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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
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