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 license to build a couple of models (C25 & C35) in Barcelona's "Puerto Franco", and for a period of over 15 years a few hundreds were manufactured, being exported many of them all over Europe (UK, France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Lebanon.).[1]
History
Frank W. Butler's initial intent was not to produce and sell boats, but rather to have one built. Prior to venturing into the boat business Frank was a successful business man running a machine shop.
In 1961, Butler took over the building of his own boat when boat builder ran out of funds and borrowed money from Butler; the builder was not able to repay the debt. Instead he gave Butler the tooling to continue building the boat. Butler later gained full control of the company, renaming it Wesco Marine and later Coronado Yachts. Many Early Coronado twenty fives have the Wesco Marine nameplate on their transom.
Among the first models built by Coronado were the Victory '21 and the Super Satellite. Production for the Coronado '25 began in 1964. It was the first boat with a one piece interior, making the boat stronger, lighter, and less expensive than previous models.
During 1968 Butler sold Coronado to Whittaker which already owned Columbia Yachts which was purchased from Dick Valdes in 1967. They also had acquired several power boat manufacturers. In 1969 the nameplates showed Coronado Yachts as a division of the Whittaker Corp. Whittaker also produced some other interesting marine related products such a life pods used for emergency evac. on offshore oil rigs. The Coronado's were originally produced only in the plant in Costa Mesa, CA, but eventually larger boats were built in Virginia.
By 1969 the Coronado 27 and 30 foot models were being produced. Butler remained with Whitaker for only one year then left due to disagreements with management at Whitaker over the production of a trailerable 22 foot boat with a movable keel. Butler went on to found Catalina Yachts, currently the largest sailboat manufacturer in the world, with his first product being the trailerable 22 foot boat with a movable keel.
Dick Valdes left Whittaker in 1972. Eventually many of the Coronado boats became cross branding of the Columbia models. Whitaker continued the Coronado line until 1974 producing the Coronado 34 and center cockpit Coronado 35. By 1979 Whittaker sold Columbia and the brand was defunct by the mid-1980s.
Wesco Marine still exists, owned by Frank Butler, and is a supplier for Catalina Yachts.
The Coronado 25 has a generous fixed keel, broad beam to length ratio, and shipped with spinnaker rigging. The outboard motor mount is enclosed on 4 sides, shielding the engine from fast back swells during rough weather. The tiller is long enough to allow a seated skipper to adjust the jib sheets while controlling the tiller.
Catalina Yachts is a U.S.-based builder of fiberglass monohull sloop-rigged sailboats ranging in sizes from eight to 54 feet in length. It was founded in 1969 in Hollywood, California by Frank Butler . Catalina Yachts is one of the largest boat manufacturers in the world, with over 80,000 boats manufactured to date. Though Catalina produces boats from as small as eight feet under their Capri nameplate, the company is best known for its production of mid-sized cruisers.
Columbia Yachts is a US manufacturer of sailboats, with offices and production facilities in Southern California.
The Catalina 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Frank V. Butler and first built in 1969.
Frank Butler was the founder of Catalina Yachts, one of the biggest boat designers and manufacturers in the world.
The Catalina 34 is an American sailboat designed by Frank V. Butler and first built in 1985. The design is out of production.
The Frigate 36 is a Canadian sailboat, that was designed by C&C Design and first built in 1968. It is named in honour of the Frigate warship class.
The Catalina 18, formerly known as the Capri 18, is a trailerable American sailboat that was designed by Frank Butler and Gerry Douglas and first built in 1985.
The Capri 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Frank Butler as a one design racer and first built in 1980.
The Catalina 36 is a family of American sailboats that was designed by Frank Butler and Gerry Douglas for cruising and first built in 1982. A Mark II version was introduced in 1994 and produced until 2005.
The Coronado 35 is an American sailboat that was designed by William H. Tripp Jr. as a cruiser and first built in 1971.
The Columbia 36 is an American sailboat that was designed by William Crealock and first built in 1967.
The Columbia 24 is a series of American sailboats that were designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962.
The Islander 24 Bahama, also called the Islander Bahama 24, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1964.
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 Capri 16, also called the Catalina 16, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Frank W. Butler as a pocket cruiser and first built in 1987.
The Columbia 22 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Crealock and first built in 1966.
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.
The Coronado 23, also called the Sailcrafter 23, is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by William Crealock as cruiser-racer and first built in 1969.
The Coronado 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by Ed Edgar and Frank W. Butler as a cruiser and first built in 1966.
The Lancer 25 is an American trailerable sailboat that was designed by W. Shad Turner as a cruiser and first built in 1975.
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