Original advertisements for the Columbia 43

During my weekly Google search for all things Columbia 43, I came across an Ebay seller with two original Columbia 43 ads up for auction. I won the bid on both ads. They are pretty cool and it made a quick blog post.

The boat featured in the photos for the ad is Blue Norther, the eleventh C-43 built. Blue Norther is also the boat that starred as the boat Amanda in the second season of the ABC series Revenge.

From the code in the information-request box I think this ad was published in 1970.

I'm not sure which magazine this first ad comes from. The page on the back of the ad is another full-page ad for Mercury inboard/outboards.The code in the reply box makes it appear that this ad came out in 1970. The first ad is a single, full-page ad that trumpets the C-43 winning the world's largest ocean race, the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race.

This is the high-folio page of a two-page ad in Yachting magazine. I'm not sure of the date, but the code in the response box makes me think it was 1970.

The next ad is a double truck, two full-page ads on facing pages. The headline reads, "Meet the Magnificent Aggressor, Columbia 43... $29,995!"

The interesting part of the second ad reads: "This is undoubtedly one of the most aggressively designed ocean racers ever created by famed naval architect, Bill Tripp.... Classified as light-displacement, the Columbia 43 exhibits the highest sail-area-to-wetted-surface ratio of any of his designs. The rig towers 54 feet above the deck. Powerful headsails are permitted with a "J" measurement of 17.8'.

"And there are some highly potent design dynamics below the waterline as well. The Columbia 43 has a noticeably long waterline...32'8". By carrying the lateral distribution of displacement well into both the bow and stern sections, Tripp has simulated the wave system produced by an even longer waterline. When you lengthen the waterline, you increase the speed. This high prismatic coefficient* story is something your competitors will ask you about after the race!

Thirty grand was a lot of money back in 1970. You could buy a nice house in Seattle for about than half that back then. You could also buy six brand new Corvettes for that price.

More interesting stuff mixed in with the unavoidable copywriter hyperbole. I'll crop out the tablecloth and clean these up later. I was just excited to share them. Eventually I will add a page to the blog with these and scans of the original Columbia 43 owner's manual, which came with the boat.

*Prismatic coefficient (C_p) is the volume (V) divided by L_pp x A_x. It displays the ratio of the immersed volume of the hull to a volume of a prism with equal length to the ship and cross-sectional area equal to the largest underwater section of the hull (midship section). This is used to evaluate the distribution of the volume of the underbody. A low or fine C_p indicates a full mid-section and fine ends, a high or full C_p indicates a boat with fuller ends. Planing hulls and other highspeed hulls tend towards a higher C_p.

I can finally stop watching "Revenge"

I think this is the boat from the first season, a Hinkley 47. See earlier post for details.

My wife and I can finally stop watching "Revenge," the ABC drama that features a Columbia 43, because they blew up and sank the boat.

We kinda enjoyed the first season of the show. The writing was pretty good and it had an interesting setting. But the second season got sillier and sillier. The latest episode 14, "Sacrifice," which we watched on Hulu, may be the silliest of all, especially if you know anything about boats. This recap captures the flavor of the episode. But the episode also had some great shots of Blue Norther, the Columbia 43 that plays the role of the sailboat Amanda.

In the dramatic conclusion, there is a shootout aboard the boat and a propane tank is hit, filling the boat with gas and the bad guy blows up the boat. It then burns and sinks. All pretty crazy and far fetched.

My question is: how did they do it without hurting the boat? It's pretty clear to me that the underwater shots of the sunken boat are not a Columbia 43. It looks much smaller. Did they have a set made of the interior of the boat? Was it all special effects? I hope the boat is OK. If anyone knows, please let me know in the comments.

Blue Norther is hull number 11 of the Columbia 43s. This picture was featured on the cover of one of the company's brochures for the Columbia 43. Blue Norther sails out of Marina del Rey, Calif.