Cascade Yachts
Encyclopedia
Cascade Yachts was a pioneering U.S.-based builder of fiberglass monohull
sloop-rigged sailboats ranging in sizes from 23 to 42 feet (12.8 m) in length. It was founded in 1954 in Portland, Oregon
by a group of local sailors interested in experimenting with fiberglass
sailboat construction.
Robarta A. Smith, a former Sparkman & Stephens
designer, would later design a series of boats for the company:
Like many early producers of fiberglass boats, the company's production methods resulted in yachts that were heavier than later builders. Experimenting with fiberglass, at that time a relatively novel material for boat construction, the founders made test samples that were shot at from 10 feet (3 m) with various firearms to test the material strength. The test samples repelled .45 slugs and became the foundation of the company's reputation for producing bulletproof
yachts. In various cases Cascade Yachts have been dropped off slings, fallen off a trailer at highway speed, and submerged in a mudslide, and suffered little consequential damage. Many Cascade hulls were sold in various stages of completion for owners to finish the interiors.
In 1989 the company's assets were sold to a new owner who continued production under the name Cascade Yachts.
In 2007 the company was sold to Russell Mead and moved to Warrenton, Oregon
.
Monohull
rightA monohull is a type of boat having only one hull, unlike multihulled boats which can have two or more individual hulls connected to one another.-Fundamental concept:...
sloop-rigged sailboats ranging in sizes from 23 to 42 feet (12.8 m) in length. It was founded in 1954 in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
by a group of local sailors interested in experimenting with fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
sailboat construction.
History
In 1954 the company was launched by five sailors under the name Yacht Constructors. The first design, the 34 feet (10.4 m) Chinook, came from the desk of well-known Philadelphia naval architect Frederick Geiger, adapted from a wood design. The first five were launched in 1956-1957 to the founders, and began winning local races and gathering attention in the press. Eventually 70 were produced, making it arguably the first production fiberglass sailboat.Robarta A. Smith, a former Sparkman & Stephens
Sparkman & Stephens
Sparkman & Stephens is a naval architecture and yacht brokerage firm with main offices on 5th Avenue in New York City, USA and offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and Newport, Rhode Island, USA. The firm performs design and engineering of new vessels for pleasure, commercial, and military use....
designer, would later design a series of boats for the company:
- Cascade 29 1961 360 were eventually produced.
- Cascade 42 1964
- Cascade 36 1967
- Cascade 23 1977
- Cascade 24 1977
- Cascade 27 1978
Like many early producers of fiberglass boats, the company's production methods resulted in yachts that were heavier than later builders. Experimenting with fiberglass, at that time a relatively novel material for boat construction, the founders made test samples that were shot at from 10 feet (3 m) with various firearms to test the material strength. The test samples repelled .45 slugs and became the foundation of the company's reputation for producing bulletproof
Bulletproof
Bulletproofing is the process of making something capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles e.g. shrapnel. The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protection against all types of bullets, or multiple hits in the...
yachts. In various cases Cascade Yachts have been dropped off slings, fallen off a trailer at highway speed, and submerged in a mudslide, and suffered little consequential damage. Many Cascade hulls were sold in various stages of completion for owners to finish the interiors.
In 1989 the company's assets were sold to a new owner who continued production under the name Cascade Yachts.
In 2007 the company was sold to Russell Mead and moved to Warrenton, Oregon
Warrenton, Oregon
Warrenton is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. The city is named for D.K. Warren, an early settler. The population was 4,096 at the 2000 census.- History :...
.
Notable Voyages
- Walt Wilson, a former police officerPolice officerA police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, completed a six-year, 40000 miles (64,373.6 km) circumnavigationCircumnavigationCircumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
in the Cascade 29 Euphoria. - Jim and Molly Moore's Cascade 36 Swan did a four year circumnavigation, detailed in their book "By Way of the Wind."
- 80 year-old Josh Taylor completed an eleven year round the world voyage in the Cascade 36 Comitan.
- A Cascade 42 syndicate from the Portland Yacht Club raced seven consecutive Transpacific Yacht RaceTranspacific Yacht RaceThe Transpacific Yacht Race is an offshore yacht race starting off Point Fermin, San Pedro, near Los Angeles, and ending off Diamond Head Lighthouse in Honolulu, a distance of around . Started in 1906, it is one of yachting's premier offshore races and attracts entrants from all over the world...
, from 1967 to 1979. Their best place was 3rd in 1969, the best time 11 days, 15 hours. - 64-year-old Ed Hart, on Hooligan, a Cascade 29, completed an unplanned circumnavigation.
- Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
based Joby Easton and Bill Huseby sailed Cascade 36 Rain Drop to win their division and claim overall honors in the 2008 Pacific Cup (from San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to Oahu, Hawaii), and were also awarded the Navigator's Trophy and the Latitude 38 Performance Trophy. - AJ Goldman finished after deadline in the 2010 Singlehanded Transpac, in Cascade 36 Second Verse