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Bristol 41.1

14K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  Barquito 
#1 ·
Hi Out there. Anyone with a bristol 41.1 center cockpit? Just purchased one.
 
#4 ·
Hi and sorry for the extreme delay in responding as I have been out of town. I will dig up some pictures and post them soon. I am very excited and happy with my new purchase. As soon as the centerboard issue is fixed, we will be in the water!
 
#6 ·
Thank You very much. It really is a great boat and am currently updating it. Finally got back into the water this weekend. I am constantly impressed with the way Bristols are built. I am doing much of the renovation myself and am getting a firsthand glance at the quality.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Yes the quality of construction is good on all Bristols but it seems to be particularly excellent on the decimal series boats.

Just had the bottom stripped (due to lack of adhesion of the old paint) and painted on mine, not one single solitary blister on the whole bottom.

Then you hear about 5 year old Beneteaus with blisters and cracking gelcoat.
 
#7 ·
We are looking at purrchasing a 1988 CC Bristol 41.1. Is there anything I shoulkd be looking for?, Hohw do you like yours. I know the Thread is older, but hopefully you still visit.

Dave
 
#8 ·
We have a Bristol 45.5 which is very similar. Have a particular look at the tankage. The quality of the materials is exceptional - our water tanks are Monel, but there are issues with the welding and attachment of hose fittings. On the 45.5, there were two very large fuel tanks that generally have had to be replaced and replacement is a very costly undertaking since you need to take apart a lot of the interior to get the old tanks out. Other than that, I am not aware of issues particular to these boats so it is more a general question of the quality/upkeep of a particular boat. Also look at where the anchor windlass is located. Our windlass was way forward, in front of the ondeck locker. This meant that the chain fell onto the slope of the overhang and it was not steep enough to fall backward into the chain locker so it castled and jammed. Someone had to be in the v-berth to pull the chain backward with a boat hook as it came in. That was a major PITA. We bought a new windlass and positioned it just after of the decklocker so the chain has about 4' to drop. Also, gets the weigtht back which is a good thing.
 
#9 ·
Hi Dave . Yes I do occasionally review old posts. First of all, I love the boat and am constantly in awe of the quality of construction. Having owned the boat for two years now, I would agree that the water and fuel tanks should be closely examined. Look at the pennant at the centerboard, and wear of the gelcoat in the decks. I also had issues with welds failing at the bow and stern rails causing me to ave to remove and rewelded and then reattach. The plumbing system is antiquated too and probably needs to be removed and updated. Has the boat you're looking at been repowered?
 
#10 ·
The great thing about the 41.1 is that the fuel tanks are under the aft berth which is cheaper and easier to replace. I love the 45 and seriously looked into buying one but leaky fuel tanks in the keel and the extreme cost to replace them killed the deal.
 
#12 ·
She is a recently reposwer boat with a 56 HP Yanmar. I actually like the setup of the 41.1 better than the 45. Thanks for the info on the decks, and fuel tanks. I had heard they were expensive to redo because of their location. She is in good condition and appears to be a well put together boat. What issues with pumbing have you found.

Dave

Dave
 
#13 ·
It does appear that the Bristols can have the same issues with water penetration into the cored decks as other brands.

I found some history of soft deck around the chainplates on my 31.1 and have just re-sealed them, after finding rainwater leaking in.

So I'd keep an eye out for leaks and consider starting a rolling re-sealing of all deck fittings, which is what I plan to do this summer. Certainly if you find any leaks below, stamp on it straight away before the core suffers.
 
#14 ·
Hi Dave. The plumbing in my boat was copper tubing. I had some bad repairs that were unacceptable to me so i ripped it all out and started over adding and subtracting to my taste. I do not like the setup for the forward head and thus removed and patched where the old faucet was and put in new sinks and corian counters with new hardware that is more functional. I also added a fresh water washdown in the anchor locker and added a shower at the stern.
 
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