Bristol 54.4
Description
The Bristol 54.4 is a premium bluewater cruising sailboat from Bristol Yachts in Bristol, Rhode Island, produced starting in 1985 (with examples built into the late 1980s/early 1990s on a semi-custom basis). Designed by Dieter Empacher (a key figure in Ted Hood's design office, continuing the Hood-influenced Bristol lineage), it's an upscale evolution in the "second-generation" series—preceding the larger Bristol 56.6 while building on the hull philosophy of models like the 47.7 and 45.5. This yacht emphasizes luxurious semi-custom interiors, exceptional build quality, seaworthiness, and versatility with a keel/centerboard setup for shallow-draft coastal access (e.g., Bahamas, ICW, Chesapeake) combined with deep draft for strong offshore performance. It's typically a center cockpit (for privacy, separation of spaces, and smoother motion), with options for sloop or ketch rig (ketch being popular for easier shorthanded handling). Construction follows Bristol's hallmark: heavy solid fiberglass hull, encapsulated lead ballast, skeg-hung rudder, bonded bulkheads, and beautiful teak/woodwork—often called "built like a tank" with timeless classic styling.
Construction Details
| Designer | Dieter Empacher |
|---|---|
| Builder | Bristol Yachts |
| Length | 54.000 ft |
| LOA | 43.920 ft |
| LWL | 36.500 ft |
| Beam | 13.500 ft |
| Displacement | 27500 lb |
| Max Draft | 7.500 ft |
| Min Draft | 5.330 ft |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 68.05 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 23 ft |
| p | 59.03 ft |
| e | 18.01 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68.05 ft | 23 ft | 59.03 ft | 18.01 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Bristol 54.4 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 59.03 ft - (17992 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 18.01 ft - (5489 mm) |
| Leech | * 60.69 ft - (18498 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 87.99 ° |
| Diagonal | * 61.11 ft - (18626 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 539.5 ft² |
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Bristol 54.4 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 57.47 ft - (17517 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 30.75 ft - (9373 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.45 ft - (15072 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 115 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 26.45 ft - (8062 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12 ° |
| Area | * 759.97 ft² |
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Bristol 54.4 - GENOA
| Luff | 68.24 ft - (20800 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 37.39 ft - (11396 mm) |
| Leech | * 63.93 ft - (19486 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 34.5 ft - (10516 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.01 ° |
| Area | * 1177.09 ft² |
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Bristol 54.4 - GENOA
| Luff | 67 ft - (20422 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 32.75 ft - (9982 mm) |
| Leech | 61.5 ft - (18745 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 130.17 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 29.94 ft - (9126 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 5.24 ° |
| Area | * 1002.9 ft² |
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Bristol 54.4 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | 70 ft - (21336 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | 39 ft - (11887 mm) |
| Leech | 65 ft - (19812 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 2048 ft² |
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Bristol 54.4 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 39.51 ft - (12043 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 17.44 ft - (5316 mm) |
| Leech | * 31.98 ft - (9748 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 13.8 ft - (4206 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 19.01 ° |
| Area | * 272.65 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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