57′Bristol Yachts for Sale
12 Bristol yachts currently listed from 32′ to 57′, $15K to $599K. Lying in Florida, Maine and six other states, across 8 models, built between 1972 and 1987. We will shortlist the yachts worth your time and be aboard for every showing.
About Bristol
Clint Pearson and his cousin Everett built fiberglass dinghies in a Seekonk garage in 1955 and turned that into Pearson Yachts. Clint left in 1964, bought the struggling Sailstar in West Warwick, Rhode Island, moved into the abandoned Herreshoff yard and renamed the company Bristol Yacht Company in 1966. Over three decades it built more than 4,400 boats from 19 to 72 feet, to designs by Carl Alberg, Halsey Herreshoff and Ted Hood, and went bankrupt in 1997.
Bristols are bought for the way they were laid up: solid hand laid fiberglass, heavy by modern standards, which is why so many forty and fifty year old boats are still sailing. The Ted Hood keel and centerboard cruisers are the ones buyers chase, shoal draft with the board up and proper sailing ability with it down. On those have the surveyor look at the centerboard and its pennant, which runs enclosed under the sole and is awkward to reach. There has been no factory since 1997, so parts come from the owners' association.
- Founded
- 1964
- Shipyard
- Bristol, Rhode Island
- Status
- No longer built (closed 1997)
- Construction
- Fiberglass (GRP), solid hand laid hulls
- Builds
- Cruising sailboats, Centerboard cruising yachts, Trawlers and motor yachts (small numbers)
- Worth knowing
- Clint Pearson left Pearson Yachts, the company he founded with his cousin Everett, bought the failing Sailstar in 1964 and moved into the old Herreshoff yard.
Bristol models for sale
| Model | For sale | Years | Length | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol 35.5 | 2 | 1978 to 1980 | 35′ | $30K |
| Bristol 35.5C | 2 | 1980 to 1986 | 35′ to 36′ | $28K |
| Bristol 40 | 2 | 1974 to 1982 | 40′ | $43K |
| Bristol 40 Yawl | 1 | 1980 | 40′ | $74K |
| Bristol 41.1 | 1 | 1982 | 41′ | $95K |
| Bristol 42 Trawler | 1 | 1972 | 42′ | $60K |
| Bristol 56.6 | 1 | 1987 | 57′ | $599K |
| Bristol 32 | 1 | 1979 | 32′ | $15K |
Current Bristol listings
View all 12 →57′
42′
41′
40′
40′
40′
40′
36′
35′
35′
35′
32′Where these Bristol are docked
Speak to a Bristol specialist
Tell us what you are looking for. We will tell you which of these 12 are worth your time, and which Bristol yachts are about to come to market that you will not find listed yet.
Or call (954) 560-2811