Tayana 37 v Corbin 39

[Jim Cate]

FWIW: On sailing speed, the New England PHRF ratings for the two boats are

Tayana 37 174
Corbin 39 standard 150
Corbin 39 tall mast 138

Thus there seems to be a small but noticeable difference between the designs, and especially the tall mast Corbin will be considerably quicker... if that matters to you!

Jim

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by tdoster

An odd comparison when you are not looking at the T37 Pilothouse as a direct comparison between the two.

That's a fair point. I'm making the comparison based on the fact that both these boats fit my general criteria of a 35-40ft heavy displacement cutter-rigged cruiser for $50-75k, and because there are many C39s Pilothouses available and many of T37 aft cockpits available. I thought this was a good way of comparing not just these two boats but the also the basic design attributes of each. There are other boats with an encapsulated fin keel that could be good, like the Valiant Esprit 37 or the Southern Cross 35/39. Also there are other boats similar to the T37 that appeal to me, like the Baba 35 and Hans Christian 38. Nothing seems as readily available as the Corbin and Tayana, though, so I chose to use them as a basis of comparison for their design differences. If I can get my own preferences worked out, it will be easier to know which boats are worth going to have a look at.

I know that each individual model and each specific boat will present its own set of concerns and compromises, but right now I'm still trying to decide which characteristics I should rule out and which I should seek out.

[SV.Maverick]

I have been in both the T37 and T37 PH and the C39 but have not sailed any of the three. The T37 PH I was on is still for sale in Kemah Tx on yachtworld and I couldn't get out of the boat fast enough. It feels like a 20' boat inside the pilot house T37. Now the non PH T37 feels a little bigger BUT not even close to the feel of a he C39 for size. The C39 feels like a much larger boat and as long as the finish out is good I wouldn't think twice about buying one. Neither one will be fast but fast on a sailboat is relative anyway.

[tdoster]

Originally Posted by SV.Maverick

I have been in both the T37 and T37 PH and the C39 but have not sailed any of the three. The T37 PH I was on is still for sale in Kemah Tx on yachtworld and I couldn't get out of the boat fast enough. It feels like a 20' boat inside the pilot house T37. Now the non PH T37 feels a little bigger BUT not even close to the feel of a he C39 for size. The C39 feels like a much larger boat and as long as the finish out is good I wouldn't think twice about buying one. Neither one will be fast but fast on a sailboat is relative anyway.

That poor 37 in Kemah has been on the market for years and the mast is ready to fall down and needs to be replaced. She does have pretty lines, though.

We did look at a couple Corbins, and come to find out, they are closer to Westsail than I originally thought as they could be bought the same way in various stages of completion and the layup schedule is very similar between them.

Corbin 39 Review: French Canadian Mystery - Waves « Jordan Yacht Brokerage

Corbin 39

As far as PHRF ratings, I am not sure why they are brought up for cruising boats as they could just as easily be meaningful as they are meaningless depending on a lot of factors that go into determining a rating. The bigger and more active the fleet, then the rating become more meaningful. I could be wrong, though.

[Reefmagnet]

I like Corbins because I like flush decks. In fact our current boat in some ways became our current boat because it is similar in many aspects to a Corbin. Having said that, I've never sailed a Corbin but I can give you an opinion on a vessel with similar topsides and underwater profile. The high deck stays dry, but if a wave were to come over nothing will stop it till it reaches the cockpit; windage can be a problem; they can struggle pinching up close to the wind; and moving forwards on a flush deck in any kind of sea can be interesting.

Owner fitouts are probably the main thing with a Corbin as they can vary from factory to "beach shack" quality. Some interior layouts are interesting to say the least. I've seen a photo of one fitout that had the pilothouse steering wheel, complete with binnacle compass, basically bolted to the galley sink.

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[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by sony2000

The Corbin 39s are dogs. A kit boat with a saildrive. Run away.

Totally untrue. I've been passed by a few. They seem to gitty-up and go.

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

Corbin's built up to around 1982 are reputed to suffer from bad weather helm. This was fixed after the deck molds were redesigned with the mast moved forward. Because of the weather helm issue, the least affected boats are the post 82 models with the added bowsprit. Apparently ketches should be avoided as well for the same reason. Another point to note is that the hulls are foam cored.

I was looking at one not too long ago and learned that most (but not all apparently) were foam core. Not to turn this thread into solid vs cored, I asked the seller what his was. After he told me it was cored and I wanted to pass. He almost started screaming at me.
My friends just completed a circumnavigation on their T37 pilothouse. They had high praises but like all boats, had it's quirks.
I would say the T37 is a safer bet but I have not owned either. Probably a coin toss. If you don't mind a bowsprit, I'd look at a Alajuela 38. Very nice and safe boat.

[longboatman]

Tayana's are yachts....Corbins are boats!

[Celestialsailor]

...and Cats are water craft?

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

Totally untrue. I've been passed by a few. They seem to gitty-up and go.


I was looking at one not too long ago and learned that most (but not all apparently) were foam core. Not to turn this thread into solid vs cored, I asked the seller what his was. After he told me it was cored and I wanted to pass. He almost started screaming at me.
My friends just completed a circumnavigation on their T37 pilothouse. They had high praises but like all boats, had it's quirks.
I would say the T37 is a safer bet but I have not owned either. Probably a coin toss. If you don't mind a bowsprit, I'd look at a Alajuela 38. Very nice and safe boat.

Yeah, the coring is an odd application. If you read the designers/builders spiel that Gord posted a link to, it seems that the boat was cored but still made with a very thick fibreglass layup because the idea was that the strength and rigidity of the boat would come directly from the hull. The reason being they were intended to be sold from the outset with an empty interior excepting for a number of bulkheads.

[Celestialsailor]

Just a suggestion to the OP. I would pass on a used boat with teak decks. They can be an expensive headache.

[mitiempo]

Originally Posted by sony2000

The Corbin 39s are dogs. A kit boat with a saildrive. Run away.

Many Corbin 39's do not have saildrives. The one I worked on had a V-drive as does one a friend owns.

Not dogs either, they sail well.

[Jim Cate]

As far as PHRF ratings, I am not sure why they are brought up for cruising boats as they could just as easily be meaningful as they are meaningless depending on a lot of factors that go into determining a rating. The bigger and more active the fleet, then the rating become more meaningful. I could be wrong, though.
tdoster is offline Report Post

Well, of course you are correct in that small numbers of boats of any marque will give less accurate PHRF ratings. However, there were posts above which were saying things like 'Corbin 39s are dogs" and that the Tayana would sail better and so on.The PHRF ratings give at least some objective info about relative all around the course speeds. Whether the ratings reflect reality for a cruising boat is arguable. I happen to think that they do, at least for folks who actually sail their boats, upwind and down, even if that isn't how all too many cruisers use their boats!

In short, the ratings are not good enough to differentiate between similar craft, but when the differences are nearly 30 seconds a mile, as in this case, I think it is meaningful.

Jim

[Celestialsailor]

Ratings can play a small role in the overall picture of choosing a boat. I look at length of waterline which indicates the overall speed of the boat. You can knock off a few days on a long passage with just a foot or so more waterline than another boat. What directly plays along with that is the weight of the vessel. More weight, the more wind that is required to get her moving towards that faster speed. Then there is the sail area. To me the more the sail area, the easier it is to utilize lower wind speeds but in my experience requires a skipper that can read conditions better to constantly adjust the sails when the wind pipes up. Not everyone is experienced enough to do that, let alone enjoy it. Lastly, configuration under the waterline. Fin will be faster. Long to full keel will be more stable but slower.
Bottom line...a) you need to know what the boat you're buying is capable of and b) know what experience you have to handle the boat you're buying. Mosty newcomers I meet think they can pick up experience while they go. That can be disasterous to a trip and their relationship with their fsmily if they're going along. I equate it to people buying horses. I've seen totally none experienced, first time riders buy a 3 year old Arabian because they watched the movie "Hildago", when they should have bought a 15 year old Quarter horse with years of trail experience.

[OrangeCrush]

I'll avoid saildrives like the plague, and I'll avoid teak decks like some weaker version of the plague that would only be worth suffering through if it there were some large mitigating factors.

But I haven't heard about any real problems with Airex. It seems like people are scared by the word "cored" when they really only need to fear a wood cored hull. Are there any actual reports of problems with an airex core? I know they were experimenting with a lot of different materials back then but my understanding is that airex has stood the test of time just fine.

And can anyone comment on the question of lobster traps on an unprotected prop like the Corbin's?

Thanks, this has been an insightful thread. But I am still pretty much back where I started, though. The Tayana is a boat I like better and that will be prettier inside and out, while the Corbin is a roomier boat that probably sails a hair better with the added advantages of a pilothouse.

[Greggegner]

We chartered a T37 a while ago...sailed her in 40+ knots, handled way good ( no waves). We liked the inside but the cockpit was more open in the stern for my taste. Both are good boats, but I wish we had purchased a pilot house boat. We bought a Pearson P385 center cockpit.


Greg S/V Sweet Dreams
Pearson P385 out of Racine Wisconsin