1979 Pearson 28 (Hull #267)

My wife and I purchased our Pearson 28 in the early 1990's for weekending and coastal cruising.  The Pearson  had spent most of her previous life as a daysailor on a freshwater lake and had been lightly used.  She was in good cosmetic and structural condition, but came with minimal equipment.  Over the years I have systematically upgraded her systems and made some modifications to improve sail handling and life onboard.

Below are some thumbnails of my recent projects.  Just click on each picture to enlarge it and see more detail.

The custom teak bridgedeck was added when I installed a traveler.  The traveler's location in the forward section of the cockpit is ideal for a boat with tiller steering, especially when singlehanding.  The new bridgedeck helped to reduce the traveler's "knee banging" potential and improved access to the interior. As part of this project, I also replaced the two original dropboards with 4 smaller ones.  The top of the lowest dropboard is now at the level of the teak bridgedeck.  This dropboard is always left in place and is attached to the custom teak companionway ladder that I built.  The original ladder did not work with the new traveler and bridgedeck, because the first step down was too steep to be safe.  The new ladder can be swung up or easily removed to allow access to the engine.  The custom teak dropboards above the bridgedeck have sliding bolts on the interior side that allow them to be locked into place.  Note the middle dropboard has louvers for passive ventilation.  

Below is a summary list of projects that have been completed to date.