BoatsPearson Yachts 530

Pearson Yachts 530

Staysail Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · 1981–1985

The largest yacht ever built by Pearson, this William Shaw-designed staysail ketch balances heavy-displacement comfort

Designed by William H. Shaw.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts 530, on the water

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

Footage from Sailing Catalpa

Is it for you?

Character

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

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 38 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 38
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.72
LightHeavy

211 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 211
EasygoingPowered-up

13.5 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.5
TenderStiff

37% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 37%

A capable offshore cruiser with an easy motion when the sea gets up.

  • Heavier than ~88% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~79% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1364 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Pearson Yachts 530, 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 530 is a 16.1-meter (53-foot) staysail ketch designed by William H. Shaw, built by Pearson Yachts from 1981 to 1985, and is the largest model produced by the brand. It features a fin keel with a rudder on a skeg, with a displacement of 19,504 kg; a keel/centerboard variant was also available. Aboard *Sailing Catalpa*, a 1981 Pearson 530 is equipped with a full-sized washing machine, a Seawater Pro watermaker, and a customized electrical system featuring 800 amp-hours of lithium batteries managed by a Victron 3000-watt MultiPlus inverter.6:29 The vessel's engine room includes a central sea chest for through-hull valves and a dedicated oil-change pump.17:59 The rig on *Sailing Catalpa* has a furling mainsail, Schaefer Marine chain plates, and new Hammer Marine standing and running rigging.23:51 The crew of *Sailing Catalpa* undertook extensive refits, replacing corroded blocks, shackles, and slides with Schaefer Marine components, upgrading davit blocks for a four-stroke outboard, and installing a new spinnaker pole track.1:53 They moved their refit from San Diego to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, to reduce labor costs after underestimating repair time and budget.6:43

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 3 times across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Pearson Yachts 530 on video

What broke, what changed

Gear aboard, as the crews told it

Moments from individual boats of this model that the fleet has filmed — one crew, one piece of kit, one day on the water. Not a review of the class, and not a count of anything.

  • InstalledVictronalongside 5000 watt square wave inverter

    A Victron 3000 watt multi-plus inverter was installed, replacing an older inverter.

    aboard Sailing Catalpaseen March 202515:11

  • WorkingRaymarine

    The helm features a Raymarine Exxium for radar and chart plotting.

    aboard Sailing Catalpaseen March 202520:03

Each line is one crew's account of their own boat. Another Pearson Yachts 530 may be fitted out entirely differently.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
37.2%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Staysail Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.5
Displacement / length
210.7
Comfort ratio
38.1
Capsize screening
1.72
Hull speed
9.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2412
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1981–1985
Designer
William H. Shaw
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.

Moody 5416.43 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA cutter-rigged 16.43-metre cruiser featuring a skeg-mounted rudder and a 34% ballast ratio for offshore stability
The Sailor Alex Rosén25:51from SEILmagasinet
Oyster Marine 54 (Humphreys)16.43 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Rob Humphreys-designed bluewater cutter featuring a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio and versatile keel options
Sep 22 2025 Hedonic Adaptation is simply the mind's Homeostasis7:45from Sven Yrvind
Oyster Yachts 49516.10 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA modern Humphreys-designed fractional sloop featuring a high-stability hull with dual rudders for offshore control
Boat Show - 5 Reasons To Attend a Boat Show (For Aspiring Sailing Cruisers)from SailingBritican
Hylas 5416.48 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA German Frers-designed cutter with a high comfort ratio and bulb keel, built for stable, long-distance blue water cruising
Best Boats at Newport Boat Show 2025 | Hylas, Beneteau & Lagoon18:08from Sailing Doodles
Oyster 53 (Humphreys)16.41 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA Rob Humphreys-designed masthead sloop built for blue-water cruising with a high comfort ratio and stable hull form
Forced to TURN AROUND - Sailboat Delivery: Annapolis to BVI's [EP 188]10:18from Sailing Millennial Falcon
Hallberg-Rassy 5016.34 mSame hull family0.2 m longerA German Frers-designed bluewater cruiser featuring a modern fractional rig, dual rudders, and a high-stability hull
Hallberg-Rassy 50 English0:08from SEILmagasinet

The family

Boats like this

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

Pearson Yachts 33-2A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for a decade, balancing a fin keel with spade rudder for responsive handlingPearson Yachts 323A William Shaw-designed masthead sloop built for offshore stability with a skeg-mounted rudder and shoal-draft keelPearson Yachts 33A keel-centreboard masthead sloop with a 2.31-metre maximum draft, designed for versatile performance in varied depthsPearson Yachts 40A 12-metre masthead sloop with a deep 2.87-metre draft and high ballast ratio, built for stability and speed

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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