FD Boat CORBIN 39
The following information was derived from
Blue water Boats <http://bluewaterboats.org/corbin-39/>
In Brief
In 1977 Marius Corbin commissioned Robert
Dufour of Montreal,
Quebec to design him a sailboat based on a one-off 39-foot
Dufour design named Harmonie. Mr. Corbin asked Mr. Dufour to increase the freeboard and flush the deck. In 1979, the first Corbin 39 came out of the resulting
mold, and the Canadian manufacturer produced 129 Corbins until 1982. Most were sold as kits in varying degrees of completion. In 1982, a fire destroyed the deck molds, but because of continued strong demand, they decided to update the molds and continue production. The last Corbin 39 produced,
hull number 199, was launched in 1990.
The Corbin 39 is a double ender in the classic Scandinavian lineage of serious
offshore cruisers like the
Westsail 32. She features a long fin
keel of 6′
draft, high freeboard, and a blunt bow. Corbin produced various deck molds including flush, pilot, center
cockpit, and aft
cockpit variations.
Corbins have have an impressive 11 layer schedule of mat and roving with a 16mm Airex
core. The deck is a 3/4″
core of
marine grade mahogany early on but later Airex foam. The ballast is 9,000 pounds lead encapsulated with extra layers of
fiberglass around the
keel for protection. Most spars are by Everett Bastet of E.B. Spars Inc. in
Quebec. Early ones had either a 46′
single spreader main or a 51′ turbo charged double spreader. Later most had 49′ double spreader rigs. All rigs are deck stepped.
Corbins with their fin keel and skeg
rudder combination are better sailing than their 26,000 pounds
displacement might suggest. They are meant as Marius Corbin writes to take someone, “safely and comfortably around the world…We get postcards from all over the world…what better recommendation is there for a strong and
seaworthy vessel.” The
cutter rig with a reefed main is a safe and
seaworthy combination.
Specifications
LOA: 41′ 6″
LWL: 32′ 0″
Beam: 12′ 1″
Draft: 5′ 6″
Displacement: 22,800 lbs
Ballast: 9,000 lbs
Sail Area: 822 sqft
Designer: Robert Dufour
Year Introduced: 1979 – 1990
Builder: Corbin Yachts (Quebec, Canada)
Buyers Notes
Of the 199 hulls, 184 were owner finished. These owner finished hulls were shipped in varying degrees of completion out of the Corbin yard. In 1982, a fire destroyed the molds. Post-1982 Corbins have larger cockpits and a further forward
mast step to lessen
weather helm. Corbin 39’s with bowsprits also sail more balanced. Look for a Corbin 39 with a double spreader spar.