Design and Construction
Shaw drew the Pearson 39 around a solid hand-laid fiberglass hull laminate paired with an end-grain balsa-cored deck, a construction scheme that keeps topside stiffness without adding weight aloft anchor. The hull-to-deck joint is an inward-facing flange, through-bolted and glassed over for a smooth exterior seam, with a teak toerail bolting into that flange. A substantial rudder skeg is molded as part of the hull and a bronze shoe bearing supports the rudder, while the centerboard itself is fiberglass laminate pivoting on a bronze pin set into the keel stub and raised or lowered through a dual winch/drum assembly. The keel-centerboard arrangement gives a board-up draft of just 4 feet 7⅝ inches, opening shallow creeks yet retaining a deep 8.88-foot configuration when the board drops. With 7,300 pounds of lead ballast against a 17,000-pound displacement, the 42.9 percent ballast ratio underpins the stable, easy motion owners and the builder both describe.
Rig and Handling
The Pearson 39 carries a moderate-aspect masthead rig on an aluminum keel-stepped mast with single spreaders, fore-and-aft lower shrouds at the spreader hounds, and lateral rigging to chainplates at the toerail bolted to molded fiberglass interior ribs anchor. From the factory she wore a hanked-on headsail, and the old-fashioned boom-end mainsheet runs through a four-part tackle to a traveler at the aft cockpit end. A skeg-rudder combination and that moderate rig make her fast and stable with an easy motion; the same architecture was also offered as a yawl, with about a dozen of the roughly 150 built taking that rig. Wide walkways and a clean foredeck molded with reinforced non-skid fiberglass, plus double lifelines and cabintop teak handrails, speak to a deck laid out for safe movement.
Accommodations
Below, the Pearson 39 sleeps seven across a layout that favors privacy and a forward owner's cabin with hinged door, full-length berths, outboard book shelves, and a private entrance to the toilet room, with hanging locker to starboard and locker and bureau to port. Aft of that, the toilet room to port carries linen stowage, vanity drawers, and a large sundries locker, while opposite sits a bureau and hanging locker. The main cabin offers settee berths port and starboard around a foldaway bulkhead table, and the factory offered two main cabin layouts. The L-shaped galley to starboard at the ladderway base holds a top-loading icebox, sink, lockers, drawers, a food locker above, and a gimballed three-burner stove/oven; opposite, the navigation center has a lift-up chart table, stowage, and a quarter berth doubling as the navigator's seat, with a separate navigator's berth adjacent aft. A 9-foot 3-inch cockpit with port and starboard lockers and a lazarette, plus a helm placed near its forward end, rounds out the living and steering spaces. One quirk: the boat left the factory with only a non-skid pan liner sole, no finished sole.
Equipment and Power
The Pearson 39 came standard with a Universal 30-hp gasoline engine and a basic 12-volt DC system, served by a 30-gallon fuel tank under the cockpit adequate for local and coastal use anchor. An optional teak interior was available for those wanting warmer visuals below. Factory deck gear included the cockpit lockers, lazarette, and the security-minded lifelines and handrails already noted.
The Verdict
The Pearson 39 earns its reputation as a Shaw performance cruiser that does not sacrifice livability. The centerboard hull, solid-fiberglass-and-balsa construction, and forward helm make her a distinctive coastal and island voyager, while the seven-berth plan with a private forward cabin suits extended cruising. The pan-liner sole and period 12-volt system are the clearest reminders that she is a 1970s design needing thoughtful updating.
Pros
- Centerboard keel gives 4' 7⅝" board-up draft yet deep sailing when lowered
- Fast, stable, easy motion from Shaw's performance-oriented hull and 42.9% ballast ratio
- Seven-berth layout with private forward owner's cabin and full nav station
- Solid hand-laid hull with balsa-cored deck and robust skeg/rudder bronze bearing
Cons
- Factory sole was only a non-skid pan liner, no finished flooring
- Basic 12-volt DC system and gasoline engine reflect period limitations
- Hanked-on headsail and boom-end mainsheet are dated by modern standards
