[CaptTony]

I'm looking at what is advertised as a 40' Bristol Custom. It's a center cockpit sailboat and looks pretty interesting at the price it is being offered. However, I can't find any information on it at all. Not at the official owners' web site or in the various groups on Yahoo and Google. Sailboatdata.com has nothing on it. I did a search of the forums here and couldn't find anything. I'm just wondering if anyone here has any information. A picture of the boat is below.

 

[Delta-T]

This is a new Bristol site, has the original sale brochure. http://www.bristolsailboats.org/?page_id=112

 

[CaptTony]

Thanks for the link. I have seen these brochures. The boat at which I am looking has a center cockpit and was supposedly built in 1983. None of the information I have seen shows a 40' Bristol with a center cockpit. Furthermore, Wikipedia states that most all Bristols are distinguished by molded dorade vent boxes abaft the mast. This Bristol I'm looking at has none.

It's almost as if the owner has something other than a Bristol and either doesn't know any better or is trying to pull a fast one. I'm going to look at it Sunday and get the hull number. Maybe that will tell me something.

 

[shananchie]

Sure it's not a 41.1 center cockpit?

Bristol did make many custom boats over the years, but I think most of them came in the 1990s.

I suppose the registration/documentation for the boat could answer the question.

 

[JonEisberg]

Thanks for the link. I have seen these brochures. The boat at which I am looking has a center cockpit and was supposedly built in 1983. None of the information I have seen shows a 40' Bristol with a center cockpit. Furthermore, Wikipedia states that most all Bristols are distinguished by molded dorade vent boxes abaft the mast. This Bristol I'm looking at has none.

It's almost as if the owner has something other than a Bristol and either doesn't know any better or is trying to pull a fast one. I'm going to look at it Sunday and get the hull number. Maybe that will tell me something.

I can assure you, that's no Bristol...

I did a number of deliveries for Clint Pearson back in the day, when all their boats were Hood designs... What fine gentlemen he was, one of the best I've ever known in the industry, and it was a very sad day when they ceased production of those wonderful boats in the late 90's...

This was a 41.1... Let your eyes wander a bit, you'll notice those beautifully crafted dorade boxes...

 

[CaptTony]

Sure it's not a 41.1 center cockpit?

Bristol did make many custom boats over the years, but I think most of them came in the 1990s.

I suppose the registration/documentation for the boat could answer the question.

According to the Bristol owners' site (Bristol Owners' Association Home Page) The 41.1 was in production starting in 1986. The seller of the boat says the boat was built in 1983.

Jon, check the picture below. The two sterns do not look alike - I don't think. By the way, is she available to crew?

 

[Barquito]

So, isn't it possible it was a one-off design? You may be looking at the only B40cc on earth.
In the end, it really doesn't matter. If the boat suits you, does it matter if it is a Bristol?

 

[shananchie]

Yachtworld shows two center cockpit 41.1s for sale -- a 1980 and a 1981.

Bristol 41.1 Center Cockpit boats for sale - www.yachtworld.com

 

[mitiempo]

I'm looking at what is advertised as a 40' Bristol Custom. It's a center cockpit sailboat and looks pretty interesting at the price it is being offered. However, I can't find any information on it at all. Not at the official owners' web site or in the various groups on Yahoo and Google. Sailboatdata.com has nothing on it. I did a search of the forums here and couldn't find anything. I'm just wondering if anyone here has any information. A picture of the boat is below.

It looks custom all right. The side decks are almost non-existent and the front of the cabin looks high and chunky. Possibly a custom cabin on a Bristol hull. Definitely not a factory built Bristol though.

 

[CaptTony]

It looks custom all right. The side decks are almost non-existent and the front of the cabin looks high and chunky. Possibly a custom cabin on a Bristol hull. Definitely not a factory built Bristol though.

Yes, I noticed those side decks in the picture. Seems dangerous if you are at sea, you would almost have to move forward on the cabin with little or nothing to hold onto. I can't imagine she would point well either.

 

[CaptTony]

Well, I looked at the Bristol 40 today, and it has a Bristol hull and that's it. The guy selling it thought the previous owner removed the Bristol deck and made his own, but I find that unlikely. Anyway, the cabin top was the whole deck. There is no side deck. The cabin top had life lines that came to several inches below my knees - not good. The hard top over the small cockpit is nice until you want to go up on deck. Then you practically have to crawl out of the cockpit on your belly (remember, no side deck).

Below, the companion way steps were extended to make an easier entrance possible. What the remodeler forgot to take into consideration was there was nothing to hold onto if the boat is heeled over. Likewise the cabin was expansive due to the cabin top being out to the hull sides, but there was nothing to hold onto in a seaway. And most weird of all, the small galley was forward, opposite of the head. It had a front loading fridge, into which you might get a six pack of beer, loaf of bread (this is Florida - everyone keeps their bread in the fridge), and some cold cuts. The boat is in serious need of some cold storage.

At $29,000 (Tampa Bay Craigslist), this boat will sell to someone with a family who mainly wants to live aboard, but as a cruising boat, forget it. By the way, the current owner did a lot of work on the boat. He replaced floors, put new everything in the boat and for the most part used the right materials, but I gathered from our conversation that he was not a sailor. Never heard of someone buying and flipping boats, but it looks like it has come to the Tampa Bay area.

 

[mitiempo]

There is no reason to take a Bristol deck off - they were well designed and built boats. Hurricane damaged boat possibly?

 

[CaptTony]

There is no reason to take a Bristol deck off - they were well designed and built boats. Hurricane damaged boat possibly?

Excellent question. When I first contacted the buyer via email, that is exactly what I asked. He never responded to my email, so then I called but did not ask again. He made a point of telling me how he cleaned and disinfected the boat. Everything was painted or varnished and most wood that was low in the cabin replaced (the floors replaced completely). Maybe it sunk or just took on a lot of water. Who knows?