BoatsBristol Yachts 56.6

Bristol Yachts 56.6

Cutter · Keel/centreboard · First built 1986

An extended version of the 54.4, this cutter features a deep keel-centerboard configuration for versatile offshore performance

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 heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 54 — a heavy, notably soft motion offshore.

Comfort ratio 54
CoastalBluewater

At 1.54 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.54
LightHeavy

313 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 313
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 13.5
TenderStiff

31% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 31%

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

  • Heavier than ~92% of boats her size on file
  • Beamier than ~78% of boats her size on file

Compared with 132 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
31.1%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.5
Displacement / length
312.8
Comfort ratio
54.3
Capsize screening
1.54
Hull speed
9.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
2520
Hull
Hull type
Keel/Cbrd.
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1986
Designer
Dieter Empacher
Builder
Bristol Yachts Inc

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 family1.5 m shorterA heavy-displacement staysail ketch with a keel-centerboard configuration designed for comfortable long-range cruising
Irwin Yachts 65/6819.76 mSame hull family2.5 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 family3.4 m shorterA heavy-displacement masthead sloop with a 3.35-metre keel-centerboard draft, built for deep-water cruising performance
Irwin Yachts 5416.46 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA 16.46-metre staysail ketch with a 39.9 comfort ratio, built since 1988 for stable, long-range cruising
Brewer 4413.41 mSame hull family3.8 m shorterA stretched evolution of the 12.8 featuring a reverse transom and a versatile keel-centerboard configuration
Alden Yachts 5416.48 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterAn extended-stern evolution of the 50-foot series, available in both center and aft cockpit layouts as well as cutter or ketch

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.

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