Sept 26, 2022
We were saddened to hear of the recent death of noted C&C Yachts designer Rob Ball. Rob succumbed to injuries suffered in a recent fall on September 9th at the age of 79 at his home in New Bedford, Mass.
It can be safely said that no yacht designer in the long history of the sport had more designs to his credit than Rob Ball. Rob took over design responsibility at C&C in 1973 when George Cuthbertson assumed the responsibilities of the Presidency of a rapidly growing C&C Yachts that had been founded a mere four years previously. Rob stayed with the company through several iterations right up to 1996 when the assets of C&C were purchased by Tartan Marine in the US and the company ceased to be a Canadian entity.
Rob was responsible for creating the lines plans of the hulls of every C&C produced over those 23 years, which included some of the most iconic sailboat designs of the last century, ranging from windsurfers to 67’ world girdling schooners. The list is too long to recount in detail, but included the C&C 33 and 34, the new C&C 27s, 29s, 30s, 35s and the immensely successful C&C 40s and 41s, as well as the Landfall line of cruising sailboats and designs for outside builders such a Baltic Yachts. His custom designs included Dynamo, Amazing Grace, Silver Shadow, Charisma, Marauder, Evergreen, Archangel, and many more. The entire 1983 Canadian Admirals Cup team consisted of C&C designs, and the C&C 40 dominated racing on Long Island Sound in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. After leaving C&C, or more accurately C&C leaving Rob, he moved to the US to design for Concordia, and then started a long career as chief engineer for Edson International in New Bedford.
Ball’s design, Evergreen, winner Canada’s Cup 1978, RHYC
Rob is survived by his wife of many years Pat, his sisters Mary Dodd (John) and Barb Watson, his three children Bria Knowles (Michael), Dayton Ball (Lauren), and Kira L’Heureux (Dalton), and four grandchildren Emmett, Oliver, Keenan, and Arlo.
Anyone who owns a C&C designed after 1973 owes a dept of gratitude to Rob Ball. There will be many glasses raised in tribute to that unsurpassed design legacy that will outlive Rob for years to come.
- Rob Mazza
Marine Industry Career Path: Brett Ramsey
Wendy and Brett Ramsey
Boating Industry Canada is kicking off its Marine Industry Career Path series once again. For the first installments this year, we have two subjects to highlight. Introducing Wendy and Brett Ramsey!
The Ramsey’s have been working in the marine industry for many years but have both had unique paths in getting to where they are now. They’ve also been working on an impactful pilot project for a long time, which will now be launching this spring. The focus of this initiative is to bring more young people into the marine industry.
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Building on its award-winning M Series, Bayliner unveiled the all-new M19 at the Miami International Boat Show. The M19 joins the M Series lineup of the M15 and M17 delivering the stability and versatility the series is known for with a focus on expanding boater participation through its intuitive design, ease of maintenance and inclusive price point.
With an overall length of 19 feet and starting at $30,995 USD, the M19 is built on an improved M-hull foundation offering increased stability and automotive style handling for familiarity to appeal to the next generation of boaters. The M19 features an upgraded nine-person capacity and is watersports capable for a full day of adventure on the water.
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Televisions on a boat are increasingly commonplace. With the simple-to-install Glomex Avior VT300 Omnidirectional TV/FM antenna from GA Communications, it's never been easier to bring analog and digital broadcasts onboard—at a price that's hard to ignore.
The most noticeable feature of the Avior VT300 antenna is its compact white, anti-yellowing radome. At only 4" dia. x 8" H and 8.8 oz., it's specifically made for smaller boats that can't accommodate large TV antenna domes and only need short range reception, depending on height and conditions. The amplifier allows the antenna to have an increase in gain with a 24.5 dB average to receive vertical and horizontal polarized TV signals simultaneously from 360°.
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