The Alan Payne designed Columbia 9.6 was a boat that I looked at when I first decided to move up from my Yankee 28. The Columbia had a lot of the same positives as the Yankee and really peaked my interest. Kettenburg finished the 9.6 in the K9.6 special edition and later the Kettenburg K32 whose hull was molded by Survival Systems of California.
Designer's Comments.
"This design was influenced by four important considerations.
First it was necessary to choose a medium displacement hull rather than the light displacement of the modern racing yacht. This was to allow for the boat having rather more structural strength and more comfortable accommodations than is usual nowadays in racer - cruisers.
Secondly, the boat has a hull form with a little more than the usual depth with the idea of combining this with a medium displacement to achieve good headroom and useful cabin space. The design was carefully developed to realize the best possibilities of this moderately V'd form.
Thirdly, the hull and rig design was worked over to provide the lowest possible rating under the current form of the IOR rule, without departing from what was needed to meet the first two requirements. Since the boat was intended for one-design racing, there was perhaps no great need to take note of IOR influence. However, it is an advantage for the boat to have a chance of success in IOR events, and of course the IOR rating is a commonly accepted yardstick of performance. This boat is "fast" by comparison with her rating, and we think this will be a source of satisfaction to owners.
Fourthly, in a way this might have been the most important consideration, my aim was to design a boat in sensible proportion, with no one feature exaggerated at the expense of others. I have tried to produce a boat truly enjoyable to race and enjoyable to cruise. This is what is wanted for a successful one-design class."
Alan Payne, Naval Architect
Kettenburg Special Edition was finished out with a ton of bright work setting her apart from the standard Columbia 9.6. Kettenburg's Locker area on the left compared to the Columbia locker area below.
The model I looked at was a Kettenburg edition and was very very comfortable inside. The back stay was a little awkward in the cockpit but most are if you are very tall.
These boats are very affordable today and are a very good value for the dollar. The K9.6 or K32 will require a bit more upkeep (and maybe a lot more effort with the bright work) but is worth it. The boat will perform well racing around the beer cans or cruising with a family.
Layout showing the earlier twin Pilot Berths and the later model with the quarterberth and single pilot berth.
The later quarterberth model fitted out by Kettenburg
The earlier twin Pilot Berth model from Columbia:
