1973 Pearson 26

Chancy, a blister-free, 1973 classic Pearson 26 sailboat, has been well used and loved on Lake St. Clair. She’s currently on the hard along the Clinton River, snug on her cradle and ready for her next adventure.

The Pearson makes a perfect first boat, last boat, or the single boat you keep during all phases of your sailing career. She’s small enough to easily singlehand yet can accommodate several people for day sails, overnights or weekend trips. With an enclosed marine head and a compact galley that includes stove, sink and icebox, you can spend your weekends afloat. Her 4 foot draft permits give her free run of most of Lake St. Clair or other shallow bodies of water, but with 2200 lbs of ballast she’ll handle a blow and some chop securely. This Pearson stands up well to her canvas, and even modest breeze makes for enjoyable sailing. A pulpit and lifelines provide an additional sense of security.

In 2013 a routine inspection showed some leakage around the chainplates. After rebedding those, we sistered the bulkheads by thru-bolting 3/4” plywood with stainless bolts. While approached as a one-season solution, the result has been solid and leak-free ever since, and remains in place.

==> Layout: * Forward v-berth accommodates “average” sized sailors, with a sizeable hatch for ventilation * Enclosed head compartment with large hanging locker * In the salon, a long settee to starboard (stowage beneath) * Dinette to port, which can convert to a double berth. (stowage beneath) * Aft end of salon is a split galley, with sink and stowage to port, stove to starboard * Cockpit lockers are huge, providing ample stowage for fenders, lines, fuel, swim toys, dive tanks, and whatever else you bring along. * Ample motor well aft of the rudder accommodates whatever outboard you care to use, permitting easy access and simplifying tipping the engine up to reduce drag

Equipment: ==> Includes: * All necessary standing and running rigging * Traveler mounted at the end of the cockpit * Two Lewmar 16 self-tailing winches with locking handles * Original standard winch at the mast to handle the jib and main. * 7 sails: Main with reef point, spare main, working jib, 130% genoa, 170% genoa, drifter, asymmetric spinnaker * Mainsail cover and jib cover permit you to stow your sails without removing them from the boat * Ritchie bulkhead-mounted compass * Depth sounder * Knot meter, which was not working when last used in 2019. We used a GPS instead * Two Danforth anchors with chain and rode * Anchor roller, with a deck pipe to provide easy stowage for the rode * Interior cushions are original, but are dry, not musty, and as unstained as 1970s plaid Herculon can be. * Recently installed Jabsco marine head with holding tank, high quality hoses with anti-siphon valves. A Marelon seacock secures the freshwater inlet. There is no overboard discharge, so the system is completely Great Lakes legal. * Galley with manual water pump at the sink and a propane stove. A small cooler is built in beneath the cockpit * Basic cookware, plates, cups, cutlery. * Type III life jackets * Type IV flotation cushions * Flare gun and a variety of flares, which have surely expired * First aid kit * Miscellaneous “boat giblets” - bucket, rigging pins, cotters, screws, bolts, etc * Dock lines, fenders, fender board * Additional cleats at the bow and amidships to simplify mooring, tie-offs and raft ups * Cockpit mounted manual bilge pump * Running lights and cabin lights all function * Older, fully functional VHF radio. A new antenna is needed at the masthead * Guest 10 amp (5 5) charger can accommodate one or two batteries * Wired for shorepower, with a 50’ shorepower cable included

==> Needs: * A good cleaning. She’s dry inside, but spent all last season on the hard after little use the prior year. * A crack in the inside of the motorwell needs to be fiberglassed. A substantial person decided to stand in the motorwell, which it was not designed to accommodate. This is readily accomplished from inside the cockpit locker. * Bottom needs to be prepped and painted. No blisters * Bring your own outboard motor.