Columbia Yachts is a US manufacturer of sailboats, with offices and production facilities in Southern California.

History

Richard “Dick” Valdes and Maurice V. Threinen founded Glass Laminates, a fiberglass contract company, in 1958. Among the early products were camper shells and producing canoes for Sears. The company eventually focused its development expertise on sailboats and became Glass Marine Industries (GMI), marketing their boats under the Columbia nameplate. Early models included the Columbia 24 and Columbia 29 (Sparkman & Stephens design). By 1964 company sales passed $2.5 Million. In 1965, GMI changed its name to Columbia, and introduced the Columbia 50, at the time the world's largest fiberglass production sailboat. The classic beauty, exceptional comfort, and race performance made this design a success. During the mid sixties Columbia produced a few motor yachts. By the late 1960s,the company was the world's largest fiberglass sailboat manufacturer, with manufacturing plants throughout the world. Valdes and Threinen sold the company to

Whittaker Whittaker is a surname of English origin, meaning 'white acre', and a given name. Variants include Whitaker and Whitacre (disambiguation), Whitacre. People with the name include: Surname A *Aaron Whittaker (born 1968), New Zealand rugby player ...

(listed on the NYSE), but Valdes continued as president of the subsidiary Columbia Yacht Corporation, and helped to develop Whittaker Marine Group, which ultimately included Bertram Yachts, Trojan Yachts, Riva, Desco Marine, Kettenburg, Balboa Marine, and

Coronado Yachts Coronado Yachts was a US sailboat manufacturer located in Southern California which produced several popular lines in the 1960s and early 1970s. Many of the boats they built are still sailing and racing today. In the 1970s Playvisa obtained a li ...

. Total sales of the Whittaker Marine Group reached between $250 and $350 Million in the early 70's during Valdes' tenure. A side note is that Frank Butler, the owner of Coronado Yachts came into Whittaker with the merger, but left about a year later to form Catalina Yachts. Following Dick Valdes' departure from Columbia Yachts in 1972, the company offices and plant were relocated to Virginia, and eventually sold to

Hughes Boat Works Hughes Boat Works was a Canadian boat builder based in Centralia, Ontario. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fibreglass sailboats. The company was founded by brothers Howard and Peter Hughes in 1963 and closed in 1991. H ...

based in

Huron Park, Ontario South Huron is a municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the southern part of Huron County. It was formed by amalgamation of the townships of Stephen and Usborne with the Town of Exeter in 2001, in an Ontario-wide municipal ...

, Canada in 1979, and later to Aura Yachts also based in Huron Park, Ontario in 1982. In the mid-80s Canadian boat designer Howard Hughes regained control of the company. Eventually, the Columbia Yachts brand faded into history.

Columbia Yachts today

In September, 2001 the new Columbia Yacht Corporation was incorporated, with Dick's son Vincent Valdes as President and CEO, co-founder Justin Wallin as COO and with Dick Valdes among the founding directors. The new company’s first offering is the Columbia 30 sportsboat, designed by Tim Kernan, with a Southern California OWC PHRF rating of 51.

Models

Classic models

* Columbia 10.7 * Columbia 21 *

Columbia 22 The Columbia 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Crealock and first built in 1966.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 161. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. The Columbi ...

Columbia T-23 The Columbia T-23, or Columbia T23, is an American sailboat that was designed by Australian Alan Payne and first built in 1973. The "T" designation indicates that the boat is designed to be trailerable.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Sm ...

Columbia 24 The Columbia 24 is a series of American sailboats that were designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962. The Columbia 24 is a development of the Islander 24, which in turn was derived from the wooden Catalina Islander. The Columb ...

Columbia 24 Challenger The Columbia 24 Challenger, or Columbia Challenger 24, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 316. Internationa ...

Columbia 24 Contender The Columbia 24 Contender is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Joseph McGlasson in conjunction with Columbia Yachts and first built in 1963.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 283. Interna ...

* Columbia 26-1 IB * Columbia 26-2 IB *

Columbia 26-2 OB Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

* Columbia 28-1 * Columbia 29-2 * Columbia 30 *

Columbia 31 Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

* Columbia 32 *

Columbia 34-1 The Columbia 34 is an American sailboat that was designed by Wirth Munroe and Richard Valdez as a cruiser and first built in 1966. The Columbia 34 is a development of the Columbia 33 Caribbean, using a deck adapted from the Columbia 40. The ...

Columbia 34-2 The Columbia 34 Mark II is an American sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp Jr. as a coastal cruising sailboat and first built in 1970. The Columbia 34 Mark II's hull molds were later used to develop the Coronado 35 and also the Hugh ...

* Columbia 36 *

Columbia 38 The Columbia 38 is an American sailboat that was designed by Charles Morgan as racer-cruiser and first built in 1965. The Columbia 38 is a development of the Columbia 40. Production The design was built by Columbia Yachts in the United Stat ...

* Columbia 40 * Columbia 43-1 * Columbia 43-2 * Columbia 43-3 * Columbia 45 Sloop * Columbia 45 Ketch * Columbia 5.5 * Columbia 5.5 * Columbia 50 *

Columbia 7.6 The Columbia 7.6 is an American/Canadian trailerable sailboat that was designed by Australian Alan Payne as a cruiser and first built in 1976.Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 335. International Marine/McG ...

Columbia 8.3 The Columbia 8.3 is a sailboat that was designed by Alan Payne as a cruiser and first built in 1976. The Columbia 8.3 design was also sold as the Hughes 27 and was later developed into the Hughes-Columbia 27. Production The design was built ...

Columbia 8.7 The Columbia 8.7 is a sailboat that was designed by Alan Payne as a cruiser and first built in 1976. Production The design was built by Columbia Yachts in the United States from 1976 until 1979, when the moulds were purchased by Hughes Boat W ...

Columbia 9.6 Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

Columbia Sabre Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

New models

Columbia 30 Sports Yacht Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

References

Columbia Yachts WebsiteSt. Petersburg Independent News

External links

* {{Columbia Yachts Columbia Yachts