C&C Corvette Resources

This page contains various resources about the C&C Corvette.

Frequently Asked Questions from potential Corvette buyers (FAQ)

This is a list of question and answers regarding Corvettes that I have received through many e- mails. I hope that this will help people who are looking to buy a Corvette. Do not hesitate to send me e-mail with your questions. We often have some information on boats (hull #) that you may be looking at.

Q: What are the sailing qualities of a Corvette?

A: They are well made boats, easily handled by 2 people, and fun to sail. They have a long entry and a seakindly motion.

Corvettes sail well up to about 15 - 18 Knots of wind with a full main and a 150% genoa, after that you should start to reef the main. At about 20 - 22 Knots you should be down to a double reef main and a 150% genoa.

I have sailed mine in about 30 Knots with a double reef main and a 110% genoa. The boat puts it's rail down and goes. It is a very steady boat, not too tender but not overly stiff. She does heel more than the modern type boats.

Last summer we sailed Cadenza for 12 hours on Lake Ontario and covered 71 miles so that's just under 6 knots average speed. This included about 25 miles up wind, the rest on a close reach.

Q: Are Corvettes sea worthy?

A: Yes, Corvettes are very sea worthy. We have had Corvettes across the Atlantic. One owner has sailed from Connecticut to Bermuda then across to Ireland. This same owner has also completed a trip to Newfoundland and back. Other Corvettes have sailed down to the Caribbean islands.

Q: What should I look for?

A: The following are the most important things to check:

Decks

Check for core damage. A lot of older boats, (not just Corvettes) with balsa cores have problems with delamination, or wet and somtimes rotten core. The problem is water getting into the core from around fittings that haven't been maintained. This is easy to fix, but can be expensive if you don't do the work yourself.

I know of a Corvette in Toronto that was sold for $10,000 less than the asking price when it was discovered to had a bad deck. The repairs were done for about $7,000. So now the new owner has a great boat with new decks for a good price. I would not turn down a good boat because of a bad deck. But be sure that you get a firm price on the repairs then make an offer. A number of Corvettes have only some minor deck problem that don't cost an arm and a leg to fix. So be sure you have a good survey done before you buy any boat, it could save you a bundle in the long run. If the boat is in good condition and does not have any problems you will feel better knowing that you have a good solid boat.

Hulls

As for the rest of the Corvette it is solid fibreglass (no core) with a very hight resin ratio. Back in the days when they were building Corvettes, weight was not a problem, so they just poured the resin to them. That is one reason why most Corvettes do not have (fibreglass) osmosis. Corvettes have one of the thickest hulls that we know of. The fibreglass in the forward area below the waterline is about 5/8" and where they joined the two halves of the hull (they were made in two sections) is about 1 1/2" thick.

Rudder

If the boat has been sailed in salt water check out the aluminum rudder. The later Corvettes where fitted with fibreglass rudders. Several Corvette owners have replaced their rudders, I hope to have an upgrade chapter on this in the near future.

Centreboards

The centreboard is very essential in obtaining great windward performance from your Corvette. The original board was made from 1" cast steel. Some owners have replaced the board with ones made from Stainless Steel or Bronze. Other owners have epoxied their steel board.

One problem is that some boards won't go up or down. Often people think it is because the pin is bent. This is very unlikely as the pin is about a 1 inch Stainless Steel rod. The most probably problem is that the board or centreboard trunk is covered in "crud". To cure this problem have the boat lifted and the board and trunk cleaned and coated with epoxy.

Another problem is that some boards will not come all the way up. This is because the pendant has been changed and a shackle has been added. There is not enough room at the top of the centre board trunk to take the shackle. There is a fix for this in the Upgrade Manual, which requires a fibreglass section to be added to the top of the trunk.

Q: What is a fair price?

A: As far as price is concerned, the average price is between $15,000-20,000 USD. Some Corvettes have sold as low as $5,000. But these are fixer-upers. Our web site has a number of Corvette for sale. Take a look at them. Sounding have a few listed. There seems to be more for sale in the US than in Canada. The exchange rate on the Canadian dollar (as of Jan 2007) would make a $22,000 Canadian boat worth about $19,000 US.

In 1966, the first year in which the Corvette was made, it was priced at $12,500 CND. By applying the Canadian Consumer Price Index (1966-2007), that price is equivalent to about $80,000 today.

Summary

Corvettes are great boats, well made and extremely good fun to sail. A Corvette in good conditions is a great value. Back in the early days of fibreglass, not too much was known about fibreglass and the solution was to make it thicker and stronger. I would rather have a strong older boat that a newer one made after the oil crisis which caused manufactures to reduce the amount of resin in their boats.

Article courtesy of Chuck Jones (2004).

Corvette Sailing Tips

Having sailed on Corvettes for some twenty five years I have found a few tricks to improve performance and comfort. Here are some of them.

1. When sailing anywhere from close hauled to a broad reach, put the centerboard down enough to give you a "neutral" helm. Some skippers just put it all the way down. You do not need the board for down-wind sailing.

2. I always sail with the board down at least 15 to 20 turns. The centerboard makes a great depth alarm, which will give you the time to take evasive action prior to running aground. Sometimes it will make the difference between hard aground and just touching.

3. If you're out there in a sloppy swell with light winds with the board banging away, go ahead and raise the board all the way up. In these conditions the board is not making any difference in performance.

4. As the wind pipes up put a reef in the main before you reduce or change the head sail. I have found that in about 15 knots of wind I put a single reef in the main and carry a 150% genoa. As it pipes up more, I then put in a second reef. This reduces healing and reduces the weather helm. You will notice that the tiller or wheel is "heavy" but this is caused by the speed of water over the rudder.

5. Corvettes sail best when heeled with the rail about three or four inches above the water. If you find you are constantly dipping the rail, put in a reef and the boat will sail flatter and faster. You will also notice a more relaxed look on your first mate's face.

6. When running, especially in rough water use a preventer on the boom. This can be done by using a separate preventer or take the boom vang off the mast and run the lower end out to the rail. This will prevent the boom from banging across during an accidental jibe.

Article courtesy of Chuck Jones (2004).

Scale Drawings

Own a C&C Corvette, and want a set of scale drawings for your boat?

You are in luck! Corvette owner Peter Cohrs has a set of drawings for his Corvette and would be happy to make a copy for you. The drawings are quite large, many are sizes D (22"x24") and E (34"x44"). The cost of duplicating the drawings is $65 CAD ($50 USD) plus shipping/handling. Drawings will be mailed to you in a tube.

If you are intersted in ordering a set of drawings from Peter, please contact us.