Bristol 47.7

[travalab]

Originally Posted by typhoon

Thats it you have been ruined LOL All other boats will seem lacking once you have walked on a Bristol .

They just don't build them like that anymore . Ok im a Bristol lover so shoot me .

The liners in the water tanks would give me cause for concern on Equinox. You dont want to do that job if you can avoid it . You now seen the level of woodwork in these boats , tough to replicate .

Patriot looks like an amazing boat , let me know how you like her . Dont forget the tanks .

Regards

I was especially impressed when looking at the cabin sole, the wood is extremely thick. All the wood work was in fair to great condition. No evidence from what I saw so far of anything more than superficial damage and wear.

The three things that most concern me so far: hull paint, updating the electronics, and the water tanks. All pricey jobs I am sure. Trying to figure out a budget is becoming hard. I have to get an idea what those three jobs would run, and then talk with a surveyor and get that laundry list of things that would need to be fixed as well.

Daunting.

[gaucho]

Travalab: that's going to be almost equally daunting for any boat of anything even close to that vintage. Some on newer boats too. I think there will be many more pressing items than hull paint, unless hull paint is terrible. Most hull paints will do much better than you think after a buff. Boats are daunting endeavors. I ended up choosing a bit smaller (44 to 40ft) and a bit simpler (no AC, no genset), because it was just too daunting. I do not regret it. Now I can focus on getting the boat to my taste in other areas. The bones need to be good. The bones is a lot of stuff (hull, deck, rigging, electrical, plumbing)

[ColdEH]

Originally Posted by travalab

I was especially impressed when looking at the cabin sole, the wood is extremely thick. All the wood work was in fair to great condition. No evidence from what I saw so far of anything more than superficial damage and wear.

The three things that most concern me so far: hull paint, updating the electronics, and the water tanks. All pricey jobs I am sure. Trying to figure out a budget is becoming hard. I have to get an idea what those three jobs would run, and then talk with a surveyor and get that laundry list of things that would need to be fixed as well.

Daunting.

I have never done tanks on a boat, mine were all new when I bought her. I do know if you have to do them its the labour that is the major cost , tanks are cheap. You also have to find a yard that will do a fine job , some one like Lyman Moorse or Hinckley . They are more familiar with that quality of craftsmanship that goes into a Bristol.

I had to look hard and long to figure out how they had lifted the cabin sole to put all my tanks in , These folks are skilled.

Doing electronics is not that bad , actually with NMEA2000 its all plug and play , the most expensive part will be the auto pilot drive if you decide to change that as well . And go with 4G radar great stuff ! We love ours

Regards

[redsky49]

I have owned the smaller sistership, a Bristol 41.1, for 11 years now, so maybe I can add a few thoughts:

The holding tanks are, AFAIK, fiberglass and of no concern. Clean and maintain.

Fuel tanks are most readily removed and are certainly not a deal breaker.

Water tanks below the sole (you likely have at least two) can indeed be removed, though a food grade inner bladder would be an acceptable alternative.

I have all original SS tanks, which are still sound, so I have given their replacement some thought. I believe that the saloon sole could be removed in two large sections, exposing the tanks and minimizing the sole repair.

If my tanks do need replacement, I will likely attempt the repair myself, and will replace the current tanks with new SS 316 tanks. The stainless has shown itself to be quality material, not affecting the taste quality, nor overly sensitive to chlorine. Nor do they release any plasticizers into the water. And mine have now lasted 35 years! In the meantime I keep them clean, wiping the exposed surfaces and removing any suspected corrosion.

Develop your boat handling skills. These skills come with time. A bow thruster is not necessary.

It is likely your refrigeration will benefit from additional insulation.

I added a 'garboard' plug at the bottom of the bilge. When on the hard, I leave the plug out and any water in the bilge drains to the ground. Also allows me to hose out the bilge whenever I am hauled.

These Ted Hood designs are somewhat tender due to the very soft bilges. This also contributes to the gentle motion in a seaway, as opposed to boats with a hard turn of the bilge and a flat bottom. You will likely never experience the slamming some hulls experience - due to the Bristol's slack bilges. These boats have excellent capsize and comfort ratios.

Keep weight out of the ends as best you can. It is tempting to load up the lazarette and forepeak, but that will lead to hobby-horsing.

These are typically dry boats, so you will not encounter green water marching down the sidedecks, and the raised center cockpit will keep you dry and provide better forward vision than an aft cockpit boat. The cockpits are somewhat smaller than many aft cockpits, and in no way compare to broad expanses of the Bene/Bava/Jenn cockpits. Still, we have had as many as nine adults aboard for cocktails.

They are a bit slower to tack than a race boat, so just let the bow come over easily. A couple seconds slower will not ruin your day.

They are not bad light weather boats. They are slower to accelerate, but will carry their weigh through chop and small waves that would stop a light boat in its tracks.

Check for leaks around the port lights, and from any deck fasteners. Fortunately these are very accessible for maintenance and repair. Look upward from inside the lockers. All is exposed.

These boats would cost a fortune to replicate today, if even that was possible. Teak is far costlier today, and the majority is farmed teak, which is not of the same quality. And instead of scribing the trim piece to exactly fit the application as Bristol did, today's builders simply caulk the gap with white goop.

We have had our boat in a couple of nasty situations and she has always fared better than her crew. It is a wonderful thing to have complete confidence in your boat when things go pear shaped.

Enjoy your search for the right Bristol for you!

And I forgot to add: When you are rowing to shore from your anchored boat, you will always look back and think "what a beautiful boat!"

[travalab]

Originally Posted by redsky49

I have owned the smaller sistership, a Bristol 41.1, for 11 years now, so maybe I can add a few thoughts:

....

Enjoy your search for the right Bristol for you!

And I forgot to add: When you are rowing to shore from your anchored boat, you will always look back and think "what a beautiful boat!"

Thanks for the info! We are looking at all the Bristols 40'-48'. Our search has been put on hold for the holidays, but will resume early in January.

[Lollygagger]

Just curious which boat you may have bought. We just purchased Equinox in August, and I believe Patriot was also bought by someone from Charlotte about the same time. We had a very thorough survey done, and we're very satisfied with the report. We had her in the water for the survey, but she is back on the hard, awaiting a weather window for us to sail her to Charleston, where we will add a bow thruster and a couple other things before we cruise her in the Bahamas next year. The hurricanes are not cooperating at the moment.

We will be renaming her Lollygagger, and we are thrilled to own her.

[D Rock]

I just noticed this thread...It sounds like Bristol owners are very dedicated and appreciative of these boats.

Just a note...we have a Tayana 48 for sale. This is definitely not a Bristol (hood design), but is a Perry design and also a well respected breed.

Ours is exceptionally well outfitted including both (2) 12v frigoboat compressors and the original 115v Grunert refrigeration.

The entire rig was replaced in 2013 when we bought it so we could replace the in mast furling with a full batten and lower the mast height to 62.5. and on and on...

If you have any interest in opening the scope of your looking, PM me...

Regards
D

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by travalab

I was especially impressed when looking at the cabin sole, the wood is extremely thick.
Daunting.

Yes, whenever someone on a forum warns about being really careful when sanding the cabin sole, as you might go through the veneer, I think "but it's 3/8 thick"!

[jkimbu]

What a great thread to find.... new owners of a Bristol 53.3 (delivered her down from RI to MD in December) that we're still working through some of the basics on... owner before the PO took excellent care as near as we can tell... PO less so and then a few years on the hard waiting to sell. We call her Sonnet, and are looking forward to finally sailing her once the initial ticklist gets completed!!!