The result is a sleek, rugged bluewater cutter that combines sea-kindliness with comfort. Roughly 200 examples were built in Quebec from 1979.
Design and Construction
Corbin and Dufour agreed to raise the topsides and adopt a flush deck, which remains one of the boat’s defining features.
The hull is a matt-and-roving fiberglass shell built around an Airex closed-cell foam core well below the waterline. Below that, it transitions to solid glass through the keel. The laminate schedule called for eleven layers of glass and a 16 mm Airex core, giving the structure substantial depth.
The ballast is encapsulated lead. The builder claimed that eight additional fiberglass layers between the ballast and hull would keep the boat from sinking if the external glass were breached. The decks are a fiberglass sandwich over a 3/4-inch marine-grade mahogany core, finished with non-skid gelcoat.
There are no interior hull mouldings. Instead, the plywood bulkheads are cushioned with foam before being glassed in. Construction remained unchanged across the aft- and centre-cockpit production runs.
Rig and Handling
Early Corbin 39s carried either a 46-foot single-spreader mast or a 51-foot double-spreader mast. Later versions used a 49-foot double-spreader rig. All masts are deck-stepped and stayed with 5/16-inch 9-by-32 wire. On the ketch, the mainmast stands where the cutter mast steps.
The mark 1 cutter used the aft mast position. On revised boats, the forward step appears to have been moved to address weather helm in the early hulls. Owners report that only the tall-mast cutter shows weather helm. It becomes slightly annoying near 15 knots and calls for a reef as the wind builds on a reach.
A 50-foot mast without a bowsprit shows the same tendency, though it can be eased with the mainsheet. Owners have successfully addressed it by extending the skeg forward seven inches and adding a bowsprit with in-mast furling.
Light-air performance is a strength. The Corbin 39 ghosts along and can pass more performance-minded designs, although she isn’t sharp to windward until she builds way.
Accommodations
The flush deck and relatively small cockpit create a huge interior for a boat of this size. In the aft-cockpit layout, a large pilothouse contains a centre-line steering console and navigation station, with a quarter berth or hanging locker to port and a settee to starboard.
Two steps lead down to the saloon beneath the flush deck. A large galley lies to port, with a fridge or freezer to starboard and a dinette forward of it. A head and hanging locker separate the saloon from the forward vee-berth.
Headroom is generous throughout. Fixed hull ports bring in light, while eight opening deck hatches provide ventilation. On the foredeck, two enormous sail and chain lockers can hold anchors, chain, docklines, and even a deflated dinghy.
The centre-cockpit version adds a separate aft stateroom. It can also be rigged as a ketch with upper and lower helm stations.
Production Changes and Owner Finishes
A 1982 factory fire at Chateauguay destroyed the deck moulds and led to a redesign. The aft-cockpit model received a larger cockpit, a higher pilothouse trunk, and a taller rig with the mast moved 2.5 feet forward. Its forestay was led to a three-foot bowsprit fitted with dual rollers. The centre-cockpit version gained a pilothouse.
Most Corbin 39s were completed by amateurs from kits offered at stages ranging from a bare hull to motor-away or sail-away packages. As a result, final quality depends heavily on the individual builder. About 15 factory demonstration boats were custom-finished to a high standard.
The Corbin 39 Owners’ Association supports owners. The moulds are now held by a former employee who may build boats to order.
Known Issues
Some hulls show fiberglass roving through the finish. Decks may also craze where thick paint was applied.
Owners have reported corrosion in compression posts where the steel meets the bilge or braces against the deck. A common correction is to fit 316 stainless posts.
On early boats, the mainsheet traveller was concentrated on the bridge deck. Along with the boom gallows and hydraulic pedestal, it crowded an already tight cockpit. Cockpit lockers are undersized on every version.
Weather helm on the tall rig is the boat’s one recurring sailing vice.
The Verdict
The Corbin 39 is a thoughtfully evolved bluewater cutter. Its flush deck provides unusual volume for a 39-footer, while the structure includes a genuinely thick foam-core hull and encapsulated ballast. She performs happily in light air and is reassuring in heavy weather, and an active owner community continues to support the design.
The trade-offs are the tall rig’s early tendency toward weather helm, cramped early cockpits with small lockers, and condition that can vary widely according to the quality of the amateur finish.
Pros
- The flush deck creates a huge, bright interior for the boat’s length
- Thick Airex foam-core hull with encapsulated ballast and a sink-resistant layup
- Ghosts well in light air and carries way once moving
- Enormous foredeck sail and chain lockers
Cons
- The tall-mast cutter shows weather helm, calling for a reef or rig changes
- Early cockpits are cramped, with undersized lockers
- Amateur finishes vary widely in quality
- Fiberglass roving show-through and compression-post corrosion have been reported
