Opinions on a Late 60's Columbia 28?

[Ballenxj]

Anybody familiar with these boats? Things to watch out for? Strong points?
Thanks.
-Bruce

[roverhi]

The 28 was the first of the 'new' direction for Columbia. The 28 was a fin keeler with external hull to deck flange. Not a great fan of this type of construction because it leaves that vital joint hanging out in the wind where it can be easily damaged. The rubber strake that they hide the joint with deteriorates with age and seems to be hard to replace cosmetically. The new boats just seemed to be more cheaply built. Also, the later boats were not as good looking as the earlier Morgan and S&S designs and many were downright ugly.

I'd look for a Columbia 29 if I was going to buy a boat of that size from that era. It's a good looking S&S design that was well built and sails well. A boat I'd take almost anywhere if I could squeeze myself and gear into it.

[SkiprJohn]

What Roverhi said is true but I didn't know they started production of the 28 that early. Does is look like this from sailboatdata.com? COLUMBIA 28 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
I sailed aboard a Columbia 28 from Oahu to Lanai and then to the windward side (Hilo) on Hawaii Island in one and it was surprisingly strong.
If you can find one in good shape and well maintained I think it would make a good coastal cruiser and maybe even do more depending on your sailing experience. I'd look for one with a diesel vs the Atomic 4 gas engine.
kind regards,

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Does is look like this from sailboatdata.com? COLUMBIA 28 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

It does.

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

I sailed aboard a Columbia 28 from Oahu to Lanai and then to the windward side (Hilo) on Hawaii Island in one and it was surprisingly strong.

Good to hear.

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

If you can find one in good shape and well maintained I think it would make a good coastal cruiser and maybe even do more depending on your sailing experience. I'd look for one with a diesel vs the Atomic 4 gas engine.
kind regards,

I believe the inboard engine has been removed in favor of an outboard.
I would really like to have a diesel inboard, and usually look for one, but this boat came up as an option.
-Bruce

[SkiprJohn]

The boat I sailed on had the Atomic 4 removed, the shaft was still in place but the owner was using a Honda 7.5 outboard for power. It was more than enough power and sipped gas.
kind regards,

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

The boat I sailed on had the Atomic 4 removed, the shaft was still in place but the owner was using a Honda 7.5 outboard for power. It was more than enough power and sipped gas.
kind regards,

I sent a PM your way John.
-Bruce

[mr-canada]

I have a 72 col 26 mk 2.

Not sure of the design of the 28 but as far as i have found out and experience on my own columbia they are built like tanks and if well cared for should last practically forever. Mine has an inboard well in the cockpit for an outboard to drop into but thats been sealed and the outboard mounted on the transom. Like the above poster i have an 8 hp and its more than adequate, at 30 pct throttle it will gradually slip through the water at 3-4 kts, sipping fuel. Doubling the throttle to 60 pct only bumps it up half a knot and is a waste of gas.

In that era columbia was shipping thousands of boats so the thing to watch for is how far along in the design the one you are looking at was made. Ie if they started shipping that model in 67 then a 69 would be a great boat, but a 75 would have a lot of defects. As long as your boat was made fairly early on then the mold would still be good and not have many glassed over defects that would effect performance.

For example my mk 2 is a 72, they started the model in 68. Mine sails like a tank points upwind great and tracks awesome, rudder grabs even at 50 deg heel. Another poster on here bought a brand new one off the line in 77 and found that the rudder didnt grab at high heel, it would track to leeward when sailing into the wind and he had problems with the deck to hull join leaking. Same boat model. Eventually the mold got so bad that they altered it and removed some of the finer design elements and made the col 26 k, theres one in the slip behind me and it looks like a peice of junk, much lower quality.

Point im trying to make is the fellow with the 77 and my boat were the same but later in the series defects gave him a vastly different boat in handling than mine 5 years older.

Also another thing to look at is the hull designer. Bill tripp made great boats some of the other designers that columbia used not so much. Look up the designer and see what people thought of their designs.

Hope this helps.

Also on the outboard/inboard topic the inboards are much more expensive to fixx, find parts for or replace. Ie if you get a 1969 boat with the original motor you are relying on a motor that is 40 years old. Not unlike with a car engine thats 40 years old you could end up on a quest for parts or a technician spending a lot longer to fumble around and figure out whats wrong. Hours with the mechanic = $$ and if you cant find it you could end up having to retrofit in a new engine.

[Ballenxj]

Thank you Mr-canada. The boat I was looking at is gone now, but this advice should carry over to any boat I look at.
-Bruce

[rat]

Hi Bruce:

I owned a 1969 Columbia 28 (hull# 359) for 18 years (1980-1998). During that period, I coastal cruised her all up and down the California coast and to all the Channel Islands. I lived aboard for more than 5 years and had thousands of hours operating time on her which I used for sea experience to obtain my 100 ton masters license in 1984.

Take it from me, the old "Artemisia" was built like a tank. Never had any structural, cosmetic or equipment problems-i.e. no blisters, no delamination, no anything! She sailed extremely well on a broad reach, but was also fairly fast close hauled. We once sailed her from Los Angeles Harbor's Angels Gate Light to Long Point, Catalina Island, on a beam reach, in just over 3 hours-that's averaging about 7.5-8.0 kts!

I was concerned about the external lead ballast since the keel bolts were regular steel and rusted where standing water in the bilge kept them wet. I put new stainless steel hardware on them. However, there were never any separation problems with the ballast or the rudder, even after I grounded her a couple of times at Catalina Island.

She had the original, reliable Atomic 4 inboard, which also never failed me, and only required periodic tune ups and oil changes. I replaced the original steel exhaust system with a new plastic tank unit which worked great. The old unit was clogged and caused water to back up into the head which damaged the valves. So, I did an easy valve job on her, in the boat, and off we went again.

I can't tell you how many wonderful times and great sails I had on the old girl. I single- handed her most of the time and she was a joy to sale. I would recommend that an extender be attached to the tiller and that you have an automatic pilot. Since she is a fin keel, spade rudder design, she will not hold a point of sail very long if you release the tiller to take a leak, etc. The rudder is hung in space with a single steel post, which can loosen up in the tube over time. Simple fix by replacing the gaskets. Also, I had to beef up the bronze tiller bracket for additional strength.

Overall, she was a great vessel, and roomy enough inside to be a comfortable environment for two large adults. We would provision with ample food stores, water and fuel, and take her cruising for 1-2 weeks at a time.

Overall, I would highly recommend a Columbia 28, MK II, especially now that you can pick one up for as low as $2,000.00. I paid $15,000 in 1980, and never regretted the decision-it was worth every penny.

I still miss her and dream more about her than any animate mistress that has crossed my path!

Feel free to contact me for additional information.

Good Sailing,

Joe Ratliff

[Ballenxj]

Thanks for the info Joe. As I mentioned above, the boat is no longer available, but I will try to keep your advice in mind for future possibilities.
-Bruce

[xeon_tsd]

I had a cousin of her.. a 27 Coranado for 5 years in SoCal. Lived on her, sailed her out to the islands. Moved from Santa Barabara to Marina del Rey. Great tough little boat. Ventured out in one storm (very stupidly), and she took alot more than I could. Alot to be said for those early overly built boats.

[Ballenxj]

Originally Posted by xeon_tsd

I had a cousin of her.. a 27 Coranado for 5 years in SoCal. Lived on her, sailed her out to the islands. Moved from Santa Barabara to Marina del Rey. Great tough little boat. Ventured out in one storm (very stupidly), and she took alot more than I could. Alot to be said for those early overly built boats.

Sounds like the Coronado goes on the list as well.
-Bruce

[deano555]

Originally Posted by rat

Hi Bruce:

I owned a 1969 Columbia 28 (hull# 359) for 18 years (1980-1998). During that period, I coastal cruised her all up and down the California coast and to all the Channel Islands. I lived aboard for more than 5 years and had thousands of hours operating time on her which I used for sea experience to obtain my 100 ton masters license in 1984.

Take it from me, the old "Artemisia" was built like a tank. Never had any structural, cosmetic or equipment problems-i.e. no blisters, no delamination, no anything! She sailed extremely well on a broad reach, but was also fairly fast close hauled. We once sailed her from Los Angeles Harbor's Angels Gate Light to Long Point, Catalina Island, on a beam reach, in just over 3 hours-that's averaging about 7.5-8.0 kts!

I was concerned about the external lead ballast since the keel bolts were regular steel and rusted where standing water in the bilge kept them wet. I put new stainless steel hardware on them. However, there were never any separation problems with the ballast or the rudder, even after I grounded her a couple of times at Catalina Island.

She had the original, reliable Atomic 4 inboard, which also never failed me, and only required periodic tune ups and oil changes. I replaced the original steel exhaust system with a new plastic tank unit which worked great. The old unit was clogged and caused water to back up into the head which damaged the valves. So, I did an easy valve job on her, in the boat, and off we went again.

I can't tell you how many wonderful times and great sails I had on the old girl. I single- handed her most of the time and she was a joy to sale. I would recommend that an extender be attached to the tiller and that you have an automatic pilot. Since she is a fin keel, spade rudder design, she will not hold a point of sail very long if you release the tiller to take a leak, etc. The rudder is hung in space with a single steel post, which can loosen up in the tube over time. Simple fix by replacing the gaskets. Also, I had to beef up the bronze tiller bracket for additional strength.

Overall, she was a great vessel, and roomy enough inside to be a comfortable environment for two large adults. We would provision with ample food stores, water and fuel, and take her cruising for 1-2 weeks at a time.

Overall, I would highly recommend a Columbia 28, MK II, especially now that you can pick one up for as low as $2,000.00. I paid $15,000 in 1980, and never regretted the decision-it was worth every penny.

I still miss her and dream more about her than any animate mistress that has crossed my path!

Feel free to contact me for additional information.

Good Sailing,

Joe Ratliff

I have a 1968 Columbia 28 and I was wondering if you had any idea what size, kind, and length lines I should buy if I'm replacing the lines on my boat? Thanks,

deano555

Originally Posted by rat

Hi Bruce:

I owned a 1969 Columbia 28 (hull# 359) for 18 years (1980-1998). During that period, I coastal cruised her all up and down the California coast and to all the Channel Islands. I lived aboard for more than 5 years and had thousands of hours operating time on her which I used for sea experience to obtain my 100 ton masters license in 1984.

Take it from me, the old "Artemisia" was built like a tank. Never had any structural, cosmetic or equipment problems-i.e. no blisters, no delamination, no anything! She sailed extremely well on a broad reach, but was also fairly fast close hauled. We once sailed her from Los Angeles Harbor's Angels Gate Light to Long Point, Catalina Island, on a beam reach, in just over 3 hours-that's averaging about 7.5-8.0 kts!

I was concerned about the external lead ballast since the keel bolts were regular steel and rusted where standing water in the bilge kept them wet. I put new stainless steel hardware on them. However, there were never any separation problems with the ballast or the rudder, even after I grounded her a couple of times at Catalina Island.

She had the original, reliable Atomic 4 inboard, which also never failed me, and only required periodic tune ups and oil changes. I replaced the original steel exhaust system with a new plastic tank unit which worked great. The old unit was clogged and caused water to back up into the head which damaged the valves. So, I did an easy valve job on her, in the boat, and off we went again.

I can't tell you how many wonderful times and great sails I had on the old girl. I single- handed her most of the time and she was a joy to sale. I would recommend that an extender be attached to the tiller and that you have an automatic pilot. Since she is a fin keel, spade rudder design, she will not hold a point of sail very long if you release the tiller to take a leak, etc. The rudder is hung in space with a single steel post, which can loosen up in the tube over time. Simple fix by replacing the gaskets. Also, I had to beef up the bronze tiller bracket for additional strength.

Overall, she was a great vessel, and roomy enough inside to be a comfortable environment for two large adults. We would provision with ample food stores, water and fuel, and take her cruising for 1-2 weeks at a time.

Overall, I would highly recommend a Columbia 28, MK II, especially now that you can pick one up for as low as $2,000.00. I paid $15,000 in 1980, and never regretted the decision-it was worth every penny.

I still miss her and dream more about her than any animate mistress that has crossed my path!

Feel free to contact me for additional information.

Good Sailing,

Joe Ratliff

Originally Posted by rat

Hi Bruce:

I owned a 1969 Columbia 28 (hull# 359) for 18 years (1980-1998). During that period, I coastal cruised her all up and down the California coast and to all the Channel Islands. I lived aboard for more than 5 years and had thousands of hours operating time on her which I used for sea experience to obtain my 100 ton masters license in 1984.

Take it from me, the old "Artemisia" was built like a tank. Never had any structural, cosmetic or equipment problems-i.e. no blisters, no delamination, no anything! She sailed extremely well on a broad reach, but was also fairly fast close hauled. We once sailed her from Los Angeles Harbor's Angels Gate Light to Long Point, Catalina Island, on a beam reach, in just over 3 hours-that's averaging about 7.5-8.0 kts!

I was concerned about the external lead ballast since the keel bolts were regular steel and rusted where standing water in the bilge kept them wet. I put new stainless steel hardware on them. However, there were never any separation problems with the ballast or the rudder, even after I grounded her a couple of times at Catalina Island.

She had the original, reliable Atomic 4 inboard, which also never failed me, and only required periodic tune ups and oil changes. I replaced the original steel exhaust system with a new plastic tank unit which worked great. The old unit was clogged and caused water to back up into the head which damaged the valves. So, I did an easy valve job on her, in the boat, and off we went again.

I can't tell you how many wonderful times and great sails I had on the old girl. I single- handed her most of the time and she was a joy to sale. I would recommend that an extender be attached to the tiller and that you have an automatic pilot. Since she is a fin keel, spade rudder design, she will not hold a point of sail very long if you release the tiller to take a leak, etc. The rudder is hung in space with a single steel post, which can loosen up in the tube over time. Simple fix by replacing the gaskets. Also, I had to beef up the bronze tiller bracket for additional strength.

Overall, she was a great vessel, and roomy enough inside to be a comfortable environment for two large adults. We would provision with ample food stores, water and fuel, and take her cruising for 1-2 weeks at a time.

Overall, I would highly recommend a Columbia 28, MK II, especially now that you can pick one up for as low as $2,000.00. I paid $15,000 in 1980, and never regretted the decision-it was worth every penny.

I still miss her and dream more about her than any animate mistress that has crossed my path!

Feel free to contact me for additional information.

Good Sailing,

Joe Ratliff

Originally Posted by rat

Hi Bruce:

I owned a 1969 Columbia 28 (hull# 359) for 18 years (1980-1998). During that period, I coastal cruised her all up and down the California coast and to all the Channel Islands. I lived aboard for more than 5 years and had thousands of hours operating time on her which I used for sea experience to obtain my 100 ton masters license in 1984.

Take it from me, the old "Artemisia" was built like a tank. Never had any structural, cosmetic or equipment problems-i.e. no blisters, no delamination, no anything! She sailed extremely well on a broad reach, but was also fairly fast close hauled. We once sailed her from Los Angeles Harbor's Angels Gate Light to Long Point, Catalina Island, on a beam reach, in just over 3 hours-that's averaging about 7.5-8.0 kts!

I was concerned about the external lead ballast since the keel bolts were regular steel and rusted where standing water in the bilge kept them wet. I put new stainless steel hardware on them. However, there were never any separation problems with the ballast or the rudder, even after I grounded her a couple of times at Catalina Island.

She had the original, reliable Atomic 4 inboard, which also never failed me, and only required periodic tune ups and oil changes. I replaced the original steel exhaust system with a new plastic tank unit which worked great. The old unit was clogged and caused water to back up into the head which damaged the valves. So, I did an easy valve job on her, in the boat, and off we went again.

I can't tell you how many wonderful times and great sails I had on the old girl. I single- handed her most of the time and she was a joy to sale. I would recommend that an extender be attached to the tiller and that you have an automatic pilot. Since she is a fin keel, spade rudder design, she will not hold a point of sail very long if you release the tiller to take a leak, etc. The rudder is hung in space with a single steel post, which can loosen up in the tube over time. Simple fix by replacing the gaskets. Also, I had to beef up the bronze tiller bracket for additional strength.

Overall, she was a great vessel, and roomy enough inside to be a comfortable environment for two large adults. We would provision with ample food stores, water and fuel, and take her cruising for 1-2 weeks at a time.

Overall, I would highly recommend a Columbia 28, MK II, especially now that you can pick one up for as low as $2,000.00. I paid $15,000 in 1980, and never regretted the decision-it was worth every penny.

I still miss her and dream more about her than any animate mistress that has crossed my path!

Feel free to contact me for additional information.

Good Sailing,

Joe Ratliff