BoatsPearson Yachts-USA Triton

Pearson Yachts-USA Triton

Fractional Sloop · Long Keel · 1958–1967

A Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fibreglass cruising and saw international production.

Designed by Carl Alberg.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Pearson Yachts-USA Triton, on the water

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

Footage from Atom Voyager

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draughtDraws 1.19 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 narrow beam gives 27 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 27
CoastalBluewater

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

Capsize screening 1.73
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 311
EasygoingPowered-up

16.4 — moderate power for her weight; steady, all-round performance.

Sail area / displacement 16.4
TenderStiff

44% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 44%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

What the fleet has seen

The Pearson Yachts-USA Triton, 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-USA Triton is a 8.6-meter fractional sloop with a long keel, designed by Carl Alberg and built by Pearson Yachts-USA, Jouet-France, and Aeromarine from 1958 to 1967. It was Pearson Yachts' first non-dinghy boat and one of its most successful models. Pearson versions featured wood trim and coamings, while Aeromarine Tritons were all fiberglass and had a masthead rig; a yawl rig option was also available on Pearson versions. Golden Globe Race skipper Elliott Smith previously cruised a Pearson Triton, noting its suitability for cruising before transitioning to a Gale Force 34 for racing.6:19 Aboard *Atom Voyager*, a Pearson Triton completed a 1,200-nautical-mile nonstop passage from Agadir, Morocco, to Mindelo, Cape Verde, in approximately eight days, sailing downwind wing on wing in strong northeast trades.2:25 This passage highlighted maintenance issues such as chafe on the furling jib and halyard, a broken furler drum flange, a cracked Monitor windvane rudder latch, and chafed whisker pole control lines.19:57 The crew of *Sailing Uma* is refitting their 36-foot Pearson Triton for high-latitude sailing, having completed major construction and now focusing on deck hardware and electrical routing.9:34

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

The channels sailing this model, and where they were last seen.

Atom VoyagerAtom Voyager provides technical DIY guidance on refitting small sailboats for offshore cruising, featuring structural modifications, equipment installations, and insights into solo voyaging.

Seen 15 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Pearson Yachts-USA Triton on video

Uma is Ready to Launch! (But there's a catch) | Step 489Uma's hull is launch-ready after five coats of ablative antifoul and a new ultrasonic transducer install.Sailing UmaBoat Galley Modification: From Built-in Icebox to Portable FridgeA Pearson Triton's icebox becomes a 12-volt battery locker and portable fridge-freezer compartment.Atom VoyagerSealing a Leaky Hull To Deck JointFiberglass liner sections are cut and reattached with screws to provide permanent access to hull-to-deck fasteners.Atom VoyagerSolo Sailor Atlantic Circuit - Morocco Nonstop to Cape VerdeSolo 1,200-mile nonstop run from Agadir to Mindelo reveals Monitor windvane rudder latch crack on arrival.Atom VoyagerCape Dory 30 Refit Part 3 Integral Water TanksCustom integral fiberglass water tanks replace leaking plastic tanks to increase capacity and improve hull access.Atom VoyagerGGR Skipper Stories – Episode 08 - Elliott Smith | McIntyre Golden Globe Race 2022/23Elliott Smith discusses his preparations and mental approach to the Golden Globe Race aboard his Gale Force 34.Golden Globe Race OfficialSolo Sailor Atlantic Circuit Part 3 - Azores to MoroccoSolo sailing from the Azores to Porto Santo involves navigating heavy swells and sustained 20-knot winds.Atom VoyagerSolo Sailor Atlantic Circuit Part 2 - Bermuda to AzoresAtom navigates a 2,000-nautical-mile solo passage from Bermuda to the Azores while dodging Atlantic high-pressure systems.Atom VoyagerLife Update : Preparing for the futureThe crew of *Uma* inspects expedition yacht designs in the Netherlands while finalizing their own boat's refit.Sailing UmaElectric VS Gas Outboard Sea Trials Cape Dory 36 Refit Part 4A Cape Dory 36 refit compares gas and electric outboard performance, including regeneration and solar charging systems.Atom VoyagerDiesel to Electric Outboard Motor Conversion - Cape Dory 36 Refit Part 2A Cape Dory 36 replaces its inboard diesel with an electric outboard and tiller steering system.Atom VoyagerTakacat 260S Dinghy and Epropulsion Spirit Electric Outboard DemonstrationThe Takacat 260S dinghy and Epropulsion Spirit 1.0 Plus electric outboard provide a lightweight, portable propulsion system.Atom Voyager

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.

  • FailedCoppercoat

    A DIY version of this antifouling product did not work for the boat owners.

    aboard Sailing Umaseen June 202618:25

  • FailedMonitor windvane

    The windvanes rudder latch cracked during the passage and was welded in Mindelo.

    aboard Atom Voyagerseen March 2026watch

  • WorkingRenogy

    The speaker is using Renogy 50-watt solar panels, noting that the newer version is smaller but has the same wattage as older ones.

    aboard Atom Voyagerseen September 20216:19

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

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model for sale, and the asking prices that came with it.

1seen for sale
1seen sold
US$2,000Median asking

For sale

  • The owner is selling their boat after 45 years and two circumnavigations, but is in no rush

    from Atom Voyagerseen July 202620:19

Sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
43.6%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Fractional Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
16.4
Displacement / length
311.3
Comfort ratio
27.4
Capsize screening
1.73
Hull speed
6.2 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
634
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1958–1967
Designer
Carl Alberg
Builder
Pearson Yachts-USA, Jouet-France

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.

Nimble Boats Voyager 269.27 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA long-keeled cutter designed by Daniel J. Avoures, offering a stable, shoal-draft platform for coastal cruising
SEILmagasinet TV episode 6 202519:21from SEILmagasinet
Falmouth Cutter 229.30 mSame hull family0.7 m longerA narrow-beamed 30-foot cruiser with a shallow 1.07-metre draft and a traditional long-keeled hull
TOP 3 TINY Sailboats You Can Live On! - Ep 346 Lady K Sailing3:13from Lady K Sailing
Contessa 267.77 mSame hull family0.9 m shorterA David Sadler-designed long-keel masthead sloop, built in both England and Canada with a 25-year production run
French canals Book0:55from Sailing Gently
Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull family0.3 m shorterA 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
Vancouver 278.23 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 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. 14from Sailing Songbird
Island Packet 278.08 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA 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)2:01from keeldragger

The family

Boats like this

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

Triton 25A Gary Mull-designed masthead sloop built by Pearson using US Yachts tooling to revive a classic nameTriton (Pearson) YawlA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel yawl from 1958, built for stability and classic cruising comfortTriton 27A Doug Peterson-designed masthead sloop built from Buccaneer series moulds to offer a rare, limited-run cruiserTriton 30A masthead sloop built from the unauthorised, modified moulds of a Doug Peterson half-ton racerPearson Yachts 27 (Triton 27)A Doug Peterson-influenced masthead sloop built from US Yachts molds, offering a light-displacement take on IOR designJouet TritonA Carl Alberg-designed long-keeler built in France, featuring a signature Jouet windshield and a classic Pearson hull

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Pearson Yachts-USA Triton, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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