BoatsBristol Yachts 27

Bristol Yachts 27

Masthead Sloop · Long Keel · 1966–1978

A Carl Alberg-designed masthead sloop with a long keel, built for over a decade as a stable, traditional cruiser

Designed by Carl Alberg.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel

See her sail

The Bristol Yachts 27, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Footage from Podcast Maré Sonora ®

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 29 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 29
CoastalBluewater

1.71 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.71
LightHeavy

382 — very heavy for her waterline, a serious load-carrying cruiser.

Displacement / length 382
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 14.3
TenderStiff

39% of her weight is ballast — moderately stiff, a middle-of-the-road stability.

Ballast 39%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Bristol Yachts 27, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Bristol Yachts 27 is a Carl Alberg-designed masthead sloop with a long keel, built by Bristol Yachts, Inc. from 1966 to 1978. It measures 8.28 m LOA, with a 2.44 m beam, 1.22 m draft, and 2994 kg displacement. A WEEKENDER variant was available, featuring a shorter coach roof and longer cockpit. The Bristol 27 also offered an optional taller rig. Marcelo Bonilla, a sailing instructor, refitted a 27-foot boat named *Dharma*, emphasizing that complex equipment can lead to maintenance issues.watch

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen once across one channel of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

What they go for

Market signal

Where the fleet has seen this model come up for sale.

1seen sold

From the fleet's own footage — our observed signal, not broker listings.

The record

Full specifications

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

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
39.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.3
Displacement / length
382.5
Comfort ratio
29.1
Capsize screening
1.71
Hull speed
6.0 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
565
Hull
Hull type
Long Keel
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
1966–1978
Units built
337
Designer
Carl Alberg
Builder
Bristol Yachts, Inc

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

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.

Cape Dory 278.25 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1977-1985 production masthead sloop featuring a 40% ballast ratio for stability in a traditional full-keel hull
Installing Cape Horn Varuna Windvane Self-steering - Cape Dory Refit Part 60:01from Atom Voyager
Pacific Seacraft Dana 248.31 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA heavy-displacement W.I.B. Crealock cutter designed for offshore stability and serious coastal cruising
Diagnosis, Troubleshooting, and a mini shakedown in San Diego - Dana 24 - (Dec 2018)from keeldragger
Flicka 207.32 mSame hull family1.0 m shorterA Bruce Bingham-designed cutter with a long keel, originally offered as amateur plans before becoming a production classic
S4, Ep51 Sailing Couple Stops Resisting and Starts Living — A Mindset Shift on the Water10:13from Sailing Into the Mystic
Pearson Yachts-USA Triton8.63 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA Carl Alberg-designed long-keel fractional sloop that pioneered fibreglass cruising and saw international production.
Shadetree Sailboat Awning0:08from Atom Voyager
Bristol Yachts 247.49 mSame hull family0.8 m shorterA Paul Coble-designed masthead sloop with a long keel and over 50% ballast ratio for stable coastal cruising
Learning to Cross the Atlantic With Nothing but a Sextant — Sailing Yabá 2939:33from Sailing Yabá
Compass 288.59 mSame hull family0.3 m longerA long-keeled masthead sloop and Australian favourite, developed from the Northerner 28 with a Duncanson-designed deck
Offshore Sailing legend and Rocna inventor Peter Smith.3:32from Sailing Learning By Doing

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Bristol Yachts 27 (Weekender)A long-keeled 27-footer from 1966 that balances a narrow 2.44-meter beam with a stiff 39% ballast ratioBristol Yachts 27.7A Halsey C. Herreshoff-designed masthead sloop featuring a skeg-mounted rudder for stable, predictable cruisingBristol Yachts 28An IOR Half Ton racer with reduced stern overhang, serving as the performance-oriented predecessor to the Bristol 29.9Bristol Yachts 30A versatile masthead sloop offered with both fixed keel and centerboard configurations to suit varying draft needsBristol Yachts 27-2Masthead Sloop · 8.23 mBristol Yachts 33A 1968-1971 production masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for a stable, coastal-focused displacement

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

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