[bobmcgov]

We own a Bucc 18. The cockpit is very large, yet tacking or jibing does require a degree of agility from the crew, simply because the vang, mainsheet, and centerboard trunk create a moderately small window to dive thru.

that will give you an idea. Boom is mid height. Cockpit is very comfortable, either sitting or hiking. As for it being a 'sit-in' boat... not in anything over 7kts, it isn't. Hiking required from both crew. Fun boat to singlehand in light air, but the Bucc is a double handful of trouble in stronger breezes. Easy to right if it goes over, considering it is a 500# boat. I've done it myself @ 140lbs.

Either boat would be fine. C15 is closer to your F5; Bucc is like a Flying Scot with a mean streak.

 

[bobmcgov]

BTW, a friend of mine locally owns a Coronado 15, tho I've never sailed on it. Wasn't all that impressed with the construction ... but then the early Buccs were no great shakes, build-wise. Less stuff to break on the Bucc. Bucc's much faster, and it has an active & growing class association.

 

[bobmcgov]

Good for you! It is a fun boat with great people supporting it. New parts are available via Nickels Boat Works. Decent sails are a plus, esp. the mainsail, which is kind of a stupid design for this boat, but there ya go. Just keep the outhaul pulled tight in nearly all conditions, use the halyard lock if possible, you'll be fine.

Feel free to ask about the boat as you are setting it up; several posters here have owned Buccs. A few pointers to get you started: Check the centerboard for condition and play. The pivot pin tended to waller on older boats, and the leading edge gets chewed up from groundings. Either can cause the board to stall upwind, which is a major source of behavioral problems. When sailing, work the CB actively, as you would on a windsurfer. Some of the boat's initial stability lack can be overcome by kicking the board up halfway. It's a bit unnerving at first how quickly the boat goes to 40 degrees. But it generally hardens up there briefly, and a quick hand on the mainsheet should keep you from capsizing. In stronger winds, sail the main very soft. We put a reef in ours, which helps for squalls and for learning the boat. The Bucc18 sails like garbage on main only.

The original rudders had a tendency to jump their gudgeons and sink during a capsize. The original round bailers had a tendency to leak, tho frequent applications of Vaseline or silicone can work wonders. Boat points much higher if jib cars are moved to the seat fronts, but that's kind of a pain to live with. You can rig Barber haulers to approximate the effect. Enjoy your ride!

 

[bobmcgov]

turns out m I bought a Bayliner / US 18, a buccaneer clone? , it does say buccaneer on it though. the mast sits on the small enclosed bow and looks to be raised fromk the front?

Ruh-roh. That's an entirely different animal. I've written before the story of how Bayliner/US Yachts came by their 'Buccaneer' name -- very dishonestly -- but here is the quick version: after Chrysler Marine/TMI went tits up in 1983ish, Bayliner got hold of the molds (but not the rights) to the Bucc18. They produced some Buccs w/out license, were sued by Gibbs/MacAlpine-Downey, tried to muddy the waters by claiming theirs was a different "Buccaneer" 18, slapped together a hastily-contrived little boat to prove it, lost the lawsuit, had to surrender the molds.

Your boat is one of them hastily-contrived little boats. Sorry about that. I can't give any advice about Bayliner's version. (All their subsequent Buccaneers, which include some of the ugliest and most-jeered-at sailboats ever designed, were a stubborn attempt by Bayliner to maintain innocence. Some of their hull shapes were actually pretty good, esp. the US Yachts products which boasted names like Mull and Peterson. But the decks and rigs were uniformly stupid.)