Corroboree is a first professionally commissioned yacht design that was drew on 1984-5 for an American client who was working in Australia. This was built by Lloyd Stevenson Yachts of Auckland, New Zealand, in 1986-7, and she is crafted in wood-epoxy of Western Red Cedar and Kauri, a rare species of pine indigenous to New Zealand. The owner named her Corroboree, an Australian Aboriginal word for a party or celebration, and shipped her to Michigan where he and his family sailed her on the Great Lakes for 27 years.

 

It should be noted that Corroboree was designed for the Great Lakes, that is, for relatively protected waters. She does not have roller furling for her mainsail or jib, which can make it challenging to raise, reef or lower the sails in offshore conditions. For us the idea of a designer sailing his own boat around the world was just too good a story to pass up, and she has carried us safely over 31,000 miles. Nevertheless, we feel Corroboree is best suited for more protected waters such as the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the New England coast from New York to Maine, south Florida and the Bahamas, or the Caribbean.

 

Corroboree was built at about the same time as Gary Mull’s Freedom 36 was put into production by Freedom Yachts in Middletown, RI. Earlier, I was Chief Engineer at Tillotson-Pearson Inc., the original builders of Freedom Yachts, where I was instrumental in the further development of Freedom Yachts’ carbon fiber free-standing masts. Both Corroboree and the Freedom 36 designs sport free-standing carbon fiber masts in a sloop configuration on a hull with a raked stem, a reverse transom for the F36 and a scoop stern for Corroboree, fin keels (the F36 shoal draft version is similar to Corroboree’s), and separate rudder. The F36 has a spade rudder whereas Corroboree’s rudder is mounted on a substantial skeg built integral to the hull. The F36 mast was built by Tillotson Pearson Inc., and Corroboree’s mast was built by PLP Composite Technologies, a composite pole manufacturer in New Hampshire and a long-standing engineering client of mine. The aluminum main boom and stainless steel mast fittings were made by Hall Spars in Bristol, RI.

 

Builder: Lloyd Stevenson Yachts of Auckland, New Zealand

Built: 1986-7

LOA: 10.66m

LWL: 8.80m

Beam: 3.80m

Draft: 1.50m

Displacement: 8,615kg

Ballast: 2,500kg

Sail Area (main + jib): 57.33m2

Sail Area (spinnaker): 47.04m2

 

Forward Cabin: Full-width V-berth (modified from original layout), shelves & lockers port, hanging locker stbd.

Main Saloon: U-settee & drop table port, bench settee stbd., lockers above settee backs Galley: port, 3-burner stove/oven, refrigerator lkr., double s.s. sink, lockers above & below Nav Station: stbd., seat & desk, electrical panel, locker above, batteries under seat

Aft Cabin: port, double berth, hanging locker above seat, drawers under seat, lockers on CL Main Companionway: main engine under lift-out steps

Head: stbd., toilet, sink, countertop, lockers above & below, main engine access by large hatch Cockpit: T-shaped, generously sized, storage locker under stbd. seat, water/fuel fills under helm seat,

LPG locker port aft corner Transom: scoop stern

Bilges: under floorboards along centerline

Fin keel, external lead casting, mounted to hull with 9 keel bolts

Skeg-hung rudder with stainless steel shaft and composite blade. Skeg is made of wood and fiberglass integral with structure of the hull, bronze shoe/bearing at lower end.

 

Main engine: 3GM30 modified to 3GM30F, rebuilt July 2017. Rebuild included new: cylinder sleeves, pistons, rings, connecting rods, main crankshaft bearings, valves, injector tips, and engine mounts. New fuel feed pump installed January 2023.

Flexible engine mounts

Scatra (later Aqua Drive) #19100 thrust bearing

1” (25 mm) dia. stainless steel propeller shaft (new April 2022)

Tides Sure Seal prop shaft seal (new April 2022)

Bronze cast propeller bracket with offset to port for removal of prop shaft past rudder

Propeller: Michigan Wheel Sailor fixed two-blade 16” x 11” RH, bronze

Zinc shaft anode on propeller shaft

Engine gear/throttle control, Cockpit stbd.

Engine control panel, cockpit forward

 

3 x HDPE water tanks totaling 61gallons, under the cockpit, non-pressurized system (hand pumps at sinks)

1 x stainless steel diesel fuel tank, 45 gal., mounted under aft cabin berth, with access port Seawater inlets, 1 x engine cooling, with large strainer, 1 x house supply with small strainer Seawater tap at galley sink

Jabsco manual toilet in head with Vetus 6-gal. HDPE holding tank in cockpit storage locker 6 x 20-liter blue water jugs stowed on deck P&S adjacent cockpit

2 x 20-liter yellow diesel fuel jugs stowed in stbd. cockpit locker

1 x fuel funnel with catch screen

1 x 10-litre red gasoline jug stowed on cockpit floor port quarter

2 x 11-lb. enameled steel LPG tanks with regulator, stowed in dedicated self-draining LPG locker. Port quarter

Through-hulls & seacocks for domestic and engine seawater supply, under aft cabin berth Through-hull & seacock for galley sink drain, under galley counter, port.

Through-hulls & seacocks in cockpit locker for: Engine Exhaust, Holding Tank Drain, Head Sink Drain, Bilge Pumps Drain

Bilge Pumps, electric 12VDC, 4 x Seadog 750 gph (3 under main cabin sole, 1 in bottom of cockpit locker)

Bilge Pump, manual, Whale Gusher Titan, cockpit aft bulkhead

 

Nilsson H700 12 VDC electric windlass with chain wildcat stbd. & gypsy head port

Foot switch for windlass, bow port side

6 bronze mooring cleats, 9” open base, 2 at bow, 2 amidships, 2 at stern

2 bronze hawse pipes forward, 2 hawse openings amidships, 2 bronze fairlead chocks at stern

Bow & Stern s.s. pulpits with double lifelines and tapered s.s. stanchions P&S, opening gates P&S, and aft over transom

2 bronze folding steps on transom

Schaefer, Harken and Ron stan assorted deck hardware

Main traveler rail & double cars with Hex ratchet block by Harken for mid-boom sheeting, 6 part tackle.

Main boom vang block and tackle

Deck Prisms, 2 x bronze and glass, P&S in deck into forward cabin

Bimini over cockpit, s.s. folding frame, sun-resistant canvas cover, 3 front clear windows (center panel rolls up), three windows in top with removeable sun covers. Tie-downs provided for two solar

panels on top

Cast bronze deck collar for mast partners, through-bolted to deck

Custom fabricated UHMW mast wedges, Tides Marine

Cast bronze mast step with mast anti-rotation lock bolt, bolted to cabin sole in forward cabin Maxwell #33 s.s. & bronze 2-speed self-tailing winches mounted on coach roof top

12 x bronze rope hangers, bulkhead mounted, 6 x each side of main companionway hatch

Misc. blocks (Schaefer, Ron stan) fairleads and jammers (Lewmar)

Bomar Deck Hatches: 1 x main companionway with removeable lid, 1 x forward hatch into Forward Cabin, 3 x vent hatches in Head, Aft Cabin, and Galley

Bronze opening portlights, 10

Plastic screens for all hatches and portlights

Edson wheel and pedestal with 41⁄2 ” Ritchie compass, double instrument pods, and grab rail

 

1 x 35 lb. CQR anchor with 250’ G40 5/16” chain

1 x 33 lb. Bruce anchor with 100’ of Grade L 8 mm chain + 175’ 3⁄4” Nylon rode

1 x 22 lb. Danforth anchor, spare, stowed in cockpit locker

 

Mainsail, North Sails, New Zealand, new April 2019

Jib, North Sails, New Zealand, new April 2019, with self-tending CamberSpar-type jib boom Spinnaker, Unknown maker, original, probably 1988

 

Carbon fiber free-standing mast, 50’

Aluminum Main Boom, 17’

Aluminum Spinnaker Pole, 12’

 

Assorted yacht braid rigging sizes for: main halyard, main sheet, main traveler, boom vang, jib halyard, jib sheet, spinnaker halyard, spinnaker sheets P&S, fore guys P&S, aft guys P&S, all yacht braid of various diameters 7/16” to 5/8” (11 mm to 16 mm).

Running backstays, s.s. 3/16” (5 mm) dia. plastic coated wire upper parts, 3/8’ (10 mm) yacht braid lower parts & retrievers, with Harken Hex ratchet blocks with beckets

Lazy jacks, Dyneema 1⁄4” (6 mm) dia. upper parts and 2:1 block and tackle 5/16” (8 mm) dia. yacht braid lower parts with Ron stan blocks and snap shackles

Flag Halyards P&S, 3/16” (5 mm) dia. polyester braid

 

Forestay: Dyneema, 5/16” (8 mm) dia.

 

3 x 140 AH AGM batteries under Nav station seat, new March 2020

Magnum Energy 2.5 KW Magna-Sine true sine wave Inverter/Charger with US shore power connection, mounted outboard of Nav Station seat

Two 15 amp shore power cords with assorted adapters

CTEK M300 charger for 240VAC/50Hz input, mounted under Nav table

Electrical Panel, DC and AC, mounted above Nav table

Solar panels, 2 x 100 Watt semi-flexible type, mounted on bimini top

GO Power Solar Controller, mounted in electrical cabinet adjacent Nav station seat

Silent Wind 400 Watt wind generator, mounted on dedicated mast on transom, stbd., with its controller mounted inside under the Nav table

12 VDC lighting throughout. 5 x White/Red dome lights, 5 x brass/white reading lights. 1 x white 2 level dome light in cockpit locker

110 VAC outlets in main saloon P&S, galley, and head

12 VDC charger outlets, two in main saloon P&S, one at Nav table

Nova Kool electric refrigeration, Danfoss 35 type, new February 2022, Australia

LPG gas solenoid ON/OFF switch, located on bulkhead above stove. Solenoid located in LPG gas

locker, cockpit port quarter

Cabin fans, 3 x Sirocco II, one in forward cabin, one in main saloon, one in aft cabin

Dynaplate grounding plate hull bottom, stbd. side.

 

VHF radio, ICOM IC-M423G, GPS and DSC equipped, with external Command Mic Garmin/Delorme SE GPS

Iridium GO satellite communications/weather by Predict Wind, with exterior antenna

AIS, Vector Marine Vision Mate display with exterior antenna

AIS, Spare, Vector Marine Watch Mate unit

Ray marine i50 Tridata Depth/Speed/Water Temp transducers and helm readout

Ray marine i60 Wind Speed/Direction masthead transducer and helm readout

Ray marine Smart Pilot X-5 wheel drive autopilot

 

Force 10 LPG 3-burner marine stove/oven/grill, new March 2020, Australia

Refrigeration compartment, stainless steel lined, countertop access

Double stainless steel sinks, one F.W. hand pump tap (with inline filter), and one S.W. tap

Igloo countertop ice maker (110VAC, 60 Hz) with 110V/220V converter

 

Jabsco Manual toilet

F.W. hand pump tap with inline filter

Stainless steel sink

 

EPIRB, ACR Global Fix Pro 406 MHz GPS

6 x Life Jackets, 4 x Type I and 2 x Type III

Life sling, throwable horseshoe flotation device, with lifting tackle

Pick-up marker buoy for MOB

Air horn

Distress Signals kit (flares, smokes, parachutes, mirror, distress blanket)

Life raft: 4-man Viking RescYou Pro (requires servicing 2023)

Ditch Bag with survival supplies

Fire Extinguishers: 2 x Type BC size 1

Fire Extinguisher: 1 x Halon type mounted in Engine Compartment (out of date but still in commission)

Emergency tiller, stainless steel, stowed in cockpit locker

 

Hand-operated water maker, Katadyn Survivor R-35

Dinghy, Hypalon inflatable, Mercury Air deck 240, (2.4 meters, 7’10”), with 4 oars and 2 hand pumps

Outboard, Motor, Yamaha 2 HP 2-stroke

2 x HDPE flopper stoppers, home-made, with counterweights, ropes, and blocks

2 x garden hoses with nozzle

1 x water filter for hoses

Bulkhead mounted clock and barometer

2 suits of Line 7 foul weather gear (jackets and bib overalls)

5-part lifting tackle (approx. 250’) for a bosun’s chair (bosun’s chair is EWS’ personal gear)