Pearson Yachts

Last updated
Pearson Yachts
Type Public company; later Subsidiary
Industry Sailboat builder
Founded Bristol, Rhode Island, United States (1956 (1956))
Founder
  • Clinton Pearson
  • Everett Pearson
Defunct1991 (1991)
FateSold in bankruptcy
Successor
  • Pearson Marine Group
  • USWatercraft
Headquarters
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
,
United States
Area served
  • North America
  • Shipped worldwide
Key people
Products Sailboats
Parent Grumman Allied Industries
Pearson 424 Pearson 424.jpg
Pearson 424
Pearson 323 Pearson323.jpg
Pearson 323

Pearson Yachts was a sailboat manufacturer founded by Everett Pearson and Clinton Pearson in 1956. [1] One of the first fiberglass sailboat manufacturers, they grew rapidly during the 60s and 70s, while also developing and designing new boats. However, the company changed ownership throughout the 1980s, after which the company filed for bankruptcy, and was eventually sold to Grumman Allied Industries in 1991. The rights to the name are now held by the Pearson Marine Group.

Contents

History

Founding

In 1955, cousins Clinton and Everett Pearson began building fiberglass dinghies in their garage on County Street in Seekonk, Massachusetts. The fiberglass material and their methods of construction was brand new and untested. However, Tom Potter from American Boat Building approached the Pearsons with a project to build an auxiliary sailboat that would sell for under $10,000. Naval architect Carl Alberg was given the task of designing the boat. The result was the Triton 28 sailing auxiliary. The first boat was built in the cousins' garage, in time for the 1959 New York Boat Show. [2]

Going public

In 1959, the Triton 28 was launched at the New York Boat Show. The cousins had to borrow money to pay for the transport of the boat from their garage to the show. The boat proved to be a hit, and the cousins had deposits for 17 orders by the end of the show. To raise the capital to acquire facilities to meet the demand, the cousins made Pearson Yachts public in April 1959. Upon returning to Rhode Island, the cousins purchased the old Herreshoff Yard as an additional production site. Pearson Yachts introduced a number of new models, most of which were also designed by Carl Alberg. By the end of the year, the newly founded Pearson Yachts had over one hundred employees and was turning out nearly one boat per day. This rapid corporate expansion led to cash flow problems. They attempted to get approval for an additional stock offering to raise much needed capital, but were unsuccessful. [1]

Grumman takeover (1961–1991)

In 1961, Grumman Allied Industries purchased a controlling interest in Pearson Yachts. The Pearson cousins left the company in the 1960s, and Bill Shaw became the chief designer. [1] One of Shaw's most notable designs is the flush decked Pearson 40, introduced in 1977. [3]

Pearson filed for bankruptcy in 1991. At that time TPI Composites, formerly known as Tillotson-Pearson, purchased the rights to the Pearson Yachts brand name. [1]

Pearson models

Pearson 26 Pearson 26 sailboat Melina 3407.jpg
Pearson 26

Tillotson Pearson models

See also

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Pearson Vanguard

The Pearson Vanguard is a sloop-rigged sailboat designed in 1962 by Philip Rhodes. These boats were built by Pearson Yachts from 1963 to 1967. Pearson Vanguards are a traditional cruiser known for world travel.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mitchell, Steve (November–December 1999). "Starting in a Garage, Cousins Clinton and Everett Pearson Initiated an Era in Yachting History". Good Old Boat. 2 (6). Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Kretschmer, John, The Best Used Boat Notebook
  3. ↑ Chip Lawson (September 2001), "Classic Plastic: Smooth Operator", Cruising World, p. 124
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