Columbia 26 MKII vs Coronado 27 performance comparisons

[Chinook92]

Hey guys, I got one for yalls.

I am in the market for a roomy, not so big, cheap sailboat for cruising the San Juan's, and getting my wife reacquainted with sailing, with enough room the the kid and dog, if need be. I've seen some good deals in Craigslist, such as a pearson ariel for 1800, a Santana 25-2 diesel for 2250, i even kniw a guy who got a catalina 27 for 400$ and plenty of other far superior.boats for the money, however, the boat that consistently comes up in an affordable price range, and seems that there is always one available, is the good old Columbia 26 mk2.


I fully understand they are not heavy duty cruising boats, or race winning speed demons, they aren't made as well as some boats, but, I've never heard anything bad about them, and it seems alot of people have a soft spot in their hearts for the bill trip bubble top, and I can see why, plenty of room, a huge boat for 26 feet. I also understand the iron keel, and how they tend to lose directional stability in high wind, and that you either suffer with a wet cockpit the to the motor well, or an outboard that Bob's in and out if the water in any swell. To me, they seem to be the 1990s Ford Explorer of the Sea, a general purpose go alot of places, do alot of things, not particularly well, but enough to get you from the campground to soccer.practice, not with quite the attitude or fervour as say my lifted Wrangler, but enough to get you away from cell signal for a weekend

I posted a Craigslist add looking for a mk2, and a chap emailed me back saying he has a Coronado 27. From what I can tell, it is 6"-1' longer, has a different cabin top, no motor well, transom hung outboard (hobby horse issues?), and displaces about 300-400 more lbs, but is otherwise the same boat.

Will those subtle differences in boat length, resulting in extra displacement, help remedy some of the Columbia 26mk2s issues?

Will it even make a difference?

[fstbttms]

FYI- you are not married to having the outboard in a well. In fact, it's a noisy PITA having it there. I had a Columbia 22 and after living with the outboard in the well for a year, I mounted it on a transom bracket. MUCH quieter there and no more lifting it in or out of the well to stow it. Yes, it is weight in the worst place, but everything is a compromise.

[roverhi]

The engine in a well does keep the prop in the water when there are waves. On a bracket off the stern, the motor can be totally useless with prop coming out of the water. Was a bit of a pain to pull the 9hp motor and stow it in the locker.

Bought a Columbia 26 Mark II in Honolulu back in the early '70s. Boat pounded badly going to weather crossing the channels and eventually broke the tabbing loose on the forward bulkheads.

Boat had serious control problems in the gusty winds off HNL with the main up. Gust would hit, boat would heel, rudder would stall resulting in an uncontrolled round up. Could never sail close to another boat with the main up for fear of going out of control. Nearly rammed a gold plater that I sailed by to have a close look. After that regularly sailed without the main. The roller reefing boom was partly to blame for the mainsail issues as could only get a time consuming baggy reef with it. This was before slab reefing became popular. With slab reefing you could get a decently flat reefed sail and maybe cut down on the heeling/rudder stall roundups.

Sailed the crap out of that boat. Every weekend and usually a day during the week off Waikiki and to Molokai or Maui on long weekends. Half lived aboard between the boat and VW camper. Roomy boat below for a 26 footer which was the reason I bought it. Sold it for what I paid for it and moved up. Cantankerous handling of the fin keel 26 and floppy bulkheads was part of the reason I chose a Westsail 32 to take to SoPac. Personally would look at other boats in that size range but it served me well and I had a great time sailing it.

[Butler]

I'm with Roverhi. Sailed on one a few times and similar control issues. That owner put a skeg on wherethe rudder was and fitted an outboard rudder on the stern. Never sailed that version but he claimed it made all ther difference in the world.

[Chinook92]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

FYI- you are not married to having the outboard in a well. In fact, it's a noisy PITA having it there. I had a Columbia 22 and after living with the outboard in the well for a year, I mounted it on a transom bracket. MUCH quieter there and no more lifting it in or out of the well to stow it. Yes, it is weight in the worst place, but everything is a compromise.

Honestly, I could care less about the noise. Or smell. Or any engine factors whatsoever. I'm a marine diesel mechanic, so, a 8hp outboard just isnt something i notice, besides im usually too busy with a dark 'n' stormy, a fatty, and the stereo cranking out reggae as loud as it will go, living out my own jimmy buffet/bob marey/seafairing rastafarian fantasy. and I have a cal-20 with a well. I've had boats without a well before, and I definitely prefer having one over a bracket on the ass end. Makes the boat cleaner looking from a distance too, hiding the motor definitely gives it more of a yachty look, and is inherently safer than hanging over the stern, especially extended single handing trips, and performance wise, it puts the propellor in the proper location where it will be the most effective.

[fstbttms]

Yeah, but leaving the motor in the well is slow as hell and both the boats you're talking about need all the help they can get.

[Cheechako]

What's your budget? Either of those boats are not high on the list in my opinion. Some Cat 27's are cheap. Some even have inboard diesels.
Up here you want a reliable easy to use engine. In the summer you will be a motor boat a lot. And then there are the currents....

[Cheechako]

There's a Cascade 29 with diesel in Gig Harbour for $4000 asking
cal-2-29 diesel 1978 - $7000 asking

[Chinook92]

Yeah, I'm well aware of the tides and currents, and diesel is by far the best way to go. I might be able to come up with 3500-3000$. I know the diesel option is out there, and if I could find one, with out a doubt that's the route I'd go. I've had quite a few encounters in the tides when I had my San Juan 21 fixed keel with a 4hp yammy, brand new engine, so 110% reliable, but that wasn't much against any tide rips. Had a motor fall off in the middle of the night trying to get back to town and ended up drifting around out by vendovi/cypress all night till the tide change...

[Cheechako]

My first boat was a SJ 21 MKII. Nothing wrong with an outboard on a smaller boat like that, yes not as good or comforting as the diesel.
There should be some bargains around in your size, take your time and find the right one.
My buddy used to have a Chrysler 26 that was a great boat, roomy, stout, outboard motor and nice and stiff in a breeze although it had a swing keel. Often come with a trailer too for under $3000

[Scout 30]

Here's a few the you might want to check out. I'd look at the Cascade first. Remember, these are just asking prices. As with any boat just remember, the price of admission is the cheap part.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/5661258984.html
https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/boa/5654536368.html
https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/boa/5662815836.html
https://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/5629104615.html

[Chinook92]

i appreciate the input


However, i think you are missing my points


i didn't say i was going to buy either a columbia or coronado, i said that seems to be the boat that is consistently the most available

i was wondering how the two models handle

i am aware there are better boats out there

i do not care about other boats

because

my purpose in making this thread is because i had a general curiosity in whether or not the differences in the two boats were of any noticeable performance gains. it is merely a technical question regarding two similar, yet different boats made off the same hull with slight differences

nothing more

other than that, well, yeah.....................

[Scout 30]

While it's true that there tend to be more cheaply built boats available due to their original price point I doubt that either of these models is the most "available" or common boats in the market. If you mean that these are the most common boats listed for under $2,000 then that may be closer to the mark but I still doubt it.

I would caution that concentrating on the cheapest purchase price you can find indicates a lack of understanding regarding the true costs of boat ownership. The cheapest boat you can find will invariably be the most expensive boat to own. These are rapidly depreciating assets & the only thing that slows that depreciation is constant maintenance & updates. The cheapest boat you can find will not have experienced that maintenance and updating which is why it's so cheap. Much better to find a boat that has been well maintained & updated because for every dollar you spend on maintenance & updates you get only a small fraction back. When you buy a boat that has been well maintained & updated the seller eats the depreciation of those costs. When you buy a cheap boat that needs repairs & updates due to a lack of maintenance you may spend less up front but will have to bear 100% of the cost of the repairs & updates which, in the long run, will cost you much more.

In addition a small step up in price could be a significant step up in quality. This will directly relate to a significant increase in the enjoyment you get from utilizing the boat which is what this is all really about.

[Chinook92]

again. can anybody answer my question about the PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO MODELS, because i would like to know, just for the halibut.

this is like talking about cars, and asking for the subtle differences between a VW beetle, and a Super Beetle, and having some ignoramus tell you to go buy a dodge pickup truck......




yeah i am well aware of the "true cost of boat ownership"


i am a marine diesel mechanic and i fix yachts for a living. i work on a boat every day of the week. i send people bills for the "true cost of boat ownership"

the "true cost of boat ownership" is my profession

so far, i think only one person has replied to my post with any experience with the columbia 26 and i would like to thank them for it.

everybody else.... go clean a bilge

[captmikem]

Many many years ago I cruised the Bahamas and keys in a Columbia 26 Mk ii with my wife 2 dogs, 2 parrots and no engine. It was a great time, taught me to sail better, and was an adventure. That little boat will take a lot and bring you home.simple easy boat.

Michael