Pearson Yachts Forum

General Category - Pearson Owners and Enthusiasts => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rusty Pelican on March 09, 2016, 10:58:54 AM

Title: Busted up P323
Post by: Rusty Pelican on March 09, 2016, 10:58:54 AM
Found this photo in the latest Soundings mag.
Does anyone have any information?
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: Dolce_Vita on March 09, 2016, 11:41:46 AM
This looks like a photo of the Hurricane Isabel damage along the New Jersey/New York coast area.
I remember seeing one in particular where all the boats on jackstands had been washed afloat and ended up piled on the shoreline looking like this.
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: Alma on March 09, 2016, 06:36:02 PM
I'd sure like that companionway hatch storm cover!
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: Dolce_Vita on March 10, 2016, 01:29:38 PM
Found it!

The photo is of Pleasure Island Marina in Port Arthur, Texas, showing damage from hurricane Ike in 2008.

http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/features/dealers/marinas-boatyards/the-dead-boat-disposal-crunch/
http://static-tradeonlytoday-wp.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/recycling1.jpg
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: jwspeck on April 30, 2016, 08:25:54 PM
There are some nice parts there... is there a pick and pull boat dumpyard anywhere in California that anyone knows of?
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: selene on May 01, 2016, 10:12:28 AM
Closest I know of is the Blue Pelican in Alameda....marine consignment/chandler. Probably not quite what you are looking for. Sometimes boatyards can help with specific parts.

Would be eager to hear what else you discover...
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: jwspeck on May 01, 2016, 02:45:03 PM
I've been to Blue Pelican. It's cool, but very limited selection. I love the idea of going to some sort of "boat graveyard" and pulling parts like a junk yard.... I maybe read that there were some of these in the Sacremento area, but haven't actually visited them yet. :) I'm guessing these are more common on the east coast.

It could easily be worth the price of a ticket to fly to the east coast if I could get some replacement hatches, etc..  :)

I will let people know if I find anything!
Title: Re: Hatch Rebuild (was Busted up P323)
Post by: Dolce_Vita on May 03, 2016, 01:45:36 PM
...It could easily be worth the price of a ticket to fly to the east coast if I could get some replacement hatches, ...

Have you considered rebuilding them?  I had quite good results with my hatch rebuild project.

The original cast aluminum/Lexan hatches were leaky and ugly.  A previous owner had tried brush painting them and applied a mess of caulk on the outside of the lens.  I had to put electrical tape over the seams as a temp means to stem some of the leaking.

In 2011, I pulled them both off for rebuilding over the winter.  First, I disassembled them down to their individual components and brought them to a custom auto body paint shop for powder coating.  If you do this, it is important to tell them that the pieces need to be baked overnight to drive out moisture.  Otherwise, the finish will acquire a pitted appearance as tiny bubbles form and break.

Next, I ordered some scratch-resistant UV-resistant Lexan from McMaster-Carr.  Using the old lens as a template, I used a router with a template bit to cut out the new lens.  Instead of using screws, the new lens was attached with Dow Corning 795 adhesive (an industrial adhesive, not available in Home Depot, etc).  This eliminated the screw holes, which were a major source of leaking due to cracks formed due to thermal expansion and contraction. The black 795 is extremely sticky, and requires an extensive amount of masking to avoid accidents and achieve a clean looking result.

Lastly, I applied new gasket material and rebedded the hatches, using the same Dow Corning 795 and more masking.  For a uniform black finish, I also spray-painted the tops of the mounting screws with black epoxy paint.

I was quite pleased with the results, and the hatches have been leak-free since then.
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: Rusty Pelican on May 04, 2016, 07:55:25 AM
Ed
I did my hatches a while ago, I am surprised your lenses were screwed on.
don't think that Peason did that
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: Dolce_Vita on May 04, 2016, 08:20:13 AM
Pearson didn't. The hatches were made that way by Bomar (now Pompanette) in the 1970s.  There are bosses molded into the aluminum-magnesium frames to accept the screw holes.  Pictures of Bomar-Pompanette's newer versions of the same hatches show that they abandoned the screws.
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: SailRxSin on December 27, 2019, 01:11:07 PM
Ed,
Your rebuild and paint look amazing.  Thanks for the ideas.

Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: Dolce_Vita on December 28, 2019, 11:55:20 AM
You're quite welcome!
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: rbrtfeld on December 30, 2019, 10:55:35 PM
If anyone needs a new Hatch, I have a brand new never used main Cabin Hatch in White powder coated one I would like to sell. You can contact me at rbrtfeld@aol.com. Happy New Year and fair winds to all for 2020
Title: Re: Busted up P323
Post by: Scott on January 12, 2020, 07:53:51 AM
I redid my hatches pretty much the same as Dolce Vita including having them sand blasted before the powder coating. Although the fellow at the powder coating shop was aware of the possibility of the beading it still occurred but not too badly. I just lightly sanded the worst areas and then spray painted them. The hatches look identical to the photo posted. They came out looking like new.