Udkik.dk

Review of Pearson 390


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Pearson 390 is a sailboat designed by the American maritime architect William H. Shaw in the early seventies. Less than 100 boats have been produced. The Pearson 390 is built by the American yard Pearson Yachts.

Here we would have liked to show you nice photos of the Pearson 390.
If you have a photo you would like to share: Upload Image

Looking for a new boat? Find a Pearson 390 or similar boat for sale

Hull
The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Keel

The Pearson 390 is equipped with a centerboard keel. A centerboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.30 - 1.40 meter (4.27 - 4.57 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


Engine

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Perkins A108 diesel engine at 55.0 hp (40 kW), which gives a max speed about 7.0 knots.


Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Stability and Safety

What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?

The capsize screening value for Pearson 390 is 1.90, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.


Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.8 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.


Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Pearson 390 is about 272 kg/cm, alternatively 1524 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 272 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1524 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.


Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

Motion Comfort Ratio

What is Motion Comfort Ratio (MCR)?

The Motion Comfort Ratio for Pearson 390 is 29.4.

Low High 50% 0 50 100
Comparing this ratio with similar sailboats show that it is more comfortable than 50% of all similar sailboat designs. This is an average comfort value!


L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Pearson 390 is 3.00.

Slim Wide 76% 0 50 100
Compared with other similar sailboats it is more spacy than 76% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more spacy hull design.


Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Pearson 390 is 36%.

Low High 31% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 31% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) just below average.


D/L (Displacement Length Ratio)

What is Displacement Length Ratio?

The DL-ratio for Pearson 390 is 241 which categorizes this boat among 'light crusers & offshore racers'.

Heavy Light 54% 0 50 100
54% of all similar sailboat designs are categorized as heavier. A light displacement requires less sailarea and has higher accellerations.


SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)

What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?

The SA/D for Pearson 390 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 14.3, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 17.0.

Low High 18% 0 50 100
The SA/D ratio indicates that it is faster than 18% of all similar sailboat designs in light wind.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 15% 0 50 100
The Pearson 390 has more rig than 15% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly underrigged.


Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 49m2 (527 ft2).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.


Rig

Dimensions of sail.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale



If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.



Guiding dimensions of running rig
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 32.5 m(106.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard32.5 m(106.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard32.5 m(106.8 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet 11.9 m(39.0 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet11.9 m(39.0 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet 29.7 m(97.5 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet26.2 m(85.8 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Cunningham4.6 m(15.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap9.1 m(30.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul9.1 m(30.0 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section shown boat owner's changes, improvements, etc. Here you might find inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what to look for.



Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Pearson 390 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.



References