There were two things I disliked about my 1987 Pearson 39-2 from the outset—the anchor locker and the forecabin.
The former was a shallow tray, long enough to accommodate the 25-pound Danforth that came with the boat, its 20 feet of chain, and 200 feet of nylon rope, but at 14 inches it wasn’t deep enough for an efficient drop from the old Simpson Lawrence windlass, which worked but would be underpowered for my planned upgrades.
The forecabin had its own small en-suite head with a vanity, toilet, and a little overhead stowage, but I found the V-berth annoyingly short and cramped and too narrow at its foot.
To fit the en suite in, designer Bill Shaw had to push the bunk forward so that its foot ended up under the anchor tray. Much of the head of the berth was taken up by
