Buccaneer 24, Buccaneer 28 and now Buccaneer 33 plans are also now to be available.

Very nice bruceb. She looks like she is ready to go some where, like the Bahamas or maybe Bermuda. A circle trip of the Caribbean would be nice too.
nelson

 

Future trips

Thanks, She is still a work in progress, but most of the big things are done and working I do plan on trying to get to the coast next season, all of a sudden my local lake seems very small. I think a Bahamas cruise would be one of my first goals. I have been over on other boats, but the 33's shoal draft and speed open up a lot more practical cruising ground that many boats just can't get to. Nice
B

 

Ladders

One of the things still to be worked out :?: I want to have a good swim ladder mounted somewhere aft that is easy to deploy and very easy for any shape/size crew to use. Best if it could be reached from the water and used with fins on. I have resisted mounting one on the transom as I still plan on mounting a rudder there and I feel that there is too much motion in waves all the way aft.
Of course, I also want it to be light and not be in the way sailing/racing. I have looked at quite a few production ladders, and some can be made to work, but I haven't yet seen any that really suited me.
I am guessing it is going to have to mount aft on or near the port crossbeam. With the overhangs back there, it is hard to find a good mounting and boarding area.
I am interested in any photos, suggestions and designs.
Bruce

 

Any news

Hi bruceb. How did your sailing season go with the 33? Any changes for her this winter? I have been looking at photos of bucanneer 33's and no one likes to take pictures of the fore peak or head area. You wouldn't have any by chance? Another question for you. When you moved the shrouds back on the floats what reinforcements did you build for the chain plates if any?Thanks.
nelson

 

33 update

Nelson, I have had the 33 out of the water this winter, I will probably re-launch in a couple of weeks. I had several projects I wanted to do, of course, time and life have gotten in the way. I have almost finished a new dagger board and I have added a little to the top of my rudder to close the rudder/hull gap, both much easier to do with the boat out of the water, and the dagger should be a lot better than my old one.
Overall, I am very pleased with the 33, it sails quite well, is fairly fast in all conditions and not too hard to handle around the dock. I did ok racing, won a few phrf races and didn't break much. My local PHRF committee has dropped my rating by 24 seconds a mile so I guess some one was "impressed". I am now at an 81, not so slow for a 45 year old design, I hope I can sail to it. The boat is quite fast in the light air that is common on our lake. The inner "baby" stay really slows down tacks and I had hopped to add spreaders and diamond stays to the mast to allow me to remove the baby stay, but I have run out of time. It can be done with the boat in the water, so I might get to it later this season. If I were just doing coastal sailing, I might not change it, but removing it also allows fitting a self tacking jib, which is nice ALL the time.
I will post some photos of the less than well though out forward space/head/forepeak . Crowther could have done better! There is really enough space up there to have had a decent head and storage, but the forward cabin top slopes down too soon and eliminates head room in front of the dagger case. A foot longer cabin top forward and maybe mounting the hatch on the slope would have made the whole area much easier to move around in. My boat had the head mounted under the forward hatch with a "required" holding tank forward of it. "OK" when you are sitting down but it used up all of the sail storage space. I have mounted a porto pottie to the port of the dagger case and use the forward area for storage. A "C-Head" would also fit to port and might be my choice if I go cruising.
I will try to post some photos next week.
B

 

changes

I like the idea of a self tacking jib. Is this what you were thinking about with the foredeck giving more interior space for the head. This buc has very sleak lines but I am not sure how it looks at the bow. I would guess that in order for lines to continue forward the deck is wider forward of the beams and over hangs the hull.
I love the idea about a composting head. No holding tanks, no ugly hoses running every where.
nelson

 

sleek deck 33

That is a very sleek looking take on the 33, and I like it. I hadn't thought about raising the whole cabin forward, but that is probably the "best" solution, easiest to build and gives even more room. The forward facing windows on the stock Buc are sort of useless and like on most boats that have them a regular source of leaks, so I certainly would not miss them. Thanks for posting it !
Eliminating the side walkways also cleans up the boat and saves some weight, but they are really nice in actual use, and they help in keeping the cockpit dry.
You had asked about my float chain plates - Nothing special, my boat has 1/2" foam core with fairly thin glass in and out, so I left the outer skin, removed the core in the area of the bolts and filled with dense filler, added several wide layers of carbon fiber from the keel to the deck, installed a compression bulkhead across the hull in front of the chain plate and made a thick carbon pad where the plate actually bolts. The bolts are isolated from the carbon. The plates are also wider and extend down one extra bolt hole. They seem to be strong
B

 

Bruce, you did all that well designed carbon and reinforcement work but then ... you bolted the chain plates on the outside?
You should have bitten the bullet, my man, and laminated with glass and uni-directional carbon around the shroud thimbles and fanned out down the float sides (see image of Cox's Bay Skimmer); much stronger, no distortions, no leaks. Just politely saying.

 

hind sight

Gary, I absolutely agree . I even have the lay-ups for several different designs that use fiber chain plates
Of course, there is always an "excuse". Time and "get it in the water" got the better of me. I had intended to replace the ply float decks and install carbon chain plates at the same time, but I was running WAY behind my expected launch date, so the decks and plates never got done. I had stainless and a drill, so you know what happened next . At least the holes will be easy to fill. I did have a nice sailing season last year, and the decks still need to be replaced- maybe next winter?
As an extra incentive, my floats have TWO layers of ply on them and are each probably 60 lbs overweight. I think the boat was repaired "island style" (Bahamas, probably in the Abacos). The float decks appear to have rotted some so a new layer of ply was added and glassed over without removing the old ply. They are very "solid". Just one of those little extras you often find in old boats.
Bruce

 

Wish I understood how to make carbon chainplates for my buc24 build. The time would be now before I paint. I've looked on YouTube to see how it's done, but I don't know how the shrouds attach to the thimble.

 

I haven't got a decent fibre chain plates drawing but here is a wing mast with similar, actually the same, setup for the hounds fittings (top right and bottom drawings).
In this case instead of a thimble as used for chain plate, there is an epoxy/glass mix which is oversize and drilled through after epoxy hardens for the shackle pin. I've never had any trouble with this but if you're worried about wear, then fit a stainless ring instead.
For chain plates you could use the same rings - but thimbles are easier to find in hardware store. Either or, doesn't matter.
The most important thing when using stainless is for the first laminates to be in glass; otherwise the carbon will eat the metal. Once a couple of glass layers are applied, then you lay on your uni-carbon and fan it out to spread the loads.

 

rudders

Hi bruceb. Here is a shot of the rudder on a buc 33 for sale up in gary baigent's neighbourhood. It looks like it is mounted vertical like your 24 but has a dagger blade like a farrier tri. And a photo of a buc 33 with a wheel and slightly different cockpit and with a raised aft deck for more room in the so called aft cabin. I haven't seen any photos of this area either. The interior plans I have show only a single bunk. What is it like back their? This boat has a different rudder also, thou I don't know what the bottom looks like.
Nelson

 

33 rudders

Sorry for taking so long.
I think the vertical lifting rudder would be a nice improvement, but I also think float mounted rudders would be even better.
My improved rudder feels better and has reduced the noise and turbulence off the back of the hull. Details matter.
B

 

New Buccaneer 33 Owner

I'd like to jump into this thread! I've just put down a deposit on a Buc 33 and plan to take delivery in late May. I'm curious to know where a decent swim ladder would be best mounted. The boats name is Sagras which is a town in Portugal evidently. I'm also told the boat was built in 1993 by Ontario Boats and shipped down by truck. I plan to meet the boat in Norfolk VA and sail her to my harbor in Connecticut. I have a pic but haven't figured out how to post it yet.

 

Congrats!

T2T, I certainly am enjoying my 33.
Is your boat ply or cored fiberglass? Either way, I am interested in it's details, I wasn't aware of any 33s built that late. It should be nice.
I have been trying to find an acceptable ladder since I got my boat and so far have not been successful. I think I have seen most production models, and with the needed length and the overhangs on the 33, none fit very well. I really need one for fun and safety, so I am considering having one custom built. I am open to ANY ideas!! I want it to mount near the rear crossbeam either at the main hull or possibly at the float. IMO a ladder mounted on the transom would not be safe in most conditions.
Photo is from a single handed race last Saturday. Placed second, the old boat still has a lot of life.
B