New 365 owner!

[Sailingmaple]

Hello forum members,

I am the proud new owner of a 1977 365 Ketch!   

I found her in Virginia while visiting family, and over the past few months have been preparing her for the voyage home to Florida's panhandle. 

What started out as a quick haul-out for a bottom job grew into a slightly larger series of fun, time consuming, and not all together inexpensive string of upgrades and repairs.

This forum has been a wealth of information during the process, and I wanted to send my thanks.

I have any number of questions that I want to ask y'all, but will save those for another post.

Just wanted to introduce myself (Ryan) and my new boat (formerly Sine, awaiting re-christening).

Best,
Ryan

[Dale Tanski]

Ryan,
First of all best of luck with the new boat and welcome aboard!
I am curious... you were visiting family and just happened to stumble upon the boat and decided to buy it?  Or... you were already looking for a boat, stumbled upon this boat and eventually decided to buy it.  Or... you were specifically hunting for a Pearson 365 ketch, fell hopelessly in love, couldn't live without it and will now live happily ever after.
Either way you won't be disappointed in your choice of boat.  Well built, solid value, enough space for most items, sails well, safe. 
As for the forum... a loosely connected, diversely experienced, semi talented lot of opinionated characters which we expect you will fit in perfectly fine.
If you don't mind, what is your experience, sailing past and future expectations and dreams for the boat?
Dale Tanski
Obersheimer Sailor Supply
Buffalo, New York
Maruska
Hull #40
Cutter Ketch

[Sailingmaple]

Hi Dale,

Thanks for the welcome!

Good questions....

I had been (soft) boat shopping for about 2 years, and (hard) boat shopping for about a year.  The P365 was on my short list of makes/models.  The timing worked out just right, and I was able to view the boat up there just a few days after it was listed (and visit family all in the same trip!).  I had been attracted to the build quality, sail plan, and layout of the 365s, and she turned out to be the right one for me.   Importantly, I could tell the previous owner was someone I wanted to buy a boat from.  Having inquired about hundreds of boats, i've learned how important that is.

She is a 1977 (cutter?) ketch, seafoam green, with a recently rebuilt engine, well equipped with a windvane and autopilot.  She will need some interior updates, as the teak vaneer is crying out for some modernizing.  The teak anchor platform was in need of repair, and have been in the process (with the great help from the previous owner) of building and installing a replacement platform and a new windlass. 

I've been sailing since 2007, having had some trailer sailors, as well as a 29 ft sloop.  Looking forward to learning all the nuisances of this new sail plan. Currently looking forward to the trip down the east coast with her.  Her new home port will be in Shell Point, FL, so plenty of opportunities for cruises short and long!

Best,
Ryan

[Dale Tanski]

Ryan,

Wow... I too own a cutter ketch with a sea foam green hull.  Humm....

You will love the sail plan.  There are lots of strings to pull if you are into that, especially if your boat is equipped with a mizzen stay sail. We also carry a traditional spinnaker with pole and a asymmetrical cruising kite.  The split rig affords many options when the wind pipes up allowing you to shift gears up or down as the conditions warrant.  Because the sail plan is split between two spars, each sail is smaller and there for lighter to carry on and off of the boat as well as hoist as well as cheaper to replace.   

If your boat came with a 150% head sail, consider a high cut 130% or so for your forward head sail when it comes time for a replacement.  The high cut provides greatly improved visibility and the small size eliminates the hassle of cranking all of that cloth back in after the tack while eliminating damage to the luff from spreader damage.  A 130 also slips between the head and inner fore stay much easier. With the stay sail set you really haven't lost any sail area in fact I would say it becomes more efficient with a 130/stay sail combo.  The stay sail being self tending is worth its weight in gold.  In 15 to 20 roll the head sail up and keep going.  If the stay sail traveler hasn't been replaced to a nice ball bearing affair put that on your short list. 

I wish I had a windvane, probably would not use it that much but it sure would be nice piece of bling on the transom.  For now a wheel pilot is all that we really need.  The interior of the pre 1979 boats is indeed Chevy plain.  In 79 they went to real teak veneer, you have a poor copy of "teak" Formica.  I solved that problem by covering everything in sight with Moabi (African pear wood) and now the boat is a floating lumberyard as I have always adored older Passports and Baba 40's. 

If you need opinions the forum is always here and between us all we have done it all.  If you need advice on gear, sails or rigging I own my own shop and are always sourcing materials and goodies for people just like you.  The big advantage is that I know the boat very well what best fits where.

Good Sailing

Dale Tanski
Obersheimers

[S/V AMITY]

Welcome! 

[Sandy]

Hey welcome to the forum
As Dale points out what you likely have is formica interior. Kinda hard to change, but you could try refinishing the the trims which go around most corners.
That improves things visually quite bit. From there I know of only 4 ways to change the actual surface,

1/ Strip the old wood out and replace with plywood.
2/ Cover the existing with veneer, and probably make some larger trims to cover the existing + the veneer cornice.
3/ Paint the existing. Its more common or better suited in the tropics to have white interiors and wood trim. I dont know what other colour you might use but Im all ears for ideas.
4/ Paint or use contact wood grain. Ive yet to see a product that is satisfying and convincing but there are people that do wood grain effects and plenty of that on youtube, not sure that for me

At one time or other Ive thought about all four, I think if I went that far I would be doing some interior changes too, especially to starboard.
Something to do with how my head works is to take a big job and make it massive
Rob