Pearson 365 and 367

It appears that I've embarked upon the never ending project. I'm sure we have all experienced that especially owning a 47 year old sailboat.

I finally replaced the old 1976 120V fuses and ceramic holders with proper breaker panels. I also replaced all of the old outlets and added a few for convenience.


I also replaced the shore power outlet and plug, added a main shutoff breaker just inside the stern locker, and installed a galvanic isolator.

Once that was completed, I tackled the install of my new Victron Multiplus 3000 charger/inverter. I then ripped out my old rotten battery box and ground out the old fiberglass tabbing. Given the poor engine access to the port side of the engine, I decided to make the new battery box removable in case I needed better access to the starter or alternator.

I tabbed in wood block mounts:


Then through-bolted the box in place:



Once that was done, I reinstalled my four 3-year-old VMAX 6V 225AH AGM batter bank. The charge wires were upgraded to 4/0 and new fuses and switches were added to ensure proper charging, functionality, and safety. There was a lot to keep straight, but I have an electronics background, so that helped a lot.

I've done some tidying up since this picture, but here's a few from inside the port cockpit locker:

I also installed a Victron Energy BMV-712 batter monitor to keep an eye on things.

Once this was all done, I found out that my AGM batteries are toast. They were sulfated, so I desulfated them, but they still couldn't handle a load. Now I'm contemplating biting the bullet and buying two new VMAX LiFePo 12V 175AH batteries with a Victron DC to DC charger to share the alternator "juice" with the new house batteries.

The upside is that these new batteries will provide more capacity in the same space as two of the 6v AGMs. I can mount the DC to DC charger and better fuses in the space where the other two 6v AGMs were.

I'm new to the LiFePo scene, so I'm open to any suggestions from my fellow Pearson owners.

Eric Davis
S/V Pony On A Boat
1976 Pearson 365 Ketch

Wow, Scott! Looks great! Is this in the starboard cockpit locker?

Welcome Oleksandr29! The Pearson 365 Ketch is a great boat. You'll find some very knowledgable people here that should be able to help.

Dale,

I just built the Sailrite sail packs for both my main and mizzen. They offer ways to connect the sail packs for sails with a bolt rope, slugs, or loose footed. Their video only shows the method for slugs, which uses webbing and twist lock fasteners under the foot. For loose footed, they show in the instructions how to make webbing straps that hold the sail pack to the boom using slugs. For a bolt rope, the webbing uses thin Dacron sail material that feeds in with the bolt rope. They are pretty easy to make since I had never seen anything in my life previously.

Eric

SVJourney,

I've seen those. It's certainly an option. I think I like the idea of possibly connecting my autopilot to my navigation software or chart plotter, but I'm new to this, so maybe that's not a big deal.

Nereid and PeteW, sorry for the delayed reply. Thank you both for the great responses. From my troubleshooting and some rewiring, it appears that the drive motor is dead. I've been looking at going the route of the EV-200 Linear Drive, but I have to wait until I replenish the boat funds.

Nereid, to answer your question, yes, we have a 365 Ketch. I love the old girl so far! Due to work constraints, she's been doing a great deal of "slip sailing" these days and she's none too happy about it.

I would like to be added to the list as well:

1976 Pearson 365 Ketch
Hull Number: 73
Boat Name: Pony on a Boat
Owner: Eric and Dina Davis
Home Port: Tampa Bay, FL

Thank you!

Eric

Nereid, thank you for the response. it appears that will be my direction as well. I have concerns as to whether the Navico could successfully handle the weight of the boat anyway. I guess I have to spend my money on something, right?

When we bought "Pony On A Boat" a couple of years ago, she came with an old Navico WP5000 wheel pilot. The previous owner claims that it was functioning, but it gives a constant alarm when you try to use it. After cleaning up some corroded wiring, the alarm issue appears to be much better, but the motor that turns the wheel does not appear to be working. The internal fuses appear to be good, however.

Is there anyone else familiar with these old units? Parts for these appear to be very hard to come by.

Thank you

Welcome to classic plastic ownership! We have had our '76 Pearson 365 Ketch for about 3 months now and we are still shaking out the kinks. Luckily nothing as major as what you have gone through. I guess it's good to get that stuff out of the way early. Like yours, the old girl is still a head turner at the marina and when we take her out.

We wish you nothing but smooth sailing from here on! Enjoy!!

Eric & Dina Davis
S/V Pony On A Boat

Adam,

That didn't look like fun at all, but it was good that you caught those. I'll inspect my hull when I have it hauled out before having the bottom painted to see if there are any blisters that look suspect. Nice job and thank you for sharing!

Eric Davis
S/V Pony On A Boat

Dale,

That was my thinking as well, but I thought it best to defer to those more experienced than I. She's a beauty and in great shape, however like with any boat, there is a never ending list of "To Do's".

I may haul her out to have the bottom painted once I have that money together. I'll inspect the blisters when she's out, but unless there's something crazy going on, I may just paint the bottom and revisit the issue in 2 or 3 years when it's time to do it all over again.

In the meantime, she's telling me she wants to sail!

Thank you, for the response!

Eric

When my wife and I just recently purchased our new to us 1976 Pearson 365 Ketch, we knew there were some hull blisters and the bottom was due for painting, as it was painted about 3 years ago. A diver yesterday confirmed that to be the case. This is our first cruising sailboat and we are excited for upcoming better weather here in the Tampa, FL area to enjoy our new boat ownership. Based on what I've read online, repairing hull blisters could take weeks or months to dry out the hull, repair the blisters, and repaint. Not to mention the thousands of dollars in yard fees, labor, and materials.

We aren't financially prepared for that right now and we don't want to lose our prime sailing window. We have hired a diver to clean the bottom monthly. I'm certain that my fellow Pearson owners have dealt with this same issue along the way and I'm interested in your opinion on whether it makes sense to wait until next hurricane season to pull the boat repair the blisters and repaint the bottom.

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Eric Davis
S/V Pony on a Boat

Thank you, Rich!

Hello fellow members!

My wife Dina and I have purchased our first cruising sailboat, a 1976 Pearson 365 Ketch, Hull #73. Our home port is in Tampa, FL. We are excited to embark on our new adventure!

We are also excited about becoming a part of this great community of fellow Pearson owners.

Thank you,