Design and Construction
Crealock's hull is a recreational keelboat built predominantly of fiberglass with wood trim, carrying a slightly raked stem and a nearly-plumb transom. The standard keel model draws 3 feet 2 inches on a fixed fin keel with an internally mounted spade rudder on a tiller, while a shoal-keel version reduces draft to 2 feet 6 inches and a centerboard model spans 2 feet 6 inches up to 4 feet 10 inches down; the stub-keel-and-centerboard variant was produced only in small numbers. At 2,200 pounds displacement with 1,006 pounds of iron ballast in the standard boat, her 50-percent ballast ratio is what the builder cited to keep her stiff and dry, and test sailors found the cast-iron keel, properly faired, added measurably to race-course performance. Boats from 1970 onward carry different hatch locations and an outboard motor well, a detail that separates later production from the earliest hulls.
Rig and Handling
The Columbia 22 is a masthead sloop with 232 square feet of sail and a vertical clearance of 30 feet 4 inches. Roller reefing on the main was advertised as giving all the sail control needed without crew gymnastics. With a PHRF average handicap of 186, the boat's long waterline and low wetted surface led testers to judge her fast relative to her competitors in the small-racer class, and her light displacement makes her an agile club racer. One practical caveat noted by reviewers is that the fin keel and draft of over three feet might give problems at the launch ramp when trailering.
Accommodations
Below, the standard layout provides a double V-berth in the bow cabin, two straight settees in the main cabin, and a dinette table combined with one of the settees — though the dinette measures less than 30 inches wide, comfortable for two and not four. The galley sits on the starboard side just forward of the companionway ladder and is equipped with a stove, ice box, and sink; an optional head is tucked under the bow V-berth. Headroom is a modest 4 feet 7 inches and water capacity is 12 gallons. Not every hull matches this plan: one owner's 1976 Australian-built example has a V-berth and two benches, a simple door instead of a sliding hatch or pop-top, a baby forward hatch only a child could enter for jib storage, no kitchen, no water, no sink, and a removed center toilet — a reminder that not all Columbia 22s were the same.
Known Issues
The principal used-market anomaly is structural incompleteness from kit assembly. A number of boats were offered in kit form under the Sailcrafter Custom Yachts label for amateur building, and some finished examples on the market show aberrations such as no sliding main hatch or no outboard well where a home builder chose to omit that part. A specific surveyed hull (number 75) shows no cockpit hatches and no engine well, confirming the pattern. The deep fin keel also poses trailering friction at the ramp.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership considerations begin with the three-keel-choice reality: a buyer may encounter the standard fin, the shoal, or the rare centerboard model, each with different grounding and trailer behavior. Original sails survive on some early hulls, and the large self-bailing cockpit is a period selling point. Because some kit boats lack the outboard well, verifying the auxiliary mounting arrangement against the 1970-and-later standard is a sensible ownership check before committing to a motor.
The Verdict
The Columbia 22 is a thoughtfully proportioned Crealock racer-cruiser whose long waterline and low wetted surface deliver surprising speed for 22 feet, wrapped in a four-berth interior that punches above its headroom. The kit-built lineage means a careful hull-specific survey is non-negotiable, but a properly completed example remains a tidy, trailerable club boat.
Pros
- Long waterline and low wetted surface yield fast relative performance (PHRF 186)
- 50% ballast ratio keeps her stiff and dry under sail
- Four-berth layout with galley and optional head in a trailerable package
- Three keel options suit different cruising and launching needs
Cons
- Under-30-inch dinette seats two, not four as berth count implies
- Fin keel over 3 feet complicates launch-ramp trailering
- Kit-built examples may lack sliding hatch or outboard well
- 4 feet 7 inches headroom limits standing comfort below
