The adventures of m/y Anna
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| Analysis of boat after 2007 cruise |
The adventures of m/y Anna
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The Buzzards Bay 33 (BB33) power catamaran, of which Anna is a fine example, is a tremendous boat for a
small coastal cruiser. There are some small items that could be improved, to be sure, but the overall concept
and construction is outstanding, and it's hard to imagine a boat in this class that could be better. She
garners favorable comments wherever she goes for her appearance, her performance, and her
amenities.
The BB33 is very stable, extremely quick, relatively fuel efficient, and quite comfortable living aboard, all the
while showing lines aesthetically pleasing to both the uninitiated and true seamen. As soon as you step
aboard the inherent stability of the catamaran becomes apparent as the boat does not heel over with your
added weight on the side. In following seas where a monohull or keelboat would roll gunnel to gunnel, the
BB33 waddles a bit but does not roll, making her much more comfortable than any non-multihull -- even
those that are much longer. No boat 33 ft. long is able to take big head seas easily, but the BB33 takes them
as well as anything afloat her size, again largely because she does not roll. She also has narrow bows that
allow a fine entry, cutting through waves. I never came close to burying the bows in either following or head
seas due, I think, to the inherent stability in the bridgedeck that extends all the way out to the bows. The
overall motion of the boat at sea is really exceptional, and certainly exceeds anything else her size. As to
speed, well, she is little short of amazing. Fully loaded I got her up to 27 knots at 3800 rpm, and cruised
regularly at 17-21 knots (depending on current) at just under 3000 rpm, which is very quick for a cruising
boat. I usually would cruise 4-7 hours a day, easily making 100 nm or more with the day just half over. At
such speeds the BB33 can outrun storms, which is an added safety factor beyond her inherent stability.
And even at such speeds I averaged a bit over 2nm per gallon, which is excellent fuel economy. With a head
that has a shower and a big queen-sized berth, she is a very comfortable boat for her size. And with the
flared sides and splash chines of her well-designed hulls, she does not take much water over the sides,
although at the speeds she travels she necessarily takes some.
My version of the BB33 could stand a few improvements, of course. She did not fit my unique personal
needs for she is really designed for cruising from marina to marina, and not for voyaging in remote locales.
For one thing, only the starboard motor charges the house (or hotel) batteries, so if that engine goes out, as
it did on my boat, the house batteries cannot be charged. That is fine if you don't have far to go, although it
also means you must be careful about your batteries if you ever decide to use just one engine for fuel
efficiency's sake. And if one engine goes out there is no crossover fuel line that allows you to access the
fuel tank of the non-functioning engine, so you carry all that weight and can't use it. I faced a 250-nm trip on
one engine and had to bring aboard extra jerry cans of fuel, even though I had an almost full fuel tank
aboard going unused. Also my boat had no water gauge so I was never sure how much water I had. The
builder said that no gauge is needed because when you fill up the fuel tanks, you just go ahead and top off
the water tanks, but where I was cruising in remote parts of Canada, there was no fuel at the dock (I had to fill
up by tanker truck) much less water. In a like vein, the deck washdown system (which you use to wash mud
off the anchor, chain and deck) uses the limited fresh water supply rather than seawater, which is a big waste
of a precious resource, so I found I instead had to hassle with using a bucket on a line. (Really I think the
deck washdown system is not for the deck but is designed to wash the saltwater off the windows, thereby
requiring freshwater, because it is assumed the owner won't be anchoring out.) The deck washdown system
does not even have a pump of its own but uses the sole water pump aboard, which admittedly is efficient
design, but if you get a leak in the hose -- exposed in the anchor locker -- like I did, you risk running out of
freshwater and burning up your only potable water pump at the same time. Because of the design limitations
of the system, I never used the deck washdown even once and would just soon not have it. Another irritant:
lighting in the cabin is poor. For example, you cannot read in the cabin at night, although there is a good
lamp over the berth for that purpose. Also the inadequate light in the head makes shaving and other
grooming somewhat uncertain in the small mirror that you must stoop over, in the first place, to see into. I
tried wearing a headlamp to shave but the reflection in the mirror was too strong. And while there are
enough mooring cleats in number, they are all placed forward so that there are none to tie fenders to in the
cockpit, which makes the cockpit vulnerable to damage especially at fixed docks (again, here the builder
assumed the boat would be among the floating docks of a marina and not the fixed ones of more remote
locales). Finally, the drawers in the cabin are too flimsily made and require extra screws and epoxy to secure.
All of these criticisms -- admittedly somewhat unique to those who will venture out away from the usual marina
amenities -- are easily resolved, other than a seawater washdown pump which would require another
through-hull, which is not worth the trouble.
I also had both of my diesel engines fail, but I blame that on the engines and not the boat so I won't go in for
a long discussion about them. No determination has yet been made on why they both failed.
The boat, of course, is small, and while I could live aboard her full time alone, add just one more person and I
think that would be impossible. Even an overnight guest sleeping on the table-that-makes-into-a-bed would
likely be too much in a very short time, with each always under the other's foot. And while the dedicated
berth is wide (and good for storing large and bulky items when using it alone) it is not deep, and I think it
would limit a couple's romantic positions (I have not had the opportunity, alas, to try out the berth for such a
purpose).
The overall form and function of the BB33 are excellent and as another boatbuilder not associated with the
BB33 told me, the designer and boatbuilder of the BB33 "hit the nail on the head". Ask anyone
knowledgeable about boats or boatbuilidng who has seen the BB33 and you will hear the same. And as an
owner with a couple thousand miles experience on one, I can vouch that the Buzzards Bay 33 power cat is
truly an exceptional boat, a step ahead of anything else out there her size.
small coastal cruiser. There are some small items that could be improved, to be sure, but the overall concept
and construction is outstanding, and it's hard to imagine a boat in this class that could be better. She
garners favorable comments wherever she goes for her appearance, her performance, and her
amenities.
The BB33 is very stable, extremely quick, relatively fuel efficient, and quite comfortable living aboard, all the
while showing lines aesthetically pleasing to both the uninitiated and true seamen. As soon as you step
aboard the inherent stability of the catamaran becomes apparent as the boat does not heel over with your
added weight on the side. In following seas where a monohull or keelboat would roll gunnel to gunnel, the
BB33 waddles a bit but does not roll, making her much more comfortable than any non-multihull -- even
those that are much longer. No boat 33 ft. long is able to take big head seas easily, but the BB33 takes them
as well as anything afloat her size, again largely because she does not roll. She also has narrow bows that
allow a fine entry, cutting through waves. I never came close to burying the bows in either following or head
seas due, I think, to the inherent stability in the bridgedeck that extends all the way out to the bows. The
overall motion of the boat at sea is really exceptional, and certainly exceeds anything else her size. As to
speed, well, she is little short of amazing. Fully loaded I got her up to 27 knots at 3800 rpm, and cruised
regularly at 17-21 knots (depending on current) at just under 3000 rpm, which is very quick for a cruising
boat. I usually would cruise 4-7 hours a day, easily making 100 nm or more with the day just half over. At
such speeds the BB33 can outrun storms, which is an added safety factor beyond her inherent stability.
And even at such speeds I averaged a bit over 2nm per gallon, which is excellent fuel economy. With a head
that has a shower and a big queen-sized berth, she is a very comfortable boat for her size. And with the
flared sides and splash chines of her well-designed hulls, she does not take much water over the sides,
although at the speeds she travels she necessarily takes some.
My version of the BB33 could stand a few improvements, of course. She did not fit my unique personal
needs for she is really designed for cruising from marina to marina, and not for voyaging in remote locales.
For one thing, only the starboard motor charges the house (or hotel) batteries, so if that engine goes out, as
it did on my boat, the house batteries cannot be charged. That is fine if you don't have far to go, although it
also means you must be careful about your batteries if you ever decide to use just one engine for fuel
efficiency's sake. And if one engine goes out there is no crossover fuel line that allows you to access the
fuel tank of the non-functioning engine, so you carry all that weight and can't use it. I faced a 250-nm trip on
one engine and had to bring aboard extra jerry cans of fuel, even though I had an almost full fuel tank
aboard going unused. Also my boat had no water gauge so I was never sure how much water I had. The
builder said that no gauge is needed because when you fill up the fuel tanks, you just go ahead and top off
the water tanks, but where I was cruising in remote parts of Canada, there was no fuel at the dock (I had to fill
up by tanker truck) much less water. In a like vein, the deck washdown system (which you use to wash mud
off the anchor, chain and deck) uses the limited fresh water supply rather than seawater, which is a big waste
of a precious resource, so I found I instead had to hassle with using a bucket on a line. (Really I think the
deck washdown system is not for the deck but is designed to wash the saltwater off the windows, thereby
requiring freshwater, because it is assumed the owner won't be anchoring out.) The deck washdown system
does not even have a pump of its own but uses the sole water pump aboard, which admittedly is efficient
design, but if you get a leak in the hose -- exposed in the anchor locker -- like I did, you risk running out of
freshwater and burning up your only potable water pump at the same time. Because of the design limitations
of the system, I never used the deck washdown even once and would just soon not have it. Another irritant:
lighting in the cabin is poor. For example, you cannot read in the cabin at night, although there is a good
lamp over the berth for that purpose. Also the inadequate light in the head makes shaving and other
grooming somewhat uncertain in the small mirror that you must stoop over, in the first place, to see into. I
tried wearing a headlamp to shave but the reflection in the mirror was too strong. And while there are
enough mooring cleats in number, they are all placed forward so that there are none to tie fenders to in the
cockpit, which makes the cockpit vulnerable to damage especially at fixed docks (again, here the builder
assumed the boat would be among the floating docks of a marina and not the fixed ones of more remote
locales). Finally, the drawers in the cabin are too flimsily made and require extra screws and epoxy to secure.
All of these criticisms -- admittedly somewhat unique to those who will venture out away from the usual marina
amenities -- are easily resolved, other than a seawater washdown pump which would require another
through-hull, which is not worth the trouble.
I also had both of my diesel engines fail, but I blame that on the engines and not the boat so I won't go in for
a long discussion about them. No determination has yet been made on why they both failed.
The boat, of course, is small, and while I could live aboard her full time alone, add just one more person and I
think that would be impossible. Even an overnight guest sleeping on the table-that-makes-into-a-bed would
likely be too much in a very short time, with each always under the other's foot. And while the dedicated
berth is wide (and good for storing large and bulky items when using it alone) it is not deep, and I think it
would limit a couple's romantic positions (I have not had the opportunity, alas, to try out the berth for such a
purpose).
The overall form and function of the BB33 are excellent and as another boatbuilder not associated with the
BB33 told me, the designer and boatbuilder of the BB33 "hit the nail on the head". Ask anyone
knowledgeable about boats or boatbuilidng who has seen the BB33 and you will hear the same. And as an
owner with a couple thousand miles experience on one, I can vouch that the Buzzards Bay 33 power cat is
truly an exceptional boat, a step ahead of anything else out there her size.
