Columbia 45 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used brokerage market for a Columbia 45 means looking at one of 180 center-cockpit motorsailers that Columbia Yachts built between 1971 and 1976, designed by Bill Tripp Jr. as a deck-saloon-style cruiser well ahead of its time. These are solid fiberglass hulls with iron keels and a reputation among owners for being heavy, stout, and dry even in blue water, which makes them a credible candidate for a buyer who wants volume and passage-making ability rather than speed. Most used Columbia 45s are in the United States.
Layouts on the Used Market
The 45 came as either a masthead sloop or a masthead ketch, and the ketch carries about 10% more sail area but performs about the same as the sloop; the ketch's aft stateroom berth is interrupted by the mizzen mast stepping on the rudder skeg. Both deep fin (7'3" draft) and long shoal fin (5'3" draft) keels exist, the shoal drawing less but weighing 2,000 lbs more for a 46% ballast ratio versus 41%. The raised saloon was often left unfitted by the factory, so layouts vary by owner—some added an interior helm with wheel and instruments. Below you get two staterooms and two heads, many with dual showers, a wraparound galley, and an aft owner's stateroom taking nearly a third of the interior volume. Earlier boats have aluminum-rimmed clear portlights; later ones moved to smoked glass and flush plexiglass, sometimes with a stripe aft of the lights.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
On the used market these boats commonly carry an inverter, furling main, hot water, bimini, dodger, dinghy davits, radar, and chartplotter, which together mean a buyer can expect a functioning modern navigation and shelter setup without immediate outlay. Often-seen additions include a freezer and autopilot, useful for extended cruising but worth verifying the compressor and drive condition. A hard dodger was a factory option, and many owners have already added opening portlights or dorade vents to address the original fixed-glass ventilation limits. The factory fitted a single small wheel in the center cockpit and only two sheet winches, so any added winches will be owner work elsewhere.
What to Inspect
The plywood sandwich above the keel is the known weak point, sitting in the bilge where it is prone to rot, and the steel keel bolts passing through it should be checked for corrosion where they meet the hull and the interior steel channel. The diesel tanks were glassed in place and are nearly impossible to remove without cutting, so survey the aluminum tank for interior condition rather than assuming replacement is easy. Inspect electrical systems and tankage closely, and examine the bolts at the mast bases—keel-stepped on the sloop and mizzen stepped on the skeg for the ketch. One boat lost its forestay in 30 knots with no mast damage after an emergency stay, but that argues for rigging scrutiny, not leniency. The galley sink drains poorly to starboard under sail.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats turn up in the United States, and a buyer should plan around the following:
- Confirm keel-bolt and plywood-sandwich condition; budget for potential rot repair
- Verify diesel tank integrity given the glassed-in placement
- Check mast-base bolts and electrical panel outboard of the companionway
- Assess ventilation upgrades already made for equatorial comfort
- Decide sloop versus ketch based on berth interruption and rig handling preference
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Columbia 45. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 2 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $10,000 | — |
| Apr 26 | 4 | $32,000 | +220.0% |
Where they're listed
Columbia 45 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 4.
Country view
4 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $32,000 | 4 | 0 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
3 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Island Packet 45 | 45.25' | $ 135,000 | 16 | 6 |
| Catalina Morgan 45 | 45.25' | $ 40,000 | 11 | 9 |
| Columbia 45You are here | — | $ 32,000 | 4 | 0 |