Bristol 45.5 Ketch
Description
The Bristol 45.5 Ketch is a variant of the classic Bristol 45.5 bluewater cruising sailboat, built by Bristol Yachts in Bristol, Rhode Island, from 1979 to 1989. Designed by Ted Hood (with Dieter Empacher's input), this optional ketch rig configuration was offered alongside the more common masthead sloop rig. The ketch setup provides easier sail handling for shorthanded or offshore cruising—smaller individual sails, better balance in heavy weather, and versatility in varying wind conditions—while retaining the hull's renowned stability, comfort, and performance. Like the sloop version, it features a keel/centerboard design (Hood's signature for shallow-draft access with excellent upwind ability when the board is down), solid fiberglass construction, heavy displacement, and high-quality teak/wood trim. It's available in center cockpit (most popular for privacy and motion) or rarer aft cockpit layouts.
Construction Details
| Designer | Ted Hood |
|---|---|
| Builder | Bristol Yachts |
| Length | 45.500 ft |
| LOA | 45.500 ft |
| LWL | 37.000 ft |
| Beam | 13.200 ft |
| Displacement | 34660 lb |
| Ballast | 15000 lb |
| Max Draft | 11.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 4.920 ft |
| Year Built | 1979 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 54 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18.50 ft |
| p | 47 ft |
| e | 14.83 ft |
| p2 | 30.50 ft |
| e2 | 9.50 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 54 ft | 18.50 ft | 47 ft | 14.83 ft | 30.50 ft | 9.50 ft | - | - |
Sails
Bristol 45.5 Ketch - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 47 ft - (14326 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14.83 ft - (4520 mm) |
| Leech | * 48.37 ft - (14743 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 48.79 ft - (14871 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 354.88 ft² |
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Bristol 45.5 Ketch - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 45.66 ft - (13917 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.8 ft - (7559 mm) |
| Leech | * 39.2 ft - (11948 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115.03 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.28 ft - (6486 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.99 ° |
| Area | * 485.79 ft² |
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Bristol 45.5 Ketch - GENOA
| Luff | 54.23 ft - (16529 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.13 ft - (9184 mm) |
| Leech | * 50.75 ft - (15469 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 27.75 ft - (8458 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 752.42 ft² |
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Bristol 45.5 Ketch - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 54.23 ft - (16529 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.52 ft - (9302 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.89 ft - (15206 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1241 ft² |
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Bristol 45.5 Ketch - MIZZEN
| Luff | 30.5 ft - (9296 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 9.5 ft - (2896 mm) |
| Leech-AftHdBd | 30.94 ft - (9431 mm) |
| Tack Ang | * 85.65 ° |
| Diag (clew/head) | 31.25 ft - (9525 mm) |
| Head (inches) | 4.5 in - (114 mm) |
| Area (no Roach) | * 147.74 ft² |
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Bristol 45.5 Ketch - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 31.39 ft - (9568 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 14.07 ft - (4289 mm) |
| Leech | * 25.31 ft - (7714 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 11.1 ft - (3383 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19 ° |
| Area | * 174.23 ft² |
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Disclaimer. Boats are not all the same -- even when produced in the same factory of the same model. Sailrite does its best to publish accurate dimensions, but we often find it worthwhile to have our customers measure their boats carefully before we produce kits for them. You should take the same precautions, especially when the data is not from Sailrite. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be accurate. Sailrite offers this content as a service to our community, but takes no responsibility for the reliability of the data provided.
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