Buccaneer 200

The Buccaneer 200 is an American trailerable sailboat, that was designed by Alan Payne and first built in 1974.

The Buccaneer 200 is a development of the Columbia T-23 design, using the same tooling to build the hull.

Production
The boat was built by Bayliner Marine Corporation in the United States starting in 1974, but it is now out of production.

Design
The Buccaneer 200 is a small recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a transom-hung rudder and a fixed long shoal-draft keel. It displaces 2100 lb and carries 750 lb of ballast.

The boat has a draft of 1.75 ft with the standard keel, allowing beaching or ground transportation on a trailer. It is normally fitted with a small outboard motor for docking and maneuvering. The cabin is small but includes a double berth, a quarter berth, galley with a sink and a fold down table. Cabin headroom is 42 in.

The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 276 and a hull speed of 5.58 kn.

Operational history
In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "Best features: The competition in this size and weight range was fierce in the 1970s, and to clearly differentiate their product, Bayliner went for low price, a wide beam for plenty of space below, and a simple-to-use boat. Then, as now, this attracted the non-sailing public as buyers. Neophyte sailors found a vessel with a low first cost, and a shallow keel for easy launching and retrieving on a trailer ramp. The long keel also enables the hull to track well under power or when going downwind ... Worst features: The new sailors would also find eventually that a boat with a shallow keel tends to side-slip when sailing upwind in a light to moderate breeze. A long, narrow centerboard housed within the keel (such as on the Chrysler 20) would have eliminated that shortcoming, but would raise the price and complicate sailing."