| A design by the famous naval architect, Carl Alberg, the Pearson Commander is one of my favorite boats, perhaps for having owned one for a number of years. Skylark (hull #216 built in 1965) was my first sailboat and I sailed her all over Lake Michigan, including a month-long cruise to the North Channel of Lake Huron during the summer of 1982. Not intended as a cruiser or a racer, the Commander makes an excellent day sailor with its 9 foot cockpit and seakindly ways. The small cabin has sitting head room, berths for four, and is large enough for cruising if the parties are well acquainted. Looking like a large Ensign, this Alberg design is easy on the eyes and the pocket as they now sell generally in the $5000-$9,000 range and can be found either with an outboard or inboard engine. Related to the Commander by sharing a common hull shape is the Ariel, which has a smaller cockpit and correspondingly larger cabin. Another Pearson Ariel website |
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After 19 years, I am once again the owner of a Commander,
hull #227, Missing Piece, after the Shel Silverstein children's book.
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Pearson Commander was featured boat
in May 1999 issue of
Good Old Boat Magazine
Skylark at the Benjamin Islands
"The North Channel"
Other Commanders
sailplan
Sail Dimensions
| Sail | Luff | Foot | Leech | Material Weight | Area |
| Mainsail | 27' 0" | 11' 11" | 29' 4" | 5 3/4 oz. | 161 |
| No 1 Genoa | 30' 6" | 17' 0' | 30' 3" | 5 oz. | 245 |
| No 2 Genoa | 28' 6" | 14' 9" | 27' 2" | 5 3/4 oz. | |
| Drifter Genoa | 30' 6" | 16' 5" | 29' 5" | 2.2 oz. | |
| Working Jib | 28' 0" | 9' 7" | 24' 0" | 115 | |
| Storm Jib | 20' 0" | 8' 3" | 17' 0" | 6.5 oz. | 70 |
| Spinnaker | C | C | A | Nylon | |
| Spinnaker Staysail | 16' 0" | 16' 0" | 19' 0" | 1.5 oz. Nylon |
| A weak part of most of the sailboats from this era is the tiller head fitting, which connects the tiller with the rudder shaft. |
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A drawing of the similar Vanguard tiller head fitting can be found here |
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To learn about the Philip L. Rhodes design, Pearson Vanguard, please visit my website below. |
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