Design and Construction
The 27.7 is built of solid hand-laid fiberglass with lead ballast, carrying a displacement of 7,000 pounds and 2,850 pounds of lead on a 10-foot beam. Her length-to-beam ratio of 2.72 and ballast ratio of 41 percent describe a narrow, deeply ballasted hull, while a displacement-to-length ratio of 274 puts her firmly in the "heavy cruiser" category for a boat of her size. That mass, combined with a 4-foot-4-inch fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, yields a capsize screening value of 2.09 — a figure that excludes her from sanctioned ocean racing but speaks to a stiff, settled posture offshore. The theoretical hull speed is 6.4 knots, and her Motion Comfort Ratio of 20.9 indicates a damped, deliberate motion in a seaway rather than a lively racer's skitter.
Rig and Handling
She is rigged as a masthead sloop and is, by the numbers, slightly overrigged: her sail plan carries more canvas than 66 percent of comparable sailboats. With the ISO reference sail her sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 15.0, rising to 17.8 with a 135 percent genoa — a useful spread for light-air cruising without becoming unmanageable. The wetted surface measures about 247 square feet, and her draft of 4.36 to 4.66 feet dependent on load is shallow enough to tuck into modest marinas. Halyard and sheet specifications are generous for the size: mainsail and headsail halyards are 80.5 feet of 5/16-inch line, the mainsheet is 68.2 feet of 3/8-inch, and genoa sheets run 27.3 feet — dimensions that confirm a full-sized cruising rig rather than a stripped racer.
Accommodations
The verified specifications record 63 gallons of water and 19 gallons of diesel carried, with a single 12-horsepower Yanmar diesel turning one shaft — proportions that outline a self-sufficient weekender for two rather than a charter platform.
The Verdict
The Bristol 27.7 is a small, heavily built Herreshoff cruiser whose scarcity is matched by her sober competence. She is not a speedster, but her numbers describe a stable, comfortable coastal and modest-offshore vessel with a full cruising rig and practical tankage.
Pros
- Solid fiberglass hull with lead ballast and a heavy-cruiser displacement profile
- Slightly overrigged masthead sloop with genoa-driven sail-area flexibility
- Shallow enough draft to enter smaller marinas
Cons
- Fewer than 100 built, making any specific example hard to source
- Capsize screening of 2.09 bars her from organized ocean racing
