Design and Construction
The Bristol 40 reads as a traditional CCA-era cruiser-racer with prominent overhangs, a sweet sheer line, low freeboard, and an undistorted hull shape built around a narrow beam of 10 ft. 9 in. over a 27 ft. 6 in. waterline. Rather than a bolt-on external keel, the boat carries a molded keel cavity filled with 6,500 pounds of lead, and the hull itself is substantially lighter than most long-keel CCA 40-footers while still displacing around 17,000 pounds in measurement trim. Practical Sailor found the deck non-skid to be a molded-in basket weave pattern less effective than more aggressive designs, and noted that the colored gelcoat used was not colorfast. None of the owners surveyed reported any major structural flaws, though leaking ports, deck hardware, and hull/deck joints were common annoyances.
Rig and Handling
The rig is a basic masthead sloop or yawl, using an untapered, keel-stepped anodized mast with single spreaders and double lower shrouds, and a good number of Bristol 40s were completed as yawls. The mizzen makes the boat more tippy and adds windage that works against upwind performance. Owners report the Bristol 40 is very sensitive to the amount of sail carried, and in both keel and centerboard versions she is a fairly tippy boat owing to her narrow beam and shoal draft. The keel version loses positive righting moment at about 120 degrees, while the centerboard variant’s range of stability is closer to 110 degrees. Like most CCA boats she reaches well without the rounding-up tendency of fuller-sterned modern designs, but she tends to squat when running downwind, digging a hole that is hard to climb out of. A full-keel Bristol 40 won the 1983 Marion-Bermuda Race, a largely close-reaching event in light to moderate breeze. Handling in reverse is rated as poor by most owners.
Accommodations
As originally drawn, the Bristol 40 had a wide-open offshore racing interior with a sail locker forward and the head placed where a forward cabin would normally sit, but most boats were built with one of several more conventional layouts. Bristol made extensive use of mahogany rather than teak below, and in every layout except the original racing version the galley sits at the aft end of the main cabin. Headroom runs about 6 ft. 4 in. on centerline aft, dropping to roughly 6 ft. forward. The main cabin ports do not open. The cockpit is huge, with seats almost 7 ft. long, though its scuppers are too small and there is no bridgedeck—only a raised companionway sill—making quick cockpit drainage especially important.
Known Issues
The lower shroud chainplates do not line up exactly with the pull of the shrouds, a condition that will fatigue the chainplates over time. There is little room between the shaft coupling and the stuffing box, and several owners reported it is almost impossible to repack without removing the shaft. Early diesel-powered models carried black iron fuel tanks, at least one of which an owner had to replace after rusting out, while later boats received aluminum tanks that are less prone to corrode. When the switch was made to bigger diesels, the propeller aperture was not enlarged to match. The fuel tank sits under the cockpit sole above the engine in all models, and there is no sound insulation in the engine compartment.
Refits and Ownership
Later model 39s and Bristol 40s were powered either by the Atomic 4 gasoline engine or by a range of diesels including Westerbeke 4-91, 4-107, and 4-108, Perkins 4-108, and Volvo MD2B and MD3B. Access to the front of the engine is fair, requiring removal of the engine box front that also serves as the companionway ladder. One owner surveyed had added 1,500 lb. of lead pigs in the bilge to improve stability. Practical Sailor judged that because of her large cockpit, small drains, slightly vulnerable companionway, and low initial stability, the boat would not be a good choice for extended offshore cruising, even though she has completed many ocean crossings and is capable of taking you anywhere in the world.
The Verdict
The Bristol 40 is a stable and well-mannered traditional cruiser with a Hood pedigree and a proven record of ocean passages, yet she wears her CCA origins plainly in modest speed, tippy initial behavior, and details that demand a careful survey. She rewards an owner who reefs early and respects her drainage and chainplate limits.
Pros
- Ted Hood design with blue-water intent and many ocean crossings to her name
- Molded lead-keel cavity and solid construction with no reported major structural flaws
- Huge cockpit and conventional, mahogany-trimmed interior layouts with good headroom
- Strong reaching performance and a classic CCA profile
Cons
- Lower shroud chainplates misaligned with shroud load, inviting fatigue
- Tight stuffing-box access and unchanged prop aperture with larger diesels
- Small cockpit scuppers, no bridgedeck, and non-opening main cabin ports
- Poor reverse handling and tippy, squat-prone behavior off the wind
