first boat

[Guest]

I am looking to purchase my first boat, and live in Boston. I have crewed for almost 20 years, since my father bought his first boat in 1982. I have been looking for a trailerable boat around 18' that I can sail in Boston Harbor, and possibly from Pt. Judith across to Block Island (ideal conditions only). I want something that will be fast and fun, but also stable enough to make allow for level of experience (novice). I have been looking at 17' O'Day day sailers, and recently an 18' Buccaneer. Which type will be more versatile for weekending with my girlfriend, and possibly spending the night on the boat? Please let me know if you know of other boats of this size that might meet my needs.

MIke Bennis (mikeb-at-mcmahonarchitects.com)

[Guest]

Hi Mike,
I don't know anything about Bucaneers but I have a '66 O'Day Daysailer that I sail on Boston harbor practically every weekend in the summer. It's great for harbor island exploration and I strongly recommend doing some of that if you get a boat. I have sailed it from E. Falmouth Cape Cod to Oak Bluffs Martha's Vineyard several times, once in a small craft advisory (a downwind run-- wouldn't have tried it otherwise). It handles winds up to about 20 knots reasonably well although I must admit there have been many times on Boston Harbor that I have wished for some ballast and a fixed keel. I'm planning to use it to explore Casco Bay, Maine for a week this summer. The cuddy is great for stowing and keeping dry a sizable quantity of gear but I can't imagine trying to sleep overnight on it. If you're planning an overnight, I'd recommend taking a tent and sleeping onshore.

--Mark Miller
Jamaica Plain, MA

Mark Miller (miller_mark_web-at-yahoo.com)

[Guest]

If you sail shallow waters, a Buccaneer might not be a good choice as it has a daggerboard as opposed to the DS's swinging centerboard. The Buccaneer is a wetter boat and rougher riding, but it will be faster no doubt. If sleeping on the boat is a priority, you might look at slightly bigger boats. The Rhodes 19 and it's enclosed cuddy varient the Mariner 19 might be good choices, especially the later which has 2 small berths I believe...

Kevin Clark (kevin.clark-at-usa.alcatel.com)

[Guest]

I really would not recomend a Day Sailer for a trip to Block Island, not unless you can afford to plan your trip allowing for the possiblity of spending time on the island (or being able to leave the boat there) until the weather is perfect for the return trip. If "offshore" sailing is something you really wish to do, and you REALLY want to do it in a Day Sailer, then you should really shop around for a DS II or DS III, since they have somewhat self-bailing cockpits and won't usually be swamped the way a DS I might be.
When you refer to the other boat that you looked at as a "Buccaneer", is that the brand or the class? If you are refering to a "Buccaneer 180" built by the Buccaneer division of Bayliner, then that boat might be a bit better choice than a DS. Those boats had a weighted centerboard, a lower mast height, both lower and upper shrouds, and slightly more room in the cuddy for sleeping. They also had less sail area than the DS. One thing to watch, I have heard that in rough seas there is a tendency for these Buccaneers to leak around the hole in the centerboard trunk where the lift line runs through, and that this leakage is hard to detect at times. They did come out with a newer 18' model in the very early 1980's that had a bigger cabin, and was beamier. This version was later built by Pearson Yachts as the "TRITON 18" and later as the "PEARSON 18". This boat still had a pivoting CB, and a kick-up rudder for beaching. Again, this boat could, in favorable weather conditions take you to Block Island......but is still small for the trip.
If you are refering to the older "BUCCANEER" class boat, that was built by CHRYSLER, and later by GLOUCESTER, than you are looking at a big daysailing boat, maybe capible of a Block Island trip, but if you do.....there may not be comfortable room in the cockpit for sleeping even under a boom tent. This boat appears to be self-bailing, and with the standard roller-furling jib might be easier for solo sailing.
However, it is still a very small boat for sailing to Block Island, and like all the above mentioned boats would require carefull planning and carefull seamanship to safely make a trip to Block.

I won't tell you that it can't be done, the Atlantic Ocean has been crossed by "decked over sailing dinghies" (some less than 6' long!) but it will require care!

Rod Johnson (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)