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Buzz Class Association

Life's a Buzz

A Guide to Buying and Selling a Buzz

Buzz Buying Guide

 

Brief of Development

 

The Buzz started at sail no. 401 in year 1994 with the MkI version. A number of revisions were made and a Mk II version was launched with sail no. circa 450 in 1995/6. The differences between the Mk I and Mk II versions of the Buzz are:

  • The kicker was fed back to port and starboard on MkI, whereas on Mk II it is led straight down the middle of the boat and under the mainsheet cleat.

  • The jib cleats were in board on blocks moulded into the deck on earlier version, until they were replaced with cleats mounted on brackets bolted to the sides of the boat.

  • The mainsail had 3 battens with an extra batten added to Mk II.

  • A buoyancy hatch was added from about 800/850onwards. This hatch can be retro fitted to Mk Is.

  • The space frame has had an additional stainless rod fitted since its introduction (as a guide Buzz 530 never had one originally but Buzz 722 did) . These can easily be retro fitted to Mk Is and are eadily available for a modest cost (typically £10 to £15 from Vantage Sailing). The rod stops the frame from lifting under load so therefore a rope strop with purchase can be used as a cheaper alternative.

  • The Boom and Kicker attachment
    - All booms now have webbing strops on as standard for kicker and mainsheet.
    - Old style booms – check the mainsheet fittings as the shackles could have worn the boom away and increase the chance of breakages.
    - Check wear on kicker strop and securing rivet – they do wear
    All MkI boats can be modified legally to MkII. This also applies to MkII being converted back to MkI format The hull colours, sail numbers and corresponding years are:

          Sail Number                            Likely Hull Colour

          401 - 500                                 White

          501 - 850                                 Light Blue (600 numbers allocated to the Canadian Market)

          851 - 860                                 White

          861 - 970                                 Red

          971 - 980                                 Purple

          981 - 1090                               Dark Blue

          1091 - 1100                             Black

          1200 - 1204                             Dark Blue (possibly plus a couple of 1700 numbers)

          2000 on                                   White with light blue stripe, grey deck

 

          The above is just a guide, the Buzz has always been available in various colours, but the above is a good guide.

 

Items to check for when buying second hand buzzes.

 

The following is a list of key items to check for. Please use the Buzz Class Association Message Board for clarification and the most up to date information

 

          1. Dagger boards are prone to leaking (they are hollow), however this problem can be can be sorted out.    

              Also check for any disfigurement due to excessive temperatures when storing.
          2. Please use the ISO buyers guide for help and pointers as the boats are very similar.
          3. Ideally try and check that the boat is water tight – there has been some evidence of gunwale seams cracking  

              and if the boat has T-boned another the pole hole surround can be easily split and is hard to see with pole in

              place
          4. Check shroud plates – with high rig loads there has been some evidence of these wanting to ‘pull through’

              the gunwale
          5. Check that the spinnaker ratchet blocks work – they’re £35 each!
          6. Check that the spinnaker is stitched on all seams – some were only glued and there is some evidence that

              seams have opened;
          7. Check luff ends of main sail batten pockets – most are now riveted to prevent the battens wearing their way

              through to the luff rope;
          8. Don’t worry too much about minor surface nicks and scratches – these can be easily repaired.

 

Selling Guide

 

If you are selling your Buzz then a few hours cleaning it will help you sell it, if you have a few more hours then giving the underneath a Tcut and then a coat of UV protection wax will improve any faded colouring. A clean boat will always sell quicker than an untidy boat! A quick check of all the fittings, mast and sails will help you explain the boats condition to potential buyers and also help you word the advert. Have a look at other adverts as a guide.

 

The For Sale/ Wanted page provides a guide for where to advertise.

 

Finally (and most importantly) do be aware of scammers, they are out there!! Any genuine buyer will contact you using normal means, want to view your Buzz and pay the agreed price. The Buzz is popular across Europe so you may get genuine contacts from abroad, if you are unsure then follow advise given on the Autotrader website, which also has links to other useful sites. I know it's for cars, but the scams are the same!!

 

For more information click on a link below -