Corsair 36 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Corsair 36 means looking at a 36-foot folding trimaran introduced in February 2003, a boat that trades monohull-style comfort for speed and a beachable, slip-folding footprint. These are "transportable" rather than lightly trailerable craft at 5,500 pounds, and the smart buyer judges them on rig condition, beam hardware, and how the owner laid out the interior.
Layouts on the Used Market
Owner three-cabin layouts appear more often on the brokerage market, but two-cabin versions are also out there, and ex-charter boats are a common sight. The standard plan gives a V-berth forward, a port dinette that folds to a double, and an aft double reached by lifting the stern deck. A queen berth sits below the cockpit sole. The head shares the daggerboard trunk, and the galley is a compact starboard unit. Some boats carry a 12-volt fridge to port; others were spec'd with an insulated ice box and later optioned to refrigeration.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Buyers will often find an inverter, a freezer, an autopilot, and a chartplotter already fitted, the kind of gear that matters for off-grid cruising rather than creature extras. Power and energy are typically handled by a flexible solar panel on the cabintop or port netting with an all-day trickle to the batteries, backed by the inverter. For sail handling, the standard Harken and Spinlock winches and roller-furling headsails are common, while a carbon bowsprit and extra cockpit winches show up where the spinnaker control kit was chosen. Navigation is anchored by the chartplotter and autopilot; comfort upgrades like the freezer and pressure hot and cold water round out a well-equipped example.
What to Inspect
The folded beam of 9 feet 10 inches means some states require wide-load permits, a logistical note rather than a defect but worth confirming on any trailer move. More seriously, early hulls developed a stress crack at the inner end of the forebeam under hard reaching, traced to an underbuilt fiberglass block; the builder substituted a stronger aluminum casting on all boats, so verify the repair status on any early serial. The deck is devoid of handrails and lifelines with shrouds out on the amas, so assess crew-security provisions and any owner-added safety lines.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These trimarans turn up in the Netherlands, France, and the United States. When viewing a Corsair 36, check that the forward beam carries the aluminum casting rather than the early block, confirm the folded beam and any permit needs for transport, verify the inverter and freezer autopilot chartplotter suite is operational, and inspect ama storage access and the daggerboard trunk shared with the head. A sound example rewards the speed-minded cruiser with a boat that folds into a slip in minutes and sails at low-20s reaching.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Corsair 36. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $180,499 | — |
| Mar 26 | 1 | $98,983 | -45.2% |
| Apr 26 | 3 | $91,996 | -7.1% |
| May 26 | 2 | $137,814 | +49.8% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $110,000 | -20.2% |
Where they're listed
Corsair 36 listings appear across 3 countries. Netherlands has the most listings with 3 (42.9%), followed by France and United States.
Country view
7 listings · 3 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | $98,983 | 3 | 0 | 42.9% |
| France | $91,996 | 2 | 0 | 28.6% |
| United States | $137,500 | 2 | 1 | 28.6% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneteau First 36 | 39.33' | $ 384,461 | 26 | 2 |
| Dehler 36 | 35.92' | $ 90,837 | 17 | 3 |
| Trimaran 36You are here | — | $ 110,000 | 9 | 2 |