Buccaneer 18 is a 18′ 0″ / 5.5 m monohull sailboat designed by J.R. (Rod) Macalpine-Downie and Dick Gibbs and built by Nickels Boat Works, Inc., Texas Marine International, Lockley Newport Boats, and Chrysler Marine starting in 1968.
- Designers
- J.R. (Rod) Macalpine-Downie
- Dick Gibbs
- # Built
- 5000
- Hull
- Monohull Dinghy
- Keel
- Centerboard
- Rudder
- ?
- Construction
- FG
Dimensions
- Length Overall
- 18′ 0″ / 5.5 m
- Waterline Length
- 16′ 8″ / 5.1 m
- Beam
- 6′ 0″ / 1.8 m
- Draft
- 0′ 7″ / 0.2 m — 3′ 10″ / 1.2 m
- Displacement
- 500 lb / 227 kg
- Ballast
- ?
Rig and Sails
- Type
- Sloop
- Reported Sail Area
- 175′² / 16.3 m²
- Total Sail Area
- ?
Mainsail
- Sail Area
- ?
- P
- ?
- E
- ?
- Air Draft
- ?
Foresail
- Sail Area
- ?
- I
- ?
- J
- ?
- Forestay Length
- ?
Auxilary Power
- Make
- ?
- Model
- ?
- HP
- ?
- Fuel Type
- ?
- Fuel Capacity
- ?
Accomodations
- Water Capacity
- ?
- Holding Tank Capacity
- ?
- Headroom
- ?
- Cabins
- ?
Calculations
- Hull Speed
-
10.1 kn
Classic: 5.47 kn
Hull Speed
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Formula
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
A more accurate formula devised by Dave Gerr in The Propeller Handbook replaces the Speed/Length ratio constant of 1.34 with a calculation based on the Displacement/Length ratio.
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio.311
Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
- Sail Area/Displacement
-
44.4
>20: high performance
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
Formula
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64)2/3
- SA: Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D: Displacement in pounds.
- Ballast/Displacement
- ?
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Formula
Ballast / Displacement * 100
- Displacement/Length
-
48.3
<100: Ultralight
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
Formula
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
- Comfort Ratio
-
4.1
<20: lightweight racing boat
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Formula
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam1.33)
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
- Capsize Screening
-
3.0
>2.0: better suited for coastal cruising
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
Formula
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
Notes
The BUCCANEER prototype was introduced at Yachting Magazine’s “One of a Kind” Regatta in 1967 where it displayed impressive performance, placing second over all.
(Ed. note: Read the story by Dick Gibbs about the preparation for this regatta on the BUCCANEER web site.)
BUCCANEER PRODUCTION HISTORY:
Chrysler Corporation - 1968 thru 1980, hull #1 thru approx. #4050. (Just over 4000 boats built).
Texas Marine Industries (TMI) - 1981 thru 1982, hull approx. #4051 thru approx. #4750. (Around 700 boats built).
Wellcraft Marine Corporation, Starwind Division - 1982 thru 1984, hull approx. #4751 thru approx. #5000. (Approx. 250 boats built).
Gloucester Yachts (sold as GLOUCESTER 18) - 1985 thru 1986, hull #5001 thru #5059. (59 boats built).
Cardinal Yachts - 1987 thru 2000, hull #5060 thru #5065, #5100 thru #5106 and #5200 thru #5214. (28 boats built).
Nickels Boatworks became official builder in 2008.
Nickels Boatworks merges with WindRider in 2015.
