Buccaneer 24 Builders Forum

Berths

Fred, since I have no regular cabin, I have slept in my forward "berth". It is actually plenty large enough for one person but ventilation is pretty limited. You also must find a place to store most of the sails and other things that quickly accumulate up there.
Have you considered using the Mk-II cabin height and the Mk-I width? I think the added sitting space as least as important as the extra bunk width, and if you plan to sleep across the cabin, even more important. I realize you would have to make your own drawings for the cabin, but the changes shouldn't be too hard to do. The extra cockpit space would be nice, and that is where you spend most of your time.
B

 

Yeah, Bruce, I think that's the plan. Mark I width and Mark II height. I believe I'll shorten the cabin by 10 or 12 inches to make for more cockpit and rig the cabin for a crossways berth. The parts boat I got, has the Mark I width so the tubes are already cut for that. Also, even though it's more work, I'm going to build with the swinging centerboard so the board doesn't intrude on cabin space so much.

 

Freddy, I am seriously considering the centerboard option also. I have all of Patrick's notes on the improved dagger board, was gonna go that route. But, this past summer know 2 friends that hit submerged logs in the main lake I sail and destroyed the lower units on their power boats(ouch). Depth in Lake Maurepas and Ponchatrain averages about 8 ft, and a lot of Mississippi Sound has shallow sand bars inside the barrier islands. Keep taking good pictures, I am watching your project for insights
Dan

 

Frames going in main hull

 

centerboard

Fred, I like the idea of a centerboard just fine, and with an offset board trunk, the cabin should work well a little shorter. Go for it . Just make sure you build a good tight trunk.
B

 

Would it work as well offset? I was planning on centering it. I believe Lockes modification was centered. I thought about having it low enough that it didn't interfere too much. what I mean is: the board when fully pivoted up, would still stick out under the hull. Maybe my idea is crazy?

 

offset board

Fred, in the real world, boards work almost as well offset as centered. The Buc-28 has an offset board, and many of the big racers with canting keels are also using offset dagger boards. Think about how far "offset" a board in the float would be, and they work fine. The trunk can go to one side in the face of your bunk support, and leave the sole clear. Mock it up in your hull with cardboard and see how it would fit. I wouldn't consider a board that did not retract completely where ever you put it.
B

 

Interesting. I did not think about that. So if I put it to one side of the cabin it would free up floor space. I'll have to mock it up. I was thinking it would act like a small fin keel if it stuck down 6 inches or so. It wouldn't change the draft excessively.

 

Hi Freddyj
The design that I have just started to build has an offset center board. I fits nicely into the seat front on the port side. This last weekend I went sailing with my daugther and hit the bottom a number of times with the dagger board on my sailing dingy. That centerboard sounds better all the time.
nelson

 

FREDDYj.
I think you have had excellent advice. I can only add that the two B28s that I built had the swinging centreboards, and they proved to be a real boon. Not least that they could be adjusted from the cockpit for any point of sail, including fully forward of the pivot point to enable a "heave to" position.
We fitted the board box to go through the keel member, as lock drew it. That way it was still incorporated in the front of the seat bench and also enabled the stresses to be passed into the keel structure rather than the skin of the hull beside the keel. Admittedly you could beef up the area around the parallel board box, but it would be extra work and weight, and is not really necessary. Just my 2c worth.
PS. The board, when fully lifted should not extend beyond the keel. A flexible seal should be fitted to close the box slot when the board is fully lifted.

 

Yes, oldsailer, lots of good advice. Glad to be getting it! Someday hopefully soon I'll be asking for advice about how to sail the thing instead of building it!

 

I would like to hear more about the flexible seal that you mention please. Is it a rubber strip or something similiar? How does it work when the board is down?
Nelson

 

Canted board

Fred, I haven't seen one built, but I don't see any reason a board fitted "canted" some from vertical shouldn't work just fine and might help with fitting in the narrow Buc-24 hull. !0 to 15 degrees from vertical doesn't seem to make much difference and might give you some extra leg room
B

 

I'd like to know more about the rubber seal also. I wonder how thick it needs to be. What kind of rubber is best? How would one attach it to the hull?

 

Don't use plain rubber strip, it age hardens quickly and loses its sealing power as well as becoming brittle.
Use the same flexible material that supermarket moving counters are made of.
You need two strips of the material Glued and screwed to the keel each side of the box so that they meet in a shallow downward V, which will automatically close up when the board is completely up, and seal the slot when it is down.
Water turbulence in the board box is bad news when travelling at high speed.
The centreboard in my B28 was a built exactly as Lock Crowther designed it
and was completely trouble free during the whole time I had the boat.
I can highly recommend it.