Design and Construction
The hull is solid fiberglass with wood trim, carrying a raked stem and plumb transom, and the boat sits on either a fixed fin keel or an optional keel-centerboard combination with external lead ballast of 1,300 pounds against a 3,500-pound displacement carries 1,300 lb of ballast. The centerboard version draws 5.17 feet with the board down and a shallow 2.33 feet retracted, which permits launching on a trailer and gunkholing in thin water; the fin-keel version fixes draft at 4.00 feet. A transom-hung rudder on tiller gives straightforward steering. Reviewers who sailed both the sloop and the later cat-rigged Pearson 23C noted that the two shared virtually the same hull molds and tooling, and credited the sloop's quality construction and wholesome design with making her a sound starter cruiser quality construction and a wholesome design.
Rig and Handling
Shaw's brief for the rig was simplicity, since a trailerable boat would endure more set-up and take-down than a fixed-mooring design rig would be subject to more set-up and take-down. The masthead sloop carries 229 square feet of sail—a 28.4-foot foretriangle and a 24.3-foot mainsail luff—and the sloop's mast stands 31 feet off the water, shorter than the catboat's 36.5-foot stick, yet carries roughly 10 percent more canvas. That configuration brings the slot effect between jib and mainsail, a performance gain the single-sail cat lacks. Underway the design shows a hull speed near 6 knots and a PHRF handicap of 240, figures consistent with a light-displacement coastal cruiser.
Accommodations
Below, the Pearson 23 sleeps four: a double V-berth forward and two straight settee berths in the main cabin, with 56 inches of headroom. Stowage is generous for the length. The galley sits under the companionway ladder with stove and sink, while the head is tucked just aft of the bow cabin to port. Shaw's original marketing described a unique optional galley module with sink, stove, portable cooler, and cutlery compartment, and noted that both that module and the toilet were optional and could be added later—a flexibility that let early owners keep the boat bare for trailering and outfit it for cruising at leisure.
Known Issues
The principal drawback recorded in period testing is launching. Whether fin-keeler or centerboarder, the Pearson 23 is not the easiest boat to get on and off a trailer. No structural defects are part of the record.
The Verdict
The Pearson 23 is a thoughtful small cruiser from Shaw's late-1970s portfolio: trailerable in concept yet built with real keelboat substance and a forgiving, simple rig. Few were made, but the active Pearson Yachts Portal keeps the class supported.
Pros
- First trailerable Pearson, with shallow-draft centerboard option for shoreline cruising
- Simple masthead sloop rig suited to repeated trailering and setup
- Four berths and flexible optional galley/toilet for staged outfitting
- Solid fiberglass construction praised as wholesome starter cruising design
Cons
- Awkward to launch from a trailer in either keel configuration
- Very limited production (42 hulls) narrows the used-boat search
