Corsair 24 Mk II Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The Mk II keeps the hulls and crossbeams of the earlier F-24 but wraps them around a new rotating mast and single-spreader rig, a transom-hung rudder, and a retractable daggerboard that replaced the original pivoting centerboard. The Farrier Folding System lets the akas fold the beam from 17 feet 11 inches down to 8 feet 2 inches, so the boat trails within legal limits and can sit forgotten on its trailer. Structurally, the boat is an exercise in disciplined lightweight building: roughly 50 separate moldings, carbon fiber and Kevlar reinforcement, vacuum-bagging, double-biased fabrics, acrylic-modified epoxy resin, NPG gelcoat and PVC foam coring all go into a hull that weighs just 1,690 pounds. Hull and deck meet through universally bonded "top hat" joints, bulkheads are tabbed in seven places, and the akas pivot on stainless steel bolts set into sockets reinforced by interior bulkheads, with solid aluminum struts bracing the beam from below. Foam flotation in hull and beams means the boat will still float with every compartment flooded.

Rig and Handling

The rotating mast proved self-evident in use, and pre-setting mast rotation became an added element of sail control on a boat whose fully-battened mainsail was hoisted by hand. The daggerboard works well and simply, and the screacher flies from a roller-furler at the end of a retractable bowsprit. On the water the design stays remarkably level — heel angle rarely passes 15 degrees — and the fine, very fine forward main hull with a U-shaped midsection and a flat wide stern damps pitch and lifts onto a plane with very little rocker in most double-digit wind speeds. The amas are rounded-V floats shaped for maximum lift as they submerge and minimal drag, and owners have logged 12 knots in 15 knots of wind and a reported 17 knots with full main and gennaker in 21 knots, while a test speedo cheerfully passed 10 knots with the boat remaining almost dry.

Accommodations

Belowdecks is unapologetically minimal: sitting headroom on knee-to-knee benches is the beginning and end of it, with quarter berths long enough for adults and a forward double berth fit only for small children. A pop-top works well to gain a little space, there is no head compartment so a porta-potti is the usual answer, and a fabric inner liner takes Velcro admirably for cushions and panels. This is a daysailer and weekender built around speed and trailering, not cabin comfort.

Known Issues

A small batch of early boats showed oil-canning in the beams from improperly catalyzed PVC foam; the problem was recalled and retrofitted by the builder. Owners have reported that the thin skin scratches easily, that the rudder pintle is sloppy, and that the rudder cavitates at high speed, the last of which drew an optional rudder fence from Farrier. None of these are structural threats to the folded flotation philosophy, but they are worth knowing on a boat whose performance envelope is well past that of a typical pocket cruiser.

Refits and Ownership

Ownership centers on simplicity and weight control, with most boats using the recommended 5-hp outboard that makes better than 6 knots. The folding system, lightweight moldings, and trailering focus mean a used Mk II rewards an owner who keeps gear minimal and structure intact rather than one who loads it for coastal cruising. The F-24 "Master Blaster" won the Australian Open Championship for trailerable multihulls in 1994, a hint of the competition pedigree behind the recreational boat.

The Verdict

The Corsair 24 Mk II is a pure expression of Farrier's fast-folding trimaran idea: a 1,690-pound, trailerable three-bow that planes easily, heels little, and stays dry while outrunning most monohulls of twice its length. Its compromises are open and intentional — headroom, berths, and a head are afterthoughts — but for the sailor who values speed and transportability over cabin comfort it remains a reference design.

Pros