This was written by one of our owners. He has a Corsair 24 Mk-II that he keeps in Newport, RI.

“I always wondered why Corsair emphasised high wind photos of your boats in advertising. The Corsairs are wonderful cruising boats. Particularly in warm shallow waters like the Bahamas.”

Hans Millenaar

View current Corsair models here>>

Join us on Tuesday, June 2nd to learn how the Corsair 880 is built, the differences between Corsair 880 standard and sport version, and the additional options available to you.

Inspired by the Hall-of-fame F-27 back in 1986, the Corsair 880 has been designed, engineered and now tested on the water. Now, we’re thrilled to announce that the Corsair 880, our most innovative and modern performance trimaran, is ready. We want to give you the inside scoop – the fine detail on this amazing trimaran in an informative webinar. You will see how the Corsair 880 is built, and some fascinating insight into the high-performance Sport version. We will also have a Q & A session at the end of the webinar to answer all of your questions.

Shane Grover, Sales & Marketing Manager for Corsair Marine, will present the webinar. And we’re happy to have Francois Perus, the designer behind the Corsair 880 project, along to give more insight into the design process. If you’re interested in trimarans, this is a must-do.

With the structure now complete, our team begin completing the deck hardware and finer details of the 880 design. This week we move the 880 out of the factory and raised the rig for the first time. We put the focus on simplifying the mast raising process, one of the driving factors resulting in the choice for carbon fiber masts on both the standard and sport version. Being a sport version, hull #1 has the 13.5m rig which naturally is heavier than the standard 12m mast, therefore by making the process as easy as possible here we will naturally achieve a very simple process on the lighter 12m mast. We begin by raising the mast using the halyard winch by feeding the spinnaker tack line up to the spinnaker halyard. After raising the mast we tighten the cap shrouds  and then begin raising and checking the sails.

One of the new concepts incorporated in this design is the combination of a bolt rope and headboard car on the mainsail. This system involves an aluminum extrusion which features both a boltrope groove and battencar track. We are therefore able to secure the high load of the head to the mast with a battencar but use a bolt rope along the remainder of the sail. By using this combination we have been able to manage the sail loads, minimize the load on the halyard for raising and also allowing us to use the highly effective and renowned roller furling boom that you find on the former Corsair 28 and todays 760 models.

We now have our rig complete, sails have been checked and an 880 all but complete. We now just need to setup an engine installation, electrical system, wingnets and then we begin testing.

The 880 is beamed up and ready to fold!

With beam modification and testing now complete our fitout department have received 4 complete beams from the lamination team. Confident in the structural integrity (thanks to our intensive destructive testing process) we begin levelling up the main hull before mounting 4 sets of folding struts, carefully measuring and jigging up for correct dihedral, alignment and adequate folding geometry. Then once we have everything aligned and in place, we dry fit the entire assembly before firmly securing to the main hull with 32  half inch stainless bolts and a good amount of 3m’s UV 4000.

Next, the floats are aligned and finally beam sockets are glassed into place, firmly securing the beam ends deep into the bulkheads of the floats. We then complete all internal float reinforcement before gluing and glassing on the deck, sealing off the floats interior.

You’ll probably also notice in some of these photos, the full carbon rudder case, the carbon bowsprit and other fine details of the design. As you can see we’re getting very close to the water. Next step, raising the mast and checking sails and systems, we’re getting excited, and cant wait to go sailing!

What has your Commodore (Michael) and Vice Commodore (Alex) been up to lately? (just prior to the Corona virus shutdowns)

Well, a container carrying 2 Corsair 760s just arrived at the Multihull Central yard, and we had the job of assembling them and then handing the Corsair 760R over to it’s new owner Rob Laws.

The below is how we did this and also assembled the stock 760 all in a week.

In this photo we have already pulled the  760 out and have the slings attached to pull the stock 760. Note the masts attached at the top of the container, everything else was in or attached to the boats like a big mechano set and two “boys” ready to get into it.

The boats piggy back inside the container as it is only 12 metres long and we have two 7.6 metre boats – Corsair have done a great job in working out loading jigs. Once the boats were able to be accessed all of the bits that have to be attached were laid out including the masts (which by the way come full rigged and wired and only needed the forestay and shrouds attached to the mast)

The 760R was the piggy back boat

Lifting off the stands was easy (with a little bit of mechanical help!!) and the boats were lowered onto the trailers.

The trailers have fully adjustable everything so some time was spent under them with a jack to get the bearers in the right places to support the hull and then …..

Starting to look like boats albeit missing the fairly important beams, floats and mast.

The beams come wrapped up with support arms fitted and as these had been test fitted and adjusted in the factory they were marked as to where they had to go and on which boat.

Starting to look good here

Rob, the new owner, dropped by to see how his boat was going and was really pleased to see it in the flesh so to speak.

The floats attached and the trampolines fitted

Attached to Robs vehicle for the trip down to the launching ramp. Boat tows really well.

Rig up, sails fitted and in the water – took about an hour as this was the first time Rob has done this.

Had to get the iconic Sydney shot – Rob was very happy with boats performance as with the breeze about 8 to 12knts the boat was pretty much doing windspeed close hauled up the harbour and top speed for the trip was a bit over 12knts. Passing a lot of monohulls was great (Robs last boat was an Adams 10) and what a fantastic day to be out.

Rob was impressed with the light helm and responsiveness of the boat so after about 4 hours with the breeze fading it was back to the marina and short raft up next to a big boat. They both look great.

The trip back to the launching ramp , pack up and go home after a great sail.

For more on these boats see the below links:

http://corsairmarine.com/trimarans/corsair-760/#video-view

http://corsairmarine.com/trimarans/corsair-760-r/#video-view

Kind regards,

Michael – Commodore

We have our first hull!

While the COVID-19 pandemic has begun to hit shores worldwide, at Corsair Marine we continue to progress our 880 #1 relatively unimpacted by  the pandemic at large. You can read more on the status of the corsair Marine factory here:>>>

In recent weeks , we have made significant progress on 880#1 we have now joined the hull and deck of the main hull, we have all bulkheads fitted, the interior painted, windows and hatches are being installed and we continue to produce all smaller components such as rudders, daggerboard, beams, mast rudder case etc. We have been testing things like the daggerboard trunk, ensuring the board can be easily raised and lowered, we’ve tested the companionway hatch mechanism and we’re now running electrical and plumbing systems.

You will notice the 880 features a recess for escape hatch. Whilst we do not see this as essential nor desirable, this requirement has been enforced by recent CE regulations. We have overcome this requirement by designing a tempered glass smash panel with a safety hammer located inside a safe box. This will enable access through the boat from either side in the event of capsize.

Now that we have the hull and deck joined, we get a good feel for the space inside the 880 and to be candid with you all, we are quite impressed by the space this boat offers. It certainly feels bigger in real life than it looked on paper. As we continue our development we are in constant search of weight saving opportunities and we are optimizing the build through every step. We are after all developing a production line, not just a one off build.

We plan to beam up Hull#1 next week and have already started to laminate the hull and deck of hull number 2 in preparation for full swing production in the coming weeks.

#Corsair880 #880trimaran

We’re in uncharted territory, but doing what sailors do best: getting prepared….

With both our factory and service desk remaining open as usual we’re standing by to help with any enquires or requests for support.

Situation at Corsair Marine

The good news is that we are in business as usual at this stage. We have a full workforce at the factory and there has been no impact to our production schedule. At Corsair, we remain quite unaffected to date and whilst we are monitoring the situation daily and preparing for the worst, we are optimistic about the impact COVID-19 shall have on our workforce and business. Despite no local cases we have proactively prepared for a number of situations including direct contact with a COVID-19 carrier. A wash station has been erected at the gate of the factory, with all employees or visitors required to wash hands as well as receive a temperature check prior to entry into the premises.  We have run re education programs on general hygiene, and are offering our staff supporting education on preparing their families at home for prevention.

Situation with Supply Chain

We are fortunate to have been well stocked with materials prior to the outbreak and currently have stock of all essentials.  For us, our resins and fiberglass are core to keeping our business running and we are currently holding over 3 months of stock, which provides us with enough buffer to allow for delays in deliveries if any are to occur. We order most of our supplies from Australia, the United States and Europe so we are monitoring the effect in Europe daily and are advancing orders to ensure shipments are dispatch prior to any possible logistics restrictions. We only receive some basic raw materials from china such as consumables and fiberglass matting and we are happy to hear from our suppliers there that the country is recovering, factories are re-opening and there is a sense of business as usual again. This is a good sign for us and our friends around the world that while we are only just feeling the peak of this pandemic now, others have begun to recover, as shall we.

Whilst our stock levels and fwd orders are carefully monitored and are well in hand at this stage we are aware that any new part orders shall be delivered with longer lead times that we would typically expect to see. We are therefore asking all owners with boats under construction to finalyse all options choices before the end of the month to enable us to fwd plan and ensure all goods are delivered on time so we can continue to deliver your boats on schedule.

Situation in Vietnam

The Vietnamese government has done an excellent job in proactively taking action to implement preventative measures in early February the government began taking actions such as the closure of schools, and the issuance of guidelines for businesses and individuals to be prepared. Strict quarantine measures have also been adopted with borders now closed to many European nations and immediate and enforceable quarantine for anyone in contact with someone tested positive and even people up to 3 levels of separation from people in contact with the virus.  Since then these measures have increased to the closure of bars, clubs and spars and the introduction of a policy making the wearing of face masks compulsory in all public places. Despite bordering China and being at threat quite early on in this outbreak, as of 19^th March Vietnam currently only has 76 active cases of COVID-19.

What can YOU do to help?

Governments are calling for people to isolate themselves from others to flatten the curve and reduce the spread… social distancing they’re calling it. While we agree it is important to restrict your contact with others at this time, it’s also important to go outside and keep your body moving. Especially if you’re working from home and inside most of the day, your body needs fresh air to stay healthy and moving during this difficult time. While many unknowns remain about the virus, earlier studies have shown that viruses in general thrive better in cool, dry climates. So, if you’ve been sent home from work or are trying out social distancing, to keep yourself and you’re family safe from harm, get out on the water and go sailing. By modern definition, we’d say Sailors have been social distancing for years. Go for a sail, get some fresh air and sunshine, keep your distance from crowds and above all else stay safe and remain vigilant.

No one can predict the evolution of this pandemic and the impact it will have on world economies. It will mostly depend on how fast governments react and how disciplined the populations of those nations will be. At Corsair, we shall continue to take the situation very seriously but stay positive. We are resilient, we will take the hit, get through this together, recover and come out of this stronger than ever.