BoatsBristol Channel Cutter

Bristol Channel Cutter

Cutter · Long Keel w/trans. Hung Rudder · First built 1976

A Lyle Hess-designed cutter with a long keel and transom-hung rudder, built for offshore work since 1976

Designed by Lyle C. Hess, built by Sam L. Morse Co.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Long Keel w/trans. Hung Rudder

See her sail

The Bristol Channel Cutter, on the water

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

Footage from American Sailing

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 34 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 34
CoastalBluewater

At 1.68 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.68
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 346
EasygoingPowered-up

18.6 — plenty of sail for her weight; lively and quick to respond.

Sail area / displacement 18.6
TenderStiff

33% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 33%

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

What the fleet has seen

The Bristol Channel Cutter, as the fleet has seen it

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

The Bristol CHANNEL CUTTER is a 11.5-meter (37-foot) cutter-rigged sailboat designed by Lyle C. Hess, built from 1976 to the present by Sam L. Morse Co., Cape George Marine Wrks., and Cape George Marine Works. It features a long keel with a transom-hung rudder, a 3.1-meter beam, and a 1.5-meter draft, displacing 6350 kg.0:14 Aboard *American Sailing*, a 28-foot fiberglass Bristol CHANNEL CUTTER built in a backyard enabled a 6,000-mile South Pacific crossing and a 5,500-mile Melbourne to Osaka race. *Adventureman Dan* toured "Artha," a 1978 Bristol CHANNEL CUTTER with a 10-foot beam, 4-foot-10-inch draft, and a 6-foot bowsprit, which was refitted solo over 14 months after being purchased in neglected condition.0:45 The boat's overall length extends to just over 37 feet with a boomkin aft.0:38 The current builder, Cape George Cutter Marine Works, Inc., continues production in the USA, with some also built in Canada.

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Seen 3 times across 3 channels of the fleet.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

On the water

The Bristol Channel Cutter on video

What they go for

Market signal

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

1seen for sale
1seen sold

For sale

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
32.9%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Cutter
Ratios
SA / displacement
18.6
Displacement / length
345.5
Comfort ratio
33.6
Capsize screening
1.68
Hull speed
6.9 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
945
Hull
Hull type
Long keel w/trans. hung rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1976
Units built
127
Designer
Lyle C. Hess
Builder
Sam L. Morse Co, Cape George Marine Wrks

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.

Wright Princess 3610.97 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterA long-keeled masthead ketch available as a cutter, offering a stable 1.37-metre draft for versatile cruising
Allied Princess 36 // Boat Shopping5:34from 59° North Sailing
Cape Dory 3611.01 mSame hull family0.5 m shorterProduced from 1978 to 1990, this long-keeled cutter was later marketed as the Robinhood 36
10,000 Mile Gear Review After Solo Sailing an Atlantic Circuit0:01from Atom Voyager
Seafarer Yachts 38C11.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA versatile cruiser available in multiple rig configurations and often sold in kit form for owner completion
#273 ⛵️ 'Must Watch' ⛵️Insiders Guide To Owning a Sailboat!1:47from Sailing Nervous- Starting Over!
Shannon Yachts 38 PH11.51 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA long-keeled cutter designed by Stadel for offshore stability, offering a comfortable motion and steady passage-making
A Sailboat With No Keel? Shannon Shoalsailer 351:37from Lady K Sailing
Bristol Yachts 3911.89 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 1966 masthead sloop with a long keel, built for five years as a precursor to the long-running Bristol 40
Bristol 40 for $40,000 - Can You Make it Work?from Practical Sailor
Alberg 3711.33 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA long-keeled masthead sloop produced for two decades with a transition from wood-heavy interiors to moulded fiberglass
Top 5 Classic Cruising Sailboats — Pearson 365, Westsail 32, Alberg 37, Valiant 40, & Hinckley 403:15from Practical Sailor

The family

Boats like this

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

Falmouth Cutter 34A Lyle Hess design revived in 2003, featuring a long-keeled fiberglass hull and a cutter rig for blue-water capabilityFalmouth Cutter 22A narrow-beamed 30-foot cruiser with a shallow 1.07-metre draft and a traditional long-keeled hullCape George 31A William Atkin-designed cutter with a heavy ballast ratio and long keel, built for stability and offshore comfortCape George 38A 1985 cutter with a 1.58-metre draft and high comfort ratio, designed by Atkin and Lange for steady offshore workBristol Yachts 27.7A Halsey C. Herreshoff-designed masthead sloop featuring a skeg-mounted rudder for stable, predictable cruising

Keep asking

The fleet has more to say

Search what's been said about the Bristol Channel Cutter, or ask a specific question — the answer comes back written out, with links to the moments it draws on.

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