extraodinary flexibility on the part of the mechanic, a common trade-off on a sailboat of this size. My A4 mechanic says the P30's engine compartment is a "ballroom". You've got to like a guy like that. The P30 has excellent handling characteristics under sail. She is very responsive and turns within a very small radius, a useful characteristic when negotiating tight marinas, etc. She will heel over in a breeze quite readily, but seems to love it, even if you manage to bury her rail she is responsive and moves quickly and with a light touch on the helm. She's not stiff, but she feels very secure and has excellent secondary stability, with a maximum range of positive stability of about 120 degrees, according to IMS certificates obtained on a number of P30s that underwent stability testing. When heeled to angles of more than 20 degrees the P30 retains its light, very well-balanced helm making her easy to handle when the breeze kicks up. With the proper sail combination the P30 is comfortable in a wide range of wind conditions. In a 25-30 knot breeze, with a double reef in the main, and 100% jib, she will sail comfortably to windward, heeling to about 25 degrees or so. With the chop at around 3-5 feet she will still make between 5 to 7 knots under sail, assuming no significant opposing current. Under ideal wind and sea conditions (not factoring in a favorable current) she will cruise at around 7+ knots under full sail. Heeled over, her waterline is a bit longer and results in a better than theoretical speed (6.7 knots) for her D.W.L.

The Pearson 30 is simple, clean, well built, safe, fast, and sturdy -- generally speaking, bulletproof. She is very comfortable for two people, such as a cruising couple, and easy to single hand as well, an important consideration when practising crew-overboard rescues. One could comfortably undertake a moderately long trip, for instance, from Seattle's Puget Sound to SE Alaska, encompassing a range of sea and weather conditions, from protected (although not without some very fast currents) inside passage work, through cautious open-ocean coastal cruising on the outside of the islands along the route. The P30 has a nice motion through waves and chop and is surprisingly seakindly, for a moderate-displacement, fin-keeled sailboat. Pearson delivered P30s to many locations, including a number of skippered-deliveries to Bermuda, a 700 mile ocean passage from the east coast of the US where the Pearson 30s where built.

Although the P30 is built rather sturdily and has seen some ocean time, I wouldn't be inclined to sail her offshore on extended passages. The stresses and conditions associated with long ocean crossings are considerably more intense than those related to coastal passages where shelter from harsh weather and seas can usually be found within 1-2 days or less. This is important because it's not likely that you'll be able to wait out a serious storm or series of storms, in the middle of the ocean, without potentially comprimising the structural integrity of a vessel designed primarily for coastal cruising.

For near offshore coastal cruising with the opportunity to duck in out of severe conditions within a day or so, the P30 excels. She is a remarkably good example of an understated, well found, responsive, and very well-balanced production boat with an excellent turn of speed and characteristic of the quality and innovation for which Pearson Yachts built their well-deserved reputation.