First Gen Bristol Issues - Downside?

[Fishman_Tx]

Do we have any Bristol gurus out there? What are the "cons" of the Bristols? I am hearing a few things about hull/deck joints and tank tabbing but nothing in detail. Does this concern 1st Gens, 2nd, or all? Any thoughts or comments really appreciated.

[tmaddigan]

Ahoy Fishman TX,
We are also proud owners of a Bristol. being from NE, we heard most of the scuttlebutt about the Pearson cousins early on. Your boat was an early Bristol, after the Pearson company was sold to Grumman. You may find gelcoat issues, because the Arab Oil embargo caused the company to change the epoxy formula. Even our 1979 hull had blisters, so the problem was not corrected until much later.(if ever) Yes, you will find the hull/deck joint will leak, and can never be correctly fixed. But I don't think it will ever fail completely.
I don't know who designed the 34. The cousins lost Carl Alberg (who designed almost all of the early pretty Pearsons)when they refused to pay him royalties on his designs. My boat was a Ted Hood design, as was the 32. Halsey Herrschoff was responsible for the 29. Dieter Empacher penned all the "decimal series" boats.
All in all the Bristol is solid, and an outstanding sailer.
Tom

[Fishman_Tx]

Thx!
Ours is also a Herrschoff (originally the 33.5). It's down in Clearwater,FL and we're prepping for a barefoot* crossing to Corpus Christi,TX for the refit, so we need all the info we can get on her before we get her surveyed. Unfortunately, it's the only option as transport is waaay too expensive. Also, if anyone in the Clearwater area knows a REASONABLE place to haul out, let me know. Everywhere I've been able to find (all of 2) costs $600+ just to haul her out! Freakin' highway robbery!

(*minimal gear)

Thx!
Fish

[FloridaWriter]

Originally Posted by Fishman_Tx

Do we have any Bristol gurus out there? What are the "cons" of the Bristols? I am hearing a few things about hull/deck joints and tank tabbing but nothing in detail. Does this concern 1st Gens, 2nd, or all? Any thoughts or comments really appreciated.

I have owned my first generation Bristol 29 for over 20 years. You can find a lot of information here about older Bristols: Bristol 29 A restoration site for owners and admirers of Bristol Yachts

I have also started a forum about older Bristols and other plastic classics and you are most welcome to visit and join: Categories in Bristol29Forum

Fair winds,

[Fishman_Tx]

Thanks guys!

David, your website has already been of GREAT assistance to us and will continue to be. I've gotten some great ideas from looking at your projects and refit.

We have a lot to do to get her ready to come home. Not much we can do about her condition overall except to make sure her thru-hulls, rudder, and rigging is solid and the engine runs without overheating before we take the big jump. I am a bit nervous about a crossing with minimal gear in such a cluttered patch of water, and the later in summer it gets the less I like it(Doldrums, hurricanes? yes a bit of an extremist..). I have yet to talk to anyone who's made the run across the gulf yet and I'm the greenhorn in this crew so this tends to add to my paranoia. My best bud is the one with the experiance and this is his 3rd boat, so I guess I might be a little more trusting?


So, anything else we need to call the surveyors attention to specifically as regards Bristols? (other than hull/deck joints and rigging?) We're doing the prep trip 1st week of June.....

[FloridaWriter]

If you have not yet settled on a surveyor, I would strongly suggest using Chan Chapman (http://chapmanmarinesurveyor.com/default.aspx). He is vastly experienced and has crossed oceans. I don't work for him or with him; just a good friend. but I value his opinion.

I'd worry about the rig:
If the rigging is original or close to original I would seriously consider some work there. If the boat has swagged terminals I would definitely magniflux them and consider new main shrouds and a new back stay and fore stay with stayLok terminals before crossing the Gulf. I would pull the main chainplates and inspect their condition and the condition of the bulkhead or knees they mount into. Also, if the boat has cast aluminum spreader sockets--tubular spreaders would mean she probably does, then I would definitely replace them (Rig-Rite Inc. - Masts, Booms, Spars, Rigging, and Hardware for Sailboats. has replacements) before doing the passage.

Obviously there is a lot of commercial traffic in the gulf. An AIS receiver would be very helpful.

I would assume there is a lot of crap in the bottom of the fuel tank. You should have no trouble finding a service that can clean your fuel and your tanks. Carefully inspect the fuel fill hose to your tank and make sure the clamps are strong and tight. Make sure you can blow thru the fuel tank vent. Same for the water tank. Seal the fill caps with tape or caulking before you make the trip as I'm sure the old fills are no longer water tight.

make sure the motor mounts are strong and tight.

Not sure if she has been repowered, but make sure the exhaust system does not leak carbon monoxide into the cabin when the engine is running. If you can smell exhaust in the cabin, then it is.

I would look closely at the packing gland hoses and clamps for the prop shaft and the rudder post. Also a close inspection of the steering gear, rudder stops, etc.

Make sure the water tank holds water. Bristol used stainless steel water tanks in many of their models and the older boats often have pin holes in the tanks and leak badly.

Inspect the old roller reefing gear and make sure it works. Be absolutely sure you can reef the boat properly. Look for signs of stress or cracks in the gooseneck.

If she has the old South Coast style winches, make they are not about to fall apart or partly seized.

I would get the compass swung. You can find that service in the Clearwater area.

Good luck. It should be a great trip

[Fishman_Tx]

As far as we can tell she's all original. One owner(actually 2 but not counting 2nd as he only had it a month!). As for bieng repowered, I doubt it

Perkins 4-108M painted Westerbeke orange but don't think it's a Westerbeke....

Yeesh we got a lot of work! Know a good boat hauler?

Fish

[FloridaWriter]

Ah the infamous Perkins. The only engine that has been rated as 30 hp, 45 hp, 50 hp, depending on how big the boat it is installed in. Don't hope for more than 30 hp, which is plenty for your boat. The alternator bracket is inherently weak on that engine and fractures with great regularity. Have one built from stainless steel and you should forgo any future fractures.

I actually do have a great boat hauler. His name is Tom Wagner (BOAT TRANSPORTATION and BOAT HAULING - T.J. WAGNER TRUCKING- Boat Transportation and Boat Hauling Boat Trailer Boat Launching based in Florida-Mass ) He is based in the Tampa Bay area.

[dcneuro]

My chain plates are good. I did inspect them since the impact. I think the fact that I hit wood, was much like today's "impact absorbing" bumpers on autos whereas your boat hit rock, much less forgiving. You do however bring up an excellent point regarding the bulkhead. I have noticed that my starboard bulkhead which forms the aft wall of the stand up locker has pulled away about 1/2". I pressured it back by wedging planks in the door frame and used 5200 to reseal the bead, but t pulled away again. I marked the point where it receded to last year and it has not moved any further in a season and one half. I have also had our yard fiberglass guru, who is very good, look at it and he said to leave it be, it is just age and that it would be more sensible to just shave 1/8" off the door so that it would close again rather that try and move the bulkhead back. He found no gross instability. I have also recenetly begun noticing eary creeks, which I am not sure if they are coming from the deck stepped mast cup, or the main support bean which lies beneath it and is concealed neatly within the confines of the deck. (Do you know if there is supposed to be a bearing or gasket of some sort in the mast cup? I have nothing in there and the mast sits directly on the cup).

[Fishman_Tx]

Yeah you may wanna check that main support beam pretty quick. New creaks and seperating bulkheads; age or not, it should be looked at. May have a bit of downward flex in the deckhouse overhead. Thank God we're keel stepped, but the shoe is completely ate up and will have to be replaced. I agree the boat hull is definitely tough, and if thats ok, all else is fixable.

[FloridaWriter]

Originally Posted by dcneuro

My chain plates are good. I did inspect them since the impact. I think the fact that I hit wood, was much like today's "impact absorbing" bumpers on autos whereas your boat hit rock, much less forgiving. You do however bring up an excellent point regarding the bulkhead. I have noticed that my starboard bulkhead which forms the aft wall of the stand up locker has pulled away about 1/2". I pressured it back by wedging planks in the door frame and used 5200 to reseal the bead, but t pulled away again. I marked the point where it receded to last year and it has not moved any further in a season and one half. I have also had our yard fiberglass guru, who is very good, look at it and he said to leave it be, it is just age and that it would be more sensible to just shave 1/8" off the door so that it would close again rather that try and move the bulkhead back. He found no gross instability. I have also recenetly begun noticing eary creeks, which I am not sure if they are coming from the deck stepped mast cup, or the main support bean which lies beneath it and is concealed neatly within the confines of the deck. (Do you know if there is supposed to be a bearing or gasket of some sort in the mast cup? I have nothing in there and the mast sits directly on the cup).

I would ignore the advice of that "guru" and fix your bulkhead properly. You should probably also pull the chainplates and inspect the bulkheads and knees that they bolt to. You are obviously getting movement there and you need to correct it.

Good luck,

[Dave Carter]

I have a 73' Bristol 40 which I bought a few years ago. In 15,000 plus miles I've encountered a few problems. My headstay sheared off the deck sailing transat but the mast held strong. Certainly check the tabbing on the bulkheads, I've had to re-tab mine, it's easy enough. The knees on my boat were also rotted inside the fiberglass. If you're getting a lot of flex you can suck the cabin top down down to the mast step.
That being said my girl is solid as a rock, I can't recall how many times she's forgiven my mistakes

[Mainebristol]

Hi Doc. There is no gasket for the mast step on my B32. The movement inside on the bulkhead is maybe 1/4". Let me know if you ever get up to Casco Bay, someday when the rain stops. I have a mizzen, so I have a split backstay, and the chainplates for the backstay don't lead correctly, is why I mentioned that. The bend in them does not match the angle oft he backstay, by about 15% degrees.

MaineBristol, B32 Eider

[FloridaWriter]

Originally Posted by Mainebristol

Hi Doc. There is no gasket for the mast step on my B32. The movement inside on the bulkhead is maybe 1/4". Let me know if you ever get up to Casco Bay, someday when the rain stops. I have a mizzen, so I have a split backstay, and the chainplates for the backstay don't lead correctly, is why I mentioned that. The bend in them does not match the angle oft he backstay, by about 15% degrees.

MaineBristol, B32 Eider

As long as your turnbuckles are toggled at their lower ends, it is not an issue that the chainplates are out of angle to the masthead. If your turnbuckles are not toggled, then they should be.

[dcneuro]

So how would I go about fixing that bulkhead? I probably should have been clear on the fact that the glass tabbing itself is in order. It is only the wood dressing that has slipped away, about half an inch. But this is not a structural component, which is probably why I was told to leave it alone and just shave the door.