Review of Bristol 32
Basic specs.
Looking for a new boat? Find a Bristol 32 or similar boat for sale
The hull is made of fibreglass. Generally, a hull made of fibreglass requires only a minimum of maintenance during the sailing season.
The interior is like most other boats made of teak. Teak has the advantage of being naturally very oily and therefore water-repellent, which is suitable on boats.
The boat is equipped with one cabin, 4 berths, 342.0 liter fresh water capacity and toilet facility.
The Bristol 32 has been built with different keel alternatives.
Full keel
One option is a long keel. A full keel provide a better directional stability than a similar boat with a fin keel; on the other hand, better directional stability means also that the boat is more difficult to handle in a harbour with less space.
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 even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.40 - 1.50 meter (4.59 - 4.89 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
CentreBoard
Another option is a centreboard keel. A centreboard keel is a pivoting lifting keel, allowing to sail both coastal and inland waters.
Bristol 32 can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.07 - 1.17 meter (3.51 - 3.81 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.
The Bristol 32 has been equipped with different engine alternatives.
Alternative 1:
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Volvo Penta engine at 28 hp (20 kW).
The transmission is a shaft drive. A shaft drive will in the long run require less maintenance than other types of drive e.g. a sail drive.
Alternative 2:
The boat may be equipped with an inboard Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine at 30 hp (22 kW).
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.
What is Capsize Screening Formula (CSF)?
The capsize screening value for Bristol 32 is 1.56, indicating that this boat could - if evaluated by this formula alone - be accepted to participate in ocean races.
The immersion rate is defined as the weight required to sink the boat a certain level.
The immersion rate for Bristol 32 is about 220 kg/cm, alternatively 1232 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 220 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm.
Alternatively, if you load 1232 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.
What is L/B (Length Beam Ratio)?
The l/b ratio for Bristol 32 is 3.42.
What is SA/D (Sail Area Displacement ratio)?
The SA/D for Bristol 32 with ISO 8666 reference sail is 11.0, with a 135% genua the SA/D is 12.9.
Maintenance
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.
| Usage | Length | Diameter | ||
| Mainsail halyard | 26.5 m | (87.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Jib/genoa halyard | 26.5 m | (87.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Spinnaker halyard | 26.5 m | (87.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Jib sheet | 10.6 m | (34.8 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Genoa sheet | 10.6 m | (34.8 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Mainsheet | 26.5 m | (86.9 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Spinnaker sheet | 23.3 m | (76.5 feet) | 14 mm | (0.55 inch) |
| Cunningham | 4.1 m | (13.5 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Kickingstrap | 8.2 m | (27.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
| Clew-outhaul | 8.2 m | (27.0 feet) | 12 mm | (1/2 inch) |
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.
We are always looking for new photos. If you can contribute with photos for Bristol 32 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.