bristol 27 sailboat review

• Bristol Specific

B27 Technical Information

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• Description

The Bristol 27 is a 27-foot monohull, aft-cockpit, fiberglass, mast-head sloop sailboat. Designed by the renowned naval architect Carl Alberg and produced by Bristol Yachts of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, 337 yachts were produced from 1966 to 1978. Three different models were produced: Standard (Cruising), Dinette, Weekender.

• Technical Diagrams

Line Drawing (Cruising Model)

Line drawing (weekender model).

( http://www.bristolowners.org )

• Sales Brochure

Custom quality! For a reasonable price, the Bristol-27 provides a quality hull filled with excellent features and workmanship. The proven reliability of both designer and builder makes it a lasting value. She’s roomy! She’s fast! She’s a good heavy weather performer! She’s a boat we are proud to place against any kind of competition. We feel she’s an “inside and out” bargain. Pick the version that best suits your needs … and compare! Hand lay up construction and full length keel with attached rudder provides strength and sailing stability.

Fall in love! The best way to judge a boat is to sail it, to live in it, to own it over a period of time. This isn’t always possible to do before you buy, but you certainly can ask other owners what they think. Ask them what they think of the Bristol styling inside. Ask them about the quality of materials and workmanship. Maybe you could turn on the charm and ask them for a ride.

If you fall in love with it … great! You’re on your way to sailing satisfaction!  Note: inboard power available. Check the long list of optional equipment and tailor this mini-yacht to taste.

Original Equipment

Hull & deck:.

• Molded high-impact fiberglass reinforced polyester resin. Largely woven roving, strongest material available.
• Hull and deck thicknesses vary to suit structural demands.
• Deckhouse, deck and cockpit are integrally molded.
• Deck clamp and cove stripe molded with hull.
• Deck is mechanically bonded and sealed to deck clamp in hull to prevent leaking.
• Full length non-skid dexoleum on deck and in walkways.
• Teak cap rail.
• Opening forward hatch (translucent) with molded gasket receptacle, hatch lock, and hatch adjuster.

Features of opening hull mold:

• Fair Sheer line
• Molded cove stripe
• Overlap joint on hull-deck bond eliminating leaks and provides extra strength. Controlled resin cure eliminates fiberglass pattern on hull finish (print through)
• Uniform lay-up in keel section

Cruising Model:

• Two Forward berths 6′ – 6″ long; two main cabin berths 6 ft. -4″ long
• Four mattresses of 4 in. polyurethane foam covered in leather-like vinyls (with Zippers). Large choice of colors.
• Galley features wide counter area; stainless steel sink (14 in. x 10 in. x 6 in. deep)
• Icebox door (with chain restrainer) forms shelf. Dish, package storage galley counter racks and shelf over icebox. Icebox drains overboard.
• Bin storage under galley counter
• Locker storage under sink.
• Two-burner alcohol stove.
• Ports: main cabin, 4 fixed ports; head, 1 opening, 1 fixed; forward cabin, 1 opening, 1 fixed. Plastic track and slides for curtains.
• Enclosed thwartship head compartment (5′-10″ high) with linen storage cabinet and hamper portside; hanging locker on starboard side.
• Generous storage & drawer space main cabin … 2 full-length shelves, storage under berths, large bookshelf, bedding storage behind backrests; forward cabin … 3 drawers, bin storage under berths, storage cutouts in berth fronts, 2 full-length shelves, rope locker. Bilge storage … thru cabin-sole trap.
• Outboard models provide additional storage space in motor compartment … access is behind companionway steps.

Dinette Model:

• Equipment is basically the same as for Cruising Model.
• Table is standard equipment on Dinette Model.
• See drawings for sleeping accommodations and galley arrangement.
• Generous cockpit area 6′-2″ (cruising model).
• Storage in large lazarette and in sail lockers under cockpit seats.
• Molded fiberglass winch bases with handle storage.
• Extra large 1-1/2 cockpit scuppers.
• Cockpit seat hatches completely scuppered to prevent leakage.

Deck Hardware:

• All deck hardware is satin finished chrome-plated bronze or high tensile alloys.
• Custom cast manganese-bronze, chrome plated stem head with integral chocks.
• Smooth fiberglass headliner.
• Interior finished with satin-finish mahogany bulkheads and trim.
• Formica-covered counters.
• Carpeting is 100% polypropylene (indoor-outdoor) … washable, colorfast & mildew-proof.
• Companionway grabrails. Hand rails in main cabin.
• Completely sealed, self bailing outboard motor well in aft lazarette with ventilators. 10 H.P. motor recommended.
• (Inboard): Atomic 4 under the companionway is optional.

Electrical System:

• Includes electrical switch panel with switches and fuses for: running lights, cabin lights, bow light, miscellaneous lights, blower (inboard only), ignition (inboard only).
• Running lights include: 20pt bow light, 12 pt stern light, port & starboard lights.
• Interior lights include: galley dome light, 5 bulkhead-mounted lights, 12 volt system.
• Standard cruising model – 20 gallon, polyvinyl water tank.
• 20 gallon monel gas tank available with inboard engine models.

Spars & Rigging:

• Modern masthead rig with fully anodized mast (31′ 9″) and boom (12′). Mast extrusion (our own design) with extruded sail track.
• Shrouds are 7/32″ stainless wire.
• Turnbuckles (7/16″)are chrome plated with monel shaft.
• Roller reefing gooseneck (spring type).
• Main and jib halyards are stainless steel with Dacron tails.
• Main and jib sheets are 3/8″ Dacron Samson yacht braid.
• Grounded stays and wiring. Main sheet jam cleat. Topping lift. Sail slide gate. Flag halyard.
• Owner may specify colors (from standard color selections) to be molded into hull and deck and choose from a variety of available colors for boot-top, anti-fouling (vinyl) paint, cove stripe (unpainted is standard) and mattresses. ( http://www.bristolowners.org )

+ Where is the hull number on a Bristol 27? – – If you want to find your Bristol 27’s hull number and year built, you might be able to check the hull topsides near the transom.  I found mine far aft on the starboard side.  Below are some photos of mine:

Here’s the hull number itself. In plain English, my guess it reads ‘Bristol Yachts 27. Hull #370. Built on (?) 09/1975

See the top left of the hull, you can see the imprint area.

Another location to find the hull number on your Bristol 27 may be on or in the electrical panel.  Here’s an image of my Bristol 27’s original panelboard as well as Loki’s , which shows the hull number for each boat:

Note the hull number marked on these two Bristol 27 electric panels. One was written on the back in permanent marker (Hull #370) and the other was imprinted right on the front (Hull #37).

Another location to find the hull number of a Bristol 27 may be on the sail.  For example, here’s an image of Hull #2 – Sweet Pea , Hull #177 – Harbor Duck & Hull #335 – Winter Dream :

Hull numbers shown on the sails of Bristol 27 sailboats.

Another location to find the hull number may be plaque installed on the boat.  Hull #289 found their plaque mounted on the forward portion on outboard engine well, just behind the rudder post, easily visible in the cockpit.  Here’s an image of that plaque:

+ Are there any design changes within the same Bristol 27 model? -> 8/1/2018 – Production model sailboats like the Bristol 27 may go through design changes as they’re produced through the years.

Currently, bristol27.com knows of no major design changes (e.g. hull shape, length, weight, etc.) that occurred within the same Bristol 27 model.  There are major design changes between the Bristol 27 models Cruising, Dinette and Weekender, but this question will specifically focus on changes within the same model.  For information about differences between different models, please review the above images and text.  Also keep in mind that this question isn’t fully answered and not all design changes are listed here, since it’s not easy to clearly define design changes across a wide set of old production boats.

One known design change is on the Cruising model, and relates to the exterior icebox hatch.  This design change was first noticed by Noel, from Bristol 27 Hull #2 – Sweet Pea .

Cruising model Bristol 27 sailboats have a somewhat uncommon design feature – the icebox is accessible from both inside and outside the boat.  Their icebox is built higher on the freeboard, directly under deck.  A hole is cut through the deck in the forward edge of the starboard cockpit seat which gives access to the icebox’s interior.  This hole hole is covered and protected by a hatch (aka “exterior icebox hatch”).

Some Cruising model exterior icebox hatches are installed flush with the cockpit seat and a flange built below deck.  Other Bristol 27 Cruising model hatches were installed raised above the cockpit seat, with a flange built onto the deck and a hatch with sides.  The exact hull # where this model’s design change occurred isn’t known.  The first known instance of a flush hatch is hull #2 and first known instance of a raised flange hatch is hull #100 .  In other words, it currently seems Cruising model hull #’s 0 – 100 have the flush exterior icebox hatches, while hulls #101+ have a raised hatches.

Exact reasons for this hatch’s design change isn’t known.  Likely the change was to reduce chance of water ingress, since a raised flange is more waterproof.  One downside of this design change is that a raised flange presents a tripping hazard and somewhat blocks a good seating spot for crew.  Generally, this hatch isn’t very seaworthy, as it’s installed far outboard on the boat and the hatches weren’t designed to be battened down.  Also, adding a second hatch to the icebox makes it inefficient.  Over time, many Bristol 27 owners permanently sealed off exterior icebox hatches due to these concerns.

For a visual of this design change on the Cruising models, please see the following image comparing flush vs. raised cockpit seat hatches:

Some Cruising model exterior icebox hatches are installed flush with the cockpit seat and a flange built below deck (left).  Other Bristol 27 Cruising model hatches were installed raised above the cockpit seat, with a flange built onto the deck and a hatch with sides (right).

Another known difference between some Cruising models is the rudder core.  Hull #002  has a wood rudder core, whereas hull #370 has a fiberglass rudder core.  It’s not clear when or why this change occurred.  It could be because a change was made by the manufacturer over the years.  Or, perhaps the type of motor the boat has an impact on the rudder core material. since hull #370 was powered with an inboard and requires a cut-out for the propeller while hull #002 was an outboard motor in a well.

• Practical Sailor Review of the Bristol 27 –  http://www.practical-sailor.com/reviews/boatreview/Bristol_271135-1.html
• Cruising Sailboat Blog Review of the Bristol 27 –  http://cruisingsailboat. blogspot.com/2013/05/ reviewing-classic-bristol-27. html

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Bluewater Sailboat – Bristol 27

The Bristol 27 can be regarded as being as well-proven as a bluewater yacht can be 45 years after its initial debut. Although the boat was primarily designed for coastal sailing, well-prepared yachts are easily capable of working offshore.

In the middle of the 1960s, after selling Pearson Yachts, brothers Clint and Everett Pearson founded Bristol Yachts. The Bristol 27 was the first vessel to leave the docks, and some have compared it favourably to their earlier successful Pearson Triton 28. The Bristol 27 debuted in 1966 and experienced strong sales, especially in its first two years (more than 170). 337 units are thought to have been constructed before production stopped in 1978.

• LOA: 27′ 2″
• LWL: 19′ 9″
• Beam: 8′ 0″
• Draft: 4′ 0″
• Displacement: 6,600 lbs.
• Ballast: 2,575 lbs. (encapsulated lead)
• Sail Area: 340 sq. ft.
• Headroom: 5′ 10″
• Fuel: 22 US Gal.
• Water: 20 US. Gal.
• Engine: Atomic 4 petrol / Westerbeck 10hp diesel / 15hp outboard
• Designer: Carl Alberg
• Builder: Bristol Yachts
• Year Introduced: 1965
• Year Ended:1978

The Carl Alberg-created design exhibits the contemporaneous influence of Scandinavian Folkboats. These Bluewater Sailboats had beautiful low-slung sheer lines, lengthy overhangs, and sweeping full keels with forefoot cutaways. Although the narrow beam improves seaworthiness, it does nothing to improve form stability, making them initially rather delicate. Though they were made to stretch their waterline when heeled, so it’s not all bad.

The masthead sloop rig, which initially had roller-reefing in the mainsail boom, was carried by sailboats. Nowadays, the majority have returned to using basic slab reefed mainsails, which maintain their shape better and do not jam.

There were three different types of Bristol 27s: a day sailing model with a big cockpit and a small interior, a regular model with a bigger cabin and twin settees, and a dinette model with a sofa in place of a table. An inboard engine that could be either a petrol or diesel outboard engine installed inside a cockpit well. Any offshore task is best performed with inboard engines, particularly diesel ones.

The cabin of the Bristol 27 is small by contemporary standards because boats of this era were not built with interior room in mind. Even the cruising model with the larger cabin loses space in the cabin because of the relatively large cockpit. One of the design’s practical choices was to raise a part of the cabin house to provide 5′ 10″ or more of standing space in the main cabin while the hatch is opened and below the companionway! The settees and V-berths both fit someone 6′ 4″ tall.

The Bluewater Sailboat Bristol 27, one of the earliest fiberglass boats, was no different from the other Bristol boats in terms of strength. They had solid GRP hulls with molded-in decks, cabins, and cockpits that were fastened to the hull with deck clamps and bolts. Although the mast was deck stepped in this instance, it was held up by a massive bulkhead that is solidly tabbed into the hull. Ballast made of lead that was enclosed in fiberglass was employed.

Performance

The Bristol is nimble and simple to sail while underway, with a modest weather helm. In terms of performance, they are average. Although their design makes them naturally a little delicate, they do tighten up after 15-20 degrees of heel and have good overall stability. In order to aid, owners have been known to add an additional 300 lbs. of ballast to the bilges.

Overall, the boat’s design is conventionally seaworthy, and these designs are excellent for heaving to or laying ahull in rough seas.

Quick Notes

Although they were solidly built, some of the boats are already well past their prime.

The hull-to-deck joint has developed leaks, which is not unusual given its age, and this may occasionally be a challenging issue to rectify effectively. Surface-level, non-structural gelcoat cracks, and crazes are also age-related. Consider purchasing a model with an inboard engine.

Looking for a used sailboat for sale? Check out the Bluewater sailboat data and specs to make an informed decision. Ocean Wave Sail has data for over 10000+ boats that can help you select one to meet your sailing needs.

Now you can also precisely calculate the expenses related to boat ownership to make smart choices based on your budget and sailing needs. Use this bluewater Sailboat Calculator to explore different options and make the best decision.

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Review of Bristol 27

Basic specs..

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season. And outside the sailing season, just bottom cleaning and perhaps anti-fouling painting once a year - a few hours of work, that's all.

The Bristol 27 is equipped with a long keel. A full keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.22 - 1.32 meter (4.00 - 4.30 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

The boat is typically equipped with an inboard Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine at 30 hp (22 kW).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.0 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Bristol 27 is about 98 kg/cm, alternatively 552 lbs/inch. Meaning: if you load 98 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 552 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

What is a Ballast Ratio?

Maintenance

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 11m 2 (118 ft 2 ). Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Bristol 27 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us . Criticism helps us to improve.

Featured on

The bristol 27.

The price was right. The owner was honest. It wasn’t the work that needed to be put in that would swallow me, it was her magnitude. She was closer to it but wasn’t “the one.” Now, I look forward to meeting her little sister. . .

“At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.”  – Robin Lee Graham

16 Comments

Am I missing your subscription button?

Seems you’ve found it. Thanks heaps for your continued interest.

it’s so funny to hear you say it’s too big. My dad has a story he likes to tell about going for a sail with my grandpa on his bristol 27 before he married my mom. He always says he felt like he was getting put in a coffin with those quarter berths. maybe this one is laid out differently without an inboard, though?

Oh wait, now that I think of it you were never going to lower the QB’s rather cut out some other part for more comfortable seating. I remember you mentioning that.

Perhaps, this had two settees to port and starboard. Uhm, nothing feels more coffinlike than the quarter berths on fiddlehead 😉 Did you ever wind up dropping them down a few inches? I hope you realize I’m totally joking around and love your boat!!

No quarter berths? Just an aft galley and big cockpit lockers?

What’s under the cockpit if there’s an outboard? Did it have an inboard previously? Is there a prop aperture?

I’m still a novice, so please excuse my somewhat ignorance to these questions. I didn’t realize there was a difference between settee and quarter berth (now I do) and I can’t recall if the berths ran under the cockpit. I looked at my photos and don’t have the right angle to tell exactly but it looks like they don’t. Yes, aft galley and big lockers. No prop aperture to my memory or from my photos of the rudder, etc. But something strange, I found this secret compartment like area in the boat under the sink/ladder into the cabin area that had this weird bell, and when I looked into it (it led back to the cockpit) it was just empty hollowness. I didn’t understand, but maybe there was an inboard in there once.

Nice EH for sale. 6K http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/55303

Wow she’s sweet! Going to do some research on these boats, thanks!

Don’t sell yourself short Emily! You know a lot more than you let on. What you’re describing is probably a bad sign for how the owner cared for the vessel. Sounds like he ripped out the inboard, slapped an outboard on the back, but never finished the job. It might not be a bad rig, but if it doesn’t feel right, it’s not the boat for you.

Thanks for the encouragement, Matthew! Yes, it was indeed apparent how he cared for his boat. In fact, he didn’t really care much for her at all. Just let her sit on her mooring every season for daysails here and there. Not much more maintenance was ever done aside from bottom paint. The search continues…

Greetings Emily! My son, who is graduating from high school in May 2016, is searching for a 26-27′ sailboat to take him through the Caribbean. We’re in Charleston, SC and he found a Bristol 27 in Manchester, MA that is posted on SailboatListings.com. The Bristol looks like she may be a good fit, but it’s going to be expensive for him to go see her. I wonder if maybe she’s the same Bristol 27 you saw that looks rather un-cared for? Would greatly appreciate hearing from you either way. Thanks very much! Dean

Sent you an email, Dean! Happy to help. How exciting for your son.

Emily, The EO at sailboatlistings.com is a good boat. The interior is Hinkley finished, opposed to mine which is vinyl. The sole is teak/holly, mine is white gelcoat. The boat is in excellent condition (from the listing I”m inferring) with new roller furler and 150 headsail, and two new SS jib winches. The brightwork is sparkling and kept up. New cushions, which means a lot since old ones smell and look bad. The engine needs to be looked at closely but looks ok. The main thing with engines is compression, so if you were to get a survey I would ask for that. It indicates how “tight” your engine is meaning valves and rings are good. Of course there are other things to look at but that is the main measurement. The big difference between my boat and this one (besides the interior and condition) is mine has the factory bowsprit which allows a cutter rig. This one doesn’t have that but does have the new roller furler and 150 headsail. Another great thing about this small cruser is the forward cabin. It is a multi-use area with head, huge amounts of storage areas and lockers and a small sink. It also has a bimini, which is often overlooked but sailing in the sun you need shade. If you are going to meander down the ICW and into FL -> Bahamas a bimini is required. By the way sailing in the Bahamas is quite straightforward. A bunch of daysail hops will get you down to Turks and Caicos. The first overnight would be to the Dominican Republic if you wanted to get that far. And yes, no sailing at night is the rule. Anyway I’m still feeling that whatever boat you buy should have all the right stuff including good sail. Best of luck

Ahoy, thanks for all that input I really appreciate your sound advice! I thought you had a Falmouth Cutter, not an Eastward Ho??

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• Thread starter symmes1
• Start date Jul 18, 2009
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I have a Bristol (1965) 27 ft. sailboat. There is very limitied information on this boat online. I have seen the Bristol owners website but I think most of the owners of 27's are dead. I have emailed them about the boat but get nothing back. Is this a OK boat? It is heavy,slow and seems to be pretty safe. On the website it shows the 27 interior designs but mine is a little different. It looks like a dinette design but Instead of having the head on the starboard side mine is up front under the front bunk. Does anyone have any information on this Boat? I would appreciate any information.  

Bad Obsession

I have a friend who has a Bristol 27 at my dock. This guy is very good about the maintenance on the boat and it shows in Bristol Condition, ironically enough. The boat is quite sea worthy, built well, but it is slow. I don't know much more about the boat but he is very pleased with it.  

Joseph Shirley

There are some here http://www.sailboatlistings.com/sailboats/Bristol and this will tell you something about the boat http://www.cruisenews.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1786 Good luck Joe S  

Read about it in John Vigor's book!!!!! My slip neighbor was a '65 Bristol 27, he just sold her a month ago. Very solid, seaworthy boat. This particular boat's original owner had sailed it to the Marquesas, and as far west as Fiji, I'm told. Solid glass, full keel, low aspect sail plan, low freeboard, oversize rigging, gunnels, a true bridgedeck, small cockpit with large drains...... sounds like a passage maker. Read about it in John Vigor's "Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere" A very, very interesting book with a substantial discussion of your boat... order it from Amazon.com. (excuse me for sounding like an advertisement)  

I appreciate the info. I think mine is a dinette model because it has the sink, stove, and table. The sink and stove are on the starboard side and the table on the port side. The table can be lowered to make a berth. It has a regular sized cockpit instead of the extended cockpit of the weekender. I wished I could find the information plate of the boat. I have looked everywhere. It is registered as a 1965 model. I don't know any other information. The only thing that confuses me is that the head is under the front berth instead of a seperate compartment. It came with a Atomic 4 but the owner before me replaced it with a yanmar 1gm. It has several leaks from the top deck. I am in the process of trying to find them. It has caused mildew to form in some places. We are going to paint the top this fall. We will then paint the inside. It is an old boat but for us it is fine and safe. Again, Thanks for the info.  

symmes........ everything you mentioned in your last post is discussed in the John Vigor book. http://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Small-...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248043498&sr=1-2  

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undefined Detailed Review

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Bristol 39/40

The looks of these twins are strictly traditional, but so is the interior room modern 33-footers have more..

The Bristol 39 and Bristol 40 are basically the same boat, even though the specifications state that the Bristol 40 is nearly a foot longer than the Bristol 39. According to the builder, the hull sections aft were made slightly fuller on the Bristol 40, and the stemhead fitting was altered. After very careful scaling of plans, we can say with reasonable confidence that from one end of the hull to the other, excluding the bow pulpit and the anchor roller, the Bristol 39 and Bristol 40 are about 39′ 8″ long. Whether you call it a 39-footer or a 40-footer is up to you.

But this is not a 40′ boat in the modern sense. Yes, if you take a tape measure to the boat, you’ll read almost 40′. But if you go below, you’ll swear you stepped onto a 33′ boat—at least if you’re used to looking at the 33-footers built today.

With a waterline length of 27′ 6″ and a beam of 10′ 9″, The Bristol 40’s proportions are about as typical as you can get of cruising/racing sailboats built between about 1930, when the CCA (Cruising Club of America) rule was conceived, and 1970, when it was replaced by the International Offshore Rule (IOR). For those 40 years, about 30% of the average boat’s length was in overhangs. Today, you find the waterline length and beam of the Bristol 40 on boats less than 35′ long.

About 150 Bristol 40s were built. This does not include the relatively small number of boats in the Bristol 39 series.

The 39 was one of the first models built by Bristol Yachts, entering production in 1966. Beginning with 1972 models, the boat was rechristened the Bristol 40. The last Bristol 40 was built in 1986.

If you like traditional yachts, you’ll find the Bristol 40 appealing. The boat has the long overhangs, lovely sheerline, low freeboard, narrow cabin trunk undistorted hull shape, and narrow beam we associate with the beautiful yachts of the past. If you didn’t know she was a Ted Hood design, you might mistake her for a boat by Olin Stephens, John Alden, or Phil Rhodes. The trade-off for these traditional good looks is a boat with a small interior compared to today’s 40- footers.

Sailing Performance “Fast” is a very relative term when you’re talking about sailboats. The Bristol 40 is not fast relative to more modern 40-footers, but her performance is similar to that of other boats of her length built under the CCA rule, when boats were heavier and shorter on the waterline than they are today. The boat is close in speed, for example, to the Hinckley Bermuda 40 yawls with the original low aspect ratio rig. It is about 30 seconds per mile slower, however, than the Cal 40—a boat of the same length on deck, but with a longer waterline, less wetted surface and slightly less displacement.

In both keel and centerboard versions, the Bristol 40 is a fairly tippy boat, as you would expect from her narrow beam, shoal draft, and modest amount of ballast. Like “fast,” however, “tippy” is a relative term.

Most narrow boats have relatively low initial stability, even if their ultimate stability is good. For example, the McCurdy and Rhodes 62-footer Arcadia, built in 1972, is about 2′ narrower than a new IOR 60- footer would be, and has a righting moment about 15% lower than that of the new boat, even though Arcadia is significantly heavier.

Yet Arcadia’s range of positive stability is about 143°, while the typical “modern” racer/cruiser loses positive stability at 120° or less.

Unfortunately, being narrow and tippy doesn’t guarantee a good range of ultimate stability. The keel version of the Bristol 40 loses positive righting moment at about 120°—the absolute minimum we would consider for a serious offshore cruiser. The centerboard version’s range of stability is less—about 110° for the only boat rated under the International Measurement System (IMS).

It is not unusual for centerboarders to have very low positive stability. The Hinckley Bermuda 40— the classic keel-centerboarder—typically loses stability at an even lower angle than the centerboard Bristol 40, yet few people would consider the boat unsuitable for passage making.

Owners report that the Bristol 40 is very sensitive to the amount of sail carried. We’d suggest a modern headsail reefing/furling system for shorthanded cruising to reduce the number of headsail changes required. Like most CCA boats, the Bristol 40 is a good reaching boat, lacking the rounding-up tendency of many modern boats with full sterns. The trade-off is that the boat tends to squat when running downwind, digging a hole that’s hard to climb out of. A Bristol 40 with a full keel won the 1983 Marion- Bermuda Race, an event that consisted largely of four days of close reaching in light to moderate breezes.

Because the boat is narrow, there is no need to move the genoa track inboard of the toerail. The only real disadvantage of toerail-mounted genoa track is that you may have to relead the sheet to clear stanchions when changing headsails or reducing sail area with a headsail furler, unless there are turning blocks at the aft end of the genoa track.The two most common mainsheet arrangements on the boat are a short traveler spanning the cockpit immediately in front of the steering wheel, or a longer traveler over the coachroof in front of the companionway. The short traveler in the cockpit doesn’t really offer much mainsail control, but it is a convenient location for the sheet.

The rig is a basic masthead sloop or yawl, using an untapered, keel-stepped anodized mast with single spreaders and double lower shrouds: basically foolproof. The lower shroud chainplates do not line up exactly with the pull of the shrouds, which will tend to fatigue the chainplates over time, as well as increasing the likelihood of leaks due to an unfair pulling angle.

Since this is a boat that was in production for the better part of 20 years, it’s difficult to generalize about the sailing gear you’ll find. On the Bristol 40s we’ve looked at, the stock winches tend to be one or two sizes smaller than we’d put on the boat today. You’re unlikely to find self-tailers on older models.

A lot of Bristol 40s were built as yawls. While the yawl rig is pretty and looks very traditional, the mizzen is generally only useful to help balance the helm, as a convenient place to mount a radar  antenna, and to serve as a support for a mizzen staysail on the rare occasion that it pays to carry one. The mizzen makes the boat more tippy and increases windage—disadvantages for upwind sailing.

Engine Before 1970, Bristol 39s came with either Atomic 4 or Graymarine gas engines. Later model 39s and Bristol 40s were powered either by the Atomic 4 or by a variety of diesels, including the Westerbeke 4-91, Westerbeke 4-107 and 4-108, Perkins 4-108, or Volvo MD2B and MD3B engines. That should be enough variety to satisfy everyone.

The Westerbeke and Perkins 4-108s are essentially the same engine, and in our opinion would be the best engine for the boat, although they’re more power than it needs. Diesel engine installations in the Bristol 40 are not without problems. There is little room between the shaft coupling and the stuffing box—so little, in fact, that several owners surveyed reported that it is almost impossible to reach the stuffing box for adjustment or repacking.

In all models, the fuel tank is located under the cockpit sole, above the engine. Fuel capacity is about 30 gallons. Early diesel-powered models have black iron fuel tanks, and at least one owner surveyed reported having to replace a rusted-out tank after a years. Later models have aluminum fuel tanks, which are less likely to corrode. Range under power with the Perkins 4-108 and 30 gallons of fuel will be about 180 miles.

The gasoline engines used in early models swing a small prop. Unfortunately, when the switch was made to bigger diesels—the Perkins 4-108 displaces 108 cubic inches, the Atomic 4 only 65 cubic inches— the propeller aperture was not enlarged, limiting prop size. We measured the height to be 16 1/2″, which means you can really only swing about a 15″ prop and still maintain adequate tip clearance. The result is that you end up turning an oversquare prop (more pitch than diameter), which is not the most efficient way to utilize the engine in a sailboat.

Our prop choice would be a three-bladed feathering Maxprop for the best combination of performance under both sail and power. The Maxprop would also slightly improve handling in reverse, which is rated as poor by most owners. A tiny fixed prop tucked in an aperture in the deadwood and rudder is a bad combination for handling in reverse. Powering ahead, the boat handles just fine.

There is no sound insulation in the engine compartment. Access to the front of the engine is fair, requiring removal of the front of the engine box which doubles as the companionway ladder.

Construction Bristol Yachts has gone through a lot of changes over the years. The prime mover behind Bristol was Clint Pearson, one of the pioneering Pearson brothers— the other, Everett, now runs Tillotson-Pearson.

The boats built by Bristol today are a far cry from those of 15 years ago. Current Bristols are targeted toward the middle to upper end of the production and semi-custom markets, with very good finish detail and systems. Originally, Bristols were aimed at the mass market, and were finished and equipped accordingly.

Since the Bristol 40 was built over a period of 20 years, there were a number of minor changes during the production run, but the last boats are essentially the same as the first ones.

The Bristol 40 is not a particularly lightly built boat, but she is certainly not heavy for her overall length, even by modern standards. The boat is substantially lighter than most long-keel CCA 40-footers. The Hinckley Bermuda 40, for example, displaces about 20,000 pounds in normal trim. The Cal 40, considered a real lightweight in 1966, weighs about 16,000 pounds in IMS measurement trim; the average Bristol 40, right at 17,000 pounds in the same configuration.

By way of comparison, the Little Harbor 38 that won the 1986 Newport-Bermuda Race tips the scales at a hefty 25,000 pounds, and the newer Bristol 38.8 has a designed displacement of just over 19,000 pounds.

None of the Bristol 40 owners we surveyed report any major structural flaws. They do, however, complain of annoyances such as leaking ports, deck hardware, and hull/deck joints. These are generally assembly and quality control problems, and most can be solved by the owner, albeit with a fair amount of labor. A leaking hull/deck joint may be more of a problem, but this type of leak should show up during a careful examination of the boat. Discoloration and water streaks inside lockers and on bulkheads, rust and drips on through-fastenings, and mysterious puddles of water may indicate leaks in the joint.

From a cruiser’s point of view, a nice feature of the Bristol 40 is its water capacity: 130 gallons in two fiberglass water tanks.

Any sailboat hull older that about eight years is getting on toward being a candidate for painting. While the gelcoat in the Bristol 40s we examined still looks reasonable, most of the colored hulls—pastels were popular in the 70s—are badly faded. The colored gelcoat used was not colorfast.

We also noted numerous gelcoat flaws on decks cracks around stanchion bases, some voids at sharp corner transitions. During the survey, the surveyor should carefully sound the entire deck for voids. If you’re going to go to the trouble and expense of painting, you might as well catch all the problems at the same time.

Deck non-skid is a molded-in basket weave pattern, and we have found it to be less effective than more aggressive non-skid designs.

The cockpit is huge, with seats almost 7′ long. The well is narrow enough that you can brace your feet against the opposite seat—a good feature on any boat, but especially important on a tippy boat. The big cockpit is a mixed blessing. It gives plenty of space for daysailing or in-port parties, but it is also vulnerable to filling in extremely heavy offshore conditions.

In our opinion, the cockpit scuppers are too small. Each of the two scuppers is about the size of a bathtub drain. Since there is no bridgedeck—just a raised companionway sill—it is particularly important that the cockpit drain quickly. This is a pretty reasonable retrofit job. For offshore sailing, the bottom dropboard should be caulked and permanently secured in place.

There is a reasonable amount of exterior teak trim on the boat, including toerails, cabin eyebrow trim, handrails, and cockpit coamings. A Bristol 40 with a freshly-Awlgripped hull and varnished teak trim would look handsome, indeed.

On the port and starboard quarters, there are large chocks for dock lines. While these look substantial, they are only screwed to the toerails, and can easily tear out. Chocks can be very heavily loaded during panic dockings, and should always be through-bolted, as should all deck hardware.

Through hull fittings are not recessed flush, but can easily be faired in to reduce drag in very light air. The Constellation-style rudder is set slightly above the aft edge of the keel, so that the boat will ground out on the keel rather than the rudder.

Instead of a bolt-on external keel, the Bristol 40 has a molded keel cavity filled with 6,500 pounds of lead. One owner we surveyed had added 1,500 pounds of lead pigs in the bilge to improve stability.

Interior Bristol has always made extensive use of built-up interiors of plywood and solid wood, rather than fiberglass molded components trimmed out in solid wood. The company has also made extensive use of mahogany rather than teak in interior construction.

If you’re used to the dull brown of teak, the brighter reddish-brown of the mahogany interior of the Bristol may or may not appeal to you. Mahogany must be varnished: it is not suited to an oil finish in a marine environment. If you let the varnish wear off, the wood will turn grey, particularly after exposure to water.

At the same time, mahogany is lighter and brighter than teak, and can make an all-wood interior slightly less gloomy. If all else fails, you can always paint out the mahogany bulkheads and leave the mahogany trim varnished. Teak plywood is much harder to paint out, since its waxy surface doesn’t hold paint very well.

The built-up interior allowed a number of interior options in the Bristol 39 and 40. As originally drawn, the boat had a wide-open offshore racing interior, with a sail locker forward, the head in the area normally reserved for a forward sleeping cabin, and symmetrical pilot berths, settees, and quarterberths in the main cabin. While it provides six sea berths, this interior has little appeal for a cruising family. Most boats were built with one of several more conventional interior layouts.

One advantage of long-ended boats is that the Vberths don’t have to be jammed into the bow. Instead, you get berths that are wide enough at the foot for normal-sized people. The forward cabin of the Bristol 40 is quite roomy, with two berths and various lockers and drawers. An insert turns the V-berths into a reasonable double berth.

The head compartment is aft of the forward cabin, on the port side. It is a big, roomy head, with rather remarkable storage, including 10 small drawers and three lockers. All boats came with hot and cold pressure water, and have a hand-held shower attached to the head sink fixture.

Opposite the head are the usual hanging lockers.

Several different main cabin layouts were offered, with an arrangement to please just about every fairly conventional taste. On the port side, you’ll find either a settee berth with storage outboard, a Ushaped dinette, or a narrow pull-out settee with a pilot berth outboard. On the starboard side, you’ll usually find a settee with a folding pipe berth above, although some boats were built with a conventional pilot berth outboard of the starboard settee.

On boats without a dinette, the main cabin table folds up against the port forward bulkhead—a reasonable solution in a narrow boat.

Main cabin storage space is quite good, with a number of drawers and lockers. The actual storage arrangement varies with each interior layout.

Ventilation in the main cabin, as well as in the entire boat, is so-so. There is an opening port in the head, and a cowl vent overhead. There is another cowl vent on the other side of the cabin trunk opposite the head, providing some air to the forward cabin and main cabin in foul weather. Over the forward cabin is a large fiberglass hatch.

A fiberglass hatch over the main cabin was optional. The main cabin ports do not open. Ventilation would be greatly improved by adding Dorade boxes just in front of the dodger breakwater at the aft end of the main cabin. If you also put a reversible aluminum-framed hatch directly over the middle of the main cabin, and added a small dodger to it for heavy weather protection, you’d go from lousy ventilation to good airflow in one fell swoop.

We’re not keen on the fiberglass hatches used in production boats in the 1970s. They distort easily, and never seem to seal completely.

Headroom is about 6′ 4″ on centerline aft, decreasing to about 6′ in the forward cabin.

In all interior layouts other than the original ocean racing one, the galley is at the aft end of the main cabin. There are two aft galley arrangements. One is spacious but not particularly efficient, the other is tight. On boats equipped with a quarterberth and nav station on the port side, the galley is jammed into the starboard aft corner, and is small for a 40-footer. On boats without a nav station, stove and sink are on the port side, with a large icebox opposite to starboard. The top of the icebox is then used as a navigation table. Neither galley layout is as good as the Ushaped galley used on more modern boats such as the Bristol 38.8.

You’ll have to make a choice on the galley layout. A nav station is very desirable if the boat is used for more than daysailing. Yet the starboard galley you get on boats with nav stations is quite small, and doesn’t have much storage for foodstuffs or utensils.

Even on boats with the port nav station, the  electrical panel is located on the starboard side, above the galley and next to the companionway, in a fiberglass box that’s a molded part of the cabin liner. We’d want to give better protection to the panel by building a frame with an opening clear acrylic cover.

Despite the narrowness of the Bristol 40 compared to newer boats, the interior is reasonably laid out and not cramped. Headroom is good, and you can easily make improvements in ventilation. The interior doesn’t seem as spacious as a lot of boats due to the fairly narrow, tall cabin trunk. Newer designs have more freeboard, allowing a lower cabin trunk and increasing the feel of interior space.

Conclusions Like the better-known Bermuda 40, the Bristol 40 is an exceptionally pretty boat, and those good looks are one factor that kept the boat in production for such a long time. But the Bermuda 40 has been carefully refined, and its reputation nurtured by a group of nearly-fanatical owners who are willing to pay rather remarkably high prices for a design that is now 30 years old.

The Bristol 40, on the other hand, lacks that reputation and following. A few Bristol 40s were built for die-hards even after the boat was superseded in 1983 by the faster, roomier, stiffer Bristol 38.8—a design that is a distinctly more modern Hood cruiser/racer.

Because of her large cockpit, small cockpit drains, slightly vulnerable companionway, and fairly low initial stability, this boat wouldn’t be a good choice for extended offshore cruising, although Bristol 40s have certainly done their share of it. For cruising in the Chesapeake, Bahamas, or Gulf of Mexico, the keel-centerboard version would be a reasonable choice, and even the deep keel model draws substantially less than most 40-footers.

A late-model, sloop-rigged boat with Perkins or Westerbeke diesel would be our first choice. Since relatively few changes were made in the boat during the years of production, however, you might also find a good older boat on which a lot of attention has been lavished.

If you like traditional looks, and you cruise in shoal coastal waters without extremely heavy winds a lot of the time, the Bristol 40 should appeal to you. You’re a natural candidate for the boat if the looks of the Bermuda 40 catch your eye, but you don’t have the pocketbook to indulge yourself in Hinckley quality.

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Beam:  13'8"'    Draft:  4'10"'     Beam:  13 2'    Draft:  4 11'     Beam:  13'    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  13''    Draft:  4'5'     Beam:  13'    Draft:  4.6'     Beam:  13.6'    Draft:  4'6'     Beam:  10'9'    Draft:  4''     Beam:  10.5'    Draft:  5.5'     Beam:  10'9'    Draft:  5'4'     Beam:  10.9'    Draft:  5.5'     Beam:  10.75'    Draft:  5.33'     Beam:  10'9'    Draft:  4'7''     Beam:  11'    Draft:  5.4'     Beam:  10'    Draft:  5.6'     Beam:  12'    Draft:  5'     Beam:  11.6'    Draft:  5.5'     Beam:  10.7'    Draft:  5.4'     Beam:  10.9'    Draft:  5.6'     Beam:  13'    Draft:  5'     Beam:  13'4'    Draft:  5'     Beam:  10.10'    Draft:  5.9'     Beam:  10.8'    Draft:  3.9'     Beam:  10.10'    Draft:  3.9'     Beam:  11'    Draft:  4'     Beam:  10'    Draft:  3'9''     Beam:  10'    Draft:  5'     Beam:  11.7'    Draft:  5'     Beam:  10'11'    Draft:  4'     Beam:  10'6'    Draft:  5'6'     Beam:  10'    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  9.6'    Draft:  5.6'     Beam:  9'5'    Draft:  4'7'     Beam:  12'9'    Draft:  3'9'     Beam:  11.6'    Draft:  5'     Beam:  9.5'    Draft:  4.6'     Beam:  9.6'    Draft:  4.8'     Beam:  9'6'    Draft:  4'7'     Beam:  9.8'    Draft:  3.5'     Beam:  9.5'    Draft:  4.8'     Beam:  9'5'    Draft:  4'8'     Beam:  9.5'    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  9.17''     Beam:  10.5'    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  9'    Draft:  3.5'     Beam:  10.17'    Draft:  4.33'     Beam:  10.2'    Draft:  3.5'     Beam:  10.2'    Draft:  4.4'     Beam:  9'    Draft:  4.5'     Beam:  9'2'    Draft:  4'' © 2001-2024 ./)   . . ./)   . . Forum Listing Marketplace Advanced Search About The Boat Boat Builders Row SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more! Bristol - Bluewater Capable??? Add to quote Looking to pick up a boat for upcoming "retirement" (term used loosely). Would like to get a boat in the 32'-37' range, capable of being handled by crew of 2 and one in a pinch. Looking at coastal shake-out cruises over the new few years with some multiple week trips south. Ultimately, will be taking on more offshore sails. Many boat manufacturers "claim" offshore capability. Have looked at Alberg 37, Allied Princess 36, and S2 11. Each has nice open layout but obviously there is a difference in bluewater capability. Question - are Bristol's built to handle these goals? If so, what models within the length constraints would you recommend? Thanx in advance for any advice you can provide - directed at Bristol's or others. Keith   A good place to start would be "The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat" by John Vigor. The essence of the book is that there are boats such as the Valiant 40 specifically designed for bluewater sailing, but that any boat can be made offshore capable with modifications. Also sailing skills in my view are 75% and the boat is 25%. I sail an S2 11.0A on the Chespapeake and would take it offshore with some modiciations such as storm shutters.   Recently returned to the US from a three year trip from south carolina to trinidad and back via bahamas, DR, PR, windwards and leewards aboard my Bristol 32. It was a very safe and economical way to cruise and live aboard. I spent much less time and money than other folks on larger boats, but experienced the same harbors, sunsets, thrills and chills. Would go again in a minute on a bristol. Feel free to contact me for any info- [email protected]   Thanx for the steer on the book, longwaterline. I've reviewed Vigor's "20 small boats" and was looking for a boat a little larger than those boats, thus my original question. And I agree with you on the sailing/boat distribution; I've watched a number of people that are idiotic with their approach to even coastal cruising let alone a crossing of any substance. I will look into that book to further my offshore boat knowledge. I'm looking at a boat to spend the next 3-5 years getting comfortable with and physically prepared for serious sailing. Then, the next stop is smaller SE coastal crossings (Caribbean - I grew up on west coast) before an eventual Atlantic crossing. Those are the long term goals and having spent much time around boats, it takes me something more than a few months to get comfortable with the way one moves and her little idiosyncrasies. As a result, I'd rather invest the time/$$ up front and learn the boat and the Atlantic at the same time. Ken - I appreciate the information. I like what you did and will likely be there on a smaller scale in about 3 years. I'm just looking to reduce the time between that step and my next step (as mentioned above). I will likely touch base with you in a month or so. Good health to each of you and have a SAFE and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Keith   Give the Bristol 35.5 a look Keith, I cruised a Bristol 35.5 from SF, down the west coast of Mexico and on to the South Pacific returning via Hawaii. IMHO, it is very blue water capable. My wife and I are currently preparing a Bristol 32 for a trip to the Marshall Islands via Hawaii (hope to depart summer 08). Good luck in your search. Regards, Ken   Thanx for the information, Ken. We'll definitely add Bristol to the short list of boats were considering. Keith   FWIW, you might consider the CS 36T, a bit more on the performance side than other suggestions. I have been the happy owner of one, which the PO and his wife took on a five year cruise which included several offshore trips from New England to/from Latin America. Here's a sample Sailboats - 1986 36' ft Canadian Sailcraft 36T - Racer/Cruiser, Cruiser (Sail), Racer - Hingham, MA, 02043 - UsedBoats.com   Friends of mine owned a Bristol 27 which made two circumnavigations. A very strong boat. Smaller than you want obviously, but I was very impressed with the boat.   Blue water Bristols I think any Bristol from the 27 up is certainly capable for blue water. There have certainly been enough boats proving that. More important than the boat, is your preparation and skill in handling problems as they arise. The benefits of owning a Bristol is that typically, problems may arise less than on less competent boats. Hope this helps. Dr. S. Bristol 32   I have owned a Bristol 29 for 4 years, and think very highly of the boat. Bristol boats are strong, tight boats. I would have no qualms taking my boat across the ocean, provided I invested in the necessary refit. BTW, mine is for sale! Its too small for your needs, I know. But any other folks looking for a beautifully redone boat, let me know.   We've sailed our B29.9 from Galveston to Vera Cruz, Galveston to Isla Mujeres (trips of about 650 miles each way), and crossed the Gulf from West to East in all sorts of weather and she holds up very well - we have been weather so bad that we were worried for ourselves, but never worried for the boat.   Bardo's Bristol 29 for sale Hey Bardo I read that your bristol 29 is for sale. Has it already been sold? If not, can you please send me a detailed list of specs and as many photos of the boat as you have? Thanks. Justin daveyjustin(at)gmail.com   We have made several offshore trips on our 35.5, but no ocean crossings. I respect the comment that offshore is 75-25 with the boat being less important. However, I worry that my 35.5 cockpit would be very slow to drain in heavy weather and that I cannot close the through hulls for those drains. Also, the anchor well takes on a lot of water, which, with my Hyspeed 510 windlass, drains into the bilge through the hause pipe . Could these be modified? Perhaps. That said, I have been sailing my 35.5 for ten years and more than 15,000 miles. I have 100% faith that she is a better boat than I am a sailor.   Yes, I have heavy duty seacocks on all my thru hulls. The problem I mentioned has to do with the 35.5 design. The cockpit drains through the engine compartment and the hull, so you cannot close the seacocks when offshore. Otherwise the cockpit would not drain at all. This, I think, is a design flaw. When offshore, I close all the seacocks and only open them when necessary to drain the sinks or flush the head. The next time I have the boat hauled I will try your suggestion for greasing the barrel. Thanks.   Why would one close the cockpit drains?   we own two boats, an Apache 37 by Chriscraft and a Bristol 40, both blue water but one has to go. By the way the Bristol won twice the Maine - Bermuda race: blue water or what? And the older Albergs were very seaworthy.   Bardo's Bristol 29 for sale? Does anyone know if Bardo still has his Bristol for sale? I tried sending him a personal message but as a new member to this group I need to have five postings.   Summercamp said: Does anyone know if Bardo still has his Bristol for sale? I tried sending him a personal message but as a new member to this group I need to have five postings. Click to expand... The Bristol is a fine sea going boat. Before we bought the boat our Bristol 40 Yawl had been across the Atlantic & back, over to American samoa & this year will circumnavigate Vancouver Island. The 40 has very large cockpit drains at the aft end & smaller drains to take care of rain water at the forward end.   I have owned a Bristol 24 and presently have a Bristol 30 (1972). I have nothing but good things to say about them.   The boatyards in RI definitely make and made some good stuff. Here's a new Bristol Built boat that just made the crossing: EastBayRI.com   ?             176.2K members Top Contributors this Month Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts. Sailboat Guide Bristol 27.7 Bristol 27.7 is a 27 ′ 3 ″ / 8.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Halsey Herreshoff and built by Bristol Yachts between 1976 and 1980. Rig and Sails Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations. The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more. Classic hull speed formula: Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL Sail Area / Displacement Ratio A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more. SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3 SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay). D : Displacement in pounds. Ballast / Displacement Ratio A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize. Ballast / Displacement * 100 Displacement / Length Ratio A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more. D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³ D: Displacement of the boat in pounds. LWL: Waterline length in feet Comfort Ratio This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more. Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 ) D: Displacement of the boat in pounds LOA: Length overall in feet Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet Capsize Screening Formula This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more. CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64) Embed this page on your own website by copying and pasting this code. About Sailboat Guide ©2024 Sea Time Tech, LLC This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 450 IMAGES The Bristol 27 Sailboat : Bluewaterboats.org Bristol 27: The Boat Bristol 27 1966 Bristol 27 sailboat for sale in New York Bristol 27 Bristol 27 VIDEO Sailboat SOLD- 38 Bristol "Meridian" Dreadnought 32 Idle Queeen Sailing on Narragansett Bay Bristol 32 3. I am Sailing my tiny sailboat around the world. Mig is a Nor'Sea 27 with an electric motor 1989 47 Bristol Center Cockpit *SOLD* in Annapolis Maryland Bristol 19 COMMENTS Bristol 27 A traditional cruiser-racer designed by Carl Alberg and built by Bristol Yachts in the 1960s. Learn about its features, performance, construction and owners' comments. Bristol 27 Learn about the Bristol 27, a classic monohull sailboat designed by Carl Alberg and built by Bristol Yachts from 1965 to 1978. Find out its dimensions, rig, sails, accommodations, seaworthiness, and buyer's notes. BRISTOL 27 Find detailed information about the BRISTOL 27 sailboat, including hull type, rigging type, dimensions, displacement, ballast, construction, and more. See also sail area, comfort ratio, capsize screening formula, and sail links. Bristol 27 Insight Would like comments from Bristol 27 owners. Might look at a 27 Cruising version soon. Has an outboard well. previously kept a PY 23 for 7 years on Lake Erie. A ton of light air, followed by a dash of sheer madness. Wondering how well these perform. I like the Alberg/Herreshoff designs of the Bristol line. I am into a comfortable sail. PDF The sailing magazine for the rest of us! A couple shares their experience of owning and restoring a Bristol 29.9, a Halsey Herreshoff design that was originally intended for offshore racing. The article covers the boat's history, features, performance, and modifications. Bristol 27.7 Bristol 27.7. Has anyone owned a 27.7 and how do or did you like her. I see one in New Jersey for sail and have heard build quality is good. I am looking for more or less a coastal cruiser with ocasional blue water work. Also the specs on the for sale site say 27.7 cb. and 3foot 5 inch draft. I did not think they made anything but a 4 foot 4 ... Bristol27.com » B27 Technical Information Learn about the design, construction, equipment and options of the Bristol 27, a 27-foot monohull, aft-cockpit, fiberglass, mast-head sloop sailboat. See line drawings, sales brochure, technical diagrams and owner reviews of this classic boat. Bluewater Sailboat Learn about the history, design, performance, and features of the Bristol 27, a well-proven bluewater yacht that debuted in 1965. Find out the pros and cons of this classic sailboat and how to choose a used model. Bristol 27 (Weekender) Learn about the Bristol 27 (Weekender), a classic sailboat designed by Carl Alberg and built by Bristol Yachts from 1966 to 1978. Find out its dimensions, rig, sails, performance, comfort and capsize ratings, and more. Review of Bristol 27 The l/b ratio for Bristol 27 is 3.37. Wide Slim 86% 0 50 100. Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 86% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a significantly more speedy hull design. BRISTOL 27: Reviews, Specifications, Built, Engine 1 of 3. If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of BRISTOL 27. Built by Bristol Yachts and designed by Carl Alberg, the boat was first built in 1966. It has a hull type of Long Keel and LOA is 8.28. Its sail area/displacement ratio 14.28. The Bristol 27 The Bristol 27. Sitting in the cabin of the boat ten feet off the ground I felt like I was in the belly of a whale, swallowed whole by her size. Her current owner left me instructions to tie up the tarp properly for the impending snow storm and left me to fiddle around unbothered. The first time I ever sailed was on a 43-foot catamaran during a ... Bristol 26 vs Cape Dory 25 12524 posts · Joined 2000. #13 · Aug 3, 2018. You are certainly correct about the Bristol 26 being a much larger boat than the Cape Dory 25. The Bristol has a much longer waterline which also adds a lot to its interior volume. The net result is that although being heavier overall, the Bristol has a much smaller L/D. Bristol 27 18. Bristol 27 Tampa, Fla. Jul 18, 2009. #1. I have a Bristol (1965) 27 ft. sailboat. There is very limitied information on this boat online. I have seen the Bristol owners website but I think most of the owners of 27's are dead. I have emailed them about the boat but get nothing back. BRISTOL 27.7: Reviews, Specifications, Built, Engine If you are a boat enthusiast looking to get more information on specs, built, make, etc. of different boats, then here is a complete review of BRISTOL 27.7. Built by Bristol Yachts and designed by Halsey Herreshoff, the boat was first built in 1976. It has a hull type of Fin with rudder on skeg and LOA is 8.31. Bristol 39/40 Sailboat Reviews; Sailboats 36-40ft; Bristol 39/40 The looks of these twins are strictly traditional, but so is the interior room modern 33-footers have more. By. Darrell Nicholson - Published: June 14, 2000 Updated: April 15, 2020. 0. ... With a waterline length of 27′ 6″ and a beam of 10′ 9″, The Bristol 40's proportions are about ... Bristol sailboats for sale by owner. Bristol preowned sailboats for sale by owner. Bristol used sailboats for sale by owner. Home. Register & Post. View All Sailboats. Search. ... Sailboat Added 27-Jun-2024 More Details: Bristol yawl: Length: 32' Beam: 9.6' Draft: 5.6' Year: 1973: Type: motorsailer: Hull: fiberglass monohull: Bristol 27 project boat Hello everybody, I am new to this forum and even newer to sailing. I was given a 1966 Bristol 27 to bring back to life. The inside has been almost completely gutted and the outside has deck, teak and equipment issues. I believe from what little I know about sailboats that all the rigging is there. I am hoping to be floating by late spring 2010. Re-engining a Bristol 27 : r/sailing Boat projects are fun and making a new boat feel like it's your own is really satisfying. There are certain advantages to having the outboard hung on the stern though (maneuvering and especially backing in close quarters using both rudder and outboard, easier to remove the motor and stow it beneath if you're racing, outboards don't always ... BRISTOL 27.7 It takes into consideration "reported" sail area, displacement and length at waterline. The higher the number the faster speed prediction for the boat. A cat with a number 0.6 is likely to sail 6kts in 10kts wind, a cat with a number of 0.7 is likely to sail at 7kts in 10kts wind. KSP = (Lwl*SA÷D)^0.5*0.5 Bristol I think any Bristol from the 27 up is certainly capable for blue water. There have certainly been enough boats proving that. More important than the boat, is your preparation and skill in handling problems as they arise. The benefits of owning a Bristol is that typically, problems may arise less than on less competent boats. Bristol 27.7 Bristol 27.7 is a 27′ 3″ / 8.3 m monohull sailboat designed by Halsey Herreshoff and built by Bristol Yachts between 1976 and 1980. ... Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay). D: ... Bristol Yachts In one year 172 Bristol 27's were built. There was also the Bristol 29 designed by Halsey Herreshoff, the Bristols 32 and 39 designed by Ted Hood, and Bristol 34 designed by John Alden Assoc.. Later 'second generation' models included the 31.1, 35.5, 41.1, 45.5, 47.7 and then larger custom boats. In total, 4400 Bristol Yachts were produced ... catamaran gulet motorboat powerboat riverboat sailboat trimaran yacht