Historic
Columbia Yachts Reborn
NEWPORT
BEACH, Calif. – May 15, 2003 – Columbia
Yacht Corporation announced today that the sail-yacht
building company will introduce their first model
in the fall of 2003 - a 30’ sport sailer
designed for performance-minded enthusiasts who
also desire ease of use and comfort, at a highly
competitive price.
In
the fall of 2002, the company announced the return
of the historic Columbia Yachts, one of the most
successful sailboat lines of the 20th century.
“Columbia
Yachts became popular in the early1960’s
because they produced well-designed, well-built
vessels that met the needs of the sailor,”
said Vince Valdes, president of Columbia Yachts
and son of Richard “Dick” Valdes,
creator of the original Columbia Yachts. “This
is precisely our goal in reintroducing Columbia
Yachts. We’ve taken a careful look at what
is offered in the market today, and feel that
there is a large group of sailors whose needs
just aren’t satisfied by what is out there
- at any price. We’re developing a company
– headlined by the introduction of our new
30’ sport sailer – that recognizes
these needs and meets them with truly unique sailboats.”
Columbia's
new 30’ sportsailer is designed by Morrelli
& Melvin Design and Engineering Inc. Morrelli
& Melvin D&E Inc. penned Steve Fossett's
maxi catamaran "PlayStation" among many
other notable sailboats. "When we were approached
by Columbia Yachts to design their new 30 foot
sport sailer, we were quite pleased with the prospect
of adding to the Columbia heritage,” said
Gino Morrelli.
“Morrelli & Melvin D&E is primarily
a multihull design shop, but Vince Valdes explained
that he was looking for an innovative design team.
We both agreed that innovation in sailing often
comes from the multihull world. Columbia Yachts
was the premiere builder of sailboats in the 60's
and 70's and an innovator in the industry; in
fact my parents and I learned how to sail in a
Columbia 24! We are happy to be a part of Columbia's
rebirth,” said Morrelli.
Progress
and Launching of the Columbia 30
Tooling construction and production design are
well underway in Southern California, and Columbia
Yachts expects to debut the new 30’ model
at fall, 2003 boat shows. “What’s
been exciting about building this boat is the
great response that we’ve received affirming
the design concept,” said Vince. “People
are excited about this boat - we’re already
taking deposits on the new Columbia. We spent
many months honing the design concept in the market
with the direct input of sailors and designers
alike. As we finalize details, we’ve received
a flood of input from potential buyers regarding
desirable attributes. Based on this feedback,
we’ve made a few changes to the original
design concept, such as including a fully enclosed
head. We feel that this feedback not only has
validated our original vision and market research,
but has allowed us the ability to hone our design
to create an even better product before our launch
this fall.”
Carrying
on a Family Tradition
Vince Valdes’ father was responsible for
building the original Columbia Yachts into an
industry powerhouse that put more than 30,000
boats into the water and operated production facilities
throughout the world. His upbringing in a boat
building family has helped Valdes to develop his
own boat building and business management knowledge
at an early age. Valdes works, designs and speaks
from personal experience, and regularly serves
as a skipper or crewmember on a variety of cruising
and racing sailboats. Recently, Valdes sailed
aboard the racing yacht “Bull” in
the 2001 Trans Pacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles
to Honolulu, winning first in class and first
overall.
For
more information about the new company, the 30’
sport sailer, the executive team and plans for
the future, please visit the company’s Web
site at www.columbiayachts.com.
Vince Valdes, Columbia Yachts
1048 Irvine Avenue # 252
Newport Beach, CA 92660-4602
949.631-6898
vvaldes@columbiayachts.com
www.columbiayachts.com
