BoatsBristol Yachts 54.4

Bristol Yachts 54.4

Masthead Sloop · Keel/centreboard · First built 1985

A semi-custom 16.54-metre masthead sloop offering both aft and center cockpit layouts for personalized offshore cruising

Designed by Dieter Empacher.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a narrow beam gives 45 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 45
CoastalBluewater

At 1.64 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.64
LightHeavy

256 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 256
EasygoingPowered-up

14.8 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.8
TenderStiff

38% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 38%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Heavier than ~90% of boats her size on file
  • Draws more than ~82% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~82% of boats her size on file

Compared with 156 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
38.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.8
Displacement / length
255.9
Comfort ratio
45.1
Capsize screening
1.64
Hull speed
9.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2520
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1985
Designer
Dieter Empacher
Builder
Bristol Yachts

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Morgan Yachts Out Island 5115.70 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA heavy-displacement staysail ketch with a keel-centerboard configuration designed for comfortable long-range cruising
Irwin Yachts 5416.46 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 16.46-metre staysail ketch with a 39.9 comfort ratio, built since 1988 for stable, long-range cruising
Alden Yachts 5416.48 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn extended-stern evolution of the 50-foot series, available in both center and aft cockpit layouts as well as cutter or ketch
Irwin Yachts 65/6819.76 mSame hull family3.2 m longerA Ted Irwin-designed staysail ketch with a centerboard for shoal-draft cruising in a heavy, comfortable displacement
Bristol Yachts 45.513.79 mSame hull family2.8 m shorterA heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a 3.35-metre keel-centerboard draft, built for deep-water cruising performance
Stadtship 5617.10 mSame hull family0.6 m longerA high-performance aluminum fractional sloop featuring a lifting keel for versatile access to deep and shallow waters

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

The newsletter

New boats, new stories, from everywhere.

One email from the fleet — boats newly added, videos newly analyzed. No noise.

Report an issue