Frank Butler (founder)

Frank Willis Butler (January 17, 1928 – November 15, 2020)[1] was the founder of Catalina Yachts, one of the biggest boat designers and manufacturers in the world.

In 1968 Butler sold Coronado to the Whittaker Corporation, which had divisions in aerospace, metal, chemical, and healthcare, and had already purchased Columbia Yachts from Dick Valdes in 1967.

Butler worked for Whittaker for one year, and then left due to disagreements with management over the production of a trailerable 22-foot (6.7 m) boat with a movable keel.

His first new product was the trailerable 22-foot (6.7 m) Catalina with a movable keel, and he continued to build the smaller boats, such as the Coronado 15, the Omega, the Super Satellite, and the Drifter.

Butler redesigned the interior, moved the rudder, and gave it a "Catalina deck", a taller mast, and a shorter boom.

The other lines produced by Catalina are the Nacra and Prindle catamarans, and the Islander 34 – a powerboat made from a mold purchased from Pearson when it went out of business.

Most recently, Catalina acquired the tooling and rights to build the True North line of traditional, Downeast-style power boats.