Pearson 300

Description

The Pearson 300 is a distinctive pilothouse sloop and motorsailer designed for protected coastal cruising and inland waterway exploration, offering a cozy, all-weather helm in a compact 30-foot hull. Sharing its hull with the Wanderer 30 (but without the centerboard for fixed shallow draft), it features a long keel for stability and a modest masthead sloop rig suited to light to moderate winds. Ideal for solo sailors or couples seeking shelter from rain or spray during day sails or short passages, it prioritizes comfort and simplicity over speed—think ICW or Great Lakes hops rather than offshore races. Owners value the enclosed pilothouse for visibility and warmth, spacious interior for its era, and robust fiberglass build, but note its underpowered sail plan limits performance in breezes over 15 knots. At 55+ years old, it's a niche classic for tinkerers, with a small but dedicated following. Designed by William H. Shaw in 1969, the Pearson 300 was a short-lived experiment by Pearson Yachts in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, blending motorsailer functionality with the company's cruiser heritage. Shaw, fresh from Sparkman & Stephens and early Pearson designs like the Electra, adapted the Wanderer 30 hull (a centerboard ketch) into a fixed-keel sloop with a pilothouse for all-season appeal, targeting Midwestern and protected-water sailors. Production ran only from 1969 to 1970, with an estimated 100 hulls built—a tiny fraction of Pearson's output, reflecting mixed reception to the "boxy" pilothouse amid the era's sleek racers. It preceded Shaw's longer-lived successes like the 323 and 365. No variants (e.g., cutter or open cockpit) were offered. The Pearson Yachts Owners Portal (pearsonyachts.org) and forums like Cruisers Forum provide sparse but enthusiastic support, with survivors often restored for liveaboard or charter use.