Design and Construction
The Pedrick 41 measures 40'10" overall, with a 12'8" beam and a displacement of 23,000 pounds. Its 39 percent ballast-to-displacement ratio and displacement-length ratio of 299 place it firmly among moderate-performance cruisers, rather than in the lineage of heavy voyagers for which Cheoy Lee was known through the 1970s.
Two underbody configurations were offered: a deep fin keel drawing 6 feet and a keel-centerboard version drawing 4'4" with the board up and 9 feet fully extended. The centerboard model provides shoal-water access but gives up some windward ability, a trade-off the deep-keel version avoids.
The hulls are built from solid fiberglass cloths and polyester resin, while the decks and superstructures use fiberglass laminates and core materials. Core material varies from boat to boat; teak scraps, plywood, and balsa wood have all been observed within a single section of cabin top. Over that composite sits a teak overlay screwed to the subdeck, introducing thousands of fastener penetrations.
Below the waterline, Cheoy Lee specified cast stainless steel for the underwater appendages and running gear. In salt water, that choice would later prove to have durability problems.
Rig and Sailing Qualities
The standard masthead rig rises 53 feet above the deck. A 50-foot rig was also offered and is the recommended mast for the centerboard version.
With a sail-area-displacement ratio of 15.56, the Pedrick 41 isn’t a light-air sprinter. It is, however, a well-mannered boat with no particular bad habits. The centerboard variant gives up a little windward performance compared with the deep-keel version.
The Pedrick 41 sails well and is very livable. With an experienced crew and proper maintenance, it should be a capable blue-water cruiser.
Accommodations
The interior centers on a large main saloon, with settees to port and starboard and a drop-leaf table on the centerline. A large V-berth is forward, while a comfortably sized double quarter berth fills the aft starboard corner.
The head lies amidships to starboard and is large enough to include a separate shower stall. Opposite, the roomy U-shaped galley provides enough support for cooking at sea without fighting the boat’s motion. The aft-facing navigation station is to port of the companionway, where the navigator can talk easily with the helmsman.
There is one notable quirk: when the saloon table is fully extended, the only way to reach the forward cabin is by crawling over a settee.
Machinery and Maintenance Access
The Perkins 4-108 diesel sits beneath the cockpit and drives through a V-drive. This arrangement puts the engine’s weight aft of the boat’s center and makes the shaft packing gland harder to service.
Known Issues
The decks and superstructure are the most common sources of trouble. As these boats age, failed caulking and fasteners allow water into the subdeck core. Leaks around cabin windows and deck hatches are also common enough to rot the interior joinery if left unattended.
Osmotic blisters appear fairly commonly on the solid hulls, although the review noted few other problems with hull construction.
The cast stainless steel struts, centerboards, and propellers are prone to pitting. Corrosion can penetrate deeply enough to cause structural failure, so any underwater component more than ten years old warrants close examination.
The Verdict
The Pedrick 41 is a thoughtfully modern cruiser from a builder better known for heavier, more traditional boats. Pedrick’s racing background shows in a design that handles cleanly and works well as a liveaboard cruiser. The accommodations are genuinely ready for cruising, but buyers need to pay particular attention to the deck-core construction and cast-stainless underwater gear.
Pros
- Performance-oriented design with no bad habits under sail
- Roomy, sea-kindly layout with a separate shower stall and a practical seagoing galley
- Capable blue-water cruiser with an experienced crew and proper maintenance
Cons
- Deck and superstructure core materials vary, and failed fasteners can lead to leaks
- Cast stainless steel underwater components can pit and fail structurally
- V-drive engine placement complicates servicing the shaft packing gland
