Corsair 880 Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

The 880 was offered from launch in two trim levels — a Sport version centered on performance, and a Standard version oriented toward occasional overnight cruising — and both appear with some regularity in secondhand listings. The Sport configuration carries the taller carbon rig, laminate sails, a high-aspect square-top main, and a sprit bowsprit; it is the version that makes the boat's headline speeds possible and tends to attract buyers coming from a racing background. The Standard version trades the taller rig for a shorter carbon mast and opens the door to comfort options such as proper seat backs in the cockpit, a marine head, and provisions for a generator or air conditioning, making it the more popular choice among buyers who intend light coastal cruising alongside performance sailing.

Below decks the layout is consistent across both variants: standing headroom in the saloon, seating to port that doubles as a berth, a compact galley to starboard aft of the daggerboard case, a narrow double berth tucked behind the companionway steps, and a V-berth and heads compartment forward of the main bulkhead. Storage extends into deck hatches in each float, which accept fenders and lines efficiently, and half-depth lockers under the cockpit seats.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

Used examples commonly arrive fitted with solar panels, a chartplotter, AIS, and an autopilot — owners who rely on the boat for extended coastal passages tend to add electronics early, and those additions frequently transfer with the boat. A self-tacking jib is standard equipment, and examples retaining the factory self-tacker are common; the arrangement greatly simplifies short-handed sailing and most owners keep it in place. Asymmetric spinnakers and gennakers are often found aboard, reflecting the boat's downwind performance appetite, and a screecher or code zero appears as a frequent owner upgrade on sport-oriented examples.

Among the often-seen additions, dodgers show up with moderate frequency — useful for extended daysailing and weekend cruising despite adding some weight — along with furling mainsail conversions on Standard-trim boats where owners have prioritized ease of handling. One owner on the Yachting Monthly test boat, for example, retrofitted a mast track with roller cars and slab reefing led to the cockpit in place of the factory round-the-boom system, and this kind of slab-reefing conversion is a recurring owner modification. Cockpit showers appear occasionally as a convenience upgrade.

Biminis, lithium battery banks, swim platforms, and trampolines in the bows represent the less universal upgrades — present on some examples, absent on many — and their presence tends to indicate an owner who put serious miles on the boat and invested accordingly.

What to Inspect

The 880's construction quality is high, but the folding ama system deserves careful attention at survey. The horizontal pivot pins and associated hardware rotate every time the floats are deployed or retracted, and on a trailered or frequently folded boat that cycle count accumulates quickly. Inspect the pivot fittings, the locking mechanisms, and the load-bearing structure at the ama roots for wear, cracking, or any signs of play. The amas on today's trimarans are appreciably larger in relation to the main hull than on earlier designs, and the buoyancy has been moved forward specifically to guard against nose-diving in heavy downwind conditions — that engineering detail means the ama structure is carrying significant dynamic loads, and any fatigue cracking in the glass or carbon reinforcement at the attachment points should be treated seriously.

The rotating carbon wing mast is another component that warrants close inspection. Carbon spars are generally reliable, but the rotation bearings and any areas where halyards or lines chafe against the mast should be examined. Check the daggerboard and its case: the board is raked aft to reduce grounding damage, but impacts still happen, and the case laminate around the trunk can delaminate under repeated load. The rudder drops through a cassette stock and can be used partially raised in shallow water, making it a likely candidate for grounding contact — inspect the blade and the cassette for stress cracks or looseness.

Hull and deck survey on a vacuum-infused PVC-foam-cored boat should include moisture checks, particularly along waterline seams and through-hull fittings. The floats, if left folded in a marina berth, will have their sides immersed and grow fouling; look for osmotic blistering or delamination on the lower float panels if the boat spent extended time berthed folded. The outboard bracket and transom area take repeated strain from the recommended 6–10hp motor; check for stress cracking in the transom laminate and ensure the bracket is secure.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

The 880 circulates primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia, with the American and British markets showing the broadest availability. European buyers — particularly in the Mediterranean — will find examples, and the trailerable nature of the boat means geography is less of a constraint than for fixed-keel cruisers; a well-maintained example can be relocated from one coast to another without significant logistics.

The 880 is a recent-generation boat, and the used supply is still relatively tight compared to older Corsair models. That scarcity keeps secondhand values firm, but it also means examples tend to be lightly aged and well-maintained compared to what you encounter in older performance-multihull segments.

Before committing, work through this checklist:

• Ama pivot pins, locking hardware, and ama-root laminate — inspect for wear or cracking
• Carbon wing mast rotation bearings and chafe points along the spar
• Daggerboard and trunk laminate for impact damage or delamination
• Rudder cassette and blade for stress cracks or looseness
• Float hull panels for osmotic blistering, especially if berthed in the folded position
• Transom and outboard bracket laminate for fatigue cracking
• Full inventory of sail package — confirm Sport or Standard rig and check laminate sails for delamination
• Electronics fit-out and battery bank condition, including any lithium installations
• Trailer condition, bunk pads, and wheel bearing service history if trailered