# Ok... Ok... Buccaneer Advice needed



## Socalfive (Sep 20, 2000)

For a newbie... lol

Looking seriously at a 77 Buc 32''. Engine is bad and the boat needs TLC, but it''s overall in very sound shape with new wiring, Autopilot etc. How''s this boat going to sail? Good?, Bad?, Ugly?, Excellent?? What would it be worth in general. Location SoCal. THanks...
Newbie 1


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

man, those bucs are ugly boats.
sorry. hope i didn''y offend anyone.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I also looked at a Buc prior to buying a Helms 30. The "advice" I got from dockside captains was that the Buc was a takeoff of a powerboat design and was only a bare minumum performer as a sailboat. They seem very roomy inside for their size, but also have a lot of windage. The boat I looked at was a shoal draft and others at the boat club who knew the boat said it allowed a large amount of leeway when sailing to weather. I was also told they could be dismasted easily though I have not actually ever seen on that has been dismasted. I listened to the old salts and choose to continue looking. I hope this offers you some insight.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

These boats are dangerous. Knowledgeable sailors have said so.

Stay away from this boat.

One surveyor said the boat may tip over and stay over when healed in a breeze. I believe it.

MM


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## jollymonjeff (Sep 13, 2000)

for the best info about bayliner buccaneers, ask the happy sailors who ACTUALLY HAVE ONE AND HAVE SAILED ONE! Anybody who offers advice about something which he has no knowledge is a fool.
check out www.geocities.com/buccaneersailboats


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have my authority from a surveyor who has sailed a Buccaneer 325. He reports the boat as dangerous.

Any fool who owns one of the "bad" Buccaneers would either not know a good boat from a bad boat (there are few other boats this bad) or the boat is for sale and the owner has even less credibility.

Cut the Buccaneer up with a chain saw and take the pieces to the dump.

MM


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## jollymonjeff (Sep 13, 2000)

Mike, ok, so "this surveyor", an accredited member of AAMS, CMSA or another well respected trade organization I hope, says this why....because of what specific flaw that makes the boats "dangerous"? In this litigious society, the only case brought against Bayliner Marine was lost in Federal appeal. What kind of boat do YOU sail? Is it better to not sail, or to pay a fair value for a boat that is in lower end of the quality scale and be out on the water? Should I wait until I can afford a BMW before I drive, or should I get what I can afford and get where I wanna go? A buccaneer can be had in Good shape...as good as ANY 20 year old boat can be...for very little money. So, whats the deal? Are you comparing McGregors and Bayliners to Island Packets, Moodys and Hylas'' or are you saying that a 20 year old Hunter, O''Day or Catalina is a better boat...can be had in better shape, provides a better level of safety ( and how are you defining that) is markedly better built A N D can be had for the SAME money? I think not. Nobody is saying that a Buccaneer is THE BEST BOAT. What the people who own them are saying is that for the money...and not much money at that, that do what they were designed to do. They provide a roomy boat for calm water sailing that is safe, easy to use and inexpensive compared to others. It is NOT the fastest boat, it is NOT the one you want to take you on an around the world voyage. It won''t handle like a raceboat. It will allow a family of 4 to enjoy sailing in a boat they can afford, are comfortable in and gets them out on the water instead of sitting on the dock wishing they had the funds to go out there. You want to slam a boat...fine. Be able to back it up with real word reasoning and verifiable facts. I have owned both a Hunter 21 and an Oday 24...Sure, I wish my Buccaneer had a solid glass hull instead of the balsa core, but the balsa core in the deck of my oday was mush and garbage. I couldnt replace it because it was a sandwish of inner liner-balsa-outerskin...I have plywood wood core decks in the Buccaneer, no problems...I did have to replace a small section of core in the hull..it was easy and inexpensive. The hunter was a great boat, I enjoy it. but when I wanted a larger boat the Bucc fit the bill for my buget. So stop bashing things you dont understand...or maybe your jelous?I have seen you on the other pages...All you do is put things and people down, I have not seen any value in what you have had to say. You have never helped anyone with a problem or shared your experience to better others. Contribute somthing to the sailing community other than hot wind for a change.


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## Seemann (Nov 12, 2000)

Is the boat you''re talking about a 32 or 33 footer (at least I think it was 33 feet)? Did it go under the name of US Yachts vice Buckaneer? Buckaneer (aka US Yachts, owned by Bayliner) made a fairly respectable 33 footer with rod rigging that was designed to be fairly competitive. 

The problem with the 33 footer was the forward bulkhead wasn''t structurally strong enough to withstand the forces when the backstay tension was cranked up. The boat was a very good looking boat for the period and bore no resemblance to the Bucs everybody is talking about here.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I couldn''t help but reply to the comment of Buccaneers being ugly. I suppose that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I find that the mighty buccaneer has a beauty that is often overlooked. I am quite partial to the looks of the 270 and the 320 series. Though these are both high freeboard vessels, they have enough length to lend elegance to their designs. Smaller center cockpit models, like the 280 may look to some disproportionate as may smaller aft cockpit models, yet they all have much smarter lines than many of the one offs that I have seen in the marina. There are pictures of several buccaneers of various length and model located at www.cnw.com/~bell/pictures.htm. Yondersea! is in the 270 section. Come on guys... she''s a beaut!


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## trcal (Sep 27, 2000)

... 
found this passage on http://www.geocities.com/bill_dietrich/ChoosingBoatModels.html web page. though it to be interesting

"You know there are so many **** production vessels out there that it is truly depressing to see some of the crap put out by boat yards claiming to do the right thing. Garbage, and you''re going to get stuck with one.............. pick your battle. 

On the other hand they can carry you around the world and sailing anything is better than contemplating the perfect boat. 

I have to have abused you with my Buccaneer story: 

I am in the Bahamas with four students and there anchored some 200 yards away is a 25 foot Buccaneer. This has to be the worst piece of crap boat ever built. Looks like a football with a mast. Like someone took a normal boat and installed an enema airline and pumped it up, extending in all directions. This twenty-five foot boat was marketed for internal volume and the number of berths that it had. Good thing too, because it has no other qualities, none. 

So a pair of the students started to remark about what a piece of horse dung that this vessel was, how ugly, what a poor sailing boat, built like a toy, and how we should go urinate on it this moment and maybe do the owner in, so that he would not have to suffer any more, this embarrassment in his life. 

I joined in with the ribald banter, waiting for my moment. Hey I''m the salt, can''t let a moment pass can I. So after twenty or so minutes and when the quiet befell the cockpit, having got to the goal, no one having any else to add. I recognized my moment and remarked: "You know there is one point we shouldn''t forget." They looked at me with tilted heads, waiting for the next utterance. "Come this Friday you guys are all going to be headed home, to wives, jobs, all the pointed minutia of life and this guy, and his **** boat, is still going to be in the cool, clear, aquamarine waters of the Bahamas............... something to think about." 

The silence was thick and still. The thought being pondered, which one of these students, young yuppie professionals that they are, would be willing to trade their life. 

Never lose focus: the goal is going sailing. And no matter what vessel you decide on, the goal is the same. I know of so many would-be cruisers who seem to hang out for years at the dock trying to get the boat just right. "


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## jollymonjeff (Sep 13, 2000)

Al, 
Very well said.

Jollymonjeff


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

I think the question is where do you intend on sailing this boat? A lake or similar, why not, you should be able to swim to shore. 

My first sailboat was a 20' Buc. Yes it was a piece of junk. I paid $200 for it. It became a project in which I could test my hand at several things I would have hesitated to do to a more expensive boat. 

What is the asking price then offer 1/3.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

This is a year 2000 post guys!...But Bucaneers still suck! <grin>


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## ebs001 (May 8, 2006)

I saw a bumper sticker that I think appropriate "Life is too short to sail an ugly boat"


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## T37Chef (Oct 9, 2006)

Gosh Cam, I feel like such a loser


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Good Times*

Hello Fellow Sailors-

I perused this forum 1-1/2 years ago while planning a sailing journey from St.Pete,FL to Seneca Lake,NY. in a 1976 32' center cockpit Bayliner Buccaneer.
I was accompanied by my 3yr. old daughter and her mother as well as our dogs (4) .
We sailed lesurely, leaving St.Pete in Feb. of 2007 and returning from NY. to Daytona Fl. on Dec 30th 2007.
We sailed coastal as well as the ICW both ways to include the hesapeake and Delaware bays and Islands.
Met many other cruisers and worked off and on at different jobs along the way and also offered sail and canvas repair to other cruisers en'route.
We used solar,engine power and rarely a generator to meet our electrical needs and run the frig, ice machine and a 5 cu.ft upright 12v freezer on the return trip (oct-dec 2007) .
I also installed a woodstove for heat , fabricated out of steel and stainless by my friend in NY . - nothing beats wood heat !!
I need to dispell the Myth of the buccaneer, it is a great boat to cruise on w/ 6'+ head room,inboard diesel, center cockpit,aft cabin, 2 heads (one w/ shower) origo oven and stove,isotherm 12v frig.upright 12v freezer, ice maker, swim platform,gas grill , bimini, large umbrella on aft. deck over grill and dingy in tow !! 
I was absolutely fantastic and I cannot wait to get cruising again.


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## robbuc325 (Nov 5, 2009)

i own a 325 bucaneer got it for a great deal and personaly have to say i like it, and no its not the best boat in the world or the best looking boat. But for a first time sailor or even someone on a buget its a good boat and sails well it sails aswell as a friends cal 30. avg over 5 knots where i sail in 15 to 20 knots of wind. I even bought it in north carolina sailed it to Grand Cayman just before hurricane season got cought in a few storms at sea 15 to 20 foot waves mabe 3 seconds apart and altough she did heal a lot i was not fearing a capsise. if you are in the market for a cheep boat its not a bad one in my opinion i do have plans to a wing or bulb just so i dont have to reef as soon. but still a capable boat. better than a thin hunter.


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## jpl4nscale (May 10, 2010)

*Buccaneer 325*

I've had "Dunwerkin" for over two years and have made several trips from Olympia, Swantown Marina. Usual day or weekend destination is South of the Tacoma Narrows, but for week or longer trips, like the San Juan Islands of Washington State, Gulf Islands or Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Weather can be a real issue here, so having a fully canvas enclosed center cockpit is great. It has plenty of room below when the weather does not allow much topside time. I've had her hard over in 25 knot winds and she remains stable. I have never felt the least bit in danger. The week I picked her up in Everett, WA to sail home, I hit a head wind blowing north against a 5 knot south Flood Tide. Waves were 12-15 ft high and about 20 feet between. If I was ever going to lose her, it would have happened then. I've read forums claiming that a "surveyor" declared this boat unsafe. Total BS!!!
Sailing ability? Last August I sailed from Blake Island to Langley, WA in 4 hours 20 minutes, a distance my GPS showed as 48 miles. Sure, I had a favorable tide, but if anyone says these boats don't sail well, I challenge them to match that. I didn't buy her to be a race boat. Down wind, I can keep up with any one. "Best" sailboat? No. Best motor sailor? No. Best of both? Can't be beat. Less than 3/4 gallon per hour at 6 knots with 30 HP Volvo 3 cylinder diesel. Love the Boat!! I'm 61 and have sailed for 45 years.


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## GraemeInCanada (Jun 17, 2008)

Holy cow this thread goes back a long way... I've got a US25 which is just before the buc? not sure exactly but it's supposedly just about the same thing.

I have to say that my boat tracks amazingly well, perfectly balanced and I have actually tried hard to put the rail in the water and it just wouldn't go. Very stable boat and I love it. It's like another poster put it, those that have never sailed it can't talk. Get in one, try it out and then talk


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## jpl4nscale (May 10, 2010)

*Bucanneers DON'T suck and are not ugly to their fans.*

If you don't like them, keep it to yourself. You wouldn't insult a person's spouse. What gives you the gaul to insult their boat. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Opinions are like certain body parts. Everyone has one but that doesn't mean that I want to see it.


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