Your most frequently asked questions… answered.
Editor’s notes (2019)
The FAQ and discussion below has been mildly edited to eliminate typos, make it clearer who the authors are and which boats they themselves have (by hull number and boat name if known). Wherever possible alternative (i.e. current) references to products & suppliers are provided.
The bulk of this FAQ was originally generated as a Q&A in the period 2005 – 2015. In this period Lester Helmus acted as a clearing house for questions and responses, but some respondents would also write direct to each other, hence some of the overlapping answers you see in the FAQ. In places there are 2019 and subsequent comments, drawing either on my own experiences, or from other Corbin 39 owners and sources, including our Corbin 39 Group on Facebook. More comments are most welcome and this FAQ will inevitably grow.
We have attempted to contact all contributors to the 2015 version of the FAQ. All responses have been most supportive, thank you. If you are a contributor who has yet to respond please contact us.
As will be apparent there are multiple viewpoints on some topics. Sometimes, but not always, this can be traced to differences in arrangement between the boats of the various authors. Some of the topics raised are not so much a Q&A, as simply being a statement of why a particular owner thought something was a good idea, which of course it may not have been at all. Make your own mind up.
If you have further comments or suggestions on any of these questions, or wish to pose new questions, or describe various issues you have faced and/or overcome, then please contact us either via the Facebook Group or via the Website.
[Remark as of November 2019: Quite a lot of the links to drawings & photos are not yet reinstated due to workload. However I also know quite a few of the relevant images have gone astray. You may find the relevant photos in the individual boat’s entry. Please email us if you have any of the missing photos, drawings, etc.]
DINGHIES and TENDERS
a. Our dinghy towing system is working well, after a few minor refinements to the attachment system dinghytow.jpg . It is difficult to evaluate how the drag compares but the dinghy is always at the same close location and has looked after itself in some reasonably rough conditions. I don’t have a good shot under way at present (only on video). As the boat heels the dinghy heels also! With a single step on the transom and the sheet metal at the apex of the towing A-frame I can get into and out of the dinghy when it is fully down with only a little gymnastic agility. Lowering the 15 HP Honda onto the attached dinghy has also worked well. David Salter (#050, Opportunity).
EXTERNAL FITTINGS
What’s a good davit for hauling a dinghy? I am going to build a davit for my zodiac (both boat and engine, 15 hp). I need something strong and good looking. I’d like to know if there are members of the list who had pretty good results, and the way they did it. Do we have any images of good-looking davits for the Corbin ? I need the zodiac to be high enough in heavy seas. On top of the davit, I will install solar panels. Thanks a lot for any help. Bernard V. (#124, di Rosa)
a. We don’t have davits; there are some out there, I don’t know the names. I was brainwashed into thinking that davits were incompatible with ocean cruising. Regards, David (s/v #050, Opportunity) [Ed. Note: (1) I agree. Dinghies belong on the deck of the mother boat when sailing offshore, where a disabling blow or gale can spring up on a moment’s notice. (2) If you add davits, be prepared to spend more in slip fees.]
b. Here are my davits, Frank Bryant (s/v #186, Visitant)