Mutineer 15

Sloop sailboat manufactured by Nickels Boat Works

The Mutineer 15 is a 15 feet (5 m) long fractional sloop sailboat currently manufactured by Nickels Boat Works. It has a dinghy centerboard hull, no ballast, and displaces 410 pounds. The Mutineer 15 has a 6 feet (2 m) beam, maximum draw of 4.08 feet (1 m), and has of sail area. The Mutineer 15 is commonly used for both day sailing and class racing. The Mutineer 15 can be comfortably sailed as a day sailer with a crew of four, but can also be raced with a crew of two, or even single handed by semi experienced to experienced sailors. In 1968 boat designers Rod Macalpine Downie and Dick Gibbs designed the Buccaneer 18. It was a popular sailboat design, but it led to a demand for a lighter, more affordable boat. Three years later, in 1971, Macalpine Downie and Gibbs finished the design on the Mutineer 15. The Mutineer and Buccaneer are very similar in basic design, and include many of the same features. At the time it was designed, the Mutineer had several innovative features, including the roller furling jib, spinnaker rigging, and a foredeck launcher tube.

Between the boat's release in 1971 until 1980, Chrysler built over 6000 Mutineer 15s. Due to a financial crisis, however, Chrysler was forced to turn to the government for loans. The government stipulated that as part of the loan guarantees Chrysler was required to sell the marine division of its company. In 1980, Chrysler Boat, which included the rights to the Mutineer 15, was sold to Texas Marine International.

Texas Marine International was founded by former Chrysler Corporation executives. Texas Marine manufactured the boats from 1981 to 1982 but it soon failed financially as well. In 1982 another company, Wellcraft Marine, purchases the rights to the Mutineer 15 from Texas Marine and began manufacturing them under a different name, Starwind 15. Wellcraft Marine built Mutineer 15 (sold under the name Starwind 15) for two years from 1982 until 1984. There are several major differences between the Mutineer and Buccaneer. The Buccaneer is 18 feet (5 m) long, making it 3 feet (1 m) longer than the Mutineer. Despite being a shorter boat, the beam of the Mutineer is comparable to that of the Buccaneer, making the boat more comfortable and stable for its size. Additionally, the Buccaneer is almost 100 pounds heavier than the Mutineer, and has a larger and higher sail plan (175 sq ft versus 150 sq ft). In general, the Mutineer is better suited for a cross over between recreational sailing and racing. The Mutineer is a slightly slower boat than the Buccaneer in lighter winds, but is faster and easier to handle in medium and heavier winds as the Buccaneer becomes overpowered. Due to their shared history, however, there are remarkable similarities as well. The boat designs are so similar that many parts (mast, boom, tiller, shrouds, running lines) are different only in their length. The rigging hardware, centerboard, and rudder are the same on both boats, and the sails are scaled versions of each other. It is sometimes possible to substitute Mutt parts for Bucc parts, and vice versa. Finally, throughout many company changes, the Mutineer and Buccaneer have always been sold together and today both are manufactured by Nickels Boat Works The MCA also helps to organize other regattas. In order to participate in these regattas, you must be a member of the MCA. Currently there are 3 active Mutineer 15 fleets in the continental United States. The first was fleet 34 in Alabama. In 2010, 3 other fleets became active: Fleet 2 in Texas and Fleet 18 in Florida. Two other fleets are organizing with the intention of activating: Fleet 6 in Michigan and Fleet 1 in the Mid Atlantic.