Buccaneer 180

BoatsBuccaneer 180

See her sail

The Buccaneer 180, on the water

The fleet's own footage — the truest look at how she really moves.

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

TrailerableBeam 2.03 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 238 kg of hull, so roughly 850 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 238 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draft shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draftDraws 0.20 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.

LivelySea-kindly

Her light displacement on a beamy beam gives 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4

CoastalBluewater

At 3.31 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.31

LightHeavy

62 — light for her waterline, so she is easily driven and quick to accelerate.

Displacement / length 62

EasygoingPowered-up

31.6 — a lot of sail for her weight; powered-up and eager, a real performer.

Sail area / displacement 31.6

Light and lively — happiest day-sailing and coastal-hopping in settled weather.

Lighter than ~93% of boats her size on file
Draws less than ~98% of boats her size on file

Compared with 345 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

What the fleet has seen

The Buccaneer 180, as the fleet has seen it

Derived from the videos the fleet has analysed of this model. ▶ marks open the moment aboard.

The Buccaneer 180 is a 5.4-meter fractional sloop with a keel/centerboard hull, designed by G. William McVay Sr. and built by Bayliner Marine Corp. from 1974 to the present. It displaces 238 kg and has a beam of 2.0 meters and a draft of 0.6 meters. The design is a shortened version of the Mouette 19, featuring a different deck, and is similar to the US 18. Bayliner produced the Buccaneer 180 around the time it acquired assets from Paceship Yachts. While the Buccaneer 180 is a Bayliner sailboat, the fleet has noted that Bayliner sailboats generally offer limited performance for serious coastal or offshore cruising.6:48

The living fleet

Sailed by the fleet

Where the fleet has filmed this boat.

Basemap © Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions

Weights

Rig & sail area

Rig

Fractional Sloop

Ratios

SA / displacement

31.6

Displacement / length

62.0

Comfort ratio

4.0

Capsize screening

3.31

Hull speed

5.3 kn

Pounds / inch immersion

371

Hull

Hull type

Keel/Cbrd.

Construction

Fiberglass

Production

Years built

First built 1974

Designer

G. William McVay Sr, Bayliner

Builder

Bayliner Marine Corp, US Yachts)

Boats like this, on the water

More boats like her, on the water

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

Drascombe Dabber4.72 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA John Watkinson-designed sprit-rigged daysailer with a centerboard, built since 1970 for shallow-water versatility

Getting Underway - Portland to Boston23:16 from The Mariner

RS Quest4.29 mSame hull family1.1 m shorterA 140kg fractional sloop with a centerboard trunk designed for stable, versatile training and family sailing

Sea Cadet National Sailing and Windsurfing Regatta 20250:48 from City Sailing

RS 216.40 mSame hull family1.0 m longer

Training Sea Cadet Instructors | RS21 Keelboat Sailing – Welsh Harp1:37 from City Sailing

Microtonner 195.50 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA high-performance fractional sloop designed by Nestor Volker to the International Micro Class rule for competitive racing

I Met the Man Who Puts Sailboats Inside the São Francisco River | #SAL #4256:23 from Hashtag Sal

Dufour Yachts T66.15 mSame hull family0.8 m longerA lightweight 800kg fractional sloop with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for spirited performance in light air

Who I am and why the sea is part of my life0:56 from NAUTICPIOLI

O'day 226.61 mSame hull family1.3 m longerA prolific production success with over 3,000 hulls built, offering a nimble fractional rig for coastal daysailing

Why TODAY Is the Best Time to Buy a 22-Foot Sailboat2:24 from Lady K Sailing

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

US Yachts) 18A featherweight fractional sloop with a 31.21 SA/displacement ratio, built for rapid acceleration in light air Buccaneer 200A lightweight 6.22-meter fin-keel sloop with a shallow 0.53-meter draft, designed for nimble coastal sailing Buccaneer 210An Alan Payne-designed masthead sloop with a 0.61m draft and a long keel for stable, shallow-water coastal cruising

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The fleet has more to say

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