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Bristol Yachts was an American company which was among the first commercially successful production fiberglass sailboat boat builders. The company was founded in 1964 and closed in 1997. [1]
Bristol Yacht Company was founded by Clinton Pearson. Clint and his cousin Everett Pearson began building fiberglass dinghies in 1955 in their garage on County Street in Seekonk, Massachusetts, just over the Massachusetts/Rhode Island state border. Within a year the newly founded Pearson Yachts employed hundreds of people. Fast corporate expansion resulted in cash flow problems, so the cousins raised capital by selling equity in Pearson to Grumman Allied Industries in 1961. Clinton left in 1964 and bought out a troubled sailboat-maker, Sailstar, in West Warwick, Rhode Island, and moved into the abandoned Herreshoff boatyard. Carl Alberg designed the company's first boat, the Bristol 27. Clinton changed the company’s name to Bristol Yacht Company in 1966, and the Sailstar brand was phased out. The boat yard was eventually located on Popasquash Road, in Bristol, Rhode Island. The facilities included a giant barn on land owned by Clinton and where his home was located as well. Across the road from the barn was a small marina and travellift. The company closed due to bankruptcy in 1997. [1]
Early Bristol models aimed at the mass market and often were cutaway full keel or keel-centerboard designs. Among the first models were the Alberg designed 27 and the Herreshoff designed 29. Halsey Herreshoff, the grandson of the brilliant yacht designer and innovator Nathanael Herreshoff and a renowned yacht designer in his own right, designed a number of first generation models, including the Bristol Caravel 22, the 26 "Courier", 28, 29, 30, 33 and 34. His early designs made the most of the CCA rules with cutaway keels and long overhangs. His later designs were generally performance oriented fin and skeg or fin keel designs. Carl Alberg was responsible for the first generation Bristol models Corinthian 19 (one of the original Sailstar models that Bristol took over) and the Bristol 27 (a boat very similar in design to the Pearson Triton 28, also an Alberg design). Paul Coble designed the Corsair (another Sailstar model later identified as the Bristol 24)--a very stout and roomy 24 footer. The Bristol 32 and 39 (40) were designed by Ted Hood.
Early Bristols offered a lot for their modest prices, including encapsulated lead keels on many models, but with iron punchings and concrete on many of the boats that joined the Bristol line when Bristol acquired the molds from Sailstar. The boats features large galleys for their day, large cockpits with seats you could sleep on, fiberglass cabin headliners on some models, and interiors with a nice blend of white formica and mahogany trim. The early boats had keel-hung rudders, cut away full keels and were moderately stout boats with an relatively comfortable motion for their day. The second generation Bristol yachts carried a decimal and a repeat of the second model number (27.7, 29.9, 31.1, 33.3, 35.5, 38.8, 41.1, 43.3, 45.5, 47.7, 51.1). They came from the design team of Ted Hood, an America's Cup designer. Hood designs generally were centerboard boats which aimed for performance without deep draft, although some models offered the option of a deeper fixed keel. The hull designs were a development of Ted Hood's "whale bottom" delta hull form, with a steep deadrise allowing the ballast to be placed low in the hull (compensating for the lack of ballast in the centreboard), and improving interior space. This hull design is known for its comfortable motion in a seaway. Several of the second generation boats were designed by Dieter Empacher, who, at the time, was employed by Hood design group.
Later on, numerous options were available making the boats essentially semi-custom. For example, in 1985 the options list included a choice of interior wood, counter material, cabin floor, exterior rubbing rails, higher/deeper toe rails, teak swim ladder, a choice of engines, instrumentation options, and so on. Bristols were typically built more heavily than many comparable production sailboats, with features such as skeg-hung rudders, keel-stepped masts, fully encapsulated keel ballast, interior cabinetry bonded to the hull for strength, heavy-duty bronze seacocks, and heavy fibreglass lay-up. Most Bristols can be raced using the PHRF handicap system, despite being designed more for cruising and comfort.
The company built, or at least advertised, two models of motor yacht, one designated the 42 foot Bristol Offshore Trawler and the other advertised as a 38 foot model available in both an aft cabin and sedan configuration. Bristol trawlers were sold during the late 1960s through the early 1980s. Bristol Yacht Co. laid up the hull for the early 42 foot model which was a round-bilge design by the famed Eldridge-McGinnis naval architecture firm. The 42 foot model displaced somewhere between 26 and 30,000 pounds. The hulls were shipped off to another builder for epoxy laminated plywood decks and interiors. Production of the Bristol trawlers shifted to India during the 1970s. Numerous Bristol 42 trawlers remain in service as of November 2011.
The company began building custom designed sailboats in the 50-plus foot range in the early 1990s but eventually folded in 1997. The yard built more than 4400 boats, the largest being 72' long.
Boats built by Bristol Yachts: [1]
The Pearson Invicta is a 38-foot (12 m) sailboat designed for ocean racing. It has a fiberglass sloop with wood trim. Sailboats were once made solely of wood however, the Invicta was the first sailboat produced with a fiberglass hull to win a major ocean race, being placed second overall in the 1962 Newport to Bermuda Race. It was its first in its class and first overall. Thus permanently influencing the course of sailboat design. The Pearson Invicta was designed by noted naval architect William H. Tripp Jr and was produced by Pearson Yachts located in Bristol, Rhode Island.
The Pearson Triton, sometimes referred to as a Triton 28, is an American sailboat that was designed by Carl Alberg as a racer-cruiser and first built in 1958. It was introduced at the 1959 National Boat Show in New York City and was one of the first fiberglass boat designs built. The design also launched Alberg's career as a naval architect.
Carl Alberg was a Swedish born naval architect known for his influence in early fiberglass boats.
Cape Dory Yachts was a Massachusetts-based builder of fiberglass sailboats, powerboats, and pleasure trawlers which operated from 1963 to 1992. It also produced a small number of commercial craft.
The Pearson Ensign, or Ensign 22, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Carl Alberg as a one-design racer and day sailer and first built in 1962. It is the largest full-keel one-design keelboat class in the United States.
Pearson Yachts was a sailboat manufacturer founded by Everett Pearson and Clinton Pearson in 1956. One of the first fiberglass sailboat manufacturers, they grew rapidly during the 60s and 70s, while also developing and designing new boats. However, the company changed ownership throughout the 1980s, after which the company filed for bankruptcy, and was eventually sold to Grumman Allied Industries in 1991. The rights to the name are now held by the Pearson Marine Group.
The O'Day 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by C.R. Hunt & Associates.
The C&C Redwing 30, also called the C&C 30 Redwing, Redwing 30 or just the Redwing, is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Cuthbertson & Cassian and first built in 1967.
The Alberg 30 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by Carl Alberg and first built in 1962.
The Alberg 22 is a Canadian trailerable sailboat, that was designed by Swedish-American naval architect Carl Alberg and first built in 1970.
The Nonsuch 30 is a Canadian sailboat that was designed by Mark Ellis and first built in 1978. It was the first the series of Nonsuch sailboats and was scaled upwards and down, to form a complete line of boats, from the Nonsuch 22 to the Nonsuch 40.
The Spindrift 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Jim Taylor Yacht Designs and first built in 1982.
The Pearson Electra is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Carl Alberg as a Midget Ocean Racing Club (MORC) racer and first built in 1960.
The Leigh 30 is an American sailboat that was designed by Chuck Paine as a cruiser and first built in 1979.
The Bahama 30 is an American sailboat that was designed by Bob Finch as a cruiser and first built in 1973.
The Bristol 29.9 is an American sailboat that was designed by Halsey Chase Herreshoff as a Midget Offshore Racing Class and International Offshore Rule racer and first built in 1977.
The Bristol Caravel 22, sometimes called the Bristol 22 Caravel, Sailstar Caravel, or just the Caravel 22, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Halsey Chase Herreshoff as a cruiser and first built in 1968. It is named for the class of sailing ship.
The Bristol Corsair 24, also called the Bristol 24, Bristol 24 Corsair, Sailstar Corsair 24, Sailstar 24 and just the Corsair 24, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Paul Coble as a cruiser and first built in 1964.
The Corinthian 19, also called the Bristol 19, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Carl Alberg as a cruiser and first built in 1966.
The Sea Sprite 23 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Carl Alberg as a daysailer and cruiser and first built in 1958.