Corvette 31 Explained

Corvette 31
Image Boat:File:Corvette 31 sailboat Free-n-Easy II 7154.jpg
Designer:C&C Design
Location:Canada
Year:1965 (designed)
No Built:171
Builder:C&C Yachts at the Belleville Marine Yard (Morch Marine)
Displacement:85450NaN0
Hull Type:Monohull
Construction:Fiberglass
Loa:31.16feet
Lwl:22.5feet
Beam:9.08feet
Hull Draft:7feet centreboard down
Engine:Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine
Keel Type:long keel with centreboard
Ballast:40000NaN0
Rudder Type:keel-mounted rudder
Rigs:Masthead sloop
I:37feet
J:12feet
P:31.75feet
E:14feet
Sailarea Main:222.25square feet
Sailarea Headsail:222square feet
Sailarea Total:444.25square feet

The Corvette 31 is a Canadian sailboat, which was designed by C&C Design in 1965. The type is named in honour of the Corvette warship class.[1] [2] [3]

Production

The boat was built by C&C Yachts at their Belleville Marine Yard (Morch Marine) in Belleville, Ontario Canada. Between the start of production in 1966 and production end in 1971. Some sources claim a total of 171 examples were completed, while others say 167.[1] [4]

In production year 1968/69, 41 examples were completed and in 1969/70 production peaked at 52 completed. Productions plans for another 52 to be built in 1970/71 were cancelled when the Belleville facility was closed and production ended.[4]

The design sold well in its home waters of the Bay of Quinte and also in Montreal and the Chesapeake Bay region of the United States. The initial price in 1966 was $12,500.[4]

Design

The Corvette was designed to a Cruising Club of America Southern Ocean Racing Conference (S.O.R.C.) rule that resulted in boats with a heavy displacement and a shoal draft. The design was named the corvette by Ian Morch, owner of Morch Marine, in honour of the Second World War Flower-class corvettes operated by the Royal Canadian Navy on convoy escort duty.[4]

The Corvette 31 is a small recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a keel mounted rudder on a fixed long keel, with a retractable centreboard. It displaces 85450NaN0 and carries 40000NaN0 of ballast.[1] [2]

The boat has a draft of 7feet with the centreboard extended and 3.25feet with it retracted.[1]

The boat was factory-equipped with a Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine, although some were subsequently owner-equipped with diesel engines. The design has a hull speed of 6.362NaN2.[1] [2] [4]

The Corvette Sailboat Association describes the design:

Operational history

In the first race it was entered in, the 1968 Lipton Cup Race held in the Atlantic waters off Miami, Florida, a Corvette 31 named Elektra II, crewed by builder Ian Morch as skipper, designer George Cuthberston, George Hinterhoeller, and Laser designer Bruce Kirby, finished first in the Class D and 24th overall out of a fleet of more than 100 boats.[4]

In the 1968 Miami-Nassau race of 1840NaN0 Elektra II finished second in Class D and second overall.[4]

In the 1968 Governor’s Cup race, off Nassau in 250NaN0 of wind, Elektra II finished first in its class.[4]

In a review Michael McGoldrick wrote, "The Corvette 31 was designed in 1965 and most were built in the late 1960s. This is one of the boats that helped establish C&C as a household name in the Canadian boating industry. These boats have a graceful traditional look about them, and they continue to enjoy a loyal following. The Corvette has a retractable keel incorporated into its full keel. With the swing keel all the way up, the Corvette only draws 3'3" (1m), making it an excellent boat for shallow water areas. It has a very livable interior, but it is a little small when compared to later designs... It is interesting to note that this boat was named after the Canadian navy's Corvette which became famous for providing convoy escort in the North Atlantic during World War II."[5]

See also

Related development

Similar sailboats

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Corvette 31 (C&C) sailboat specifications and details. 14 September 2017. Browning. Randy. sailboatdata.com. 2017. https://archive.today/20200810184030/https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/corvette-31-cc. 10 August 2020. live.
  2. Web site: Sailboat Specifications for C&C - Corvette 31. 14 September 2017. Sailing Joy. InterVisionSoft LLC. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023908/http://www.sailingjoy.com/sailboat_specs/sailboat_specs/view/936/corvette-31-c-c. 15 September 2017. dead.
  3. Web site: C&C Design. 14 September 2017. Browning. Randy . sailboatdata.com. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20190803204823/https://sailboatdata.com/designer/cc-design. 3 August 2019. live.
  4. Web site: The boat. 4 October 2017. Corvette Sailboat Association. corvettesailboatassociation.co. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20190917030228/http://www.corvettesailboatassociation.com/about-the-boat/. 17 September 2019. live.
  5. Web site: C&C Corvette 31. 4 October 2017. McGoldrick. Michael. SailQuest. 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20200124135030/http://sailquest.com/market/models/corvette.htm. 24 January 2020. live.