Messages

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New Member Introductions / Ahoy from ELIZABETH, P-40 (hull #12) in NW Florida

« on: April 10, 2023, 06:32:37 PM »

Greetings all!

While I finally joined the site and forum last evening, I've lurked for awhile.  The P-40 was clearly not a great commercial success as reflected in just a three-year production run, but it is such a wonderful boat.  The owners' association (Pearson40.org) is dormant, so surely the best way to meet other owners is to step up here and whistle loudly.

The Commodore and I purchased our '79 P-40 a year ago and trucked her straight to the Pensacola Shipyard for refit.  That put us in the middle of trying to move a project along during COVID-19 and a long logistics challenge.  However we got her back in the water last December and have enjoyed shaking her down as weekends and weather allow.  With clean bottom and a feathering prop ELIZABETH is showing us seven-plus knots in moderate breezes on the Pensacola Bay so the wait was worth it.  The challenge of the moment is that we are a few birthdays past being fully-qualified winch-grinders so while we think like racers we sure don't look like such.

Meanwhile, a few rainy days have been devoted to poking around in the engine compartment and exploring the bilge.  Not surprising for her age, ELIZABETH has her share of mystery wiring runs and I'm getting my money's worth from an amazon endoscope.  I'm glad to have a community here to help me figure out what makes this thing go.  (And stay afloat.)  I'm also interested in advice from any who have good solutions to the "insurance for older boats" challenge.

I look forward to "meeting" you and sharing info on Bill Shaw's marvelous creations.

David & Glyn (and Kori the Seadog)
Gulf Breeze, FL
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P40 / Re: P40 Mk II Rudder (and some other stuff)

« on: April 10, 2023, 09:57:47 AM »

Greetings Iwona!

The Commodore and I are enjoying a new-to-us P-40.  I joined PY.org last evening because of your observation that P-40 types seem underrepresented here.  ;-)

s/v ELIZABETH has the Mark II rudder.  We've not yet tested everything in a big following sea of the type that apparently made the original rudder so exciting so I can't (yet) really speak to performance in that situation.  However the immediately previous owner was wonderfully disciplined with keeping records and receipts -- next trip to the boat I will dive in and see what Mk II Rudder documentation I can find to share.

FWIW, we trucked ELIZABETH straight to a shipyard for refit.  Importantly, we pulled the chainplates and replaced with new (locally fabricated) parts.  That "may" have been unnecessary and the whole rig probably had a lot of good service left in it BUT there was just enough corrosion that I'm satisfied with the money and time spent.  (As you may know, stainless steel dislikes a damp, salty, ANAEROBIC environment such as where the chainplate is encapsulated by the fiberglass deck.)  Also, the plate (shoe?) upon which the mast is stepped (atop the keel, in the bilge) is mild steel and was horribly corroded.  We had a new plate fabricated in aluminum which has removed the dissimilar metals challenge with the mast.  (While this has nothing to do with the rudder it made an impression on me and I feel compelled to share.)

More later....  Thanks for the nudge to come out of the P-40 shadows.

David