I am brand new to this site. We had a 35 foot popular sailboat which I sold a couple of years ago. It was clearly the wrong boat - ungainly, very difficult to singe hand and just not much fun. Now we are looking at smaller boats such as the PSC Dana. My research has now turned up the BCC. I sail in the Pamlico Sound and Atlantic off of North Carolina. I would appreciate any comments re ease of sailing the BCC, upkeep etc. Of course, any comments re comparison to the PSC Dana would be welcomed. I wonder if there is anywhere to charter one of these boats for a test sail. Thanks in advance. Brent Friedenberg
I’m sitting with a man who has considerable experience of many boats.
I asked him for a comparison between the PSC and the BCC:
His comments - “No comparison - the PSC is made in Taiwan and the finish standards are not to the same quality as the BCC.”
However, I have never sailed a PSC, so I can’t comment. However, neither boat is maintenance free - if you had a Hunter, Beneteau or Catalina, the BCC is not a plastic pig, and has real wood to maintain!
Owners of the BCC tend to take considerable pride in their own maintenance, as witnessed by these forum pages.
The great advantage of the BCC is that you can still sail when everyone else has gone home. You can rely on the construction of the vessel, but it is still your liability to ensure it is properly maintained.
I have sailed, owned and maintained both the PSC and the BCC, both are fine vessels. For access and ease of maintenance, varnish not withstanding BCC’s have considerably more, the BCC stands out miles ahead of the PSC, in the 4 years we owned our BCC we found nothing on the boat we couldn’t get at to repair or replace. As mentioned by John Cole, BCC owners in general tend to take immaculate care of there boats, yes there a few dogs out there, but as a whole the level of maintenance is generally superior.
As for sailing qualities, both vessels sail well in the open ocean when it’s nice and when it’s nasty, and I’ve been in some ugly stuff on both, but the BCC really shines when the going gets rough. We alway set up the BCC for single handing with a tiller pilot, we get the largest unit we can fit, bearing in mind the weak link is in the attachment of the tiller pilot to the tiller usually a small pin, the tiller pilot will take it in a blow but the pin may not, and there will be days when you will be at the tiller when it’s snotty outside on the San Francisco Bay or off the coast. We generally prefer sailing during NOAA small craft warnings as we like to fly, and we also enjoy ghosting along in fall drifters.
The BCC like no other boat, the first time you dip a rail in the water going to weather and seafoam rises over the foredeck and rolls down the side deck and washes out under the bullworks you’ll know, thats real sailing.
Best bang for the buck for us has always been the BCC.
Cheers,
Marty Chin
----- Original Message ----
From: BCC Forums bccforums@samlmorse.com
To: bccforum@samlmorse.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 2:39:49 PM
Subject: [BCC Forum Post] brent.friedenberg: Information on the BCC
Author: brent.friedenberg
Username: brent.friedenberg
Subject: Information on the BCC
Forum: BCC Forum
Link: http://www.samlmorse.com/forum/read.php?5,6141,6141#msg-6141
I am brand new to this site. We had a 35 foot popular sailboat which I sold a couple of years ago. It was clearly the wrong boat - ungainly, very difficult to singe hand and just not much fun. Now we are looking at smaller boats such as the PSC Dana. My research has now turned up the BCC. I sail in the Pamlico Sound and Atlantic off of North Carolina. I would appreciate any comments re ease of sailing the BCC, upkeep etc. Of course, any comments re comparison to the PSC Dana would be welcomed. I wonder if there is anywhere to charter one of these boats for a test sail. Thanks in advance. Brent Friedenberg
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Brent,
We went through a few boats until we settled into our BCC. The Dana is a nice boat but a bit small to my liking. As you will find not every boat fits the opinion of everyone else. The BCC fits our sailing style, now and future needs. I am a big guy and my wife is small and the boat works for us better than any that we have owned. Sails easy and the rig is about as straight forward as you can get. The boat is built tough so you don’t need to add things to make it tough. Upkeep, ah!!! yes there is upkeep. My marina foreman puts it this way. “If we have an accident in moving your boat it would be a toss-up whether to call a fiberglass specialist or a carpenter”. There is wood to keep after no matter if it is painted or finished bright. In owning a boat such as this you need to choose your priorities. I’m a woodworker so this is my kind of boat. Not everyone in sailing today likes the upkeep and will settle for the “hose and go” type of maintenance. In reality for us the upkeep isn’t any more demanding than our past boats. This is mainly because we do the upkeep when it needs to be done. If you can’t do it, learn how or pay someone who is competent in getting the job done right. All in all the BCC is a work of art not only in the way they look but in the way they sail. Good luck in your search for information. You are in the right place to learn a lot about the BCC.
Bob & Lois
Jolie Brise
Hi Brent,
I rarely respond to comments made on this forum. Main reason is that the owners of these vessels all feel about the same…they love their boat.
I have sailed a BCC more miles than I like to admit. I have delivered vessels all over the world. I can confidently say that I have never found a boat in this world that will compare. I need to explain this a bit:
There are larger, more comfortable, faster boats but these are not for single handling or to go into the tight, shallow waters of the tropics. It sounds like you have had your experience with larger boats and probably understand why smaller boats have so many advantages.
The BCC is called a 28 foot boat. She has all the advantages of a small boat, ease of handling, shallow draft, low profile sailing rig, etc. However, the boat has the bowsprit and boomkin that moves the standing rigging out to 37 feet. This permits this little boat to carry about 700 sq. ft of working sails. Put this on a 26 foot waterline and you have a quick boat. I am sure there are many here who can tell you stories about passing and out pointing much larger vessels. Regarding the Dana, it will sail circles around the Dana.
Many complain about the maintenance because of all the wood. Well, I have to agree but if you love a boat with beautiful lines and the perfect contrast between fiberglass and wood, you would love this boat. Personally, I painted my bowsprit, boomkin and bulwarks with two part LP paint. I have had a good 9 years without a problem. In fact, the paint is holding up better than my gel-coat. I can hear the comments now from other owners but let me add that I have a teak walestrake and all hatches, handrail, etc are varnished with at least 15 coats of Captains’. Again, the shrugs…I made covers for all my varnished teak. It has been more than a year in the tropical sun of Panama since I last varnished. When I remove my covers to go sailing. My boat looks as good as it did when I last varnished her.
To conclude:
- Maintenance is a matter of love and you can reduce much of it by using covers. 2. The boat is built to cross oceans and as Lyle Hess used to say “It will bring you home safely.”
- It is a remarkable sailing boat if you learn to read her. She will speak to you after you get to know her.
- If you find the sleeping arrangements not to your liking, you can change it. The boat has no liners so you can do what you want. Personally, I have a midship port double, midship starboard double and the center between the settees makes into a queen size when the “mood” is right.
Ok, I am really bias and I have gone on too long but just continue to read others comments and you will understand why we ALL feel this way.
Roger
Brent:
We owned a custom built aft-cabin Flicka prior to purchasing a BCC. The Flicka’s LOD was 20’ and length over spars was 27’. Sail area was 410 sq. ft. She was a good sailing boat and took care of her crew. We looked at all the “traditional” styled boats on the market including the Dana but finally decided to purchase a BCC that we could afford and refit. You can view the Flicka and her specifications at http://home.att.net/~africanmoon/
Following are our reasons for selling the Flicka and purchasing a BCC for possible long term cruising (“boating plans are cast in jello” - Roger Ford):
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More living space and the ability to entertain other cruisers in more comfort (we like to entertain),
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More storage. We found it more and more difficult to store the equipment necessary for cruising on the smaller boat,
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Ability to carry a hard dink and life raft,
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A faster boat reduces one’s passage time and the number of possible storms one may encounter. The BCC is fast and it took us by surprise when we first sailed the boat. Speeds of 5 to 6 knots are routine. The Flicka was a 4 knot (average) boat.
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A better ride because of the longer waterline length, i.e. less fatigue,
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More room for electronics such as radar and SSB radio, etc. Flicka’s have been fitted with radar, SSB radio, etc, but each piece of equipment takes up living and storage space. The percent space the equipment occupies is greater for the smaller than the larger boat.
The one negative to owning a larger boat such as the BCC, is operating costs increased - bottom paint, equipment, slip rental, etc. Maintenance time is about the same.
Sailors have cruised on Flicka’s, Dana’s and BCC’s successfully but our research indicates the larger the boat the longer sailors keep cruising providing they like the life style. When I first started the Flicka Website (now under new ownership), I wanted to find Flicka sailors who had cruised on their boats. I found many sailors who had cruised on a Flicka but no one that was or had cruised for years on the Flicka.
Go to Video Google and search for Bristol Channel Cutter. http://video.google.com .
Fair Winds,
Rod
BCC IDUNA
In arriving at a decision on what it the best choice of boat you need to be honest about your essential criteria in a boat and the order you put this in.
If you have done this already in your head,put it to paper. Otherwise is too easy to get off track when comparing one boat to another whether it is the Dana or another boat. The previous postings all indicate their important considerations that brought them to the BCC.
I can tell you that there are many temptations you must resist to be satisfied with your ultimate choice. I like many others have owned numerous boats previous to the BCC each with favorable attributes. The one that embodies the best qualities of all for me is the BCC. The first BCC I owned did evertything I could ask for with all the curb appeal you could ask for.
Then I thought I wanted a larger boat so I purchased a Cape George 36 which has many similar attributes to the BCC with the obvious exception of size. It was a great boat but I did not need the larger size…it gave me no additional utility and I found I used it less due to the size. Like the prodigal son I admitted my error and rejoined the BCC family purchasing another this last year.
I have to say that being “objective” in drawing up your criteria is the most difficult but ultimately the most rewarding in the long run.
Good luck with your search.
Best to you,
Mark
SV “Lightfoot” #93
Hi Brent,
I couldn’t help but notice that you are based in North Carolina. This is off
your topic, but I’m considering bring Godspeed down from Virginia, since I now
live in Raleigh. Can you recommend any good marinas within a reasonable distance
from Raleigh? Also, in regards to your posting on chartering, what is your
timeframe for this? Although I don’t offer charters, there is always room
aboard for fellow travellers. I’ll probably head down to NC sometime in July
or so. At least that’s today’s plan, which usually changes daily.
Thanks,
Mark Gearhart
s/v Godspeed
Mark,
My dad lives in New Bern, NC. There is a nice marina called Northwest Creek Marina (www.northwestcreekmarina.com) in New Bern. It is well protected off of the Neuse River and up from Pamlico Sound. It has always appeared to be well maintained and staffed. There are the usual amenities such as showers,store and I think a restaurant.
Best to you
Mark
SV “Lightfoot” # 93
Mark, As I mentioned in my email to you it is a 2 to 3 hour drive to a coastal Marina from Raleigh. I would think you would want to join the Neuse Sailing Association.Their trips tend to originate at Oriental, known as the sailing capital of NC. When we had our boat we kept it at Oriental - Sea Harbor Marina. Oriental is pretty close to 3 hours from Raleigh. I like New Bern which is about 45 minutes closer to Raleigh then Oriental. There are a number of Marinas between New Bern and Oriental. The Neuse Sailing Association may have a list. Also, the New Bern/Oriental area is on the waterway and it is only about 3 or 4 hours motoring down to Beaufort and the Atlantic -actually quite a nice trip.
Other areas you might consider are Washington, Belhaven, Southport and Edenton. These are all about 2 hours from Raleigh. Southport is 3 hours. There is Wilmington also but I don’t know much about the Marinas down there. You have lots of choices.
Brent