Flying Scot vs Buccaneer vs others

Keep looking. A Buccaneer is a good boat, but it will be harder to find boats to one-design race with. Also the boat is a little more tender than a Scot. The Lightning is still a strong class and boats can be gotten at a wide range of prices. There is probably wider range of condition and equipment, as Lightnings were initially made in wood and then fiberglass. Scots have always been fiberglass, and the aluminum rigging has been the same since day one. The masts, booms and hulls are all roughly equal. Craigslist has boats that sell at relatively low prices. The low-price boats sell in a day or two, so look often. If you want to race, get the Scot or the Lightning. If you want to be comfortable, get the Scot or the Hunters. If you want to race and be comfortable, you can narrow it down to the Scot. One other point that may be a consideration for you. A Scot can be raced with two or three, and be competitive in most conditions with two. A Lightning is almost always raced with three and there are more lines and adjustments to tweak. If you crew situation makes it tough to keep two crew, plus you, then the Scot may be a better choice. A decent Scot for $3000-5000 can probably found that is race-able, and in Virginia, if you decide you are ready to sell it, you can probably recoup almost all your money. It's the same reason you are not finding a cheap boat, because they hold their value. That you have fleets around makes them that much easier to re-sell. Welcome to the Flying Scot! Phil Scheetz FS 4086

I've owned a Scot and a Bucc. If you want something less volatile, then definitely go with the FS. The FS is more stable and more roomier. The Bucc will go more in less wind, but my crew (and sometimes me) spends constant time moving up and down as ballast, although the spinnaker snout is nice.