Bristol 27

Hull #300 - Sweet Christine

Image Gallery

Quick Facts

Sailboat History

September 4, 2020 – I just bought a Bristol 27 in MA.  I found the HIN in two places: behind the elect panel and engraved on the starboard side of the transom. The HIN matches with the registration paperwork and reads “MSZ00693G292”. 

The HIN says it’s a 1992 Massachusetts Homemade Boat (z) and registered in MA (ms), but it looks soo much like a true Bristol 27 boat from web pics, it’s hard to believe it was handmade. I have compared pictures and my interior does look very much like the cruising model with the raised icebox.  To add to the mystery, it has a BY26 sail! 

Since it doesn’t have a Bristol HIN, was this boat made by hand? Any help much appreciated.  This has become a detective mission for me, which I wish that I didn’t have to do! …much rather be sailing 🙂

 

September 8, 2020 – The more I look at the boat I realize the craftsmanship was too good to say the boat is homemade. I found on the MA gov website (https://www.mass.gov/) that all homemade boats and older boats prior to 1972 must have a 12 alphanumeric assigned MA HIN. So at some point the HIN was assigned by the state of MA.  I’d love to find the original Bristol HIN and when I unwrap the boat, I will then inspect the transom for more info. If you have heard from other Bristol owner’s as the location where to look for the original HIN, please forward.  

 

September 17, 2020 – I had the Bristol Yacht plate in the cockpit but I never noticed that it had the hull number in the middle of the plate as it was very faded, but as you can see it’s 300.

 

 

Owner Comments

December, 2023 – Andre & Andrew (bristol27.com) have an e-mail discussion re: “Rudder & Tillers“:

Andre – Over the summer my rudder stuffing box started to leak really bad. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was never maintained as it looks quite narly. Boat is on the hard and I want to fix it before spring. If you have the following info below it would be greatly appreciated. Since I have never done this I would like to gather all  knowledge and parts ahead of time.

1)packing is 1/4″?
2)did you replace the pintle and bolts holding it? if so was pintle pin a custom machine part?
3)do you have the stuffing rubber hose dimensions?

 

…..I disconnected everything around the stuffing box and rudder post in the cockpit to allow ample clearance. However, I can’t lift the rudder high enough to clear the pintle at the shoe. I only get around an inch of vertical movement. Does the bolt for the pintle at the shoe have to come out to drop the pintle lower and then to remove the rudder?  How can I get a replacement pintle and bolt, do I have to cut my own pintle from stock bronze and then drill a bolt hole….this appears to me as very custom item not available to order anywhere

 

Andrew -I’m sorry, but I don’t have answers to questions #1 and #3. I ended up replacing the entire stuffing box with a solid tube that runs from the underwater section of hull to the underside of the cockpit. Towards the bottom of this post – https://www.bristol27.com/news/summer-construction – you will see how I made this repair.

I do have an answer to #2, since I replaced the pintle and gudgeon at the rudder foot at the bottom of the keel. I’ve attached images of the pintle and gudgeon system for my B27. It’s really quite simple and I feel that if you look at the images, you can probably understand how it goes together. There were no custom parts needed, just a bronze rod and bronze fasteners.

I had to drop the rudder for this job, which required digging a hole below the boat in order to deship the rudder. That’s because there’s a long bronze rudder stem that extends from the top of the rudder, through the cockpit/below cockpit and into the cockpit sole.

 

…..That’s a good question (re: removing rudder at bottom (shoe?)). As I best recall, all I did was to free the rudder from the stuffing box below the cockpit and also removed the tiller head. Then pushed rudder shaft up as far into the boat as it would go, then the rudder could lift up and off the pintle.  And yes, you have to cut your own pintle from bronze stock, then drill a hole. Biggest thing is sourcing it and getting right dia. (don’t know dia. off top of my head). A hole drilled straight will be necessary. Fiberglass over the nut once the rudder is back on.

 

Here’s a nice image of Sweet Christine at anchor:

 

 

September 8, 2020 – If anyone has some sails for sale, let me know. The boat has an outboard motor well.

 

September 17, 2020 – We are renaming the boat as ” Sweet Christine” in the spring with the new title and registration. We will have the ceremony to appease Poseidon and other Gods of the sea, lol 

Page Menu

Comment Form

* = Required field. Also, your email address will not be published.