BoatsBuccaneer 285

Buccaneer 285

Masthead Sloop · Fin keel, spade rudder · First built 1976

A center-cockpit masthead sloop featuring an aft cabin layout for expanded cruising accommodations

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin w/spade Rudder

Is it for you?

Character

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

Shoal draughtDraws 0.69 m, board up where she has one — creeks, sandbars and thin anchorages most keels have to stay out of.
LivelySea-kindly

Her moderate displacement on a moderate beam gives 24 — a moderate, middle-of-the-road motion.

Comfort ratio 24
CoastalBluewater

1.76 — just under the 2.0 offshore line; her beam is modest for her weight.

Capsize screening 1.76
LightHeavy

213 — moderately heavy for her waterline, a balanced cruising weight.

Displacement / length 213
EasygoingPowered-up

14.5 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 14.5
TenderStiff

27% of her weight is ballast — on the tender side; she'll heel readily and want a reef sooner.

Ballast 27%

A capable cruiser that sits just inside the offshore line — coastal work with real passages in her.

  • Draws less than ~99% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~84% of boats her size on file

Compared with 1887 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
Ballast / displacement
27.3%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Sloop
Ratios
SA / displacement
14.5
Displacement / length
212.7
Comfort ratio
24.1
Capsize screening
1.76
Hull speed
6.5 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
667
Hull
Hull type
Fin w/spade rudder
Construction
Fiberglass
Production
Years built
First built 1976
Builder
Bayliner Marine Corp, US Yachts)

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.

Pearson Yachts 27 (Triton 27)8.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Doug Peterson-influenced masthead sloop built from US Yachts molds, offering a light-displacement take on IOR design
Bristol Yachts 288.53 mSame hull family0.4 m longerAn IOR Half Ton racer with reduced stern overhang, serving as the performance-oriented predecessor to the Bristol 29.9
Maxi Yachts Fenix 8.58.50 mSame hull family0.4 m longerA 1980s cruiser with a 1.5-metre bulb keel and spade rudder, designed for a balanced, stable coastal experience
Newport 27S8.23 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1974 masthead sloop with a 1.3-metre draft, offering a stable fin-keel platform for shoal-water coastal cruising
Coronado Yachts 278.13 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA William Tripp Jr. design featuring a masthead sloop rig and fin keel, sharing a near-identical hull with the Columbia 27
Puma 277.95 mSame hull family0.2 m shorterA Ron Holland-designed masthead sloop with a fin keel and spade rudder, built for performance-oriented coastal cruising

The family

Boats like this

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

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

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

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