Design and Construction
The Buccaneer 36 has a daggerboard hull. Its hull is a fiberglass or plywood composite over a plywood core, while the deck uses the same composite construction (hull material of FG or plywood).
Demountable aluminum crossbeams allow the boat to be broken down for trailering or shipping, then reassembled afloat. Because various builders produced the design from plans, details can differ between individual hulls.
The boat measures 10.9 meters LOA and 10.06 meters LWL, with a beam of 7.92 meters. This is a broad, light platform: its displacement-to-length ratio is 88.17, and pounds-per-inch immersion is roughly 3,064, confirming that the hull rides shallow. A capsize screening value of 5.42 and comfort ratio of 4.24 place it firmly in the performance-multihull camp.
Rig and Handling
The Buccaneer 36 carries a masthead sloop rig with 821 square feet of sail area. Its sail-area-to-displacement ratio is 35.67, and its S# is 7.26.
Minimum draft is 2.25 feet with the daggerboard raised. The board supplies the bite needed to claw off a lee shore, while the shallow minimum draft suits shoal-water sailing. Maximum hull speed is 7.70 knots. Taken together, the figures describe a trimaran built to skim rather than plow.
Accommodations
The 26-foot beam gives the platform a broad footprint relative to its 35-foot-9-inch length. However, no interior arrangement is described for the design.
Refits and Ownership
The demountable aluminum beams give the Buccaneer 36 a practical ownership advantage over a one-piece trimaran: a secondhand example can be relocated or stored while disassembled. Its plan-built origins also mean that construction details may vary from hull to hull.
The Verdict
The Buccaneer 36 is a lightweight, beamy Crowther trimaran that trades absolute comfort for speed and practical portability. Its demountable aluminum beams and shallow draft make it unusual among 36-foot cruising boats for ease of trailering and access to shoal water.
Pros
- Demountable aluminum beams allow the boat to be broken down for transport or storage
- Shallow 2.25-foot draft with the board raised suits gunkholing and beach access
- High sail-area-to-displacement ratio of 35.67 and S# of 7.26 indicate strong performance
- Broad 26-foot beam over a 35-foot-9-inch length provides a roomy footprint
Cons
- Low comfort ratio of 4.24 and capsize screening value of 5.42 indicate a light, less forgiving hull
- Construction by various builders from plans can mean inconsistent detailing between hulls
