BoatsBuccaneer 18

Buccaneer 18

Fractional Sloop · Centerboard Dinghy · First built 1968

A high-performance fractional centreboard dinghy that debuted with a second-place finish at the 1967 One of a Kind Regatta

Designed by Rod Macalpine-Downie & Dick Gibbs, built by Chrysler Marine Inc.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy

Is it for you?

Character

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

TrailerableBeam 1.83 m — inside the 2.55 m no-permit tow width across most of Europe, and the 2.59 m US and Canadian limit. About 227 kg of hull, so roughly 850 kg on a trailer: check that against your own towing rating.Ramp-launchableAbout 227 kg of hull, with a keel that raises or a draught shallow enough to float off a trailer — she can go back on the trailer at the ramp, not only into the water.Shoal draughtDraws 0.18 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 moderate beam gives 4 — a quick, lively motion that feels every wave.

Comfort ratio 4
CoastalBluewater

At 3.03 she sits above the 2.0 line — beamy for her weight, and happiest coastal.

Capsize screening 3.03
LightHeavy

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

Displacement / length 48
EasygoingPowered-up

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

Sail area / displacement 44.5

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

  • Heavier than ~77% of boats her size on file

Compared with 269 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

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
44.5
Displacement / length
48.2
Comfort ratio
4.2
Capsize screening
3.03
Hull speed
5.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
357
Hull
Hull type
Centerboard Dinghy
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1968
Units built
5000
Designer
Rod Macalpine-Downie, Dick Gibbs
Builder
Chrysler Marine Inc

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

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.

Small Craft Ltd. Wayfarer4.82 mSame hull family0.7 m shorterAn Ian Proctor-designed centreboard dinghy with a high sail-to-displacement ratio, built since 1957 in wood and fibreglass
The Easiest Sailboat You’ll Ever Own – The Wayfarer0:47from Practical Sailor
Klepper Cadet5.40 mSame hull familyNear-identical length
We're off to Greece to see our NEW BOAT! 😍 Road trip, catamaran & sailing dinghy22:21from Eternal Sailing
O'Day Daysailer5.11 mSame hull family0.4 m shorterA 1956 centreboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio that remains in production today
Boat Shop Windows4:54from kentblairl
MacKay Boats Ltd. 49erfx4.88 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterA high-performance Olympic skiff featuring the 49er hull paired with a specialised rig tailored for lighter crews
Pia Dahl Andersen and Nora Edland showed strength in the first World Cup of the year.2:03from SEILmagasinet
LaserPerformance 49er4.88 mSame hull family0.6 m shorterAn Olympic-class high-performance skiff featuring a massive sail-area-to-displacement ratio for elite racing
From Olympic drama to flying motorboats: Petter Mørland Pedersen in "Peiling på Seiling"11:34from SEILmagasinet
Lido 144.27 mSame hull family1.2 m shorterA fractional sloop dinghy designed by Barney Lehman, updated in 1995 with a modern mold for improved longevity and safety
Restoring covid-quarantine project boats - a Lido 14 sailboat and Seaflite 179SS ski boat0:03from Ravenswing

The family

Boats like this

Nearby designs by size, type, and era — worth a look alongside her.

Starwind 18A lightweight centerboard dinghy built by the Starwind division of Wellcraft, sharing the hull design of the Buccaneer 18Gloucester Yachts 18A 227-kilogram centerboard dinghy built by Gloucester Yachts using the long-running Buccaneer 18 moldsBuccaneer 180A shortened version of the Mouette 19, this fractional centerboard sloop features a high 31.56 SA/displacement ratioUS Yachts) 18A featherweight fractional sloop with a 31.21 SA/displacement ratio, built for rapid acceleration in light airBuccaneer 200A lightweight 6.22-metre fin-keel sloop with a shallow 0.53-metre draft, designed for nimble coastal sailingStarwind 15A lightweight 186kg centerboard dinghy with a high sail-area-to-displacement ratio for responsive daysailing

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

Search the fleet for boats like thisAsk the fleet about the Buccaneer 18

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