1981 Bristol 29 | Sirocco

*Please note- this is not a Bristol. This is a custom Ben Bow Cutter designed by William Atkin. Similar to the Bristol Channel Cutter. 

Sirocco is back in Florida! Now available for showings and sea trials! 

We love this boat. She is the only fiberglass Ben Bow Cutter known. Please see website for full write up and many additional photos/videos:
https://kanddconcepts.wixsite.com/sirocco 

We have sailed and lived aboard for extended periods over 6+ years, logging over 5,000nm and exploring the east coast of the US as well as the Bahamas. Covid cut our Caribbean sailing short and covid life has seen us starting a small business and it's time to let Sirocco inspire someone else. This boat gives you confidence. She is steadfast and reliable in all conditions to keep you safe and comfortable. Whether you are wanting to take your sailing to the next level offshore, or enjoy comfortable weekends gunkholing in the bay, this boat will take you there and bring you back. She is ready to leave, self sufficient/off-grid and in sail-away condition.  

More information below, also found on website:

My career/work for the last decade has been building and repairing boats. I have also worked professionally as a diesel mechanic. I recently graduated night school with a certificate in computer aided design and another in rapid prototyping. I have worked in the tooling department at multiple boat manufactures and most recently as a design and prototype specialist. 

​Sirocco is a William Atkin designed BenBow Cutter, a true “deep sea auxiliary”, designed as the third rendition of her type by “Billy” Atkin as his personal cruising yacht. She was built in 1981 in Sarasota, Florida. She has a hybrid rig, utilizing a bowsprit to increase her headsail size and pointing ability. She is a US coast guard registered vessel. Her length on deck is 29’-9”, length of waterline is 30’-9” (including rudder) making a hull speed of 7.4, she is of 8.5 tons displacement and 9’-6” Beam with an air draft of 45’. 

Like most owners of the infamous Lyle Hess Bristol Channel Cutters will tell you, this type of vessel really can real off the miles with high average speeds due to their long waterlines.  

LOA: 36’

LWL: 31-9”

Beam: 9’6”

Draft: 5’-3”

Displacement: 17,000lbs, 8.5 tons

​Her interior layout is relatively modern with galley and fridge located at the bottom of the companion way stairs to starboard, full stainless “Shipmate” two burner stove/oven to port,  followed by a pair of 6’-4” settees, with huge storage capacities under and behind them.

 Standing headroom is from the companionway stairs to the mast at just over 6’. 

Our plans had been a two-year Caribbean cruise, with the possibility of continuing on and so before we began our journey we gave Sirocco a major refit. The cockpit was completely redesigned and rebuilt with new laminated oak beams and new decking and a set of cockpit benches that greatly improve usability and livability. The benches offer a comfortable back rest, are comfortable to sit on and you can still lay down along the leeward one for a nap. A boom gallows was added to control the boom during reefing and provide the cockpit with a versatile waterproof shade. 

​The windvane was built from plans as a stern mounted version of the Freehand Self Steering system developed for the Bristol Channel Cutters by Lin and Larry Pardey and further refined by Mike Anderson and the Sam L. Morse company. It works. It works amazingly well. The upper and lower trimtab gudgeons are 3/8” composite angle iron in vinylester resin, the trimtab itself is divinycell foam and 18oz biaxial set in epoxy around a 316L stainless shaft, both bonded and bolted. The entire stern mounted sail utilizes a foil shaped spreader extrusion and creates a true foil wingsail, which rides on a 1” 316L axle shaft set in dual angular contact self-aligning 100% Delirin pillow blocks. Our last 1,200 miles logged aboard Sirocco were done with great comfort because “Ticker” the windvane did 98% of our steering. See the video on the website to watch the windvane steering a true course in large quartering sea’s, a task difficult for any helm’s person. 

​The original chainplates as well as all standing rigging parts/pieces were replaced in summer 2019 with laser cut 316L Stainless Steel that was electropolished and passivated and installed with 316L hardware as well as generous amounts of isolating Lanolin as recommended by the legendary rigger Brian Toss. All standing rigging was replaced with swaged Sta-Lok components. All turnbuckles are oversized bronze, disassembled, inspected and lubed before reinstallation. All cotter pins are high silicon bronze as also recommended by Toss who called stainless cotter pins “an abomination”. 

​The mainsail and genoa were also replaced in summer 2019 and were custom designed for Sirocco by the Doyle sail loft using the latest sail design software by a sail designer with over 20 years of experience in order to maximize their efficiency based on the shape of the rig and sheeting points of the boat. They are heavy built in Challenger “Dacron” sail cloth. We also had a stack pack made and installed lazy jacks which makes mainsail work a much simpler affair. An asymmetrical spinnaker was also made in summer 2019. The boom on Sirocco is low to the deck and the mast is also deck level, so you never climb up upon anything or put yourself in a precarious position to work at the mast. The new main and its reef points are high cut on the foot in order to allow it to clear 6’-2” off the cockpit floor to eliminate the risk of a boom strike. All running rigging is fresh and in good working order. All sheaves were inspected and replaced as necessary. 

​The bottom was completely stripped of old bottom paint down to the Interlux Interprotect coating and then we strictly followed the fairing procedure used by the famous delivery Skipper Bill King to win the 1989 TransPac aboard his Westsail 32 Sarabond. This fairing method has been used by many owners in the Westsail community with great success. It involves eliminating the hull to keel gap and fairing off the rudder gudgeons and through hulls in order to reduce drag. Mr King calculated a reduction of over 3 square feet of drag and I can tell you the average speed increase was worth every effort. The bottom was then coated in a “home-brew copper-coat” where medical grade pure copper powder and an epoxy mixture were applied in multiple “hot coats” done to the maximum recommended ratios for safety.  It was then sanded smooth to activate it at 400 grit. This has proven to be a wonderful bottom coating for anti-fouling and has also added to Sirocco’s increased average sailing speed. 

​All Sirocco’s hoses have been replaced. She has new heavy duty, vibration reducing motor mounts, the POR (Paint on Rust) paint system was used as a primer and industrial red paint was put on the engine. New water impeller, belts and zincs, with spares. The exhaust elbow was upgraded to stainless steel. The engine has approximately 2,400 hours on a Beta 28 naturally aspirated diesel. She carries 25 gallons of fuel and burns half a gallon an hour at full throttle. 

All water tanks have been coated with a food grade epoxy coating of 7 layers that was post application heat cured, washed and scrubbed as recommended. There is a standard 10” carbon particulate filter under the sink and her water tastes great. She carries 55 gallons of fresh water in 3 integral keel tanks.

​Currently Sirocco has a “Natures Head” composting toilet installed. We use the “DIY Composting System” in the natures head and find it wonderful. Converting to a classic style pump head would not be a complicated project if preferred. During the glassing over of the old through hulls Sirocco’s hull was measured at over an inch thick at the through hull locations. All through hulls are bronze tapered plug type. 

​We prefer to anchor out. Marinas can be convenient but are not why we go cruising. We take our anchor kit from the style of high latitude sailors, we carry our one “storm” anchor on the bow and anchor with it every time we set the hook. Summer of 2019 we fitted a 55lb Rocna (Canadian Casted) on a cast high silicon bronze anchor roller to a Tiger 555 manual windlass with 300’ of 3/8” anchor chain. There is also a Fortress FX-16 as a kedge with 300’ of ¾” nylon line at the stern with the line in the cockpit bench and anchor on the pulpit ready to go for the inevitable grounding you find on the gulf side of Florida. 

​We upgraded the cockpit sheet winches with self tailing bronze Harken Barbossa 42’s set on teak risers bolted to the 1” solid laminate bulwark with 316L ½” bolts. This makes it easy to handle sail or pull Sirocco off a sandbar for even a small person. 

​Deck paint was applied in summer 2019, Petits Monourethane Arctic White. 

Topside paint 2019 is Rustoleum Topsides (monourethane is tough to touch up) 

Interior paint is modified acrylic latex- easily changed, easily removed. 

​The dinghy, Lucy, is a 7’ Fatty Knees dinghy, coated with Monourethane inside and out. Solid teak outboard pad. Comes with sail kit- not fatty knees brand. Bronze oarlocks and leather pads. Outboard not included.  

 
Electrical: 

-300 watts of monocrystalline solar 
-Mppt Controller
-400AH Mastervolt AGM battery bank
-Balmar Smart Gauge
-Standard Horizon VHF with AIS
-Boss Audio mechless stereo with Bose Speakers
-5- 747 high efficiency fans
-LED bulbs throughout- RED bulbs on primary lighting fixtures
-LED spreader floodlights installed
-LED nav/anchor lights- with photocell for automatic activation 
-New high efficiency VHF cable 
-Adler Barbour Super Cold Machine updated to new high efficiency controller
-IP68 Fridge light added

Other Boat Accessories:
-Large capacity electric emergency bilge pump
-Automatic magnetic switch bilge pump
-Whale Gusher Titan manual pump in cockpit 
-Automatic engine room fire suppression system
-3” continuous duty blower for engine room
-3- 4” bronze dorade with bronze blocking plates
-Cockpit shower with curtain
-Hanging locker in V-birth
-Triple thick privacy curtain and fan for head area
-Bowsprit net
-We have stored 6 months of cans and dry food for 2 people as well as 1 months worth of water 

​More information: 

http://www.atkinboatplans.com/Sail/BenBow.html

More Specs: 
New Summer of 2019:

--Sails:
-Main and Genoa by Doyle

-Stack Pack w/Lazy Jacks by Doyle

-Asymmetrical Spinnaker by Doyle

--Standing Rigging:

-Chainplates:
316L Electropolished/Passivated
316L Hardware

-Parts/pieces:
 316L Electropolished/Passiavted
Isolated with Lanolin
Cotter Pins: High Silicon Bronze

-Wires:
Swaged Sta-Lok

-Stern Pulpits:
316L Mirror Polished

--Anchor System:
-55lb Rocna
-Cast silicon bronze anchor roller
-Tiger 555 manual windlass; refurbished, cleaned, repacked
-Bowsprit “Hoop” for snubber
-FX-16 Kedge on pulpit 
-300’ ¾ nylon rode in cockpit bench

--Windvane:
-Built from plans of Freehand Self Steering Gear
-Stern mounted wingsail on dual angular contact 100% Delrin pillow blocks
-Trim tab gudgeons; 3/8” solid laminate “T” beams in vinylester resin

--Electrical:
-400AH Mastervolt AGM Batteries
-300W of monocrystalline solar panels
-MPPT controller
-Balmar Smart Gauge
-Boss Audio mechless stereo with Bose speakers
-Standard Horizon VHF with AIS
-5x 747 high efficiency 2-speed fans
-LED Spreader Flood Lights
-Interior Light Fixtures
-Chromed Brass
-LED
-White and Red
-Reading Lamps
-Ritchie Bulkhead Compass

--Cockpit Benches:
-Marine ply coated with Velum set in vinylester resin
-316L Piano hinges/hardware

--Engine:
-Control Cables
-Engine Mounts
-Paint: POR system
-Stainless Exhaust Elbow
-Heat wrapped
-Impeller, Belts, Zincs +spares
-3” continuous duty blower

--All Hoses:
-Lapped/lubricated tapered bronze seacocks

--Water Tanks:
-7 coats food grade epoxy resin
-Heat cured to 120 degrees
-Scrubbed and washed
-Foot pump for fresh water at sink
-Electric pump for salt water at sink

--Deck Paint:
-Petits Monourethane

--Topside Paint:
-Rustoleum Topsides

--Bottom:
-“Home-Brew” Copper Coat
-Pure Copper Dust set in Epoxy
-Activated/Faired to 400 Grit
-“Bill King Fairing”
-Keel to Rudder Gap Filled
-Rudder Gudgeons Faired
-Through Hulls Faired

--Head:
-Natures Head Composting Toilet

--Mattress:
-5” Memory foam mattress in Waterproof cover

--Upgrades: (Not “New” but refurbished/installed)
-Bronze Harken Barbossa 42 self tailing sheet winches
-Bronze self tailing halyard winches
-ST60 Depth Sounder
-300’ 3/8 Chain