Design and Construction
Tripp's hull carries 32,000 pounds of displacement on a 33-foot-3-inch waterline, with 14,600 pounds of lead ballast fixed low in a solid fiberglass shell. Because fiberglass boat building was new in the mid-sixties, boats of this era were usually overbuilt by today's standards, and the Columbia 50 is no exception anchor. She was built predominantly by Columbia Yachts in California as a classic fiberglass monohull, and the solid laminate below the waterline reflects the conservative practice of the day. The Sailcrafter kit version, offered by Columbia under that name from 1971 to 1974, added an extra skeg between the keel and the spade rudder — a detail absent from the standard production hull.
Rig and Handling
The original design was a masthead sloop carrying roughly 977 square feet of sail, though the boat was also offered as a yawl, schooner, and even a custom-rigged variant. A lean racer-cruiser by nature, she won the 1966 Newport to Ensenada race against a fleet of over 500 boats anchor, and owners today report that she performs about like a modern boat and is happy racing locally or venturing offshore. The custom Intermezzo, built from the same molds for John Hall as his second 50-foot Columbia, carried a much taller rig, a mizzen, a bowsprit to extend the foretriangle, and a larger-than-normal rudder — a reminder that the platform accepted considerable experimentation. Steve and Linda Dashew owned Intermezzo and circumnavigated in her, and Torben Grael also kept a Columbia 50 among his boats.
Accommodations
Below, the layout is generous for seven. A master stateroom sits forward with two heads in that same forward area, while a second stateroom aft supplements three settee berths in a large saloon. The central living space holds a dinette, a navigational station, and a full galley appropriate to a craft of this length. The engine is seated below the saloon sole, a placement that keeps the accommodation volume intact but shapes any mechanical work. Intermezzo differed here too, with a timber-and-plywood interior rather than the molded liner Columbia adopted during the production run.
Refits and Ownership
Columbia offered the C-50 as a kit under the Sailcrafter banner from 1971 to 1974, and the bare-hull or kit route let owners finish the interior to taste — which explains the timber/plywood custom boats alongside molded production examples. Sixty-two hulls were built, though one period review cites fifty-seven; many remain in use, especially on the U.S. West Coast. The Owners' Network cited by period reviewers attests to a still-active fleet.
The Verdict
The Columbia 50 is a milestone American fiberglass cruiser-racer that combined size, speed, and relative affordability in 1965, and her overbuilt construction has let many survive into active service. She rewards an owner who values classic Tripp lines and a proven offshore record, though the kit-built and custom variants demand careful individual assessment.
Pros
- Largest U.S. production fiberglass sailboat of her debut year, with a race-winning hull
- Overbuilt solid fiberglass construction by period standards
- Versatile rig options and a seven-berth, two-stateroom layout
- Active ownership community and many surviving hulls
Cons
- Engine below the saloon sole complicates access for routine service
- Kit and custom versions (Sailcrafter, Intermezzo) vary widely from production spec
