A Hughes-Columbia 36 cc (HC36) is
not a
Columbia. I own one. It points quite well to
weather for a shoal
draft owing to the modified fin
keel. There are no
steel structural members.
The design is a Bill Tripp flush
deck stemming back to his flush-deck designs of the 50s and 60s. It was first produced by California's Coronado as the Coronado 35 (C35) from 1971 to 1975. Coronado produced it and the identical stretched C41 to compete in the cruiser category with
Morgan Out Islands and the Westsails. C35s are found from
California to
Sea of Cortez to Central and
South America. Some are in the
Caribbean. A Spanish company built them in the later 70s in
Barcelona and they are widely seen in the
Med. Columbia acquired the Coronado name plate in 1975 but never produced this boat.
Hughes Boatworks of
Ontario bought Columbia in 1979 and became (for 3 years) the largest production boat
builder in North America.
Hughes renamed itself Hughes Columbia. Hughes built Fatty Goodlander's S&S designed Hughes 38. Hughes built the HC36 between 1980 and 1982 which Hughes Columbia went bankrupt in the financial crises of the early 80s (high interest rates) which wiped out the sailboat production industry in
Ontario. HC36s are found mostly in the
Great Lakes as they were made in Ontario. I do know of 2 in the Gulf and 1 which was a
liveaboard for 10 years in
Bahamas and
Cuba. The boat was also produced with other modifications as the Watkins 36 with centre and aft
cockpit models.
The Hughes-Columbia differs from the Coronado 35 in a number of significant ways:
1. HC36 has a 6800 lb lead
keel, C35 has a 4800 lb iron keel
2. HC36 displaces 15,500 lb vs C35's 13,000 lb
3. HC36 is 35'10"
LOA, 6" longer than C35 allowing for a 6' x 1.3' x 2' lazarette. HC36 also has a bow
anchor locker.
4. HC standing
rigging is beefier at 1/4 side stays and 9/32 fore and aft.
5. HC36 is solid glass
hull 3/8'-1/2' below waterline and 3/8" to
deck; C35 is I believe cored;
6. HC36 came with
3GM30 engines, 44 gal s/s
fuel tank vs. 22hp Albin and 25 gal tank for C35
7. HC36 came only in a
sloop rig vs. C35 almost all had
ketch rigs;
8. HC36 has a 4 foot draft and the C35 came in 2 versions 5'6" and 4'6" but the
rudder unfortunately was about 5' deep (is slightly less than 4' on the HC36.)
9. HC36 has
hydraulic steering.
The
engine is housed directly below the
center cockpit and the
fuel tank is directly above the
engine. Access is by all four sides and there is at least 6" above the engine below the
fuel tank. Everything is highly accessible on the HC36 including the
rudder post stuffing box. The HC36 has non-motorized bullet proof
hydraulic steering and installing a hydraulic below deck
autopilot is easy. The
steering column is directly above the engine and directly by the
electrical panels. This boat is really an easy boat to
work on. You can access everything easily.
The
bilge is shallow being a 4 foot draft and the 55gal fibreglassed (done properly)
water tank is below the v-berth in the fore
cabin. The 30 gal fibreglass
holding tank is below the port settee.
Headroom is 6' + from bow to stern. The berths are full sized and the vberth is one of the largest I have seen. There is also a fully separate aft
cabin with a huge (larger than queen sized) berth. Both cabins have large hanging lockers, and drawers. Below both berths are more lockers. The
head is adult sized. There is
storage beneath the starboard settee and at the bow and stern extreme ends of the cabins beneath the lazarette and bow
anchor locker (the fore end being where I am installing a chain locker.)
The boat is heavily built. The deck-stepped
mast and boom are truly overbuilt. The deck is alternating 6" stripping of solid fibreglass and balsa cored fibreglass. The areas around my deck hatches leaked badly but fortunately the
water damage was limited limited to the 6 inch stip and the water did not migrate any further. The outer 3" of deck by the gunwales are solid fibreglass also so that the stanchions and
cleats through bolt to backers on solid glass.
The chainplates run thrudeck perpendiuclar to the gunwales and attach to the
hull by four bolts each (5/16") 4" long into 4" by 4" fibreglassed boxes glassed integrally to the hull with ply coring through which the bolts run. I removed all my tangs and was happy to see that there was absolutely no play in any of the bolts. The assembly is concealed by some
teak boxes which can be easily taken apart.
The centre
cockpit design affords a huge
interior for a 36 footer. The centre cockpit is also really nice for cruising. Visibility is great. The footwell is small but seating is expansive. The seats are long enough for sleeping on. The
wheel comes off easily for storing away when at
anchor.
The flush decks are great to move around on. The draw back is that you cannot run your main
halyard to the cockpit easily. The
mast is so close that I have not bothered trying.
The boat does have a high freeboard. That and the centre cockpit keep you very dry. Pros and cons for high freeboard. Con is that combined with the skeg-hung rudder (hinged 6" above the bottom) means steerage can be "interesting" in tight quarters when windy. Sailing, I have never noticed any problem. The boat cuts through the waves and doesn’t
pump. I generally sail in lighter airs and have a 155
genoa. The boat starts to move and accelerates quickly in over 7-8 knots and on all points. I was happy with how high she points. However, less than 7 knots and I am motoring. In 10 knots + she moves. Other owners in the Gulf and
Great Lakes tell me the boat
sails really well in heavier winds and waves. The HC36 has a cruising rig and the mast is only 40' above deck with
single spreaders. While it is not a
racer, the HC36 is also not
tender.
I don’t know if this is a boat for sailing the
south pacific. I do know the HC36 and its’ C35 cousins are sailing the
Caribbean, the
Med and the Pacific coast down to
South America.
Some of the HC36's numbers are:
motion comfort - 36
hull speed - 7.1 knots
stability - 1.63
D/L - 315
To me, the HC 36's livability, accessibility, affordability and cruising performance make this a beauty in my eyes. The shoal draft is also suitable for my goals of island hopping the Caribbean and maybe coastal cruising the Med. I don't think the draft is necessarily a deal breaker. The
Island Packet SP Cruiser and 370 are 4' drafts also. It is worth a look.
Hughes Columbia 36 centre cockpit
Linear Mode
Recent Discussions