Corbin 39 is a 41′ 6″ / 12.7 m monohull sailboat designed by Marius Corbin and Robert Dufour and built by Corbin Les Bateaux between 1979 and 1990.
- Designers
- Marius Corbin
- Robert Dufour
- Builder
- Corbin Les Bateaux
- Associations
- ?
- # Built
- 200
- Hull
- Monohull
- Keel
- Fin
- Rudder
- Skeg
- Construction
- FG w/airex cored hull
Dimensions
- Length Overall
- 41′ 6″ / 12.7 m
- Waterline Length
- 31′ 11″ / 9.8 m
- Beam
- 12′ 0″ / 3.7 m
- Draft
- 5′ 6″ / 1.7 m
- Displacement
- 22,800 lb / 10,342 kg
- Ballast
- 9,000 lb / 4,082 kg
Rig and Sails
- Type
- Cutter
- Reported Sail Area
- 811′² / 75.3 m²
- Total Sail Area
- 811′² / 75.4 m²
Mainsail
- Sail Area
- 367′² / 34.1 m²
- P
- 41′ 11″ / 12.8 m
- E
- 17′ 5″ / 5.3 m
- Air Draft
- ?
Foresail
- Sail Area
- 444′² / 41.2 m²
- I
- 48′ 5″ / 14.8 m
- J
- 18′ 3″ / 5.6 m
- Forestay Length
- 51′ 10″ / 15.8 m
Auxilary Power
- Make
- Westerbeke
- Model
- ?
- HP
- 33
- Fuel Type
- Diesel
- Fuel Capacity
- ?
Accomodations
- Water Capacity
- ?
- Holding Tank Capacity
- ?
- Headroom
- ?
- Cabins
- ?
Calculations
- Hull Speed
-
7.8 kn
Classic: 7.58 kn
Hull Speed
The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.
Formula
Classic hull speed formula:
Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL
A more accurate formula devised by Dave Gerr in The Propeller Handbook replaces the Speed/Length ratio constant of 1.34 with a calculation based on the Displacement/Length ratio.
Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio.311
Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL
- Sail Area/Displacement
-
16.1
Sail Area / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.
Formula
SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64)2/3
- SA: Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
- D: Displacement in pounds.
- Ballast/Displacement
-
39.5
<40: less stiff, less powerful
Ballast / Displacement Ratio
A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.
Formula
Ballast / Displacement * 100
- Displacement/Length
-
311.0
300-400: heavy
Displacement / Length Ratio
A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.
Formula
D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
- Comfort Ratio
-
36.4
30-40: moderate bluewater cruising boat
Comfort Ratio
This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.
Formula
Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam1.33)
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
- LWL: Waterline length in feet
- LOA: Length overall in feet
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
- Capsize Screening
-
1.7
<2.0: better suited for ocean passages
Capsize Screening Formula
This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.
Formula
CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)
- Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet
- D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
Notes
From BlueWaterBoats.org:
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.
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.
Links, References and Further Reading
» Corbin 39 Owners Association, boat records, links, tips
» Corbin 39 Review, amateur review
