Although intended for trailering, the Pearson 23 was conceived as a proper keelboat with cruising accommodations rather than a stripped-down weekender. Shaw carefully balanced the headroom, foredeck, and cockpit to create an attractive whole. The result is a small cruiser suited to a mooring or slip, as well as trailering between waterways.
Design and Construction
The Pearson 23 has a solid-fiberglass hull with wood trim, a raked stem, and a plumb transom. Buyers could choose either a fixed fin keel or an optional keel-centerboard configuration. At a displacement of 3,500 pounds, the boat carries 1,300 lb of ballast, with external lead used for ballast.
The centerboard version draws 5.17 feet with the board down and 2.33 feet with it retracted. That shallow draft permits trailer launching and gunkholing in thin water. The fin-keel version has a fixed draft of 4.00 feet. Both versions use a tiller and transom-hung rudder for straightforward steering.
Reviewers who sailed both the sloop and the later cat-rigged Pearson 23C noted that the two boats shared virtually the same hull molds and tooling. They credited the sloop’s quality construction and wholesome design with making it a sound starter cruiser.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
Simplicity guided Shaw’s rig design because a trailerable boat’s rig would be subject to more set-up and take-down than one kept on a fixed mooring.
The masthead sloop carries 229 square feet of sail, with a 28.4-foot foretriangle and a 24.3-foot mainsail luff. Its mast stands 31 feet above the water. That’s shorter than the catboat’s 36.5-foot mast, yet the sloop carries roughly 10 percent more sail. Its jib and mainsail also produce a slot effect, providing a performance gain that the single-sail cat lacks.
Underway, the Pearson 23 has a hull speed near 6 knots and a PHRF handicap of 240, figures consistent with a light-displacement coastal cruiser.
Accommodations
The cabin sleeps four, with a double V-berth forward and two straight settee berths in the main cabin. Headroom is 56 inches, and stowage is generous for a boat of this length.
The galley sits beneath the companionway ladder and includes a stove and sink. The head is tucked to port, just aft of the bow cabin.
Pearson’s original marketing described a unique optional galley module containing a sink, stove, portable cooler, and cutlery compartment. Both the module and the toilet were optional and could be added later. This flexibility allowed early owners to keep the boat bare for trailering, then outfit it for cruising at their leisure.
Known Issues
The principal drawback recorded in period testing is launching. Whether fitted with the fin keel or the centerboard, the Pearson 23 isn’t 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. It’s trailerable in concept but built with real keelboat substance, practical accommodations, and a simple, forgiving rig. Few were made, but the active Pearson Yachts Portal keeps the class supported.
Pros
- Pearson’s first trailerable model
- Shallow-draft centerboard option for shoreline cruising
- Simple masthead-sloop rig suited to repeated setup and trailering
- Four berths
- Optional galley and toilet allow staged outfitting
- Solid-fiberglass construction
- Praised as a wholesome starter cruising design
Cons
- Awkward to launch from a trailer with either keel configuration
- Limited production of 42 hulls narrows the used-boat search
