Bristol 22 Restoration

[Chadfunk48]

Me and my girlfriend bought a 1979 Bristol 22 Caravel this past August. It had been sitting in a marina for about ten years with very little attention. She pretty much needs a complete overhaul. New paint everywhere, redo all the wood inside and out, electrical from scratch, alot of west system on spider cracks and weak wood. Luckily the standing rigging seems more or less sound, save for a couple turnbuckles... anyway the list goes on, I'm sure you can imagine.

So I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these boats or any boats from this era doing any of this kind of work. Any suggestions are appreciated.

[sailingdog]

I hope you got it surveyed... a good survey would give you a pretty good idea of what you need to do and what order you need to do it in. Getting an old, neglected boat without a survey is probably a really big mistake, since there can be a lot of hidden and costly repairs the boat needs that you, as a relative novice boat owner, will not recognize off hand.

BTW, epoxy can do a lot of good, but only if you know how to properly use it. It isn't all that good if the underlying structure that you're putting it on isn't sound to begin with.

[merc2dogs]

Took one out on a test sail late this summer, but that's the most experience I've had on them. Seemed like a pretty capable boat.
There are a lot of Bristol specific sites around, and quite a few boards aimed at restorations, rebuilds, and modifications etc.
The Plastic Classic Forum :: Index
and
Glen-L.com :: Index

among others are good sources of info, plus there are several Yahoo groups dedicated to bristol boats, checked them out while I was looking at a couple of bristols before settling on the Ariel. Plastic classic is aimed more at restoring and rebuilding older boats, and Glen-l is more for boat building from glen-l plans, but there are tons of info on both sites.

I'm in the middle of a refurb on a 63 pearson Ariel, they're fun to play with, and well worth the time and effort!

Ken.

[Chadfunk48]

I actually bought the boat on recommendation from a friend who works at the marina as a fiberglass and general repairman. He looked at the boat inside and out for me and told me what was good and what was not. It's pretty sound overall. The glass doesn't have any soft sports or discoloration except for the spider cracks.

Here are some pics of what I started with and what I'm doing.



P.S. I think I'm gonna move this thread to the "gear and maintenance" section.