Alan Buchanan design

[Steven Crane]

I have the option on an Alan Buchanan, 1962 36' Northsea racer/cruiser mast headed sloop. so I'm trying to find any info about his designs or others that have seen his designs built. this one has mohagony plank hull with teak decks but needs major work!

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

Firstly, the drawings are almost certianly available, from his office in the Channel Islands - if you can't find the address let me know.

Second, he is a very well regarded mainstream British designer; not as sucessful in offshore racing as Kim Holman but still very well thought of.

Third, it could well be one of his standard classes - possibly a Saxon. They change hands in the UK at fancy prices, so she will be well worth restoring.

Is all the planking mahogany? He often specified teak below the waterline with mahogany topsides to save weight. Who built her? UK yards of the period varied a lot in quality.

Buchanan designs are common and are well regarded.

[Steven Crane]

Thank you Andrew for the information. Can you tell me how to find out where or who built her? all I have is her name. Orn
And by the way she looks to be built solid.

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

If you can turn up a UK edition (green cover) of the old "Lloyds Register of Yachts" which was published up to 1976 or so that would give the builder. I will try and dig out Buchanan's address (from memory, adverts in the UK "Yachting World" designer's page if you have one handy) as they will certainly have details. The teak deck is a good sign, and I suspect you will find that the planking below W/L is teak. If the coachroof top is glassed ply with nice rounded curves on the corners, to avoid cracking the glass at the edges, the builder could well be Tucker Brown - excellent - who did a lot of Buchanan designs.

[sduguay]

I also own a Buchanan-designed boat. I am not aware of many here in the States. My boat is an East Coast One Design, a 31-foot lapstrake sloop built in 1965 by French Bros. of Essex, England. I purchased to boat less than one year ago and am very happy with her. She is well built and a nice sailor. I would love to talk with other owners of Buchanan boats.

[This message has been edited by sduguay (edited 03-23-2000).]

[ACB]

Alan Buchanan is not as famous as he might be, probably because he is the last designer from the "classic" era of the 1950's and early 60's who is still alive and still working! The ECOD is a well known class in Britain and they are usually well kept up by long term owners.

There was a long article about him in a recent "Classic Boat" and yes he still advertises in "Yachting World". I will get back to you with the address.

[sduguay]

Thanks ACB! I appreciate any info you can send me about Buchanan or other ECOD owners.

[Mike Field]

I'm a bit late joining this thread, but I too have an Alan Buchanan boat -- a 21' bilge-keeler, which is just about perfect for all the shoal waters here on Western Port (pretty similar to the English east coast.)

Despite her small size she's a very comfortable two-berther, having a deep and roomy cockpit, and with galley, chart table, and head.

I can't give you a summary of her sailing qualities yet, because the rigging looked a bit dodgy when I bought her, and I'm about to replace it. But she looks like she'll be pretty stable but not particularly fast.

One of her most important attributes is that she sits perfectly upright in the mud berth right outside my back gate.

For anyone who happens to have Maurice Griffiths' book Dream Ships, she's very similar to the slightly larger Swin, co-designed by Griffiths and Buchanan.

[S. Russell]

I had the use of a Buchanon 26 for about three years. A friend of mine moved away from the coast and left her in my care. It turned out she needed some fairly major work (rot in the cabin top and in the mast) but once I did this she was a wonderful boat. She was quite similar to a folk boat though I thought she was a slightly improved design. She sailed very well, though her rig (a three quarter sloop) was a little small for the light winds of the west coast summers. In enjoyed her a lot, found her comfortable and quite dry for a boat with so little freeboard. She was very simple - no engine, no electronics, no furling etc, but she was small and very handy: I sailed her on and off the dock all the time. She would sail very happily under just her main, tacking positively and even making surprising progress to windward. There was a Buchanon 35 in the same harbour at that time and it was a lovely boat too. Hope you enjoy your new boat.

[Eddie Rivera]

There is one boat in Puerto Rico. A friend of my got an Alan Buchanan designed wooden boat, in need of repair but still floating. It is a Saxon 35 feet from 1965, built in England. The boat still have the shipyard name label and the number #905. It is planked in mahogany. The boat is complete and in very good conditions to be restored. My friend is a professional cabinet maker and he will do all the required work. We would appreciate any information regarding this design. Feel free to contact us at:

Eddie Rivera
Santa Isidra 3
#A-3, Street A
Fajardo, P.R. 00738

boatbuilding@netscape.net

[Mike Field]

For anyone wanting Alan Buchanan's contact details, they are --

ALAN BUCHANAN
La Ville Au Bas
St.Lawrence
Jersey
Channel Islands, UK
Tel: 001144 15348 65536, Fax: 001144 15348 64698