Q1: What is the best way to reduce weather helm? I have a fair bit of weather helm. I am thinking of adding to the forward edge of the skeg as detailed in 26334932/original . Can anyone tell me of their experience in doing this? Any details or sketches? Dave Lundin (s/v Romana)

A1a: Weather helm is corrected by moving the sail area forward, e.g. with a bowsprit. Later Corbins were finished this way, probably by the owner/builders' initiative. Moving the mast forward is not really practical as all the chainplates are installed for the "standard" position, at least on my era boat (1980). Bonding the chainplate [Ed. Note: supports] to the hull is a very critical operation. Trying to do this after the hull resin has cured completely is called "secondary bonding" and reportedly this operation does not give such a strong bond. We find that we often have 10 degrees of rudder to counteract the weather helm so it is quite significant and obviously results in unwanted drag. David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A1c: I reef the mainsail. The extra tall mast (60' from the keel) provides for an extra large headsail. With one reef in the mainsail the center of effort is shifted forward enough to eliminate any excessive weather helm. L. Helmus (s/v Insouciance)

A1d: i bought my corbin as salvage due to an engine fire, my research located the article about stella and the weatherhelm. i also have an older model with the mast set back. a naval engineer buddy of mine, (brendan dobroth, designs dobroth racers) came and measured the boat. since the previous owner had put on a bowsprit for anchors, the analysis determined if i moved the front stay from the stem to the end of bow sprit, this would correct the weather helm. so that's one solution. he also explained that the hydraulic (?) solution to the skeg would have a move effect result since it pushes water versus air with the relocation of stay. needless to say, blue moon will be ready for launch spring 2003 after a six year total renovation . good luck, Stanley Parks (s/v Blue Moon)

A1e: I have just heard back from Steve Killing Yacht Design. He has studied the Corbin drawings and my photos. He does NOT recommend that the skeg be enlarged. The main recommendation is to move the sail plan forward and since it is not feasible to move the mast the alternatives are: 1. Add a bowsprit/bowwalk, which you already have, and move the headstay forward. 2. Recut the main sail with a shorter foot or less roach. I will be looking into the latter but I am not confident that it will make much improvement unless the sail is drastically reduced in size. David Salter (s/v Opportunity) [Ed. Note: See A1g]

A1f: In an email to Ted Brewer: Love your work, especially the Oceanic 38. How you managed to get so much, so nicely, into so small a space! I've got one quick question; a simple yes or no will do, if you're busy. Can a forward-move of the Center of Gravity help eliminate a weather helm problem? Thank you, Lester

"Moving the CG forward would make the boat trim down by the bow. This would then move the Center of Lateral Plane forward and would make the weather helm worse." Ted Brewer

[Ed. Note: I'll explain this to lubbers among you. If you add weight forward more of the bow tips downward. As the boat moves forward, at 45 degrees to the wind, the water pushes the boat to leeward, causing more weather helm.]

A1g: Lester, I have just been reviewing your Q and A #1 for weatherhelm and I would be interested in getting more dialog if possible as it is such a big factor for us, with the need for early reefing of the main and the rudder drag at high angles. This season I have been working at the following:
Reduce "bow down" attitude to move Centre of Lateral Resistance aft. I now have only 1 anchor on the bow rollers, a 45 lb CQR, having moved the 20 kg (44 lb Bruce) off. I had 225 ft of 3/8" BBB chain in the chain locker, which is under the middle of the Fwd Berth, about 7.5' aft of the stem, as I have an angled hawsepipe. This chain weighs about 375 lb.I have now installed a 1 1/2" PVC tube from the chain locker to just forward of the mast. This has enable me to pull about 100 ft of chain, weighing 165 lb, to the bilge area near the centre of the keel. The chain is still connected in one piece and can be pulled forward fairly easily for anchoring in deeper water when needed. My second anchor sits on top of this chain.

Minimize heeling by flattening the mainsail draft. I had draft stripes added to the mainsail which greatly improves the visibility of the maximum draft location. Increasing the vang tension has helped keep the draft forward. Less heeling means less weatherhelm. However, I have a feeling that my mainsail is too full and may need recutting/replacing!Minimize heeling by flattening the genoa (yankee). My genoa track and turning blocks are set and I do not want to move them! Possibly as a result of having my genoa furling drum fairly high off the deck, I cannot get sufficient foot tension on the sail when closehauled with the genoa lead car at its farthest aft position. I have improved the sheeting angle by tieing on a subsidiary sheet and leading it through a snatchblock on the rail, just forward of my primary winch. This is a bit of a nuisance but it works and we can now sail closer to the wind and flatten the sail more. I have a hydraulic backstay tensioner (Sailtec brand) and I have been cranking this up more (to about 2000 lb) on the advice of my consultant rigger. This limits fall off for the headstay and certainly improves Genoa shape.

Reefing the Genoa. As I have a 135% Genoa there is a fair bit aft of the mast. I tried the effect of reefing the Genoa before the Main, to move the Centre of Effort forward but I don't think it helped with the weatherhelm and just meant less sail area than occurs with the first reef in the Main.

Reefing the Mainsail. This is still our primary way to reduce weatherhelm and we have to take in the first reef at about 14 knots true wind speed when beating. At that time our Rudder Angle Indicator shows about 10 degrees, or more, of rudder and is obviously producing quite a bit of drag.
Use of the Staysail. I have read that the staysail is most effective when broad reaching and beam reaching. This certainly helps to move the C of Effort forward. It is not effective when beating as the slot is too narrow. Additionally, if tacking, it takes a lot of effort to tack two fore sails and re-set the mainsail traveller for each tack! Regards, David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A1f: Hi Lester, I have no bowsprit on Jemsa II and am hesitant to invest in one. I have some feedback from a close friend who also owns a Corbin 39, who sailed to Europe and back in 1999-2001, without any modification to his rig or boat (his Corbin has a pilot house and a mast of 48 feet per original Corbin specs). Two years ago, he installed a bowsprit without moving the mast forward. He also modified the skeg by roughly doubling its surface from the original size. He completed the work last year and sailed from Montreal to Martinique with a short stop in Bermuda. He spent the winter on his boat sailing from one island to the next. He kept his original stay and was able to compare the bowsprit efficiency by moving the head sail from one configuration to the other. To his surprise, the boat did not react much differently. He claims that he did gain a couple degrees on weather helm but not due to the bowsprit but to the skeg modifications. He claims that his boat still maneuvers easily. My opinion is that the bowsprit may not be an efficient solution to weather helm if the mast is not moved forward. Moving the mast is major work as new chain plate anchors must be built and laminated in and most of the existing ones may require serious modifications (they are located at suitable location but their angle or direction is incorrect for the new rig). For a lot of us, the new mast position implies modification to the table and seating arrangement. The septic tank may also be in the way. Modifying the skeg is relatively cheap and if it does correct some weather helm, we should all consider it. This has been feedback from a friend plus my two cents [worth].

The skeg I am referring to is the structure which holds the rudder below the water line (fixed portion facing the propeller). The skeg surface extension helps counteract against weather helm. Because the skeg is fixed into the hull, the existing propeller + shaft may diminish the skeg potential expansion as some minimal distance between the prop and skeg must be respected. I have not looked into the specifications but in my mind, 6" is a minimum distance. I my case (the centre cockpit configuration) this modification is more complex as the propeller angle and distance to the skeg is less than most PH models. Regards, Eric Mongrain (s/v JemSa II)

A1g: The new mainsail worked well and we could point higher. newmainsailwithlogo.jpg There was certainly some reduction in weatherhelm but it is still noticeable. The full battens help to give the sail shape even with light wind. We did have some trouble keeping luff tension at the bottom section of the sail each time it was hoisted and had been up awhile. We reduced the tension on two of the full battens late in the season after Eileen noticed that their sliders were pressing on the sail track a lot more than the other sliders and, no doubt, contributing to the hoisting friction. I am going to replace the main halyard as it has been in service and in the sun for quite a while. Then I won't feel so reluctant to add more tension with the halyard winch. David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A1j: I also have some information about some modifications we've made recently. As most Corbin owners are aware, the excessive weather helm issue has always been a topic of concern. Late last season, I brought my local sail maker out to the Witch to observe her handling first hand. His first observations that the rig was "well tuned" and balanced then led him to look at the main itself. His observations led us to what I thought at the time was a radical suggestion - cut the foot by three feet. Though I was skeptical, I ordered a new mainsail and Dutchman system with a 13' foot. This spring I installed a new boom from US Spars with all lines led internally. The main went on, the Dutchman system was tweaked and I was very anxious to see if we'd done the right thing. To my delight, I can say the Witch has never sailed better or faster. In winds up to 14 knots and the sails well trimmed, the helm is balanced to the point that I can actually let go of the wheel and she'll continue to track well. We've carried full main and 130 genny right up to 20 knots with no more than a half turn of weather helm on the wheel. Beyond that we've rolled in about half the headsail and dropped the traveler to leeward to maintain balance. My instrumentation records the highest speed attained during a sail and I've gotten readings consistently over 7.5 knots. Still not a race horse but that's not too shabby. In fact I'm consistently gaining on and passing other newer, lighter and statistically faster boats. I know part of the new performance is from a fresh new mainsail, but I also feel the Witch is far more settled and under control Vince Salese (s/v Witch of the Wave)

A1k: The new main fitted with a Dutchman system has made a HUGE difference. Over the last two seasons, we've increased our boat speed, comfort and control considerably. The Witch balances much better now and we can carry full sail up thru 18-20 knots or more without being over-powered as before with the old main. Vince Salese.

Q2: Can I relocate my mainsheet traveler from the bridge deck to the top of the pilothouse?

A2: We did this. It requires a strong "bridge" for the traveller, to transfer the load to the side decks as I feel sure the wheelhouse structure would be seriously stressed if the traveller was attached directly to it. This position certainly gives unimpeded access to the companionway. It also makes it possible to have a dodger, with the mainsheet well forward of it. However, it provides a smaller bending moment to the boom. We have a 3 point attachment for the mainsheet to the boom to spread the load and this has worked well for 5 seasons.pilothousetraveller.jpg (We sail in the summers on Lake Ontario). David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A2b: Looks to me like the traveler is attached to the pilothouse, not the sidedeck. aftquarter.jpg Am I missing something, David? Lester Helmus (s/v Insouciance)

A2c: The photo probably doesn't show it but I have stainless steel Z-shaped brackets each side of the wheelhouse, just inside the window, to which the traveller is bolted and which are in turn bolted to the side decks. I will try and get another photo sometime but the brackets are painted black on the side showing through the window (polished on the inside) deliberately so that they aren't prominent (My son has the boat off cruising for the rest of the week). See my photo, travellersupportinpilothouse.jpg . The bracket is quite visible, including the nuts on the thru deck bolts, between the two lights. David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A3a: Hi Jeremy, I have a Pathfinder 50 engine, rated at 42 HP. It drives through a 2.77 gearbox ratio, with a 1 1/4" shaft. Normal max engine rpm is about 3000-3500. Originally I used a Gori 2 blade folding propeller, 16.5"dia x 11" pitch. It worked OK, even in reverse, but maximum speed was only about 6 knots. I have now fitted a fixed 3 blade prop 3bladeprop.jpg and I BELIEVE it is 18" dia x 11" pitch but I can't locate the reference details. The blade tip clearance is about 2" from the hull . I have a prop strut that I designed myself, offset to port so that the prop shaft can be withdrawn to miss the skeg. It may be different from your strut My shaft slope is 1.375" per foot, according to my sketches made long ago. I had my prop shaft and propellers machined so that the Gori can still be used on the same shaft, as a spare. Speed at max rpm is now over 7 knots, with great acceleration. Of course the 3 blade prop gives significant drag while sailing compared to the Gori and I have to lock the gear in reverse to stop it spinning while sailing. There are different opinions on this procedure but the one I go by is that there is insufficient splash lubrication of the gearbox at the revs caused by the prop windmilling. David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A3c: I hauled out in June and besides doing the bottom, polishing the hull, and installing a boarding ladder, I fitted a used autoprop. It has a diameter of 18 inches with 14 inches of pitch at max rpms. You will not believe the figures we obtained after launching the boat. Bearing in mind that I have a Yanmar 3 GM 30 F, at 2800 RPM (max is 3400) we achieved a straight line, flat calm speed of 8.2 knots (incredible). On easing back to 2200 RPM she was still doing 6 knots. The previous maximum speed on the fixed 15in X 14in pitch was 6 knots at 3400 RPM. Now for the best part.......backing out of the haulout slip I managed to reverse all the way out of the marina into the channel. Almost all the prop walk has gone. Leaving the dock is now a breeze. The only downside to this is I really miss the ability to throw the boat into the dock when reversing to a stop coming alongside (joke). I guess I am going to have to get used to a boat that goes, stops, and reverses in a straight line???!! Jeremy Parrett (s/v Pelican 1)

A3d: I tried the new " J Prop ", has a real good bite and I had to reduce pitch considerably for the 33 HP of ours. As is now, the new prop is at 20 * 11, In forward I can get close to full RPM but in reverse the prop bites too much. I wonder if it's the water flow difference under the boat ??? We played quite a bit with this new prop, and end result seems to be that with our engine, ( Vetus 33 HP ) there is NO acceptable compromise with respect to pitch. Eg. if you choose a good forward performance, you end up with a SUB standard reverse, or vice versa. Seems that there is a different gearbox reduction in forward ( 3:1 ) to reverse ( ?? ). ( Our box. Hurth HBW 150 V ) My conclusion to date: Other than the feathering feature under sail, it was not worth the effort or expense, certainly not with our type of engine setup. It is worth to mention that the prop when set up for either direction bites VERY WELL, but not in both, as is our case. Considering the price of J Prop, and I really like their concept, why would they not allow for different pitch adjustment for Forward & Reverse ???? I will ask the factory in Italy that. Regards, Frank Bryant, (s/v Visitant)

A3e: We have just had Opportunity away from the dock for the first time since installing the Autoprop.

autopropinstalledshowingboatclearances.jpg It was a quick motoring trial in rather lumpy conditions but seemed to perform well although it felt quite different from the fixed blade prop. We are off for a few days and will have a chance to get some real experience with the prop. David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A3f: Our new 18 " AutoProp must be helping with our improved sailing speed (previously a 17" fixed 3 blade prop) autoprop.jpg A couple of days ago we achieved 7.2 knots by GPS with a beam reach, winds to 18 knots and somewhat rolly conditions (about 2 ft seas) with full main and one reef in our 135% genoa. We have generally found that reefing the genoa first (it's easy!) moves our centre of effort forward and eases the rudder angle. Also the new (2nd season) fully battened, loose footed mainsail (from Quantum) is easier to get flat and reduce heeling, hence reduce excessive rudder. David Salter

A4: Pros: 1. Increases the area available for the headsail; boat can go faster. 2. Decreases angle the headsail makes with the centerline of the boat. Boat can point better when closehauled. 3. Enables placement of anchor roller forward of prow, but best if rollers are placed at forward end of bowsprit. Moves overall center-of-effort forward, reducing weather helm. Cons: 1.Reduces maneuverability of boat in marinas. 2. Increases LOA, increases marina fees. 3. Is OK when used with a furler, dangerous with hanked-on headsails. 4. Bowsprit tends to move aft under headsail forces. Lester Helmus (s/v Insouciance)

A4b: As Lester suggests, the bowsprit tends to go aft, making it difficult to hold headstay tension when the headsail forces increase. It can be bad news when you're in 35 KTS + winds for many hours. Our bobstay mount was displaced on two occasions while crossing the Pacific. Half inch bolts were bent. We also took a little water on. We think that we have now solved the problem. We welded 8" x 8" plates on the sides of the mount . This has allowed us to bolt from the sides. This also gives us the option of attaching our sea anchor to the new mount. Richard Bacon (s/v Balmacara), now in Oz.

Q5: What is a good method for replacing pilothouse windows ? Lester Helmus (s/v Insouciance)

A5: I used 3/8" Sheffield Hyzod Polycarbonate with a bronze tint. [Do a Google Search on "Sheffield Hyzod Polycarbonate"] I removed the teak frame on the outsides, removed the old lexan and had all the screw holes and bolt holes re-glassed and the whole PH re-gelcoated. I then used methylacrylate to bond the new poly in place with a bead of Sikka 295 UV around the outside. I then painted a UV shield around the outer edges of the poly with black Awlgrip - much like your car windshield. As soon as the pictures are developed I'll send some to you. Now I have no holes in the PH for leaks. I did a lot of research before doing this. Vincent Salese (s/v Witch of the Wave)

A5d: Thought you may be interested in this approach to replacing the pilot house windows, I designed them using CAD-CAM and then NC milled them from 1/2 inch 6061 T6 aluminum and then had them powder coated. The Glass is 6mm tempered 1/4 bronzed tinted and the windows in the front were bent to fit. They were fastened with 1/4 inch allen head cap screws exposed. and allen head nuts as well ( flush on the inside). It was a bit expensive but I think the price could be improved. The glass was $ 1200 and the material for the frames were $ 1100. I did all the drafting and surfacing on the parts and a friend did the NC milling. I engineered the fastening and that would cost a couple hundred more for the parts. There was some time and labor involved in finishing the parts for powder coating. There was also some time involved in hammer forming the front frames to fit the proper radius of the the glass( which were bent and tempered. ) I have all the radius for the front glass surfaces along with the shapes, surfaces and fasteners for all the windows. Gene Whitney (s/v Joint Effort)

A5e: Lester, I am in the middle of a fairly major job that I have put off doing for some time, replacing the windows in the wheelhouse. Actually, I am only planning to replace the side windows at this time, the flat ones. I may have told you that I installed my windows by bonding them chemically to the fibreglass. Because of the differential expansion of the Plexiglas and the fibreglass I have had a couple of major cracks. However, the main problem has been the breakdown of the bond at several places on the perimeter flange with resultant leakage. This in spite of caulking all around the groove at the side of the windows. I have now managed to remove the 4 windows (shearing some of the gelcoat on the flanges where the bond was still complete). It was apparent that the polysulphide in the perimeter groove had not bonded well to the Plexiglas. This time I am going to use Sikaflex 295UV as well as the special cleaner, Sika Cleaner 205 (in Canada, Sika 226 in the USA) and Sika Primer 209. This is supposed to give a much better bond to both the Plexiglas and the fibreglass. I don't believe I used a prime for the original installation. I had attempted to correct the leaks by replacing the polysulphide in the perimeter groove, using a styrofoam bond breaker at the bottom of the groove. However, the lack of a primer obviously negated this effort.

I will also use a bond breaker this time, so that the caulk only contacts two sides of the groove and not the bottom. The Sika literature also recommends painting a black band on the outside of the Plexiglas, overlapping the flange bond area, to lessen UV attack. It points out that car windshields have this black band for the same reason. It appears that the black is on the inside of the windshield glass on my Toyota.

Promised summary of wheelhouse window replacement
We have replaced only the 4 side windows in the wheelhouse. These are substantially flat (planar). Our problem was that the Plexiglas windows were originally chemically bonded to the fibreglass flanges. Over time, with the thermal expansion and contraction, we got cracks in the two larger windows and the bonding began to separate. I had 4 new Plexiglas windows made, using my original templates. Where the originals were 1/2" thick the replacements are 9 mm (about 3/8"). The reason is that the 1/2" windows are overly strong (I believe) and they did not finish flush with the fibreglass. The technique used for the new installation involved using Sika 295UV urethane caulk and called for a bond film thickness of about 1/8". This results in the new windows only protruding slightly. We do not have complete stainless frames as used on many boats. Instead, a late modification uses stainless strips along the top and bottom edges of the windows.
Removing the old windows required some leverage at the disbonded section of the window and then a good blow on the inside. The window came out tearing off the surface gelcoat on some parts of the flanges where the bond had remained strong (about 1/8" thickness removed).
The first repair job was to make a smooth flange surface. I made up dummy patterns for each of the two window shapes (port and starboard were a close match) from 1/2" thick low density polyethylene. The flanges were sanded and cleaned with acetone. The dummy window had the area contacting the flange coated with mold wax (3 applications). The imperfections in the flange were buttered with thickened epoxy and then the dummy flange placed in position. This was held by means of several small "turnbuttons" of plywood, using the holes that previously held the stainless plates in place. After the epoxy cured the dummy window was removed. The first attempt did not yield good coverage over all the flange imperfections so these were touched up with more thickened epoxy and smoothed with a spatula. Sanding was needed on this. Subsequent windows showed better results the first time with only small areas to be re touched. All flanges were then sanded with wet & dry paper and treated with acetone.

The Sika procedure was well descibed at

http://www.sikacanada.com/ind-mar-window-instal I couldn't get the USA site to appear nor could I re-acquire the Technical Data Sheet that was a useful adjunct to the Procedure sheet. The key for a good job is to use:
1. Sika Cleaner 226 to degrease the bonding surfaces (named Sika 205 in Canada!!). Expensive but you need very little.
2. Sika Primer 209 on both the gelcoat and the mating Plexiglas surface (previously roughed up with 80 grit sandpaper)
3. Sikaflex 295UV for the bonding, maintaining the specified minimum film thickness. I used the little rubber crosses intended for spacing ceramic wall tiles on the suggestion of the Sika tech rep (1-888-832-7452).
Quantities of material for the 4 windows: Sika Cleaner 226: 30 mL Sika Primer 209: 250 mL Sikaflex 295UV: 4 @ 310 mL (10.5 fl oz) cartridges Regards, David (s/v Opportunity)

Q6: What is the best fishfinder to buy ? When I haul Insouciance next month I would like to add a fishfinder in order to cruise and anchor on our large, but shallow San Francisco Bay and Delta.. My current depthfinder gives me reliable readings only when I'm aground. The features I must have are: bronze transducer, large digital depth display, very accurate readings to a shallow and soft bottom, anchoring features of the bottom, and a shallow water alarm. The features that would be nice to have are: keel offset, water temperature, and forward-look ability. I do not need a side looking transducer or detailed info about the fish, except that I don't want false depth readings. I will place the transducer forward of the keel. I know nothing about: wattage needs, frequency needs, beam numbers, beam degrees, display resolution, or display features (LCD or TFT)/(real-time or otherwise). I am willing to spend up to $1000 for the display and transducer. The display will be mounted in the pilothouse. Perhaps, you can help me best by specifying the make and model of the fishfinder you would recommend, with a few words about why you recommend it. Thank you for your help. Les Helmus (s/v Insouciance)

A6a: My transducer is a single frequency unit. I don't think they offered a dual frequency or a forward looking unit at the time. The unit does have shallow and deep water alarms, a trip log and gives a little bit of bottom information but not much. You can tell if the bottom is very hard or very soft is about all. I'm sure there are better models out there now but this serves me well. The only problem I have with the unit other than the paddle wheel is that there is an automatic sensitivity adjustment that the unit powers up with. In shallow, silty water you sometimes get false depth readings (usually when you need them most). You can manually adjust this feature and the unit performs well but like I said it powers up in automatic and I forget to set it until I realize it's not reading correctly. I mounted the transducer just fore of where the keel becomes noticeable. the fiberglass is solid there and about 2 1/4" thick. I took a belt sander and made a flat spot on the outside of the boat to match the transducer and point it directly down. On the inside there is a noticeable curve to the hull so I used a piece of 1" teak and beveled it to match the hull and left the top flat so I could draw the nut for the transducer down. This spot is about 2' 3" below the water line (that's why I don't like to remove the paddle wheel to clean it). My unit doesn't allow compensation for the transducer depth, which would be nice, so I just add this to the displayed depth. One other note. I did sail the boat for the first 15 years without any depth sounder and I always knew when the water was 5 1/2' deep! If there are any other questions please ask, Bill Schwartz (s/v Moonshadow)

A6b: I installed an apelco 350 fishfinder about 5 years ago. I only spent about $200.00 for the unit that came with a transom mount transducer. I spent about $250.00 more for the bronze through hull transducer that also gave water temperature and speed through the water. I mounted the transducer just in front of the keel and it works fine. The only problem I have is that this transducer has a paddle wheel which gets fouled up in the Chesapeake Bay area about every month. I don't usually use the fish finder function but turn on the large number display (this displays the depth in large numbers and the temperture and speed in small numbers with no fish information). I would defenitaly get the bronze transducer again but I think they make units which sense the speed without a paddle wheel. Bill Schwartz (s/v Moonshadow)

A6c: My transducer is just in front of where the keel becomes noticeable. It's just behind the rear of the 2 forward windows if you drew a line from them to bottom of the boat. It is about 27" below the water line and never has had any problems with aeration or turbulence. I put it there so it would be in nice clean water for the speed paddle wheel. The forward looking model looks interesting. Bill Schwartz (s/v Moonshadow)

A6d: We installed an Interphase PROBE two years ago. The learning curve is a little steep but we swear by it now. It allows us to spend less time on the ratlines looking for coral, allows us to look into narrow channels before we enter, and lets us stay in the deeper part of a channel. It has changed the way we size up anchorages. It basically looks forward at 12* [Lester note: "degrees"] either side of the bow. The forward looking ratio is 6 to 1. Six feet forward for every foot it looks down. It protrudes below the hull about 4 to 5 inches, so it would not be good in waters where there is a lot of large debris. It is one of those tools that makes it easier for a husband and wife to get all the tasks performed on a cruising boat. Richard Bacon ( s/v Balmacara ) [Email from Australia]

A6e: I have just completed installation of a Hummingbird Fishfinder, the Piranha Max20, as a secondary, visual display depth sounder and am very pleased with the results. I wanted confirmation of shallow readings, particularly for anchoring situations. I had been concerned at the possible interaction of depth signals with two transducers transmitting at once and also at the recommended locations for the depth transducer which is normally shown in the bow area, ahead of the keel. However, that is where my primary transducer (Nexus Instruments) is located. Both the primary transducer and my new Humminbird (transom mount style) transducer are located in "water boxes" inside the hull, filled with mineral oil (from a drugstore). The primary transducer is near the centreline in an area of solid fibreglass. I checked for possible signal interference by attaching the new, powered up transducer to a pole and traversing along the water immediately below the caprail.

My preferred location for installation was under the step from the pilothouse to the saloon. hummingbirdtransducerinwaterbox.jpg. Abeam of that location there was no interference between the two depth sounders so I decided to bite the bullet and go ahead with the installation under the step, even though it would be closer to the keel and I didn't know if that would give a false signal. The actual location is 71" aft of the mast and 36" out from the centreline. This is an area of coring so I had to "excavate". I had previously moulded the water box from fibreglass & polyester resin, around a plug made from high density polyethylene, about 2.5" x 3.5" cross-section. With some trepidation I cut away the inner hull skin (about 1/4" thick) using a small cutoff disk attached to a flexible drive from my drill. I drilled multiple perforations near the corners to complete the cutout and levered the inner skin off the 3/4" Airex with a screwdriver (very well adhered!). I then used a burr bit in the drill to smooth out the inner surface of the exposed hull. The water box was installed with epoxy putty and glassed to the inner hull skin which was also given an epoxy coating. The transducer was attached to the water box and then flooded with mineral oil. I made a clear Plexiglas lid for the box. hummingbirdtransducerinwaterbox.jpg

During a test cruise a couple of days ago the new Fishfinder showed good agreement with my primary depth sounder, with an offset of about 3 ft at shallow depths as my primary is calibrated to read for water level and the Fishfinder is not so sophisticated. Also it only reads whole numbers of feet versus tenths for the original unit at shallow depths. The deepest I got was 130' on the Fishfinder when the primary depth sounder was showing about 138'. The difference in readings went up slightly as depth increased but overall very good agreement was shown. Regards, David salter (s/v Opportunity)

Q7: What is the best way of heaving to? Does anyone have any ideas about the best way to heave-to in a Corbin? I don't think that I have ever really managed to heave-to, though I found I could achieve much of the same effect by attempting a come about with just the staysail. Thanks." Rob Brady (s/v Summer's Door)

A7a: The usual way of heaving to is to reef the mainsail, aim the mainsail into the wind, back the jib or staysail, and tie the rudder parallel to the jib. I did this frequently on my Bristol 29 when singlehanding from New Jersey to Bermuda and in the Carribbean. Once, in a gale for 30 hours, I hove-to with just the main and rudder. Les Helmus (s/v Insouciance) Here's a link obtained by a Google search, http://boats.com/content/default_detail.jsp?contentid=1284

A7b: As to heaving to with a Corbin-there are a number of good choices. It can be done in the classic way-mainsail into wind, backwind staysail, rudder parallel to the jib. (the rudder can be overdone). I have not had good luck with the headsail. I like to tie my roller furling off at the bow in gale force conditions. It is not fun having your headsail deploy in a blow. We can heave to with just our main. We have storm sails but have not deployed them. I would go to a lone trisail if I had to heave to in 60+ knots. We prefer to keep the boat moving in winds up to 50 knots. When running in these conditions we will use our staysail only and get the boat on the Monitor windvane. It is faster than our Alpha 3000 autopilot. I have tried bare poles in these conditions but could not steer well. If we are going to weather we use the staysail and main with 3 reefs. We have found that our Corbin will head up and park when we are overpowered by building winds. This allows us to go forward and take another reef without going into a panic. The bottom line is there is no best way to heave-to; it depends on the situation and there are a lot of choices with the friendly Corbin. Richard Bacon (s/v Balmacara) [email from Australia] [Lester note: The Balmacara has a short bowsprit upgrade.]

Q8: Where can I obtain the original pilothouse window frames ? I've been building my Corbin for about 21 years now and don't think I'll ever finish. I'm redoing things I did years ago for the second or third time now. Anyway I'm not looking for rectangular bronze portholes but for the frames that went around the windows that were offered from Tanner-Stephens Yachts or from Corbin themselves. They were produced to fit the pilot house windows of the early models and the side windows for all hulls. Bill Schwartz (s/v Moonshadow)

A8: Hello there ! In regards to your need for window frames contact Klacko Spars Ltd. They may be able to help you. 663 Third Line Oakville Ont Canada L6L 4A9 Tel 905 825-0015 Fax 905 825-5353 e-mail klackospars Good Luck and regards Ernie Hartmair (s/v Melodia)

Q9: What is the best windvane to use with stern davits and cockpit hydraulic steering ? Glen Davies (s/v Half Normal Saline)

A9:Your question regarding windvane/selfsteering systems has finally been forwarded to me on board. I have at one point studied this question quite a bit. I finally opted for an electric/hydraulic autopilot system in the engine room. The main reason was so that I would be able to install davits for my Zodiac. I have designed an integrated davits, outboard mount, solar panel and windcharger structure which extends more than 4 feet at the stern making it impossible to install a windvane. As I have Navico/Corus (Now Simrad) instruments and already had the Navico WP300 wheelpilot in the pilothouse, I installed the Navico Ocean Navigator pilot in the engine room. I am very pleased with it. It is its 3rd year of extensive use both in the Gulf and in the Saint-Lawrence River without any hitch (touch wood!) and it actually steers better than most people can. If I had gone the windvane route, I probably would have chosen the Monitor system which seemed to be a good fit for our kind of boats. Good luck." Claude Gagnon (s/v Corail IV)

Q10: Where can I obtain aluminum toerails ? Hi all. I am looking for information on aluminum toerails. We have a teak toerail and it's in pityful shape. We want to put an aluminum toerail on but don't know where to start to find one. Are they bought preformed for the Corbin? Do I have to bend one to fit? How would I do that? Thanks. Paul Melanson (s/v Quintana Grande)

A10a: Cruising World magazine, several issues back, had an extensive article on replacing toerails. Regards. Frank Bryant (s/v Visitant)

A10b: September, 2001 at page 104. I will email you a copy if you request it. Lester (s/v Insouciance)

A10c: Back in about 1981 I designed and had fabricated a set of toerails for the Corbin. I had to order enough for 8 boats (I believe) (500 kg of aluminum extrusions) and all were sold. This was a BIG project. I looked at various toerail sections available and then made a drawing of the required size for the Corbin. The key was the dimension of the deck to hull join and the need for a groove to coincide where the bolts attaching the two parts were installed by the factory. This becomes the caulking groove. Then I had an extrusion mold made by Alcan Aluminum who did the extrusion of the straight rails, each 16 ft long, 32 of them. After the extrusions were delivered I then had a machine shop make the required slots in the vertical web and drill and counterbore for 1/4" bolts to be spaced between the factory installed bolts (6" spacing I believe). They then prebent the rails with a hydraulic bending machine to my specification. I had calculated the curve of the hull and the two sections of rail per side (one fwd of midships and one aft). I had the rails all bent to the same curve, the average of the fwd and aft sections. For installation the aft section had to be bent more, at its front and back ends while the fwd section had to be squeezed in the middle to straighten it slightly. A special midship fairlead was fabricated to join the two halves of the rails oper side. This was done with large c-clamps as the amount of bend was not great with the already curved rails (it would almost certainly not be possible if starting from straight rails). I should mention that after the macjhine shop bending operation I then had to take all the rails to an electroplating plant. The rails were all hard anodized, some black and some bronze, as per the customer's requests. The material used was "aluminum 6061T6" which is good for anodizing and has good saltwater corrosion resistance. Corbin factory never had rails made and did not buy any of mine. They used a teak caprail. This may not help you much unless you can get a group of Corbin owners to join in the venture. The aluminum toerail adds to the strength of the hull and the slots, which were sometimes referred to as C & C rail, provide plenty of places to attach snatch blocks, fenders etc. Regards, David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A10d: I have an all aluminum toe rail that I haven't seen on any other Corbin. It's clear anodized aluminum and stands about 2" high. It has holes every 1' to 6" for attachments and fits right over the deck to hull joint. This was bent to fit the Corbin and...I have to say... the fellow that had it bent was very persistant. Generally the curve is smooth everywhere but it starts to buckle a bit at the stern end around the sharp bend. I can try to find out where the builder purchaced it for you. Jack Verheyden (s/v Kathrian)

A10e: Paul, It's actually relatively simple if you take your time and prep correctly. Most rails come in twenty foot lengths. After removing the teak you'll need to reglass the old holes and fair the surface evenly. Now starting from the stern, position the aft most end of the rail and drill a hole. Use a halyard to hold the forward end of the rail level and other lines to keep it from moving around. You haven't bent anything yet. And you're not sealing anything yet either. With the first bolt in and hand tightened start moving forward using the rail holes as a guide to where you need to drill. I don't recommend drilling through the predrilled toerail hole but sometimes that's the only way to do it. Now you start bending the rail as you move forward. Clamp the rail a foot at a time and drill every other hole marking the other holes to drill later. At the aft end you may want to do two consecutive holes at first just to keep it steady. Continue forward like this and you'll slowly bend the rail to the hull. Once you've got the rail bent and your guide holes drilled, remove the rail and drill all remaining holes. Clean-up the mess inside and out and have a beer. Now, sealing is a matter of preference, use what you are comfortable with Life Caulk, 5200, Dolphanite (my preference). I'd run a bead down the deck side edge of the rail and in and around each hole The hull side you want to be able to drain back overboard, but check the camber of the surface under the rail - if it cants toward the deck run a small bead very close to the hull side of the holes but not on the edge. the purpose of all this is to not trap water under the rail. Now reinstall the rail in the same manner as before but this time put all the bolts in as you go. Remember to use a corrosion inhibitor between your stainless bolt and the aluminum rail. When you're all done, clean up have a beer and invite everyone in the yard to come and look at your handiwork. By the way - you use the same technique to install rubrails. Good luck, Vince Salese (s/v Witch of the Wave )

A11a: Gelcoat cracks Deck or Hull ???? Since the Corbin is not prone to flexing, the gelcoat cracks are purely cosmetic and largely due to excessive amount of the gelcoat material. Case in point..We have had our boat Awlgriped and Epoxied recently and when the issue of the gelcoat crack repair came up, our shop elected to NOT to fill the cracks but to sand the hull and seal with Interprotect Epoxy several coats. This stuff has the ability to surface stretch and flex 40%. Our repair shop is: R Moreau Marine Refinishing here in Penetang. Ontario, Rick has been in business MANY years and has a very excellent reputation for workmanship and fair pricing. ( having done several Corbins in the past ) He is a local legend and his work from 20 + years ago still looks as new. Just sharing our experience.. Regards, Frank Bryant (s/v Visitant)

A11b: Thanks for putting my mind at ease. When I bought Hull 101 last year we sanded the underbody and applied 10 coats of Maas epoxy so I shall now only have to deal with the deck and topsides in time. I am more than pleased with my Corbin. I had ordered one in 1982 but cancelled for reasons you may guess!! Jeremy Parrett (s/v Pelican 1)

Q14: How should I perform an inspection of my standing rigging , including the chainplates?

Q16: Do you own a Pathfinder? I would be interested to hear from anyone else with a Pathfinder engine . I have made a couple of modifications for accessories and have some questions re belts. Regards to all, David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A16a: David, I've just purchased a refurbished pathfinder engine from Pathfinder Marine in Montreal. These people are amazing! If you want ANY information on changing things on your engine call John at 1-514-695-6676. He'll answer any questions and supply original parts. They're still in business, and going strong. With the engine comes an original pathfinder engine handbook (250 pages!) with all part #'s and repair instructions. They are also offering a deal on new engines and will take your old one on trade. Call John, he's really knowledgeable and helpful. Paul Melanson (s/v Quintana Grande)

A16b: Hello, for Pathfinder information or upgrades, or parts... write to John at Pathfinder They are also known as Trigon Machinery Inc. out of the Montreal area. I have just bought a rebuilt pathfinder from their exchange program. They'll upgrade you to a higher hp engine and take your old one on trade.(* Pathfinder trade-ins only) They're extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and keep extensive files. Paul Melanson (s/v Quintana Grande)

Q18: What is the proper size for my saildrive propeller ? I do have a question. If anybody else has installed a Volvo diesel with a sail drive I would like to know the propeller size they went with. I have a 15x13 fixed 3 blade prop and I think I need a little less pitch. My engine doesn't get up to its rated revs and overheats if run wide open. Maybe a 15x11 or 16x11 would do better? My engine is a Volvo Penta md17c - 110s 36 hp diesel. It's 3 cylinder and pushes the boat at about 5.5 knots. I like the engine a lot but have always had this overheating problem. Mine is fresh water cooled (the first the company ever sold in the U.S.) and if the engine overheats the plastic impeller on the fresh water circulating pump becomes loose and spins on the shaft. The only solution I have found it to buy a new pump (now on number 3 at $320.00 each). Is yours fresh water cooled and do you have any of these problems? Thanks, Bill Schwartz, (s/v Moonshadow)

A18: I use a 2-bladed prop (16" diameter x 11" pitch LH rotation) on my Volvo MD 11c engine (23 HP) and am satisfied with its performance. Cooling water to the saildrive is NOT connected. The engine has NO fresh water cooling. Lester Helmus (s/v Insouciance)

A19: The hull inside was painted with a Canadian two part epoxy called Endura but I am sure any epoxy paint would do. The worst job is the preparation, to grind the hull to get rid of the waxy coating on top of the fibreglass, if it is in the condition where it came from the molding. The paint won't stay long on the waxed fibreglass. It is possible to use sanding disks or a belt sander (coarse, 24 grit to minimize plugging up) if you can get access. I suggest that this is a good job to get someone elso to do, ensuring that they take care not to damage anything. In some areas we put regular alkyd paint on top of the epoxy paint although it can take a while to dry machineryspacerudder.jpg . David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

Q20: What kind of tubing should I use for my fuel lines ?

A20: . The view of the aft batteries shows our fuel plumbing. I have 5 fuel tanks as the area under the wheelhouse sole is divided up by "floors" (bulkheads to reinforce the area - which may be overkill). There is a fuel supply manifold with 5 shutoff valves and a fuel return manifold with 5 valves. All tubing is 3/8" stainless with Swagelok connections. This is expensive and was time consuming but I didn't want to have copper tubing (accelerates fuel gumming) or rubber tubing. Fuel was my specialty when I worked at Shell Oil. The other black tubular items are the heavy gauge wires to the inverter and breaker panel, also from the fwd batteries and the engine alternator batteriesunderpilothouse.jpg . David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A21: Yes.. The wiring behind the panel shows a fuse block at the left that has AGC fuses for the light loads of instruments (GPS, Nexus instruments, VHF etc.). The copper strap is the SSB ground connection. I have lots of AGC in-line fuses, all listed now I believe. They protect the light loads of various pieces of equipment that would not be protected by the breaker feeding them. I used white wire for ground as I had lots of it! Almost all the wiring is 12 gauge, to minimize voltage drop. I have "pony panels" in about 7 locations throughout the boat. Each is fed from one breaker and consists of a junction block, e.g. Blue Seas #2408 (W. Marine 214991) or similar. This avoids having all wires go back to the main panel. Each sub circuit has an in-line fuse openedacdcdistributionpanel.jpg . David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A22: The back of the Paneltronics breaker panel (hinged open) shows the AC below with a fibreglass box covering the AC wiring, made by me. The mass of wires is organized (!) with number labels stuck on and covered with clear heatshrink There are circular wire loops attached to a fixed piece of wood behind the hinge, so that the wire will tend to flex and not fatigue with opening and closing of the panel door. All wire ends are crimped to ring terminals and covered with heatshrink. I recommend the Ancor ratchet crimper, p/n 702017, $46.99 at W. Marine wiringbehinddistributionpanel.jpg . David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

Q23: Where should I locate my inverter/charger ?

A23: The Inverter/Charger (Heart Interface 1000 watt) is under the nav table seat. You won't see much in the photo. I have stainless grilles to assist cooling air flow. The fan comes on occasionally. This location minimizes the wiring distance from the batteries and from the breaker panel. I believe I used #2 gauge wire, actually welding cable. This is not tinned but costs a lot less and I took pains to seal all the ends into the heavy duty lugs(from an electrical supplier) with heatshrink and silicone caulk for the wire ends. I used Ancor lug crimper, p/n 701010, W. Marine 214080, and squeezed it in a vice where possible, otherwise using a heavy C-clamp (tricky as it tends to slip off) inverterundernavseat.jpg . David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

Q24: How should I wire my AC circuitry ?

A24: Regarding your earlier request for an AC schematic, I don't have one and it would be very simple. We have 6 active AC breakers, plus a couple of spares. Each breaker feeds a chain of AC receptacles (one feeds the water heater, not yet commissioned). These are all Pass & Seymour stainless steel, hospital grade (yellow plastic) in plastic housings. I didn't use a GFI as they are reputed to trip intermittently due to the marine environment. David Salter, (s/v Opportunity)

Q25: Why do I have so little power when backing (in reverse)? I am experiencing great difficulty motoring in reverse ( at the docks ). The rudder takes forever to bite and the situation gets worse with windage. The boat has a 33 HP Vetus ( underpowered in my opinion ) and swings a 18" three blade fixed prop. Come haul out, I will be considering adding 6" or so to the rudder, maybe a different prop. and eventually I will be upgrading to a larger engine before heading South. Any comments and / or suggestions on motoring this boat would be much appreciated, before serious funds are spent in correcting this problem. Regards, Frank Bryant, (s/v Visitant, # 186)

A25a: I assume that your boat has factory rudder--don't touch it--there is no problem if it is. i had the same problem with my boat-- westerbeke 33 (same setup as the vetus. the problem is that the engine is on the low end for the displacement-- i repowered with a yanmar 4jh2e (50/51 h.) naturally aspirated. i have a 3 bladed fixed prop 18" repitched to 14"-- great reverse thrust and control (don't be afraid to add a little power in reverse, all the while keeping control of the rudder so that it does not swing to one side with the boat motion. fyi, marius corbin repowered his ( now sold, stradimarius II, #129) with a vetus 50hp in 1985-- to get more power and speed-- think he went to a feathering prop, 18." doug archibald (s/v Chaos! #153)

A25b: I too would be interested in solving the reversing problem in the Corbin. I have a feeling the rudder is not effected enough in reverse, perhaps in forward too. The trailing edge is quite thick and I think to extend it rearward would add a considerable amount of area. Another approach would be to cut off some of the skeg area and move the lower rudder bearing up and do a partially balanced rudder. As it is, there is quite an area of the rudder, however ineffective that backing down puts a strain on the rudder if going too fast. I have a Perkins 4-108 that seems appropriate for the boat with a 18 in. fixed three blade wheel. The pitch escapes me however. The engine runs at 2600 rpms max. it is rated at 3200. The cruising speed seems to be 7.5, max in smooth water is 8.2 Knots. How many Corbins are using a V-Drive ? Does the prop walk move the stearn to Starboard. Gene Whitney ( s/v Joint Effort)

A25c: I have a Volvo 34 hp diesel driving a 15x13, 3 blade propeller with a sail drive (ratio 1:1.66) and only have minor backing problems to starboard. I find that if I rev the engine over 1000 rpm I have less paddle wheel effect. My top speed seems to be only about 6.5 knots in calm conditions and the engine revs to about 2200 (rated at 2500). Hope this helps. Bill Schwartz (s/v Moonshadow)

A25d: I have the same problem with my Pathfinder 50 (40 HP) driving a 18" x 12" (?) 3 bladed prop. The prop walks to port in reverse (same direction as engine rotation) so the boat won't steer to stbd unless there is a good deal of way on and that takes space, time and bravery. I think it is also a function of the long keel as I experienced the same thing on a previous 28 ft boat that had a balanced rudder and no skeg. The balanced rudder has a very strong tendency to whip over if it gets slightly out of dead ahead. On my Corbin I didn't like the flat profile of the original rudder halves so before assembling it I made plywood sections attached to each of the stainless steel web pieces to fatten the curve. I also inserted a stainless steel plate the full height of the trailing edge, extending about 1" from the rudder. This gave a more tapered aft end and a slight increase in area. None of this seems to cure the backing up problem but it might have helped the water flow across the rudder going forward. I should add that the rudder is filled with solid fibreglass resin putty so it is heavy but rugged. The large volume almost went off (catalyzed) before we could bond the two halves around the rudder stock! David Salter (s/v Opportunity)

A25e: Frank, here are some URLs for Autoprop, www.autoprop.com and www.pyacht.net/ . You can call or email them and get a quote for your engine. Do not modify your skeg or rudder as these are designed for moving the boat forward. Lester (s/v Insouciance)

A25f: I have just installed an Autoprop.It has virtually eliminated propwalk, and I can actually drive the boat astern in complete control. Amazing!! On trials we achieved a speed of 8 knots at 2600 rpm at 2200 rpm we can maintain 7 knots....amazing!! It has put a big strain on