Columbia 22 Buyer's Guide
Shopping for a used Columbia 22 means entering a market of 1,541 boats built by Columbia Yachts in the United States from 1966 through 1972, with additional licensed construction abroad such as a 1976 hull finished in Melbourne by a company called International. William Crealock's 22-foot design was a light-displacement midget ocean racer that later spawned the Coronado 23, and amateur builders could buy kits branded Sailcrafter Custom Yachts — a fact that directly shapes what a buyer inspects today.
Layouts on the Used Market
Three underwater profiles exist: the standard fixed fin keel at 3 feet 2 inches draft, a shoal keel at 2 feet 6 inches, and a centerboard model (2 feet 6 inches up, 4 feet 10 inches down) built only in small numbers. Boats from 1970 and later carry different hatch locations and a factory outboard motor well, whereas earlier hulls and some kit completions do not. Below, the typical plan gives a bow double V-berth, two main-cabin settees with one forming a sub-30-inch dinette, a starboard galley with stove, ice box, and sink, and an optional head under the V-berth. Kit boats vary: one Australian hull shows a simple door instead of a sliding hatch, a child-sized forward jib hatch, no sink or water, and a removed toilet — so layout promises should be verified hull by hull.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
The boat was delivered with outboard auxiliary power and a masthead sloop rig of 232 square feet carrying roller reefing on the main. For a buyer, the consequential equipment clusters around power and sail handling: the outboard well presence (factory from 1970) determines motor mounting, and original sails on low-hour hulls avoid immediate replacement. Navigation and comfort items in the used fleet are owner-dependent rather than standard, so judge each boat on its own canvas, galley completeness, and head fit rather than assuming a uniform spec.
What to Inspect
Because kits were sold for amateur completion, some used boats show omissions where a builder skipped a step. Reviewers noted that some Columbia 22s may lack a sliding main hatch or outboard well as a result of home construction choices, and a surveyed hull (number 75) confirms no cockpit hatches and no engine well. Separately, the fin keel and draft over three feet can complicate launch-ramp trailering, so check keel integrity and the ramp geometry you'll use. Verify the companionway arrangement matches the later standard if an outboard well matters to your setup.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Columbia 22s appear across the used market wherever licensed and domestic production circulated, with no regional concentration stated beyond the known US and Australian builds. Before you buy: confirm keel type and centerboard function if fitted; verify outboard well and hatch configuration against the 1970 change; inspect for kit-omission gaps like missing sliding hatch; check fin-keel fairness for performance; and validate the four-berth galley-head layout is intact on the specific hull.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Columbia 22. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 1 | $2,500 | — |
Where they're listed
Columbia 22 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 1.
Country view
1 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $2,500 | 1 | 0 | 100.0% |