Anyone have experience with a Bristol 29?

[Captain Graham]

I am still in the hunt for my next sailboat.
Will be using it for
1. 2 hour cruises for the public. (4 guests)
2. 1-2 week vacation cruises in Lake Erie.

There is a 1969 Bristol 29 that has been owned by the same family for 30 years.

Looking for info on how a Bristol 29 sail.
1. How much does it heel in 10-15 knots of wind?
2. How well does it balance?
3. any issues about weather helm?

Any advice would be helpful.

[Captain Graham]

For Reference from sailnet forum.

The Bristol 29 is one of my favorite CCA era designs that does not have a fin keel and spade rudder. The fixed keel version is what we would have called back then a fin keel with an keel hung rudder. There is also a keel-centerboard version. I am not sure which version you are looking at. I have sailed only on the keel centerboard version but on one wheel and one tiller version, several decades apart. Putting a wheel on these boats are a mistake. The tiller works well, the added friction of the wheel makes the boat harder to handle, especially in gusty conditions,

What I like about the Bristol 29's is that they have nicely proportioned and well laid out interior that works well for a boat this size. They have enough form stability and a low enough wetted surface to be somewhat forgiving for a 29 footer from this era. The Bristol 29's has a fine bow for the era and so do well in a chop for a CCA racer-cruiser and sail very well in moderate conditions. (8-12 knots of wind). They are okay in lighter winds but not as good as a more modern design or a lower drag boat from the same era. The centerboard on the keel-centerboard version can be adjusted to help reduce weather helm, and of course the shallow draft of the centerboard version allows it to get into pretty shallow water.

On the flip side, compared to more modern designs, they are tender, and do not handle gusty and changeable conditions well. Which gets to your second question, These boats need a pretty large genoa (135%-140%) to sail in winds under about about 10 knots. Over 10 knots you need to blade out the mainsail and shortly after reef the main to reduce excessive heel and weather helm. At some point around 12 knots with gusts to 15 knots that genoa is too big even with the mainsail reefed and you will need to switch down to a smaller headsail or go for a higher tech jib that can be partially furled without having too much belly. Without doing that, the boat will be on its ear, and the weather helm and leeway become excessive.
To address your comments and questions:
1. Can I fit 4 guests plus myself in the cockpit for an afternoon sail in easy conditions (10-15 Knot winds)
(12 to 15 knots is not easy conditions for this boat) The cockpit is tight for four people especially in windy conditions when you will want everyone on the high side. .
2. How much does the boat heel in 10-15 knot winds?
(I enjoy a brisk sail but most no-sailors do not)
These boats are intended to be sailed at pretty high heel angles (20-30 degrees), and so are tender until you start to approach those heel angles If you reef at 12 knots and set a smaller working jib, then you should be able to sail the boat at the bottom end of that range.,
3. Does the boat balance well?
These boats balance well below around 10-12 knots, but do develop a lot of weather helm if you do not shorten sail in a stiffer breeze. Blading the main, or reefing early will help a lot with that. As mentioned, the centerboard boat can be balanced out nicely by raising the board a little.
4. Does the boat self steer using sheet to tiller methods?
I never have tried this or know anyone who has, but from the sailing characteristics, I would think that the boat could in steady light to moderate conditions, but not so much in gusty conditions.
5. Does the boat heave too well?
Again, I never have tried this or know anyone who has, but from the sailing characteristics I would expect that they would heave to nicely.
6. Make a shorter new tiller using a pipe. I will only use this tiller in nice weather and will have a larger diameter pipe to extend the length it I need it.
That really is not a great idea. It would be rare that you would be able to use the shortened tiller length. Frankly, I did not find the tiller length to be an issue. My recollection is that one person sits behind the helmsman and is not impacted by the tiller and another person or two small people sit forward of the helmsmen and are not impacted by the tiller. Once at anchor, the tiller is tilted up out of the way opening up the entire length of the cockpit.
7. Add some seating at the stern and test will first use 2 folding camping chairs.
This is not a practical idea. These boats do not like weight in the stern, plus it would be hard to keep a folding chair safely sitting on the deck when the boat is heeled,

If a critical criteria is to have four adults sitting in the cockpit under sail in 10-15 knots of wind, this is probably not the right boat. But if you are typically sailing with 2-3 people and want to go retro, then these are very nice boats. One word of caution, pay attention to the mast step since all three of these boats that I have known had to have work done on the mast support/mast steps.

Jeff