Bristol 45.5 verse Valaint 47

[jonbuilder]

I am considering the purchase of two boats a 1990 Bristol 45.5 aft cockpit and a 1984 non blister Valiant 47. Any have experience with both this boat and could compare how the boats sail and living accommodations.

[Don C L]

There is a thread on the Bristol here,
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...dog-76492.html

and Valiant:http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...7-a-56651.html



I have not sailed either, but my gut leans to the Valiant. What a choice!

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by jonbuilder

I am considering the purchase of two boats a 1990 Bristol 45.5 aft cockpit and a 1984 non blister Valiant 47. Any have experience with both this boat and could compare how the boats sail and living accommodations.

I've been on both and sailed on both, although the Bristol was the CC version. Being a boat geek I pawed around both of them pretty good.

The Valiant is a substantially better performer, particularly to windward, largely because the more modern underbody and the fact of the Bristol's centerboard.

The design aspect I don't like about the Valiant 47 is that they took the layout of the 40 and just sort of blew it up larger. As a result I think there is a lot of wasted space in the salon/galley/nav area, with a lot of open floor cabin sole are that is underutilized. The aft cabin is pretty sweet though.

One thing to be extremely cautious about is the fact that the Valiant is a Uniflite boat. While it may not have blisters, that may be a function of the fact it has spent it's entire life up north. Blistering was most prevalent in boats that were in the warmer south, where the bromine in the fire retardant additive to the resin off-gassed to create blisters. I don't know if the age of the boat is a factor in whether that reaction is no longer possible. If you're seriously interested in the Valiant I would suggest you join the user's group on Yahoo groups and gather some more information from owners with boats of that specific era.

The build quality is comparable; the Bristol has slightly better/more elaborate interior cabinetry work, and the systems on the Valiant are a bit more robust as Valiants were over-engineered for the most part. I'm thinking the storage on the Valiant is going to be considerably more; they're extremely capacious for their size and age.

The Bristol was designed as New England-style cruising boat. The Valiant was designed as a long-range passage making world cruiser with certain features to support that, like a workshop area. There are going to be some differences as a result in things like capacities, fittings, rigging, etc. that may be relevant one way or the other depending on your intended purpose.

You can't go wrong with either boat. Which one is preferable is a function of what qualities are important to you.

Personally, I think the Bristol is stunningly gorgeous and by far the better looking boat, but I'm a total sucker for Ted Hood designs and that classic New England cruising boat style. And they can be had cheaper than the Valiant. But if I wanted to circle the globe I'd almost certainly opt for the Valiant.

If you're looking at the Bristol that's for sale in Oxford, beware of the teak decks. At 25 years old they may be approaching the end of their life. Replacing them would cost you probably $40k. Ripping them up and glassing the deck would be cheaper, but would still be a big job and expensive. It does however look beautifully maintained overall, although pictures are always deceiving.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by jonbuilder

I am considering the purchase of two boats a 1990 Bristol 45.5 aft cockpit and a 1984 non blister Valiant 47. Any have experience with both this boat and could compare how the boats sail and living accommodations.

Jon,

You can connect up with other Valiant owners here:

https://groups.yahoo.com/valiantsailboats

You have to ask to join the group as it is closed. But anyone can join just for asking.

[Boat_Girl]

Valiant all the way. The Bristol is a sweet boat, but not as roomy and not as tried-and-true on offshore passages. If you're looking to live aboard and cruise, you want every inch of space you can get!

[Harkaway]

I have been cruising in Bristols for over 20 years. Started with a 41.1, then a 47.7 (extended 45.5 hull) and now a 54.4. Never the fastest boats but they are very comfortable sailers, especially in rougher weather. Sailed correctly, they will surprise you in light winds if you let them settle. The Bristols were very "over-built" and that probably led to the company's demise. I have re-done three of them and never had a problem structurally.
One down side is all of the bright work but the effort is worth it to me. Beautiful boats.

[jonbuilder]

Hi Don: I’ve read both those threads. Had I Chance to sea trial a Valiant last November I had a purchase contract but walked away after the survey. The broker and his crew left a foot of slack in the main halyard with a slide track system and were lazy to trim sail will I was steering. The boat performs in light wind better than I expected. The nav instruments were not working but the broker’s claimed speed per his cell phone application were impressive. I never seen a Bristol 45.5 there are 4 or 5 for sale on the east and one center cockpit on the Lakes. I am going by pictures of boats and reviews on the web. I did place an offer on a 45.5 aft cockpit before Christmas but it was rejected with no counter. I came in 80% asking buying the boat on the hard and responsible for spring commissioning. 1990 Bristol 45.5 Aft Cockpit Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com there is a nice Valiant 47 in Sidney on the west coast I am located in San Francisco Bay Area easy to sail the Valiant home. Will to go 20K more on the valiant due to location. 1990 Bristol 45.5 Aft Cockpit Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

[winjamerk]

The fire retardant that caused the Valiant blistering was discontinued after the 1981 models. The 1984 model would not develop that type of blistering as the cause was removed.
Good luck in your ventures.

[jonbuilder]

Thanks for you post Suijin yes I am aware of the issues Uniflite had with resin they used from 1975 to sometime in 1981. I have not heard of blister problems with boats laid up after they changed the resin sometime in 1981. The Valiant I placed a purchase offer on was a blister boat laid in late 1980. Prior to submitting an offer I spoke with a friend of the owner, a retired Cost Guard officer who claimed the boat was stripped from rail to keel re glassed faired and barrier coated. Turned out his information was not correct. After I had the boat haul and power washed numerous blister were visible. The generator reference in the listing as less than 200 hours was a rusedt piece of junkwith broken manifold would not start. Numerous of systems were not working or with issues so I walked. I learned an expansive lesion.
And Yes I did an excel spread sheet comparing the Bristol in Oxford with another Bristol 45.5 aft cockpit right across the bay from Oxford. The line item for decks did mention replacement cost of $40,000 and a line item value of -$20,000 because of the teak decks. The bottom line of the spread sheet gave the Oxford Bristol a relative value of $60,000 more than the boat across the bay. I fear I may be unduly influenced by the better listing presentation and pictures of the Oxford Bristol.

[goodnumbers64]

I own a Bristol 45.5 aft cockpit currently for sale in Rock Hall, MD. I am not that familiar with the Valiant. I have sailed her over 10,000 miles and done "round the buoys racing. She is not meant for racing but will perform well with the proper sails. We occasionally place in races. I use a big kevlar sail for light air on the Chesapeake.
That said, the build quality is excellent and she is very able in heavy weather. She is now 36 years old and still looks beautiful and has had no structural problems. No blisters.
The furling main is not the best for performance but it is great for short handed sailing or for an older crew (as we are). We also have electric winches for the headsail.
Please contact me if I can provide other background information.

[donradcliffe]

I have sailed on a local Valiant 47 in Santa Cruz, and its a nice comfortable cruising boat--good motion in a seaway.

Rumors are that this one has just been put on the market, but it didn't show up on a google search. Its in good condition, but it has been seldom used recently and will need a new autopilot.

[Suijin]

Did not know the date of when the stopped using the evil fire retardant at Uniflite. Another little factlet to tuck away!

As far as the Valiant you bid on having been supposedly repaired, it may well have been the truth. There are countless stories of the blister boats having been peeled and reglassed only to have the blisters reappear. As far as I know the only successful repairs have been those where the boat was heavily peeled and then layup with epoxy to encapsulate. Wildly expensive remediation, needless to say.

From the looks of the Oxford boat, it's been kept at the Hinckley Yard there. Not too shabby.

And do check in on the Valiant owners' group on Yahoo. Mentioning that you are possibly in the market for a 47 will yield information straight from current owners, and my turn up boats that are not yet listed. Owners there often announce that they are putting their boat on the market before they actually do so.

Jon, I also sent you a pm with the name of a good Valiant resource if you end up leaning that way.

[donradcliffe]

I did find the local Valiant 47 in a listing on p 120 of the current Latitude 38. Its an '82 and they are asking $129,500.

[jonbuilder]

I have seen that Valiant 47 some where mostly Yacht World, can not find it in the online Laitiude 38. I quess by the pice and year it is a blister boat. The 47 I bid on in Seattle did not have blisters on the decks of cabin like a lot of the Valiant 40s did.

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I did find the local Valiant 47 in a listing on p 120 of the current Latitude 38. Its an '82 and they are asking $129,500.

[jonbuilder]

Originally Posted by goodnumbers64

I own a Bristol 45.5 aft cockpit currently for sale in Rock Hall, MD. I am not that familiar with the Valiant. I have sailed her over 10,000 miles and done "round the buoys racing. She is not meant for racing but will perform well with the proper sails. We occasionally place in races. I use a big kevlar sail for light air on the Chesapeake.
That said, the build quality is excellent and she is very able in heavy weather. She is now 36 years old and still looks beautiful and has had no structural problems. No blisters.
The furling main is not the best for performance but it is great for short handed sailing or for an older crew (as we are). We also have electric winches for the headsail.
Please contact me if I can provide other background information.

I spoke with your broker and would want to see your Bristol if I fly to MD
Here is my email I would like to talk with you off line jonbuilder@comcast.net

Best John