28' Bristol Channel Cutter 28 Cruisers

Bristol Channel Cutter 28

     "Late designer Lyle Hess achieved somewhat of a cult following among a select group of small boat adventurers. In particular his designs were popularized by Lin and Larry Pardey and their series of cruising books. Hess is probably best known for Lin and Larry's 24 foot Seraffyn and their subsequent 29 foot Teleisin. And really when you dig a little deeper, you'll find the Bristol Channel Cutter was created in answer to sailors wanting a "Pardey" yacht.

     Bad puns aside, among the endearing features for the long distance sailor are huge stowage, a sensible layout and a proven track record. Besides Serrafyn and Teleisin's well known 40,000 mile circumnavigation and five passages of the potentially treacherous Tasman Sea, a Bristol Channel Cutter was first in the Newport to Ensenada Race of 1978, and first in class in 1979. And in the 1980-1990s Roger Olson sailed his Bristol Channel Cutter Xiphias 50,000 miles over a thirteen year two-ocean odyssey.

     Upon first glance the sheer size of the bowsprit is noticeable, together with a bumpkin, the boat can carry an immense amount of canvas for her displacement. A peek under her waterline reveals lines that look conservative and traditional. There's the familiar wineglass section profiles and a full keel that's missing the popular forefoot cutaway that many designers employ to improve nimbleness and reduce drag. Yet on closer inspection performance tweaks can be found. A fine bow entry coupled with maximum beam quite far aft is good for close windedness and flat sections with minimal deadrise aft aid righting efforts when heeled over under sail.

     The Bristol Channel Cutter's layout has been thoughtfully designed to the minute details, we hear even the smallest of owner modifications will have ramifications elsewhere. Fitting for this kind of sailboat, don't expect staterooms designed for time on anchor - all berths are seagoing. There's four of them - two settees, a pilot berth, and the all important quarter berth. Stowage is abundant and everywhere. In short a long distance voyager's dream." ~ Blue Water Boats

     ââ?¬Å?So the story goes, a friend of Lyle Hess asked for a small traditional boat that would cross oceans. To that commission, Hess presented his interpretation of the pilot boat designs which had proven themselves in the 19th century. These workboats were heavy in displacement, long in waterline with wineglass sections and hard bilges. Their rigs carried lots of canvas, they'd lug a lot of cargo, and could sail fast on all points of sail.

     Hess' initial design was a 28 footer, which then was scaled down to a gaff-rigged 24 foot design to mitigate his friend's concern over construction cost. This boat became Renegade of Newport, launched in 1950. By the 1960s the Renegade caught the interest of Larry Pardey. Upon request Hess drew up plans for a marconi-rigged version for carvel wood construction. This boat became Seraffyn which launched in 1968.

     Through the magic of books and articles written by the Pardeys, an interest in small boat voyaging emerged with the famous Pardey tagline "go small, go simple, go now". It drew attention to Hess' work and Hess answered this interest by designing the 28 foot Bristol Channel Cutter, for construction in fiberglass by the Sam L. Morse Company. The Bristol Channel Cutter 28 launched in 1975.

     In 1992, before a recession, Morse sold the company he founded to a Hess fan named George Hylkema, who hired Roger Olson, fresh from his 50,000 mile world cruise onboard Xyphias brimming with ideas to improve the boat. Olson bought the business in 1995 before selling the company only three years later in December 1998 to the fourth and final owner, Sumio Oya.

     By 2007, Sam L. Morse Company was struggling to be viable. Its classic boats were in less demand and profits tended to be found in building much larger vessels. New mass production technologies from other manufacturers made it harder to compete. After the completion of its 126th hull, Cape George Marine Works was given the molds along with the right to build both the Bristol Channel Cutter and the Falmouth Cutter 22. For Sumio Oya, it was important to protect the quality and reputation of the boat so upon selecting Cape George to carry on the name, the deal involved no money apart from the cost of relocating the molds which was paid by Cape George. Before closing, Sam L. Morse Company did consider the opportunity to build a larger Hess boat but in the end there was not enough capital to launch the project.ââ?¬ï¿½ ~ Blue Water Boats

     Sam L Morse Brochure:

     ââ?¬Å?The two-part female mold first gets a white or light ivory gel coat above the boot stripe. A contrasting color of your choice is applied to the sheer stripe and boot stripe during this initial gel coating.  Below the top of the boot stripe, a vinyl ester primer is applied for blister resistance. After the color gel coating is complete, a black gel coat is applied. Then structural lay-up begins with a skin coat of 1.5 oz mat and 7.5 oz cloth using Hydrex Vinylester Resins to prevent osmosis. This is followed by three layers of 1.5 oz mat and 24 oz roving over the entire hull. An additional layer of 1.5 oz mat and 24 oz roving is applied below the water line and repeated again at the transom, forward at the bow and at the chainplate location. Finally, the entire hull has another layer of 1.5 oz mat and 7.5 oz cloth added. All materials are hand laid and hand squeegeed to ensure a solid lay-up without air bubbles. The result is a hull that is about 3/8" at the sheer, 1/2" at the water line, increasing to over 1" thick near the bottom of the hull. The actual thickness at the bottom of the keel is greater than 1" because we overlap layers at this location. The hull will weigh approximately 2,600 lbs. when finished.

     The solid, pre-cast 4,600lb lead ballast is set inside the hull cavity. After the hull is leveled and a dam installed, resin is poured into this cavity to completely encapsulate the ballast. Three layers of 1.5 oz mat and 24 oz roving are applied over the encapsulated ballast to ensure a lifetime of trouble free use. The mast step is set on top of this solid mass.ââ?¬ï¿½

     Maggie:

• Smoke white topsides
• Midnight blue boot stripe
• Midnight blue cove stripe
• Red anti-fouled bottom
• Bright teak rub rail
• Bright teak bulwark
• Stern hung rudder
• Bronze thru-hull fittings below waterline with bronze sea cocks

    Sam L Morse Brochure:

     ââ?¬Å?The deck gets similar treatment. The deck mold is gel coated with the same white or light ivory as the hull. The non-skid is a slightly darker camel color, or the color of your choice. This is followed by black gel coat and a layer of 1.5 oz mat, 7.5 oz cloth, 1.5 oz mat, 24 oz roving, 1.5 oz mat and scored 1/2" marine plywood core for stiffening. Extra layers of plywood are used where the mast and bitts penetrate the deck. The Plywood core permits hardware to be mounted anywhere without reinforcing. The plywood core is encapsulated with additional lay-ups of 1.5 oz mat and 24 oz roving.  Cockpit locker coamings are molded into the deck, providing excellent drainage for the lazzarette and port side cockpit lockersââ?¬ï¿½

     Maggie:

Aft Deck

• Bright teak bulwark
• Bright teak boomkin with stainless steel end plate
• Bronze cleats port and starboard
• Stainless steel pushpit
• (2) Teak motor mounts
• Bright tiller arm
• Deck pad for linear drive autopilot

Cockpit

• Single cockpit locker
• Bright teak coaming
• 120-Volt shore power inlet
• Shower in cockpit
• High volume manual bilge pump diaphragm
• Engine control panel with acrylic cover
• Engine hour meter
• Engine shut off
• Engine throttle

Weather Decks

• Single line lifeline with stainless steel stanchions mounted on teak bulwark port and starboard
• Bronze midships cleat port and starboard
• Midships chock built into bulwark port and starboard

Coach Roof

• Bronze cleats port and starboard of companionway
• Stainless steel tubular frame for dodger
• Teak sliding companionway cover with bright washboards
• Bright teak handrails port and starboard
• Bright teak brow above port lights
• (3) Bronze port lights port and starboard on coach roof sides
• Bright teak deck hatch with bronze bar protecting lenses

Fore Deck

• Painted bow sprit with teak chafe rails port and starboard
• Anchor rollers port and starboard of bow sprit
• Anchor chain bronze lock
• Teak Sampson posts port and starboard of bow sprit aft with bronze caps and chafe guards
• Chocks built into bulwark port and starboard
• Manual windlass (see Ground Tackle)
• Bright teak scuttle hatch with handrails and single washboard
• Bronze port lights on coach roof above head port starboard and forward
  
• Bright teak deck boxes port and starboard 

Interior

     Sam L Morse Brochure:

     "There are two basic ways of creating the interior features of a yacht. In "production" boats the approach is to use a liner. This is a one-piece or segmented fiberglass molded part that has most of the interior features molded in. The advantage of this approach is cost. Once the tooling has been paid for, the parts are easily made. It requires fewer hours of labor and usually less skilled labor to finish out a boat built in this fashion. Disadvantages include the inherent difficulty of fastening the liner to the hull resulting in a much weaker boat, inaccessibility of the interior of the hull itself, and lack of flexibility in making any customer requested interior changes without going to the trouble and expense of new tooling. The Bristol Channel Cutter and Falmouth Cutter feature an entirely hand fabricated interior. No liners are used.

     After the hull has been leveled and the ballast encapsulated the bulkheads are installed. Bulkheads are 3/4" marine plywood bonded directly to the hull on both sides with 12" of 1.5 oz mat, 24 oz roving, 1.5 oz mat, and 7.5 oz cloth. A 2" hole is cut about every 18" around the perimeter on the main bulkhead so bonding on both sides will fuse together through the holes. A 1" foam barrier is installed between the bulkheads and the hull. This cushioning pad prevents hard point failure of the hull after years of yielding to the forces of the sea. The more bulkheads bonded to the hull and deck, the stronger the boat. There are 4 bulkheads bonded 360 degrees, and three additional quarter bulkheads bonded to the hull and deck amidships.

     After the bulkheads have been installed, the furniture is fitted and bonded in a similar fashion as the bulkheads. All furniture is bonded on both sides using two layers of 8" 1.5 oz mat and 7.5 oz cloth. The bonding of the furniture is clearly visible because we make no attempt to hide it. Teak plywood is used on cabinet and bunk faces and finished with solid teak trim. Solid ash ceiling strips line the hull sides of all berths and workbench. The cabin sole is 1/2" solid teak laid over 3/4" marine ply. White fiberglass panels, grooved to resemble Tongue and Groove lumber are bonded to the bulkheads and overhead.

     After the interior is roughed in and everything is bonded to the hull, the deck is set in place. The hull has a 3.5" in-turning flange to support the deck. After the deck is in register to the hull, it is drilled around its circumference every 5", alternating each hole so they are not in line. The deck is raised and cleaned before 3M 5200 marine sealant is applied. After the deck is set into the sealant, 1/4" stainless steel bolts are place through the holes and the deck is bonded to the hull flange using washers and lock nuts. After the hull to deck join is complete, the cover board is applied over this joint. This piece is screwed through the deck into the hull flange every 5" alternating with the bolts. This deck joint is further strengthened when the bulwark stanchions are thru-bolted every 20" using 1/2" stainless steel bolts. After the join is complete, the bulkheads and furniture are bonded to the deck in the same manner used in bonding to the hull.

     We are one of the few builders to insulate our boats under the cabin, deck and hull to the waterline. This prevents sweating and helps maintains an even temperature in any climate.

     Our boats are more expensive to build because semi custom construction requires greater hours in fabrication, and the need for skilled craftsmen. The results meet the practical requirements of superior strength, versatility and accessibility, while retaining the beauty and integrity which Lyle Hess designed, Sam L. Morse Co. built boats are famous for.

     Ask an owner what he/she thinks about the boat.ââ?¬ï¿½

     Maggie:

Galley

• Opening bronze port light
• Dome lighting under sofits
• 120-Volt GFI outlet
• Propane solenoid
• Bright built in plate rack
• 3-Burner propane cooker with oven and broiler
• Single basin galley sink with freshwater manual tap
• Storage above and below work surfaces
• Trash bin box
• Drop down addition work surface
• Sea Frost engine driven cold plate refrigeration, engine driven and 120-volt

Salon

• Overhead hatch
• Overhead lighting
• (2) Bronze port lights port and starboard
• (2) 12-volt fans
• Upper bosons berth to port pulls out, the settee cushion comes up, and it makes a double berth
• Shelf storage to starboard above settee
• Chummy solid fuel furnace
• Drop down leaf dining table
• Settee port and starboard
• Teak lee board stows in front of port settee and installs in starboard teak brackets underway when needed
• Foot box for starboard settee

Head

• Forepeak door
• Overhead escape hatch/deck light in forward coach-roof
• Port lights in forward coach-roof port, starboard and forward
• Overhead lighting
• 120-Volt outlet
• Vanity to port
• Storage cabinets above workbench in head
• Locker forward
• Toilet box with flip-up seat cover
• Manual marine head
• Storage cubby to starboard
• Hanging cubby to starboard
• Teak shower grate with sump and pump

Navigation Station

• Marine radios (see Electronics)
• Media storage outboard
• Fridge below with temperature gauge

Quarter Berth

• Bronze opening port light overhead
• Overhead lighting
• Storage outboard

Companionway

• Library style flip-up companionway ladder with overhead attachment
• Chart plotter (see Electronics)
• Battery switch (see Electrical System)
• 12-Volt and 120-volt electrical distribution panels (see Electrical System)
• Work surface
• Engine box access with removable facial panel

     Sails

• Main sail by Skip Elliott ~ Original
• Roller furling jib by Skip Elliott ~ Original
• Hank on stay sail by Skip Elliott ~ Original

     Soft Goods

• Bow sprit cover - White
• Hatch covers - White
• Tiller cover - White
• Dodger - White
• Bimini cover - White
• Mainsail cover - White
• Stay sail bag - White

• Garmin 441 GPS/chart plotter 
• ICOM ICM59 VHF radio
• ICOM IC-706 HF radio
• Raymarine depth finder
• Raytheon ST4000+ linear autopilot 
• Ritchie magnetic compass and flexgate

     Standing Rigging

• Cutter rig
• Aluminum mast ~ Painted 2013
• Aluminum boom ~ Painted 2013
• Stainless steel wire 1 x 19 wire standing rigging with Hi-mod reusable fitting and turnbuckles ~ replaced 2005
• Keel stepped mast
• Stainless steel flat bar chain plates bolted to outside of hull
• Downwind pole and track
• Tri-sail track
• Insulated back-stay
• Deck lights on mast

     Running Rigging

• Braided dacron running rigging

• Lazy jacks

     Winches

• (2) Barient 22 self tailing primary winches outboard of coaming
• (2) Barient 10 secondary winches on coach-roof
• (3) Barient 10 winches on mast

     12-Volt DC system:

• Marinetics 12-volt Master Power Control Panel 12 volt distribution panel with dual battery tester and (12) switches
• Marinetics 12-volt Accessory Panel 12 volt distribution panel with an additional (8) switches
• (2) Lifeline 27T AGM under the quarter berth
• Guest rotary battery switch
• Engine driven alternator and
• 120-Volt AC True Charge 20

     120-Volt AC system

• Marinetics A-C Load Center distribution panel with main breaker and (5) switches
• Prowatt 800 inverter  

Diesel

• 27 gallon aluminum tank below cockpit

Fresh Water

• (2) Stainless steel tanks in the bilge, 27 gallons and 49 gallons

Propane

• (2) 10-Pound cylinders in deck box

Waste

• 16 gallon plastic tank in fore-peak

• CQR 35 pound primary anchor with 200ââ?¬â?¢ of 5/16" chain
• Delta 22 pound secondary anchor and
• Fortress secondary anchor
• ABI hand operated windlass

• ACR SOS light visual distress signals
• 12-Volt DC navigational lighting
• Kiddie carbon monoxide detector
• Life sling with davit and climb up rudder
• Radar reflector
• ACR EPIRB 

     From the survey by David B. Wyman, P.E. in August of 2015:

"UNDERWATER HULL EXTERIOR:

     The hull was visually inspected, hammer tested and moisture readings taken.  The hull was reported to have been peeled and recoated during fall 2014 at Front Street Shipyard to remove moisture and blisters.  The hull was found with dry moisture reading, solid with no signs of damage or weakness.   This is an extremely well built hull that was found in excellent condition.

TOPSIDES ABOVE WATERLINE:

     The hull topsides were visually inspected, hammer tested and moisture readings taken. The structural condition was good, moisture readings were dry and the cosmetics of fiberglass hull were good but somewhat aged.

WEATHER DECK AND CABIN:

     The decks and cabin top and sides were visually inspected, hammer tested and moisture readings taken. All was found in excellent condition with dry moisture readings.

SAILING RIG:

     Standing rigging was reported replaced in 2005. All was found in excellent condition.

INTERNAL STRUCTURE:

     Where accessible the internal structure was found in excellent condition with no signs of excessive stress or cracking.

MACHINERY:

     The engine appears to be well maintained and in very good condition.

ELECTRICAL:

     This is a simple electrical system that was found in good condition.

CONCLUSIONS:

     This yacht has been extremely well maintained by very competent owners. She was found in excellent condition and well suited for offshore cruising."

     From the survey by David B. Wyman, P.E. in August of 2015:

     "EXCELLENT CONDITION and well suited for coastal and offshore cruising.  Considering the overall condition of the vessel, her age, extent of equipment, recommended maintenance/repairs and current market condition, it is the opinion of this surveyor that:

• ESTIMATED FAIR MARKET VALUE = $ 140,000.00
• ESTIMATED REPLACEMENT COST = $ 300,000.00"

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     The Company offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.

     Certified Professional Yacht Broker with over 25 years experience helping clients sell and purchase quality yachts. Please call Scott Woodruff, CPYB on his mobile at (954) 701-1072.