Pearson Yachts Ensign

BoatsPearson Yachts Ensign

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts Ensign, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.13 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 1,361 kg of hull, so roughly 1,950 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Shoal draughtDraws 0.91 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a moderate beam gives 19 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 19

CoastalBluewater

1.94 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.94

LightHeavy

285 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 285

EasygoingPowered-up

18.1 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.1

TenderStiff

40% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 40%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

Lighter than ~80% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~76% of boats her size on file
Narrower than ~89% of boats her size on file

Compared with 170 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Pearson Yachts Ensign, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Pearson Yachts Ensign is a 6.9-meter fractional sloop designed by Carl Alberg in 1962, based on the Electra hull, and built by Pearson Yachts. It features a full keel, a 2.1-meter beam, a 0.9-meter draft, and displaces 1360 kg. Originally conceived as a day sailor and one-design racer, the Ensign sold 219 units in its first year and 213 more in 1963, quickly establishing class racing fleets across the United States. Its design includes a mast moved six inches forward from the Electra, increased mainsail area, and a reduced fore triangle height.37:04 Maintenance tasks for a Pearson Ensign include hull cleaning, repairing keel cracks with grinding and fiberglass, and resealing deck hardware.10:40 Aboard *Sailing Into Oblivion*, the crew addressed keel cracks and resealed deck hardware with 4200 sealant during spring preparation.10:40 The boat's self-bailing cockpit is a notable feature.25:16

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Ballast / displacement

40.0%

Rig & sail area

Rig

Fractional Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

18.1

Displacement / length

285.0

Comfort ratio

18.8

Capsize screening

1.94

Hull speed

5.5 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

419

Hull

Hull type

Full Keel

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

1962–1982

Units built

1776

Designer

Carl Alberg

Builder

Pearson Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Island Packet 278.08 mSame hull family1.2 m longerA Robert K. Johnson-designed cutter with a long keel, built for stability and comfort in a compact 8-meter package

Sailing an Island Packet 27 to Mexico (Jan 2022)2:01 from keeldragger

Flicka 207.32 mSame hull family0.5 m longerA Bruce Bingham-designed cutter with a long keel, originally offered as amateur plans before becoming a production classic

S4, Ep51 Sailing Couple Stops Resisting and Starts Living — A Mindset Shift on the Water10:13 from Sailing Into the Mystic

Vancouver 278.23 mSame hull family1.4 m longerA Robert B. Harris-designed cutter with a long keel, built across two continents to provide a stiff, comfortable passage

White-Water Engineless Sailing Into an Atoll—Most Dangerous Sailing I've Done | Ep. 14 from Sailing Songbird

Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull family1.5 m longerA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising

Diagnosis, Troubleshooting, and a mini shakedown in San Diego - Dana 24 - (Dec 2018)from keeldragger

Bristol Yachts 247.49 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA Paul Coble-designed masthead sloop with a long keel and over 50% ballast ratio for stable coastal cruising

Learning to Cross the Atlantic With Nothing but a Sextant — Sailing Yabá 2939:33 from Sailing Yabá

Cape Dory 288.56 mSame hull family1.7 m longerA classic Carl Alberg full-keel masthead sloop designed for steady, comfortable cruising

Delivering a 1983 Cape Dory 28 Sailboat from Oxnard To Dana Point, California3:28 from Sailing Triteia

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Pearson Yachts ElectraThe second boat ever built by Pearson Yachts, this masthead sloop features a fin keel and a compact 6.86-metre hull Pearson Yachts Commander 26A Carl Alberg-designed long-keel sloop featuring the Ariel hull with an extended cockpit for daysailing comfort Pearson Yachts 27A shallow-draft wing-keel masthead sloop designed by William Shaw for accessible cruising in shoal waters Pearson Yachts 23A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop featuring a keel-centreboard configuration for versatile shoal-water cruising

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