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Debbie and Al Farner

Hello,

Don't know if this is a good email but we are looking at a 40 corsair and have been looking at your blogs and we have some questions for you.

Thanks,
Debbie and Al.

Thinking of Buying

Thank you for getting back to us. I would love to know how the boat handles in a big seaway and chop. I understand that the hull was designed from fishing boats on the coast of WA. What about side seas? How does it handle those? I noticed that you cruised a lot up in the PNW. This may be an area that we would like to do after lake Powell, hopefully. Would you take her up to Alaska on her own bottom. There is not much info out there on pricing. I have found one for sale on yachtworld, a 31 ft. So as you can see my main concerns is its seaworthy abilities. A little background on us. We are sailors that have cruised to the South Pacific twice. We are looking for the next boat which was definitely not a houseboat but we saw this at a good price but we don't know. We would like to cruise the PNW to Akaska and do the Great Circle Loop on the East coast. Anything else that you can think of good or not so we would love to hear it. Thanks so much for your input. Cheers,

Debbie and Al Farner

Hello Carl.

Thank you so much for the information. That really helps out a lot. I can't believe that the boat was taken around Vancouver island. It must be more seaworthy then I'm giving it credit for. Picking the right weather window helps a lot.

Hello Debbie and Al -- Hi Carl

In somewhat different order from your questions: Yes, the guy who cruised around Vancouver Island is still around. Alas, we sold our wonderful TROUBADOUR two years ago, so I gotta quit referring to myself as the Guru of CAH's. But in 33 years of owning her, we learned a lot. Be glad to talk or e-mail about CAH's anytime. Indeed, the CAH hull was copied from a ocean-going charter fisher. The upward thrust of the forward bow on the fishboat hull was leveled off, and the wide flare at the bow substituted. When the going gets tough, that flare pushes the water out and gives the bow a bunch of lift. Doesn't say you can't stuff the nose now and then, but as Carl says, it runs off the back end. (Wives still don't like that.) In 4500+ hours over the 33 years, we probably only washed the decks a dozen times. As noted in the website writing, finding the correct angle and speed usually made any sea at least tolerable, if not comfortable. We never felt in danger. (OK --- once. Our fault for not knowing where we were..... the only time we ever lost track of our location. (Troob pulled us through that with less than a couple quarts of water over the nose.) Any number of CAH's have made the Alaska trip. Nine of us, including a 31, went up in 1979. We made other trips, sometimes with others, sometimes alone in 1983 and 1995. But Carl is right; you can see just as many trees, valleys, mountains and glaciers in Canada. Look at a nautical chart at all the little bays and inlets. Each of our trips took several months, and I doubt that we got into five percent of them. Fantastic cruising! I perceive you may be looking at a boat at Lake Powell. Our good friends there sold their 40 footer SUNKEN TREASURE a couple of years ago. If that's the boat you're looking at, I could get you in touch with them. T'was a great boat the last time we were on it. Carl also alluded to a Yacht Home you might be looking at. All the Yacht Homes were 45 footers. The Uniflite models were much superior to the later ones built by ChrisCraft, who replaced Uniflite's balsa-core hull with a "traditional" all fiberglass one. Added something like 3000 pounds to the boat, rendering it a "Pig". Carl's mention of a 42 footer was probably in reference to the "Corsair", built in the '80's by the son of the CAH founder. Another great boat, but only a few dozen built over that time. Demise of the CAH company: Politics. Major stockholder (and director) died; his shares bought by another director, who squeezed the CAH founder out of the company and installed his own nephew, who proceeded to bankrupt the company. CAH founder went "across the street" to Uniflite and built the Yacht Home from a design he had planned for CAH. Oh, Gawd!!! How I still go on!! Anyway, either Carl or I would be happy to converse further.

Old Boater Dean --- (ex-guru)

If there is anything else about the boat the you can pass onto to us I would appreciate it. I think one of the website talks about dry rot on the stringers, do you about that. Any other problems that we should take a look at when we do out inspection?

Hi again Carl In writing my note to the Farners, I checked out your website with respect to Yacht Homes and Corsairs. I think your chronology is incorrect about the timing. You might have to get with Gordy to verify it, but my recollection is something like this: When Warren got booted out of CAH, both he and Gordy went to Uniflite, where they built the Yacht Home. That would have been in the early '80's. I think that's all Warren wanted to do there, and he "retired" after they got the YH out. I don't know if Gordy stayed on there, or for how long. All the YH's were 45 footers. Gordy started talking to us at the Houseboat Yacht Club about a 42 footer in the late '80's. (Unfortunately, the estimated price of the planned boat grew from "under 100K" to the 165k or so that it eventually was priced at. I think a 1990 was the earliest Corsair. There was never any "company" relationship between the Yacht Home and the Corsair. Anyway, thank you for continuing the CAH website. I don't look at as often as I used to, or as often as I maybe should, but I think you've done a wonderful job with it. I think I told you that we built a new house last year, so we didn't go much of anywhere last winter or much of the summer. Now we're back more-or-less in our winter travel mode. Currently in Safford, AZ, enjoying temperatures not much higher than Seattle-area ones, but without the rain. The Farner folks sound like pretty savvy folks. Wouldn't it be a hoot if they were looking at SUNKEN TREASURE? We've already talked with the Harrisons (previous owners) about possibly meeting up with them on our way back north in March or April. They're wonderful folks --- Jim has now authored a couple of religious history books.

Dean

I see that there is a 31 ft for sale on Yachtworld. Is that your boat? There is also a 40 widebody there too. Just not much info on these boats online. Why did they go out of production? Do you know. Thanks again for all your help, Debbie. P.S. Does the gentleman still have his 40 that went around the island? Might he Still be available to discuss things as well? Hello Carl, I wanted to let you know that with yours and Deans help and knowledge of these boats. Al and I bought the 40ft Cruise a home Corsair. It is a bit of a project but we got it at such a great price and we will do most if not all the work. We would love to join the owners website so that we may update you all on the progress of the new adventure for us. Can you let us know how we can do this? Thanks again for all your help. Cheers, Debbie & Al Farner

Hi Debbie and Al, We know of several Cruise-a-Home owners that have cruised to Alaska. Also one that has circumnavigated Vancouver Island. So it can be done. Our own experience, however, is that you don't have to cruise that far to enjoy cruising into mountainous terrain. There's plenty of it within British Columbia. Just not the glaciers. http://carlten.net/cruise_photos/broughtons/kingcome_inlet.html

You will hardly feel 2-foot waves cruising the 31-foot Cruise-A-Home and it will take 3-foot waves without a problem. I have experienced 5-foot waves coming over the bow and against the windshield, leaving standing water on the forward deck. Fortunately, however, the standing water drained off the sides before the next wave hit. My biggest worry was not that the hull could handle it, but whether the windshields might break. If they did, the whole hull could be flooded. At least, however, the windshields are laminated safety glass.

The 31-footer tends to be bow heavy, but not the 40-footer. One owner reported that a following sea in the 40-footer sometimes washed over the aft deck. We've had no problem with a following sea in our 31-footer. What I mean by a "following sea" is when the water is too rough going with the waves to comfortably do 14 knots. So we would just do 6.5 knots and let the waves pass us bye. Did that once returning south on Johnstone Strait from Port Harvey one morning when everybody else who was waiting to head north was sitting it out in Forward Harbour. Got there myself with no discomfort.

Here's some comments on wave handling:

http://cruiseahome.com/Q_and_A/question_3.html

Regards,

Carl

Congratulations Debbie and Al!

I would be happy to add your boat photos to the "Cruise-a-Home Owners" website. Send me any photos you would like posted along with any text to go with it and whether or not you'd want me to include your names.

Have a look at

http://cruiseahome.com/owners_pages.html to see what others have posted.

I'll work up a layout and let you review it before we release it to the public.

Happy cruising,

Carl

Hi Carl Looking for info on shipping by truck California to anacortas wa 1980 with cutty cabin is the boat exactly 12ft wide and any info on height when I mesured with the boat in the water I got 13 ft 7in Any help would be appreciated Thanks Al

Thanks for the help Al

At May 14, 2015, 11:49:14 AM, Carl Tenning wrote: Might be a good idea to remove the venturi glass on the flybridge along with the brackets, plus the throttle handles and anything else up there.

Never done it myself or had reports from others, but here are some that I've found on the internet:

http://www.uship.com/LandingPages/custom/us-long-pal-boat_B.html?-_boats_exact_high&gclid=CJCgi7LjwcUCFRSPfgodjbwAcA

http://www.boatmovers.com

Hi Carl

My computer has somehow swallowed about two months worth of messages, so I no longer have Al's e-address. Perhaps you could forward this to him. (Maybe the "differentworlds" address is correct?? I don't believe I had that one before.)

Hello Al and Debbie

When CAH was manufacturing the boats, they shipped a number of them to various states. They used a commercial carrier with a "lowboy" trailer specifically made to haul boats. They factory prepared them by removing the windscreen and unscrewing the console as a unit; and simply let it hang by the wires and cables. I never tried it --- I'd worry about the strain on some of the wires --- but you can unscrew yours and see if it could be done. Otherwise, you could remove the shifters and throttles as Carl suggested, and leave the console itself up there ---- or undo all the wires and cables in order to remove the console. I don't know about the actual height of the boat. It would depend on how low the lowboy trailer was. The width of my 40 footer (the hulls were identical from day one) was 11 feet-11 inches. I think the dimensions are in the website. Pick your mover with care. There are a few real horror stories out there. See if one of the haulers has ever moved a CAH. What's going to happen to it in Anacortes??? Gonna have one of the folks up there who are familiar with CAH's do some work??

Dean

Hi Carl

A week or so ago, I got an e-mail from Al and Debbie Farner. Don't know if he sent it to you also. Seems his plans have changed again. He said: At May 15, 2015, 11:17:56 AM, DEBBIE & AL FARNER<'differentworlds at yahoo.com'> wrote: Hi Dean We are planing to ship the boat mid Aug to skyline marina in Anacortas. I am planing to do the work my self. I would like to talk to some one that has done this before. One of the concers is putting too much $ in the boat. The paneling below all the windows is water damaged I think part of the problem is condensation from the aluminum frames. This is the proverbial can of worms. So new light color paneling would nice with a wider wood molding to cover all the aluminum. I opened up the area below the rear sliding door to find the foam insulation with large gaps. so do I try to improve this? We are planning a wood sole with more accesse to the bildge for storage. Butt first it needs to be water tight and repair the dry rot I don't know how the boat was assembled was the outer Fiberglas resins or contact cement bonded to the plywood and secured from the inside? The windows will need to be removed and while their out thay need work. Thay are hard to slide maybe it is a dirt build up or may need new felt? Luckily I can do the work so spending a little more on wood may make sense. Would improving the insulation make any difference with all the big windows?

Al is apparently better at phoning than e-mailing. Notwithstanding that, I suggested he might also consider LaConner, and offered to contact our friend (Ken Opitz), who has worked on his 40-footer for so many years. I did contact Ken, and he agreed to speak/e-mail with Al and answer any and all questions. We'll see how that plays out.

Speaking of Ken, his response to me also advised that he had at last actually put his boat in the water for a test float. Yahoo! Just to keep you up to date, he said (in part):

Our project is coming along well, although slowly.

The engines are now complete and running. I still have to wire the bilge blower, the fire extinguishment alarms, the bilge pumps.

A few weeks ago we dipped her toes into the water to see if she would float and where the waterline was, and she did, indeed, FLOAT! The waterline was 4.5" below the barrier coat and was level all around the waterline. I consider this to be better than expected, perfect, and I was very happy about that.

We have installed a hardtop for the aft deck; the forward half is rigid fiberglass and the aft half is (will be, it's still in the construction phase) canvas that will retract inside the forward half so that we can fish off the stern without hitting our poles on the overhead.

The interior has several small projects, plugging screw holes, sanding and refinishing some of the wood, etc. The finished floor has been in for several months (did we have the floor in when you were here?) The upholstery is all in place and the cuddy mattress is in. I still have to install the entertainment systems, etc. I have been procrastinating installing the SS oven back-splash, but I have the metal, I just can't seem to get it bent into shape and install it.

Laurie and I will try to go up to see Ken whenever the "official" splash occurs. Glad to see them get it wet. Hope he gets a bunch of enjoyment out of it after all his work.

Dean, Hi Carl,

Have been thinking of you and wanted to update you on our boat but first to your question.

Our starboard motor runs a normal rotation and the port is counter rotating. Hope that answers it.

As to us the boat was trucked up here to Anacortes the end of July. We fixed the dry rot on the starboard side of the house. Took all th windows and moulding off and fixed lots of leaks. Rebuilt the propane locker to hold 3 20lb tanks. Made lots of new hatches in the floor to access everything. Installed new hardwood flooring. Rebuilt the head partially. Installed a dingy crane on the flybridge. Getting ready to install some paneling. Redid lots of electrical and plumbing. Ect ect.

Lots done really in a short amount of time. We will be here for another 2-3 weeks. We are looking forward to cruising up here next year. Here are some pics of what we have done.

Here you go Carl. Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone On Saturday, October 14, 2017, 10:49 AM, CARL TENNING wrote: Could you send me a photo of the result? I'd like to post it.

Carl

On 10/14/2017 10:41 AM, DEBBIE & AL FARNER wrote: Thank you Carl. We will be in touch with him. To let you know, we have sold the boat this past June. The end result of the remodel was just spectacular and had many people that wanted her. He sold in 3 weeks.

We want to thank you for all your help with this project.

Cheers, Debbie Farner.

Thanks,

Carl