Bristol 56.6
Description
The Bristol 56.6 is a flagship-class bluewater cruising sailboat from Bristol Yachts in Bristol, Rhode Island, built from 1986 onward (production into the early 1990s, with limited numbers produced as part of their larger custom/semi-custom line). It's an extended development of the Bristol 54.4 hull, designed by Dieter Empacher (longtime collaborator with Ted Hood, who influenced many Bristol designs). This model represents the pinnacle of Bristol's "second-generation" heavy-displacement cruisers, emphasizing luxurious accommodations, exceptional build quality, seaworthiness, and versatility for extended offshore or world cruising. Like its smaller siblings (e.g., 41.1, 45.5, 47.7), it features a keel/centerboard configuration for shallow-draft access (e.g., Bahamas, ICW) combined with deep draft for superior upwind performance and stability. Most were built as center cockpit (for privacy, separation of living spaces, and reduced motion), with a cutter rig (sometimes sloop or ketch options) and robust fiberglass construction—solid hull, encapsulated lead ballast, skeg-hung rudder, and high-quality teak interior.
Construction Details
| Designer | Dieter Empacher |
|---|---|
| Builder | Bristol Yachts |
| Length | 56.000 ft |
| LOA | 56.500 ft |
| LWL | 45.500 ft |
| Beam | 15.500 ft |
| Displacement | 66000 lb |
| Ballast | 20500 lb |
| Max Draft | 11.000 ft |
| Min Draft | 5.420 ft |
| Year Built | 1986 |
The standard boat dimensions
| i | 68.50 ft |
|---|---|
| j | 22.30 ft |
| p | 60.20 ft |
| e | 20.30 ft |
| p2 | - |
| e2 | - |
| i2 | - |
| j2 | - |
| I | J | P | E | P2 | E2 | I2 | J2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68.50 ft | 22.30 ft | 60.20 ft | 20.30 ft | - | - | - | - |
Sails
Bristol 56.6 - MAINSAIL
| Luff | * 60.2 ft - (18349 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 20.3 ft - (6187 mm) |
| Leech | * 62.46 ft - (19038 mm) |
| Tack Angle | * 88.01 ° |
| Diagonal | * 62.86 ft - (19160 mm) |
| Head (inches) | * 6 in - (152 mm) |
| Area | * 620.06 ft² |
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Bristol 56.6 - JIBSAIL
| Luff | 57.63 ft - (17566 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 29.62 ft - (9028 mm) |
| Leech | * 49.89 ft - (15206 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 114.98 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 25.64 ft - (7815 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 12.02 ° |
| Area | * 738.78 ft² |
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Bristol 56.6 - GENOA
| Luff | 68.44 ft - (20861 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 36.09 ft - (11000 mm) |
| Leech | * 64.28 ft - (19593 mm) |
| Percentage LP | * 150 % |
| Length Perpendicular | * 33.45 ft - (10196 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 4.02 ° |
| Area | * 1144.66 ft² |
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Bristol 56.6 - ASYMMETRICAL
| Luff | * 68.44 ft - (20861 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 36.8 ft - (11217 mm) |
| Leech | * 62.96 ft - (19190 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 165 % |
| Area | * 1889 ft² |
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Bristol 56.6 - STORMJIB
| Luff | * 39.62 ft - (12076 mm) |
|---|---|
| Foot | * 16.76 ft - (5108 mm) |
| Leech | * 32.42 ft - (9882 mm) |
| Perc LP | * 60 % |
| Length Perp | * 13.38 ft - (4078 mm) |
| Deck Angle | * 18.99 ° |
| Area | * 265.1 ft² |
| Edit in Calculator |
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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