Bristol 47.7
Description
The Bristol 47.7 is a classic bluewater cruising sailboat built by Bristol Yachts in Bristol, Rhode Island, from 1979 to 1994 (approximately 75 units produced). It's an evolution of the highly regarded Bristol 45.5, using a modified version of the same hull mold but with a longer stern, traditional counter/transom (instead of the 45.5's reverse transom), and extended overall length for improved aesthetics, interior volume, and sailing characteristics. Designed by legendary naval architect Ted Hood (with Dieter Empacher contributions), it's renowned for exceptional build quality, comfortable offshore motion, semi-custom layouts, and versatility via the keel/centerboard configuration—allowing shallow draft access (e.g., Bahamas, ICW) while delivering strong upwind performance and stability when the board is down. Most were built as center cockpit (for better privacy, separation of living areas, and reduced motion), with masthead sloop rig (some cutter or ketch options). It's heavily constructed with solid fiberglass hull (vinylester resins in later years), balsa-cored deck, encapsulated lead ballast, and high-quality teak interior—often described as "built like tanks" with timeless classic looks and excellent woodwork.
Construction Details
| Designer | Ted Hood |
|---|---|
| Builder | Bristol Yachts |
| Length | 48.000 ft |
| LOA | 47.000 ft |
| LWL | 37.250 ft |
| Beam | 13.170 ft |
| Displacement | 34660 lb |
| Max Draft | 11.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 4.920 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 56 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 18.50 ft |
| p | 50 ft |
| e | 18 ft |
| p2 | 30.50 ft |
| e2 | 9.50 ft |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 56 ft | 18.50 ft | 50 ft | 18 ft | 30.50 ft | 9.50 ft | - | - |
Sails
Bristol 47.7 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 50 ft - (15240 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18 ft - (5486 mm) |
| Leech | * 52.17 ft - (15901 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 52.55 ft - (16017 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 458.24 ft² |
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Bristol 47.7 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 47.18 ft - (14380 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 24.64 ft - (7510 mm) |
| Leech | * 40.76 ft - (12424 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115.03 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 21.28 ft - (6486 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 11.98 ° |
| Area | * 502.05 ft² |
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Bristol 47.7 - GENOA
| Luff | 56.03 ft - (17078 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.99 ft - (9141 mm) |
| Leech | * 52.58 ft - (16026 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 27.75 ft - (8458 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4 ° |
| Area | * 777.45 ft² |
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Bristol 47.7 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 56.03 ft - (17078 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.52 ft - (9302 mm) |
| Leech | * 51.55 ft - (15712 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1283 ft² |
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Bristol 47.7 - SPINNAKER
| Stays | * 56.03 ft - (17078 mm) |
|---|---|
| MidGirth | * 33.3 ft - (10150 mm) |
| Foot | * 33.3 ft - (10150 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 180 % |
| Area | * 1586 ft² |
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Bristol 47.7 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 32.44 ft - (9888 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 13.95 ft - (4252 mm) |
| Leech | * 26.43 ft - (8056 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 11.1 ft - (3383 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.01 ° |
| Area | * 180 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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