Columbia 45 Ketch

[pjcam]

Can anyone out there give me any info on a Columbia 45 ketch rigged boat. I have seen one for sale and it looks great and in what appears to be great condition (1979) However I know nothing about its sailing ability and seaworthiness. I know the boat has done the Panama canal route (cert on board along with other marina invoices from around the world) So it would appear capable enough but I would love some input from more experianced people. Also I´m in Spain and would like find out where to find out if the title is clear i.e no loans on it etc and if there are any pitfalls to watch out for. Thanks.

 

[PaulS]

According to the Columbia Yacht web site (http://www.columbia-yachts.com/c-45.html) the 45ft ketch was discontinued in 1976. A slow, heavy boat. Built like a tank. Pretty much standard for Columbia.

Paul

 

[dorenseaconn]

I was a Columbia 45 dealer.
Columbias were the performance racer/cruisers.
Coronados, same company, were the same hulls with different decks more oriented to straight cruising and mostly with trunk cabins. The Coronado 45, therefore, was a Columbia 45 w/ a trunk cabin and less room below. Still the same hull as the Racing Columbia 43 Flush Deck Sloop.

the Columbia 45 motor sailer was a suberb sailer in the deep draft version (6+'). It was the identical hull to the Columbia 43 Bill Tripp design that was a Trans Pac racer in the 70's. It was just lengthened two feet to make the 'motor sailer' which was really a 'full-powered auxilliary' when equipped w/ the bigger engine.

I used to demo the 45's under both high and low wind conditions in San Francisco Bay. It could make complete novices look skilled.
The skeg rudder was very responsive especially in difficult downwind conditions in following seas

The shallow draft version (5'3" I think and over 12" less than the deep draft version) was developed for the East Coast and was an inferior performer especially straight upwind and downwind in following seas. Most of those were delivered from the East Coast plant.

There were also two engines avail.
The 85 hp Perkins 4-236 was a fine performer
the 50?hp Perkins 4-107 / 4-108 was incapable of pushing a boat that size through heavy slop, it would just nearly stop on each wave, or for close quarter handling around the slip; stopping or kicking the rudder around in tight spots.

The flush deck forward was a trademark of the clean foredecks on most of the Bill Tripp Columbias in the 70's and made foredeck work a pleasure.
It will fly a spinniker nicely.

Biggest drawback below was the huge main salon when sail and not much to grab onto.

It was a low-medium price boat when built and most of the systems should be upgraded to modern if not already done.

In my opinion a huge bang for the buck in used 45 footers with the bonus of unusually superb visibility from the helm.

dorenseaconn