The design marked Shaw’s deliberate move away from the IOR-influenced extremes of the period. Instead, he drew a wholesome, family-friendly coastal cruiser rooted in the CCA sensibilities of the late 1960s.
Design and Construction
Shaw incorporated many features associated with late-1960s CCA designs while avoiding the most noticeable IOR distortions employed by his more competitive contemporaries. Period testers noted that he drew the lines while eschewing IOR design rules, favoring a practical aesthetic and a boat intended to be safe, easy to sail, and comfortable for cruising.
The hull has a straight stem, higher freeboard, and a flatter sheerline typical of boats designed to the IOR. Even so, its moderate 10-foot beam, set against a 27-foot-6-inch waterline, produces a Beam/LWL ratio of 0.36 and keeps the profile conservative rather than exaggerated.
Accounts disagree about the underwater profile: one describes a full keel, while another specifies a fin keel with a skeg-mounted rudder. Both describe solid GRP construction. The boat carries 4,500 pounds of lead ballast on a displacement of 12,800 pounds, giving a ballast ratio of 35.2 percent. Verify the underwater profile of any boat under consideration.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The 323 carries a masthead sloop rig with a very large foretriangle. Its J measurement is substantially longer than its E measurement, and its total sail area is 477 square feet—the smallest sail plan among its peers.
Against the boat’s displacement, that produces a sail area/displacement ratio of 13.9 to 14.0. Reviewers considered this anemic and suggested that the 323 needs a stiff breeze to get moving. Its conservative displacement/length ratio of 275 identifies it as a moderate-to-heavy-displacement cruiser that can carry cruising gear without a dramatic effect on performance.
A capsize screening formula of 1.7 and a Comfort Ratio of 31.8 put the boat’s motion in the predictable range of a moderate bluewater cruiser rather than a featherweight daysailer.
Accommodations
The interior is spacious and can accommodate up to five people. An early version substituted a quarter berth to starboard for the navigation station. Beyond that detail, Pearson Yachts built no alternative versions.
The sailing press generally reviewed the 323 positively, praising its practicality, comfort, safety, and ease of sailing. One longtime owner writing on SailNet strongly encouraged anyone considering one to buy. The owner added that, despite later having the means to buy almost any boat, affection for the 323 made selling it unthinkable.
Production and Ownership
Production ended in 1983, after eight years and 385 boats, and the model is no longer in production.
Pearson Yachts pioneered fiberglass construction and produced many successful models, but it encountered financial difficulties in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The company sold its assets to Cal-Pearson Corporation in 1991 and ceased operations in 1997. Many of the 385 Pearson 323s remain in passionate hands today.
The Verdict
The Pearson 323 is a thoughtfully conventional Shaw design that trades outright speed for a forgiving, well-mannered cruising platform. Its moderate beam and heavy ballast contribute to sea-kindly stability, while the modest sail plan needs wind rather than delivering lively performance in light air.
For sailors seeking a solid, practical coastal cruiser with CCA-derived styling and a roomy interior, few fiberglass boats of the late-1970s volume better fit the brief.
Pros
- Conservative capsize number and Comfort Ratio suited to offshore-style motion
- Spacious interior accommodating up to five people
- Early layout available with a navigation station rather than the starboard quarter berth
- Shaw’s non-IOR lines have aged gracefully without the era’s distorted extremes
Cons
- Low sail area/displacement ratio makes the boat sluggish until the breeze builds
- Accounts vary between full- and fin-keel configurations; verify the underwater profile of any candidate
- Early reefing is advised, given the 35.2 percent ballast ratio without bulb enhancement
