Cal 34 or Bristol 29.9

[Tempest245]

When I sailed on Barnegat bay ( for many years) my last move up was from a Catalina 22 to a Bristol 29. I chose the Bristol partly for the draft. I believe it was 3.6 with the board up. I didn't have 5' of water on the lagoon where I kept her. So draft was everything. But I loved my Bristol. It sailed beautifully, handled any weather, and I didn't hesitate to take it out the inlets, and up and down the coast. That said, the Cal is a Great vessel If you have thoughts of moving out beyond the Bay and doing some cruising it might be the better choice. It's roomier, has better tankage, faster, etc etc.

I think it really depends on your ultimate goals. These are two different vessels. Don't forget that you pay by the foot for slips and storage too. If you don't plan on venturing out of the bay often..I don't think you need anything bigger than the Bristol..

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by psk125

We had friends with a Bristol 29.9. It was a nice boat, but slow. They'd set out two or more hours ahead of the rest of the fleet and arrive (about 20 miles away) about two or three hours after everyone else had already anchored.

Seriously? It was taking 4 to 6 hours longer to do 20 miles? How light were the winds? The difference between PHRF 195 and 174 is approx. 21 seconds per mile, or 7 minutes over 20 miles. To take 6 hours longer over 20 miles would mean doing 2 knots while everyone else is doing 5....sounds like they needed a bottom job...

I've been sailing a Bristol 31.1 for 4 years now so here are some thoughts in no particular order :

So they way I see it, the Cal is a bit faster and considerably roomier.

However, something to be considered when buying an older boat is the build quality. On a Bristol, you're never going to be having problems with keel bolts (there aren't any - fully encapsulated keel), the hull/deck joint (bombproof, best in the industry), blisters (best layup in the industry), and so on. It is a consideration, albeit only part of the picture.

The only issue I've had on the Bristol is a worn bushing on the lower rudder mount. Can be a bit complicated to fix (take rudder out) so give the rudder a good waggle when the boat's out of the water.

The stuffing gland access is horrible, unless you are 4ft tall and have arms like an octopus, which is why I get them to do it for me on haulout. Pick your battles....

I'd buy based on condition, with a preference always for the bigger boat, if they are both in the same condition.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Tempest245

When I sailed on Barnegat bay ( for many years) my last move up was from a Catalina 22 to a Bristol 29. I chose the Bristol partly for the draft. I believe it was 3.6 with the board up. I didn't have 5' of water on the lagoon where I kept her. So draft was everything. But I loved my Bristol. It sailed beautifully, handled any weather, and I didn't hesitate to take it out the inlets, and up and down the coast. That said, the Cal is a Great vessel If you have thoughts of moving out beyond the Bay and doing some cruising it might be the better choice. It's roomier, has better tankage, faster, etc etc.

I think it really depends on your ultimate goals. These are two different vessels. Don't forget that you pay by the foot for slips and storage too. If you don't plan on venturing out of the bay often..I don't think you need anything bigger than the Bristol..

They do say if you wish your boat was smaller, and wish it was larger, for a more or less equal percentage of the time, that you have the right boat!

However, for cruising for two, I would like another 4 ft.... say a Bristol 35.5?

NB : They 29.9, 31.1, and 35.5 are all available with centreboard OR without.

[MarkSF]

I calculated that, to take 6 hours longer over 20 miles, would take a PHRF of 1080.

[Cheechako]

I like the protected rudder on the Bristol. The Bristol only has 2 ft less waterline than the 34 Cal.... which surprised me. The shallow draft may be a benefit in the Bahamas and elsewhere too. However the extra storage and the bigger galley of the Cal could be very nice. I liked the one boat I had with the old side galley. Some boats are coming out with it again now too!
Have you actually looked at the boats? engine? etc?
Anyone know what engine base Nanni is using now?
If I bought the Cal I would count on pulling the spade rudder and check it well.
Ditto for any keel bolts it might have. These are intense labor items. The Bristol might not have the keel bolts (?)
Another thing to look for on both boats is tank access. Most all old boats have bad tanks eventually... if not leaking now just wait a minute...:>)
Access to chain plates for inspection is another thing, if glassed in bigger job to inspect and replace.
Sails are expensive, you are better off with a boat with two newer sails than one with a V berth full of old ones.
Maybe let these type of things help the decision!

[MarkSF]

Please note that it could be a keel, not centreboard, 29.9 and then the shallow draft is not the case. I don't think the OP said which one it is.

[Adelie]

There are actually 6 different boats being possible here since we don't know which models the OP is considering.

The Bristol has standard, centerboard and tall mast versions.
The Cal has mark I, II & II versions. II & III have a modified rig that is faster but doesn't have as many lowers and the III has rearranged deck and accommodations.

BRISTOL 29.9
BRISTOL 29.9 CB
BRISTOL 29.9 TM

CAL 34
CAL 2-34
CAL 34-III


For simplicity's sake I'll stick the the base models.

Over a large range of conditions the Cal will average out to be moderately faster than the Bristol, PHRF 174 vs. 195 which works out to a 7nm/d difference (at about 160nm/d) if you as expending racing levels of effort to sail the boat. Expending cruising levels of effort the difference is about the same calculated using the Leonard-Starzinger formula (at about 120nm/d). Given the Cal's much higher SA/D ratio (18.0 vs. 14.9) it will probably do much better than the Bristol in light winds assuming both have similar sails.

The Cal is slightly narrower but is just over 3 feet longer than the Bristol. This gives the Cal a significant volume advantage.

Looking at non-ballast boat mass and compensating for length and beam the Bristol is built a little heavier which implies slightly stronger. Given that at least one Cal 34 has gone RTW both should be acceptable for offshore cruising with some upgrades and some discretion exercised in choosing route and season.

Jim Cate's comments regarding the stuffing box on the Bristol apply equally or worse to the Cal. The Cal has a V-drive which puts the stuffing box under the transmission inside the fin.

Someone mentioned that the Bristol's fin is encapsulated, so is the Cal's

Most Cal's (including the 34) have a steel beam that runs across the boat under the mast and main bulkhead. Normally this is buried under the interior pan. This beam is both a plus and a minus. Many or most were made of mild steel rather than stainless so there may be a serious corrosion problem if previous owners have not done a decent job of keeping the boat dry. However these beams do a wonderful job of resolving mast forces without distorting the hull and deck shape athwart-ships.

The Bristol may have an Atomic 4 but probably comes with a diesel. The Cal visa versa. A gas motor would not bother me, it is not as safe as the diesel, but it is not dangerous per se. Of more concern to me would be the increased fuel usage of the gas motor. For weekending and coastal cruising I would be happy with either engine. Offshore I would be happier with the diesel.

Because of some early construction and design changes the Cal actually sails better with a full water tank under the V-berth. I believe the boat was originally designed with the engine further forward rather than under the cockpit, so a full bow tank puts the boat back on its intended line.

The Cal 34 has a moderate problem with weather helm. The may be a product of the boat not normally sailing on its lines. This problem led to the redesigned rig of the Mark II & III models. Other solutions have been to reef the main a little early, use a main with a shorter foot (the Baba 30 main works a wonder) or to add a short bow sprit (which has the added benefit of improving light air performance still more with a larger headsail.)

I am prejudiced towards the Cal for various reasons. If my intended sailing area was especially shallow such as the Bahamas, the European canals or I had cheap moorage someplace shallow I would go for the Bristol, especially the CB model. Otherwise I would go for the Cal.

[Sailmonte]

The Bristol is the keel model not the centerboard. Which actually makes it slightly faster then the centerboard one and closes the gap slightly between it and the Cal. Sorry should have specified.
The Nani is based on a Kubota diesel. I actually just installed one in a Pearson 365 i am repowering at work. I really like them. Simple high quality engines. I would be just as happy with it as a Yanmar.
I really like the fact that the Bristol is keel stepped. And has the protected rudder. I'm hopping to buy a boat that I can grow into and could eventually be blue water capable with some upgrades as soon as my sailing ability gets there.

[MarkSF]

Adelie,

Interestingly, my Bristol 31.1 will also only sit on its lines when the water tank under the V berth is full.

[Tempest245]

How much room on the DC panel on the Bristol 29.9 ?

My Bristol 29 was a late 60's model it had a pretty basic electrical panel. The PO had added loran, auto pilot, depth, macerator etc. and had everything wired directly to the batteries. One of my 1st projects was to build a new larger panel to get everything off the batteries. I hinged it to drop down, so I could access everything.

The next project as I recall was to get rid of the gate valves he had on some thru-hulls

[MarkSF]

Just finished rewiring the last of the stuff the po had added, wired directly to the batteries without fuses...with 18 gauge non marine wire.. What's wrong with some people?

For the modern instrument suite I ran a Blue Sea Systems mini fuse box, off an "instruments" breaker. Thus chartplotter, NMEA 2000, MFD, all get individual fuses but power up off one breaker. This only works if they use less than 15A together, but is one way of expanding a full breaker panel.