Design and Construction
The Columbia 32 is a monohull of fiberglass construction with wood trim. She shows a raked stem and an angled transom, with a fixed fin keel and a skeg-mounted rudder controlled by a tiller. At 32.08 feet overall and 26.50 feet on the waterline, with a beam of 9.50 feet, she displaces 9,450 pounds and carries 4,040 pounds of ballast, giving a moderate displacement-to-length character suited to coastal cruising rather than all-out speed. The hull speed of 6.9 knots reflects that modest waterline length.
Rig and Handling
She is rigged as a masthead sloop with a Bermuda rig, carrying a total sail area of 515.29 square feet split between a 222-square-foot mainsail and a 293.29-square-foot jib or genoa. The foretriangle measures 42.20 feet in height with a 13.90-foot base, while the mainsail luff is 37.00 feet and foot 12.00 feet. The skeg-hung rudder under tiller control, paired with the fin keel, gives predictable steering character for a boat of this size, and the 5.50-foot draft with the standard keel keeps her manageable in shallow anchorages without resorting to a centerboard arrangement.
Accommodations
Below decks the main salon is arranged around a folding, drop-down table flanked by two settees that convert into upper and lower pilot berths, a flexible layout for a 32-footer that lets the cabin serve both as daytime living space and overnight sleeping quarters. The galley is fitted with a 75-pound-capacity icebox and a stainless steel sink, and the head is fully enclosed—a notable privacy feature in a boat of this length where many contemporaries used curtained quarter berths. With 50 gallons of fresh water capacity, the interior supports short coastal cruises without constant tank-watching.
Propulsion and Tankage
The boat is fitted with a gasoline inboard motor turning a two-bladed bronze propeller, a period-correct choice rather than the diesel many later boats adopted. The fuel tank holds 20 U.S. gallons, which pairs with the 50-gallon water tank to define her self-sufficiency envelope on the hook. The bronze prop and modest tankage suit a boat whose design brief was weekend and coastal use rather than long-range passage-making.
The Verdict
The Columbia 32 is a compact, thoughtfully laid-out cruiser from a respected design hand, offering a tiller-steered fin-keel hull with a practical interior and a straightforward rig. Her short production run and multiple badge-engineered siblings make her a recognizable but not common sight, and the gasoline inboard is a consideration for modern buyers used to diesel.
Pros
- Enclosed head and convertible pilot-berth settees maximize a 32-foot interior
- Tripp-designed masthead sloop rig with sensible 515 sq ft of sail
- Skeg-mounted rudder and fin keel with 5.5-foot draft for balance of control and access
Cons
- Gasoline inboard rather than diesel, with only 20 gallons fuel capacity
- Brief two-year production with just 80 built limits fleet size and spares commonality
- Icebox-based galley cooling instead of modern refrigeration as standard
