Yachting Monthly judged the Corribee an excellent sea-boat for her length and fast for her time. Several Atlantic crossings and round-Britain voyages add weight to that assessment. Those voyages also helped launch the professional racing careers of Dame Ellen MacArthur and Katie Miller.
Design and Construction
The Mk I measures 20 ft 3 in overall, with a 14 ft 5 in waterline and a beam of just 6 ft 3 in. Robert Tucker’s hull lines give her the slender, overhung profile that defines the class.
She displaces 1,120 lb and carries 416 lb of lead ballast low in the hull, giving a 37 per cent ballast-to-displacement ratio. Her capsize screening figure is 2.41. These figures help explain Yachting Monthly’s verdict that she is an excellent sea-boat for her length.
The magazine’s November 1968 test report found her reasonably well built. Her Atlantic crossings and round-Britain passages also support the “proper little yacht” description rather than leaving it as a catchy label.
Rig, Draft, and Handling
The Mk I carries a fractional sloop rig. She draws 3 ft 2 in with the centerboard down and far less with it raised.
Yachting Monthly described the Corribee as fast for her time and pointed to several Atlantic crossings as evidence of her offshore capability. Along with the round-Britain voyages that launched the careers of Dame Ellen MacArthur and Katie Miller, those passages place the design among the more accomplished small yachts of its era, rather than among sheltered-water dayboats.
Accommodation
Space below decks is inevitably tight. The hull’s 6 ft 3 in beam restricts interior volume, yet Mallon Boats managed to fit four berths, a galley, and a chart table with a chemical toilet beneath it.
It’s a compact arrangement in which little space is wasted, but nothing is generous. That squeeze is a direct consequence of Tucker’s slender hull rather than an omission by the builder.
Known Issues
The only documented constraint is the one imposed by the boat’s geometry: the narrow hull restricts space below decks. It’s a limitation built into the design, not a fault that emerges in service.
The Verdict
The Corribee Mk I is a slim, elegant 20-footer that achieves far more than her length might suggest. Tucker’s narrow hull, 1,120 lb displacement, and 416 lb of lead ballast produced a boat that Yachting Monthly called an excellent sea-boat for her size. The class’s Atlantic crossings and round-Britain voyages under sailors including Dame Ellen MacArthur and Katie Miller reinforce that judgment.
She’s cramped below and very small by modern standards, but she remains a proper little yacht.
Pros
- Cheap entry into offshore sailing, with a documented record of Atlantic crossings and round-Britain voyages
- An excellent sea-boat for her length, according to Yachting Monthly
- Reasonably well built
- Slim, elegant Tucker hull with long overhangs
- Practical, if compact, four-berth layout
Cons
- Narrow hull restricts space below decks
- Very small by modern standards
- Only a chemical toilet is specified
