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Review of Bristol 35.5


Basic specs.

sail specifications
The Bristol 35.5 is a sailboat designed by the American maritime architect Ted Hood in the early eighties.

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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.


Keel

The Bristol 35.5 has been built with different keel alternatives.

CentreBoard

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

The boat can enter even shallow marinas as the draft is just about 1.16 - 1.26 meter (3.81 - 4.11 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.

Fin keel

Another 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 boat can enter most marinas as the draft is just about 1.77 - 1.87 meter (5.81 - 6.11 ft) dependent on the load. See immersion rate below.


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 7.0 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 35.5 is about 185 kg/cm, alternatively 1038 lbs/inch.
Meaning: if you load 185 kg cargo on the boat then it will sink 1 cm. Alternatively, if you load 1038 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 35.5 is 3.29.

Wide Slim 58% 0 50 100
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 35.5 is 45%.

Low High 76% 0 50 100
This ballast ratio shows a righting moment that is higher than 76% of all similar sailboat designs. A righting moment (ability to resist heeling) significantly above average.


Over- / underrigged

Low High 15% 0 50 100
The Bristol 35.5 has more rig than 15% of all similar sailboats, which indicates that the boat is significantly 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 35m2 (376 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.

mainsail specifications headsail specifications

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
UsageLengthDiameter
Mainsail halyard 32.4 m(106.3 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib/genoa halyard32.4 m(106.3 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Spinnaker halyard32.4 m(106.3 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Jib sheet 10.8 m(35.5 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Genoa sheet10.8 m(35.5 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Mainsheet 27.1 m(88.7 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Spinnaker sheet23.8 m(78.1 feet)14 mm(0.55 inch)
Cunningham3.8 m(12.3 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Kickingstrap7.5 m(24.6 feet)12 mm(1/2 inch)
Clew-outhaul7.5 m(24.6 feet)12 mm(1/2 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 35.5 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