Design and Construction
The Columbia 36 has a beam of 10 feet 6 inches, a 28-foot-3-inch waterline, and 12,000 pounds of displacement; the later MkII was listed at 13,200 pounds. It carries 5,000 pounds of lead ballast and a modest sail area of 557 square feet. Crealock’s original thinking for the underbody was unconventional. The first boats carried something like a Scheel keel to provide shoal draft, but Crealock had misgivings about it. He agreed to the design only on the understanding that Columbia would fit a more traditional profile if the keel failed. The Scheel-style keel didn’t work very well, and Columbia replaced it with a traditional design after building fewer than 50 boats.
By January 1970, Columbia brochures showed an inverted shark-fin keel with 5 feet 3 inches of draft. The resulting divided underbody has a swept-back fin resembling an inverted shark’s dorsal fin, with a skeg leading to a spade rudder. The propeller shaft emerges at the aft end of the skeg, above and aft of the rudder and nearer the surface than one might expect.
Structurally, Columbia used what it called a unitized interior. A fiberglass pan forms the engine beds, stringers, and furniture foundations, then is tabbed to the hull with wet fiberglass. Teak trim is screwed into place. The deck is cored, and a molded headliner was glassed in to finish the interior.
The hull-to-deck joint is unusual. It incorporates a double-channel length of aluminum into which the hull and deck flanges are fitted. Because aluminum has little springback, a collision with a piling could permanently dent the channel and lead to difficult leaks. Early Columbias came with a two-year warranty, and the basic structure was reasonably sound.
Rig, Sailing, and Power
The rig is small for a boat of this size, and the standard sloop doesn’t carry much sail. One reader noted that the spar doesn’t bend much to optimize sail shape. A tall-boy mast was optional, as was—surprisingly—a yawl rig. Columbia also offered a trim tab on the keel’s trailing edge to improve control off the wind.
Readers generally rated the boat’s sailing performance as average upwind and above average off the wind. Its PHRF is around 162, though owners have reported annoying weather helm.
Most boats were fitted with a 30-hp Atomic 4 gasoline engine and carry 29 gallons of fuel. Several readers complained that the engine doesn’t move the boat quickly, reporting speeds of about five knots.
Cockpit and Accommodations
The layout is typical of its era, with a V-berth forward, a U-shaped dinette amidships, and quarter berths aft. The most unusual feature is the chart table opposite the head. This arrangement sacrifices some symmetry but makes room for two quarter berths instead of one.
Readers say the boat sleeps an honest six, and listed headroom is 6 feet 3 inches. The long cockpit also receives high marks from owners, who report that it doesn’t feel crowded even with a crew of eight.
The sideboard galley is less successful. It puts the cook in the path of cabin traffic, and the sink may have trouble draining on port tack.
Known Issues
Practical Sailor’s file includes complaints of deck delamination, along with leaks around the windows and at the hull-to-deck joint. The companionway hatch also needs a sea hood; one owner described the hatch as a joke. Ventilation is inadequate.
Although the unitized fiberglass pan contributes to the boat’s basic structure, it limits customization and restricts access to parts of the hull. It also tends to make the interior noisier and damper. Engine access is particularly poor: one owner said there wasn’t even enough room to check the oil.
The mainsheet and wheel are also poorly located. Although the brochure describes the keels as lead, at least one reader reported that his boat had an iron keel.
Ownership, Refits, and Specific Details
One Columbia 36, Foolish Dreamer, completed a solo circumnavigation between 1983 and 1986. A reader also called the Columbia 36 the most underrated boat on the market and said it could be bought at bargain rates.
For owners working on the steering system, the rudder bushing measures about 2-7/16 inch inner diameter and 2-5/8 outer, and is slightly less than 4 inches tall. It appears to be nylon, with a matching washer beneath the bearing and another atop the tube under the quadrant. The bushing may originally have measured 2-3/8 inch before wear.
On at least one boat, the hull plate is in the head. It’s visible when seated and turned 90 degrees to the right.
The Verdict
The Columbia 36 is a Crealock design with real substance beneath its era-specific quirks. Once the unsuccessful Scheel-style keel was abandoned, the boat had a quick, offshore-capable profile, a sound pan-built hull, and a genuinely sociable cockpit.
Poor ventilation, troublesome leaks, and a cramped engine bay count against it. Still, the Columbia 36 may suit a buyer who values cabin volume and a proven bluewater record more than polished details.
Pros
- Inverted shark-fin keel and skeg-spade rudder provide a capable divided underbody
- Long cockpit comfortably seats eight
- Sleeps six, with two quarter berths
- Unitized fiberglass pan contributed to a sound early structure backed by a two-year warranty
- Documented solo circumnavigation
- Praised by one owner as underrated
Cons
- Very poor engine access and limited access to parts of the hull
- Reported leaks at the windows and hull-to-deck joint
- Deck delamination reported
- Small rig and annoying weather helm
- 30-hp Atomic 4 reported to deliver only about five knots
- Inadequate ventilation
- Poorly located mainsheet and wheel
