1972 Bristol 26 Keel
- Thread starter Bristol26
- Start date
Some got lead , whilst some got concrete, I was told by an employee of the 1960s.
It just all depended on whether Clinton was just pretty broke or FLAT broke.
He got suppliers to ship keel castings when He could pay COD.
B26 keels
Hi unknown,
I have had 2 of these great boats. Ok, so . . .The keels were filled with either/or as determined by the lack of cash that principal Clinton Pearson had on hand. Clinton was always going broke. So if he had money; his cousin Everett another principal would buy lead castings to drop into and pour resin over to seal. Now if he was broke and they had orders for boats, i.e. "potential money comin", Clint would order concrete slurry & junk metal items be poured directly into the cavity, that would get sealed over top also. so Look, concrete slurry took more volume to reach proper ballast weight. SO; if your bilge area , under the cabin sole, is very shallow, inches, you have concrete probably, if it is deeper, 4"-6" you probably have the lead slug & resin fill. That is best! but either are OK so long as no water gets into the cavity!
I can walk you through checking & draining when you are hauled, if you like.These are great sailors, I have a 1967 now, sold a 1974 before, too costly to have her moved from Ohio to Minnesota. Found the 1966-67 in Mn. happy am I with a "new" older B-26.
Don Bland dlblandjr@att.net
Hi unknown,
I have had 2 of these great boats. Ok, so . . .The keels were filled with either/or as determined by the lack of cash that principal Clinton Pearson had on hand. Clinton was always going broke. So if he had money; his cousin Everett another principal would buy lead castings to drop into and pour resin over to seal. Now if he was broke and they had orders for boats, i.e. "potential money comin", Clint would order concrete slurry & junk metal items be poured directly into the cavity, that would get sealed over top also. so Look, concrete slurry took more volume to reach proper ballast weight. SO; if your bilge area , under the cabin sole, is very shallow, inches, you have concrete probably, if it is deeper, 4"-6" you probably have the lead slug & resin fill. That is best! but either are OK so long as no water gets into the cavity!
I can walk you through checking & draining when you are hauled, if you like.These are great sailors, I have a 1967 now, sold a 1974 before, too costly to have her moved from Ohio to Minnesota. Found the 1966-67 in Mn. happy am I with a "new" older B-26.
Don Bland dlblandjr@att.net
No Bristol got concrete ballast???
Ok, It probably will never happen in Florida, BUT;
however I personally know 2 owners of 1960's Bristol yachts , whom have found their boats keel cracked in half during our COLD winter weather. Upon examination, both the man and the lady owners of 2 different yachts could see the hull split in half , on the keel portion concrete containing ferrous metals , which had rusted, creating a 7 to 1 coefficient of expansion, were the culprit of the yacht's self destruction, neither could be repaired. the man was an employee of BYC during the 1960's so I' just reckon he has some reasons for telling me what he told me, about the Pearson cousins and the financial flailings of BYC during those times, The IRS could also tell you an earfull. Now do not mis-understand, largely the designs were great, the quality wasw good overall, but when Clinton had fights with the IRS & the banks he used, the result was not positive. He said Everett was the positive force countering his cousin's excessivity and compulsions.
Ok, It probably will never happen in Florida, BUT;
however I personally know 2 owners of 1960's Bristol yachts , whom have found their boats keel cracked in half during our COLD winter weather. Upon examination, both the man and the lady owners of 2 different yachts could see the hull split in half , on the keel portion concrete containing ferrous metals , which had rusted, creating a 7 to 1 coefficient of expansion, were the culprit of the yacht's self destruction, neither could be repaired. the man was an employee of BYC during the 1960's so I' just reckon he has some reasons for telling me what he told me, about the Pearson cousins and the financial flailings of BYC during those times, The IRS could also tell you an earfull. Now do not mis-understand, largely the designs were great, the quality wasw good overall, but when Clinton had fights with the IRS & the banks he used, the result was not positive. He said Everett was the positive force countering his cousin's excessivity and compulsions.
I owned a Bristol in the 70.s that was owned previously by the shipyard owner. He assured me that the keel had its full component of LEAD. He alluded to the tongue in cheek statement that the boat was sometimes shy of lead when sold. Bobbie20101
The method I was given to detremine if a slug of lead casting is inside the encapsulated keel shell, or a dump of concrete & scrap metal had been poured instead 2 different guys told me ,; look how deep is the bilge under the cabin floor, if it is at least 6' the lead slug is below, if it is more like 3"<4" the boat has concrete below. Both are sealed by "a glop of resin" , so with care & luck water could be kept out for a long time, but anyway this story was supplied by a Mr.Manny & another guy named Carl who both worked there in the late 60' early 70's, when I met them while selling machinery, & tooling in the area. I had a love of sailing & buddied up with these 2 naturally , being "on the road" & having mutual interests, I've since failed to keep track of them. I now own a nice old (1960s) Bristol yacht whose bilge cavity is comfortably 6+" below cabin sole and apparently sealed above with "a glop of resin", so perhaps these stories have some merit. I can say the boat is excellent qquality , hull is quite thick, decks strong , no flexing, cabin still watertight,except front o/h hatch , replaced in 2008. She is well designed as she sails to w/in 40 deg. of weather consistantly & can on a reach show 6= kts quite nice ly for her LWL. So I do not say or repaet any of this to defame or disparage , jus that I have know 2 different owners,people, a man & a woman who told me their boat , the same brand as mine, split apart in our deep cold northern winters, this was sad to hear, but I have mine hauled in Nov. each year, she drys in the crib until April or May, gets her bottom coat & back in she goes.
Wow....How interesting...Before the Yard closed a man by the name of Sandy was head honcho. I lived in Newport, RI and Barrington was just off the Island. I would always take my boat out of the water and put her in the cradle with a plastic housing over her for protection and so we could work on her in the winter....then just before the crane put her in the water, we'd slap on paint and step the mast and she was ready for the season again. The hollied floor had a place to check and it was about 6 inches deep which concurs with your theory of lead vs. cement. I sold the Bristol to a couple from Long Island and just recently learned that they donated her to the University of RI. The Bristol is a well built boat with well finished amenities. That yard had some good craftsmen. I really envy you .... YOU have a wonderful boat...may you have many years of enjoyment with her! Bobbie
