Buccaneer 24 Trimaran

[kaamaman]

You got a great buy HH. If you did not buy it I would have scooped it up.
jim

[bruceb]

I think you have a very unique and desirable boat- I am envious. My hull is #151- I didn't know any were ever built in North America in all glass. I am doing some rot repair right now and can really appreciate the lack of wood The cross tubes with the alloy inserts sound like a variation of the original wood connectors. I have converted mine to the same system. Do you still have the water stays? Bruce

[Headharbor]

BrucB- Correction on the Sail #, I just checked and it is #174. I do have the water stays, I assume they will fit. Thanks for the encouraging words about the boat, should be fun, and for the price I really could not go wrong.

[kaamaman]

HH,here are the original dagger board specs:

[bruceb]

I did some testing last month with my "long" board in 10-15 kts and smooth water. From close reaching up to close-hauled, the boat would speed up about 2-3 tenths of a knot, or more, when I put the board down from around 3 1/2 feet to 4 1/2 feet projected under the hull. The wake would "clean up" and I think the difference in leeway was turned into speed. The bottom 1/3 of my board is tapered so this is not a complete "apples to apples comparison, but my speed increase was verified with both my knotmeter and a gps. I didn't slow down any putting it down the rest of the way, (total draft of 5'9") and I don't have a good way to check DMG, but racing against other boats earlier in the season suggests that it is effective to put it all of the way down in light to medium air. I still have the boat's original board and the boat is a real dog with it installed- I don't even want to use it for daysailing.

[Headharbor]

Bruce,

I am getting ready to start fabricating a new dagger board. I have approximately 36" from the trunk top to the cabin liner. The trunk is angled at the prescribed 20 degrees and measures ~22x2". I do like the idea of a deeper board, and you seem to indicate there is a definate performance advantage, even if you can't retract the board all the way. I believe I have a spreadsheet worked out to calculate a NACA 0011 foil. Is your chord length the maximum length of your trunk (in my case 22") or did you maximize the width of the board and let the NACA foil parameters dictate the chord length?

Thanks for any advise!

[bruceb]

Hh, I am learning about my boat, but there are several people on this forum that know a lot more about boats than I do. I just like to experiment. I don't have a cabin, so I am sort of unlimited in length on the board. My trunk is stock ??, (about 1.25" width and 22" long), and the same angle, but I made my board 1.20" thick, a 15" cord and 7' long (about 5'8" draft total) with the lower 1/3 tapered. I used a 63AOxx 8.5% foil section. I filled in the bottom of the trunk to match but I can tilt the board fore and aft to suit the sails I have up. I have an oversize main- height and boom length, that changes the balance of the boat. You seem to have a thicker trunk to work with, 2"?, so you have more choices than I do. A longer board definitely works better, but I don't think I would want to give up being able to retract it completely. I would chose a 9-10% foil section that works with a lower aspect board, and not worry about filling the trunk. When I put a cabin back on my boat, I plan on leaving a cut-out in the cabin top for the long board to retract, definitely not for everyone I also plan on building another shorter board for cruising, our coast has a lot of shallow water. B

[SpiritWolf15x]

Originally Posted by Kalona

Here is a picture of my Buccaneer 24.

Beautiful boat.

[oldsailor7]

Bruce.
Come the Fall, are you going to put a nice streamlined cabin on your B24.

[bruceb]

OS7, I really intend to have a cabin, for several reasons. I do plan on some coastal cruising and racing, and a cabin makes it a lot more convenient, comfortable and safer- the open cockpit can hold way too much water, and all the sail controls are too far from the helm. I really don't want the added weight (about 120+ pounds) and I am trying to find parts I can remove to help offset the weight gain. I keep looking at my cross tubes and "Capricorn's" lighter beams??? We have some nice early fall weather, but around the end of september, I hope to be ready to pull it and start modifications. I am really enjoying the boat right now, it is much stiffer, quicker, and easier to sail. I will post some pics soon. B

[Gary Baigent]

Bruce, there may be a gain in interior comfort with your proposed cabin - but you will find sheeting and rig control will become less convenient, more cramped deck movement and slower to operate gear/halyards/sheets. By the way your cockpit, if you retain the flush deck concept, should be self draining. In fact why not lift the cockpit to around a foot depth and retain your flush deck forward with a flat sliding or opening hatch to allow ingress below - then you will have the best of both worlds, control convenience and somewhere to shelter - plus a safer (and still light) boat.

[oldsailor7]

Bruce.
I have just had a squiz at your pic in your post #9.
I think you are going to have to design your own cabin top, since the cabin in the plans won't be suitable without major changes to your side tramps, sheeting arrangements etc:
However the stock cockpit, as shown in the plans, is very comfortable and protective, forming a seat back for the crew and stowage in the coamings.
The jib sheet track should be laid down on the deck outside of the cabin sides, to get the close sheeting angle necessary for windward sailing and to complement your effective daggerboard.
Samnz is right, you need a slmple watertight sliding hatch in the cabin roof, with "drop in" boards sliding in vertical slots on the aft face of the cabin, for securitys sake.
You should block off the drain holes in the front of your present cockpit, and have 1" dia holes in the aft corners, with a backward facing scoop on the underside to help suck out any water.
Jibsheet winches should be through bolted to the top of the cockpit coamings, giving easy handling of the controls.
You can see the arrangement I had in the pics posted earlier in this thread. Page 15. Post#224.
Hope this helps.

[bruceb]

Thanks for the input- I know this is a blank sheet cabin design. I hadn't considered a flush deck. I will get some pics posted of my current deck layout, but I tend to change things every few weeks My current cockpit sole is about 6"-8" above the static waterline and it does self-drain. I have sailed on Corsairs and liked the lines led aft on the cabin top, they seemed easier to handle single handed. My racing crew does like the big open cockpit, but they don't need to get used to hanging out there Bruce

[SpiritWolf15x]

Originally Posted by Samnz

funny you should say that! A few people have gotten very upset when I beat them in such an old design!

I have never heard of a Buccaneer 24 pitchpoling or even capsizing, I have come close so many times I wonder if its possible! Such a forgiving design, allways pops back up!

My father lengthened the amas on his B-24 to line up with the main hull to prevent just that. Said he'd come close a great number of times.

THe Amas on my B-33 extend just past the main hull for what I'd assume is the same reason.

[oldsailor7]

SpiritWolfe.
Did you know a guy called Karl Uthoff, who sailed/raced a wild yellow catamaran called "Bad Kitty". He was a mate of mine when we all lived in Toronto.