BobHorn

Bob:
I have a 1978 Bristol 35.5 with a centerboard so I can give you my impressions of this smaller Bristol than the one you are looking at. her beam is 10'10", conservative given current designs. I have taken her out in small craft advisories a number of times and can tell you that she heels to 10-15 degrees and then no more. Have had both my genoa & full main up in 15-20 of wind and don't come close to burying the rail. So as to being "fragile" I haven't seen it. Not the best boat going to windward...within 45-50 degrees of the wind and sails start stalling. all-in-all, these boats are built to such a standard that you feel confident in any conditions...you end up being the weak link. I just looked up a 1981 Bristol 40 and the ad noted a beam of 10' 9", so only 2" different than my 35.5...displacement same, 15,000#, so I would also check mast ht and sail area...if very similar to the 35.5 then my experience should mirror the 40's. good luck in your search. dave