Pearson Wanderer and Coaster

[Nick_ander]

(I moved this here because it is a more appropriate place to ask this question.)

I have been researching boats for awhile now. It is amazing what reality does to your big ideals. On the other hand those big ideals may be the things that rob you of what you were looking for in the first place. Though small boats have their disadvantages, I think their capabilities, simplicity, cost, and overall experience out way most of those disadvantages. The one thing that I don't want to compromise on is my safety threshold. I has a certain amount of risk that I am willing to be ok with. We all do. We get in passenger vehicles daily (most of us.) That brings me to the question of the Wanderer and then the Coaster.

Obviously, there is a bit of "beefing up" that needs to be done, but given that, is the Wanderer a boat that any of you would cross oceans in? Would you feel safe circumnavigating in such a vessel? The general ratios that people like to look at say that even with its shoal keel, it fits the bill. Those numbers however could be deceiving. These boats are rumored to sail well at all points of sail with the centerboard up as it is light, but windward performance is with the centerboard down. The point is, if I am in the middle of the Atlantic watching my boat sink, I don't want to have the thought that maybe I should have went with a different keel. I am especially interested in hearing from experience from people who sail, or know these boats. I added the Coaster in this because it is the full keel version, and may offer the stability that I may be after in size that I am after, but giving up the benefits of a shoal draft. I have thought about the Vanguard, but thus far the price difference that I have seen may not be worth the couple extra feet. Most of my sailing with be single, or shorthanded. The easier to handle, the better. Thoughts, opinions, facts, or feelings, I am open to hearing them all.

Thanks,
Nick

[svMira]

Welcome Nick!

I'll be interested int he response you get on this question. I own a Wanderer, but I'm on Lake Winnipeg. I wonder if I'm the most westerly located Wanderer? Not sure if I've ever seen any on the west coast. I also note that you've got a Siren 17 in your sig/bio. I picked up one of those last year when I kept my Wanderer on the hard for the season. I was really surprised how much I've enjoyed the Siren.

Not sure how much Wanderer stalking you've done on the web, but there is one named Curlew that has done the US to Bermuda race and back a number of times, it came up for sale a few years ago. It seemed to be set up nicely for single handing, or at least having a short crew.

I'm a self-taught cruiser hack with only fresh water experience, so I'm hardly one to go by, but I don't use the centerboard all that much. Mostly I find it a bit of a slight balance help. My sails are old and very soft, so I'd be curious how different it would be with a new set of sails and someone on the boat to set it up right and push it harder.

I really like the 3 1/2' draft. I can hardly imagine sailing with deeper. Between the 2' I had on my Tanzer 22 and the 9" I need for the Siren, 3 1/2" feels like I'm limited to 'deep' water. The nice thing is that when I do hang up, if I need to get out, the water is shallow enough that one can actually do something.

Mine is #172 of 177, so it is one of the last boats. As far as construction is concerned, it seems quite typical to what I see other boats of the era. The hull seems quite thick and solid. The interior does have a bit of a feel of being tossed in on a Friday. It isn't surprising to find resin-starved slapped on glass connecting interior pieces. And, mine seemed to have a number of places that held water, where it didn't drain nicely into the bilge. That was an easy fix.

Just tickled that the design is getting some attention. Happy to answer anything I can...

[Nick_ander]

Thank you for your response. I honestly love the looks of the boat, the vintage, and I hope the seaworthiness works out for what I want. The Siren is a fun little boat. The nice thing about the Siren is that after you sail it some of these larger boats won't feel so tender. I am over the keel and furler though. Lake sailing with the goofy winds and powerboat dodging probably makes a good sailor, but I feel the need for something a bit more stout and some room to run. I wouldn't mind dipping the rail a bit as well. With the Siren, some say you can heel to the windows, but I am not buying it. I haven't capsized it yet and I don't plan to (yet.)

[atomvoyager]

I don't have experience with the wanderer so Marvin is better equipped to give particular advice. But from what I've read the Wanderer is capable for offshore. My only general concern on centerboards is that if knocked down in large waves I would expect an extended centerboard to slam up with potential damage and at least provide less righting moment than a fixed keel. That's an extremely rare scenario and maybe no Wanderer has gone through it. Perhaps retracting the board in those conditions would prevent damage that might cause leaking of the trunk and the stability may not an be a significant issue compared to a boat with say another 6-10" of draft. Some boat designs have flimsy centerboards and trunks and the hardware falls apart over time so it depends on a particular boats reputation and experiences of their owners. If you inspect all the centerboard components and fix any weak points you find then it seems the Wanderer would do well offshore. If I did that I wouldn't hesitate to cross an ocean. If you are not making passages beyond the several days of a fair weather forecast then I don't see an issue anyway. If I was gunkholing the east coast or Bahamas I'd appreciate the shoal draft. If I was heading for Cape Horn I'd feel better with a long fixed keel and heavier construction such as a Westsail 32. You need to set your priorities and then tailor you cruising plans to suit the choice of boat.

By the way, you'll find areas of shortcuts or shoddy construction in most boats. The Pearsons and Bristols and the like have plenty of them but they can all be fixed. Boats with better build reputations such as Cape Dory and Pacific Seacraft, Morris, etc, will have a few less but they all have their own issues.

[Nick_ander]

Rounding the horn, what an awesome thing to do. I don't think that is realistic for me at this time. The best fit for me would be a very seaworthy, affordable to maintain, easy to sail boat that after a few years could be an extension of myself. I have visited many different forums and have heard many opinions. A certain moderator at the Sailnet forum seems to despise most of the smaller classic plastics (as well as the Westsail 32.) Some say poorly built, slow, unsafe, too small, terrible point of sail, and etc. The funny thing is when I read about those people who have sailed these boats all over this earth, not one of them has a negative thing to say and the reviews are glowing. I am conservative by nature. I will minimize risk as much as I can. Now I need to find the right vessel. That seems to be a process in itself. Thanks.

[svMira]

Nick, I've been doing serious Wanderer stalking for years. I still hunt for the ones that are for sale, just to see what people have done with them. PM me if you want with your email and I'll send you a PDF of the info I've got. That way you'll be able to see if any of the boats you run into have been on the market in the last 5 years or so.

[Nick_ander]

Just came across hull #75. It is a yawl. I didn't know they came in that configuration. I wonder if there is an increase in sail area by adding the mizzen to the standard sloop rig or if the original sail area was reduced. I wonder what effect it has on stability and sea kindliness as well as speed.

[svMira]

I've seen that one too. I'm sure that must be aftermarket or something. I really can't see the boat needing it. I'm not great on sail balance, lack of experience and sailing old sails, but I've got a 180 on a roller furler and the boat is almost balanced on that alone. I can't imagine needing more sail aft of the mast. The only way I could see ever actually using it myself is to have a low (height) low (sized) powered rig for heavy sailing. My wanderer has the old roller boom that is a royal pain to reef. One really needs good conditions and two people to do it, as when you roll, the sail wants to walk up towards the mast. I'm sure there's a way to make it work, but I haven't on mine yet. Really want to convert it to a conventional 3 reef system, That's for the next sail.