Review of Bristol 34

Basic specs.

The Bristol 34 is a sailboat designed by the American maritime architect Halsey C. Herreshoff in the early seventies. Less than 100 boats have been produced. The Bristol 34 is built by the American yard Bristol Yachts Inc..

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Hull

The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.

Interior

The boat is equipped with 7 berths and toilet facility.

Keel

The Bristol 34 has been built with different keel alternatives.

Fin keel

One option is a fin keel. A boat with a fin keel is more manoeuvrable but has less directional stability than a similar boat with a full keel.

The keel is made of lead. Compared with iron, lead has the advantage of being 44% heavier, which allows a smaller keel and hence less water resistance and higher speed.

The boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.68 - 1.78 meter (5.51 - 5.81 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Swing keel

Another option is a swing keel. A swing keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.

The keel is also made of lead.

Bristol 34 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.22 - 1.32 meter (4.00 - 4.30 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Engine

The boat is typically equipped with a Westerbeke diesel engine.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 95.0 liters (25 US gallons, 20 imperial gallons).

Sailing characteristics

This section covers widely used rules of thumb to describe the sailing characteristics. Please note that even though the calculations are correct, the interpretation of the results might not be valid for extreme boats.

Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed

What is Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed?

The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 6.8 knots. The term "Theoretical Maximum Hull Speed" is widely used even though a boat can sail faster. The term shall be interpreted as above the theoretical speed a great additional power is necessary for a small gain in speed.

Immersion rate

The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level. The immersion rate for Bristol 34 is about 168 kg/cm, alternatively 944 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 168 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 944 lbs cargo on the boat it will sink 1 inch.

Sailing statistics

This section is statistical comparison with similar boats of the same category. The basis of the following statistical computations is our unique database with more than 26,000 different boat types and 350,000 data points.

L/B (Length Beam Ratio)

What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?

The l/b ratio for Bristol 34 is 3.29.

Compared with other similar sailboats it is slimmer than 58% of all other designs. It seems that the designer has chosen a slightly more speedy hull design.

Ballast Ratio

What is a Ballast Ratio?

The ballast ratio for Bristol 34 is 48%.

This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 85% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly above average.

Over- / underrigged

The Bristol 34 has more rig than 31% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is slightly underrigged.

Maintenance

Bottom Paint

When buying anti-fouling bottom paint, it's nice to know how much to buy. The surface of the wet bottom is about 29m² (312 ft²).
Based on this, your favourite maritime shop can tell you the quantity you need.

Note: If you use a paint roller you will need more paint than if you use a paintbrush.

Rig

Dimensions of sail.

Are your sails worn out? You might find your next sail here: Sails for Sale

If you need to renew parts of your running rig and is not quite sure of the dimensions, you may find the estimates computed below useful.

**Guiding dimensions of running rig**
Usage	Length		Diameter
Mainsail halyard	27.2 m	(89.2 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard	27.2 m	(89.2 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Spinnaker halyard	27.2 m	(89.2 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Jib sheet	10.4 m	(34.3 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Genoa sheet	10.4 m	(34.3 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Mainsheet	26.1 m	(85.7 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker sheet	23.0 m	(75.4 feet)	12 mm	(1/2 inch)
Cunningham	3.8 m	(12.5 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Kickingstrap	7.6 m	(25.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)
Clew-outhaul	7.6 m	(25.0 feet)	10 mm	(3/8 inch)

Boat owner's ideas

This section is reserved boat owner's modifications, improvements, etc. Here you might find (or contribute with) inspiration for your boat.

Do you have changes/improvements you would like to share? Upload a photo and describe what you have done.

Finally

We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Bristol 34 it would be a great help.

If you have any comments to the review, improvement suggestions, or the like, feel free to contact us. Criticism helps us to improve.

References

[Ref 1]: ISO 8666 Small craft — Principal data.
[Ref 3]: ISO 12215-5 Small craft — Hull construction and scantlings.