A classic plastic gets new hardware and a revamped deck layout.
The latest chapter in our ongoing series about the complete overhaul of a classic-plastic uring the winter and spring of 2015 and 2016, I completed a total refit of my Pearson 36, Snoek, so named after a saltwater fish indigenous to the waters off South Africa, where I was raised (see “The Snoek Chronicles,” in the Hands-on Sailor 2017 issue, and “Plumb Crazy,” April 2017). The first two articles dealt with an overview of the project and the revamped plumbing, respectively. Continuing on with more detail on specific areas of the boat, this month we’ll take a look at the new deck layout.
DPearson 36 homes in on the deck layout.
PROJECTS
Not all the hardware you wish to remove wants to come off. Take this cleat (below). The only way I could remove it was by cutting it in half and spinning the pieces while holding the nuts underneath. I felt a little bit like a cannibal, but it was the...
Here’s the foredeck template that I used to position the windlass (above). You can see the old staysail track at the bottom of the photo; I removed that and filled in the holes. I also got rid of the spinnaker pole, which was big and bulky and...
Under a tarp during the winter months, I removed the old saloon hatch, stripped all the wood and took everything into the shop to refurbish it (below). When all was said and done, I ended up replacing several of the hatches. Here you can see the hole...
I found two 6-foot-long-by-2-inch-wide stainless-steel bars online to use as backing plates for the new genoa-car tracks. Because I went from imperial holes to a metric offset with the new Lewmar gear, I had to re-drill everything — which I didn’t mind...
With the all-new, color-coded running rigging from Yale cordage in place, and the Lewmar adjustable genoa cars ready for action, my wife, Tenley, takes a turn at the wheel on a beautiful summer day on Rhode Island Sound (right).
These before and after photos show the running-rigging arrangement at the base of the mast. The original blocks and line were very old, tired and dirty (left). I replaced everything with new Lewmar stand-up blocks and turning blocks; for the latter, I...
One of the world’s premier nautical photographers, Onne van der Wal lives in Jamestown, Rhode Island. For more on his work and his gallery, visit his website (vanderwal.com). Check out future issues of CW for further editions of The Snoek Chronicles....
The single biggest job on the deck layout was moving the steering pedestal. When I purchased the boat, the wheel was just aft of the companionway and the mainsheet system, both of which were awkward to access or use (top left). With the help of the...