This is very much a product of the International Offshore Rule era. Its lineage runs directly back to the Columbia 50, which Tripp designed for the builder in 1965.
Design and Construction
The Columbia 43 shares its 12-foot-4-inch beam with the Columbia 50. Hull number one of the 43 literally carried the larger boat’s deck, house, and cockpit, creating a visual and structural resemblance that the period record says worked well in execution.
At 18,900 pounds, the 43 was considered a light-displacement boat when it debuted in 1969. It weighed a stark 13,000 pounds less than the Columbia 50.
The hull had a substantial layup: gelcoat over layers of mat and woven roving, followed by a 3/8-inch balsa core extending through the hull from near the keel to just above the waterline. All decks were also balsa-cored. Columbia substituted plywood at the mast partners, shrouds, mooring cleats, and other high-load points. A few original buyers chose the costly fully cored hull option for additional stiffness; Adios was one such boat.
Much of the interior furniture, including the galley cabinets and dinette, was part of a molded fiberglass pan installed before the deck went on. That pan wasn’t well bonded to the hull, however, and some owners describe the result as a “floating” interior.
Rig and Handling
The Columbia 43 is a masthead sloop with a keel-stepped mast and hounds positioned three-quarters of the way up the mast. The Miii received the most significant rig changes: its mast is six feet taller and its boom one foot shorter than those of the earlier marks. Together with a six-inch bow extension, these changes created a higher-aspect-ratio sail plan with the large foretriangle favored under the IOR.
Bridge clearance increased accordingly, from 58 feet on the Mk I and Mk II to 64 feet on the Miii.
The design proved its speed potential in 1971, when the Columbia 43 Encore finished first in class and 11th in the fleet in the Transpac to Honolulu. Craig Shaw’s Adios was later recorded surfing at 15.5 knots under only a small headsail, a striking indication of the light hull’s performance downhill.
Cockpit and Accommodations
A large flush deck and a 10-foot cockpit provide space both under sail and at anchor.
Below, the Columbia 43 has a versatile layout. The portside galley includes double centerline sinks and two top-loading iceboxes. Opposite, a starboard U-shaped dinette seats six or more. Facing saloon settees convert into four sea berths.
Headroom is generous: 6 feet 7 inches in the galley and dinette, 6 feet 2 inches in the saloon, and 6 feet 4 inches in the forward owner’s cabin. That cabin contains a large V-berth, with a hanging locker on each side.
Standard tankage is located beneath the settees and comprises 48 gallons of fuel and 50 gallons of water. Many owners added a 70-gallon water tank beneath the V-berth.
Known Issues
The main documented structural concern is the poorly bonded interior pan. Rather than being integral to the hull, the molded furniture remains only loosely connected to it.
Craig Shaw also considers the 3-inch rudder stock undersized for a boat carrying a rudder as large as the Columbia 43’s.
Prospective owners should pay close attention to the end-grain balsa-cored decks. After five decades, the core’s vulnerability makes a careful check for soft spots important.
The Verdict
The Columbia 43 Miii is a Tripp-designed, light-displacement cruiser-racer with genuine offshore pedigree, a roomy and thoughtfully arranged interior, and a rule-driven rig that rewards skilled handling. Its construction was substantial, but any survey must account for the poorly bonded interior pan and the question surrounding the rudder stock.
For sailors looking for a beamy, quick 43-foot classic with IOR-era performance, the Miii remains a distinctive choice.
Pros
- Encore’s Transpac class win, and recorded surfing speeds of 15.5 knots under headsail alone
- The same beam as the larger Columbia 50, contributing to generous accommodation volume
- A lead-ballasted keel reshaped to reduce wetted surface, plus a skeg-hung rudder and taller rig
Cons
- Interior pan not well bonded to the hull and described by some owners as “floating”
- The 3-inch rudder stock is considered undersized for the rudder’s size
- Balsa-cored decks require careful inspection for soft spots
