Design and Construction
Tripp’s hull is a heavily applied, hand-laid fiberglass shell. Most, if not all, of the approximately 150 boats built from 1969 through 1974 had their hulls further strengthened with mats of hand-laid fiberglass. Above the waterline, the boat has a balsa-cored deck over its heavy-duty hull.
A graceful sheer, flush deck, and low doghouse give the Columbia 43 a profile that remains striking today. The centerboard variant—the CB in the model name—was offered alongside a full-keel version. The standard underwater profile otherwise combines an iron-ballasted fin keel with a spade rudder.
The MkIII revision lengthened the hull by six inches, replaced the original iron-ballasted keel with a lead-ballasted keel, and added a taller mast for more power.
Rig, Deck, and Handling
The Columbia 43 is a masthead sloop with a keel-stepped mast. Its 10-foot-long aft cockpit gives the helmsman room to work. A large teak deck box sits forward of the mast, and the original winches and deck-mounted rigging have held up to the test of time.
The MkIII’s taller mast added meaningful sail power to this baseline. On the centerboard model, the retracting board provides shallow-draft utility without giving up the directional bite of a fin keel.
Accommodations
Below, the Columbia 43 was arranged to sleep eight—a generous number for a 43-foot boat of its era. The galley is to port, with a small sink, an alcohol stove, an icebox, and slate-look countertops that give the workspace a tailored finish.
Forward of the main saloon, the head includes a full shower, reinforcing the cruising intent behind the racer-cruiser label. Although the flush deck and low doghouse keep the exterior profile lithe, the interior clearly prioritizes liveaboard use rather than stripped-out racing.
Propulsion and Tankage
The original specification called for a Universal Atomic 4 four-cylinder gasoline engine, although some boats received a Palmer gasoline engine.
Planned capacities were 45 gallons of fuel and 35 gallons of water. Those figures are better suited to coastal cruising than long offshore passages, but they’re consistent with the boat’s racer-cruiser brief.
Verdict
The Columbia 43 remains a compelling expression of Tripp’s early fiberglass design work: a light-displacement hull that could win races on Saturday and carry a family of eight in comfort on Sunday. Its hand-laid fiberglass hull, balsa-cored deck, and durable deck gear provide a structural and operational foundation that has aged better than those of many contemporaries. The MkIII’s lead keel and taller rig further refined the concept.
For a modern buyer, the principal caveats are the iron-ballasted fin keel on earlier boats and the modest galley equipment.
Pros
- Light-displacement racer-cruiser with documented speed and cruising comfort
- Heavily hand-laid fiberglass hull with additional matting reinforcement
- Sleeps eight, with a full-shower head and port-side galley
- Durable original winches and deck-mounted rigging
- MkIII introduced lead ballast and a taller mast
Cons
- Earlier boats used an iron-ballasted fin keel rather than lead
- Compact galley with only a small sink, alcohol stove, and icebox
- 45-gallon fuel and 35-gallon water capacities suit coastal cruising rather than extended passage-making
