The Columbia 24 Challenger, or Columbia Challenger 24, is an American
trailerable sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminolo ...
that was designed by
Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962.
[Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 316. International Marine/]McGraw-Hill
McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes refere ...
, 2010.
The design is a raised-deck development of the
Columbia 24, which, in turn, was a development of the
Islander 24.
Production
The design was built by
Columbia Yachts
Columbia Yachts is a US manufacturer of sailboats, with offices and production facilities in Southern California.
History
Richard “Dick” Valdes and Maurice V. Threinen founded Glass Laminates, a fiberglass contract company, in 1958. Amo ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
between 1962 and 1968, with 534 boats completed, but it is now out of production.
Design
The Columbia 24 Challenger was intended as a raised-deck, economy model for the Columbia line and sold at a lower price than the Columbia 24, due to lower production costs.
The Columbia 24 Challenger is a recreational
keelboat
A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
, built predominantly of
fiberglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass clo ...
, with wood trim. It has a
masthead sloop
A masthead rig on a sailing vessel consists of a forestay and backstay both attached at the top of the mast.
The Bermuda rig can be split into two groups: the masthead rig and the fractional rig. The masthead rig has larger and more headsails, ...
rig; a spooned
raked stem
The stem is the most forward part of a boat or ship's bow and is an extension of the keel itself. It is often found on wooden boats or ships, but not exclusively.
Description
The stem is the curved edge stretching from the keel below, up to ...
; a raised counter, angled
transom; a keel-hung
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...
controlled by a
tiller
A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...
and a fixed modified long
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
, with a cut-away forefoot. It displaces and carries of lead ballast.
The boat has a draft of with the standard keel.
The boat is normally fitted with a small
outboard motor
An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...
for docking and maneuvering.
The design has sleeping accommodation for four people, with a double
"V"-berth
A berth is a bed or sleeping accommodation on vehicles. Space accommodations have contributed to certain common design elements of berths.
Beds in boats or ships
While beds on large ships are little different from those on shore, the lack ...
in the bow cabin and two straight settees in the main cabin. A
galley was optional. The
head is located in the bow cabin, under the "V"-berth. Cabin headroom is .
The design has a
PHRF
Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...
racing average handicap of 258 and a
hull speed
Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to-t ...
of .
Operational history
In a 2010 review Steve Henkel wrote, "the Challenger was Columbia's 'economy model,' with essentially the same hull and sail plan as the Columbia Contender 24 ... but instead of a trunk cabin with doghouse, the Challenger has a raised deck. Back in 1963, she was $1,000 less expensive than the doghouse version 'due to substantial savings in production cost,' according to an ad of the time ... Best features: When she was first introduced, this economical and relatively roomy 24-footer would be hard to beat for value. Worst features: The 4-berth layout is similar to the Contender 24, but simplified, with cooking gear optional. Some sailors might prefer the extra amenities available in the doghouse model (and in many other boats)."
See also
*
List of sailing boat types
Related development
*
Columbia 24
*
Columbia 24 Contender
References
External links
*
{{Trailer sailers and Trailer yachts worldwide
Keelboats
1960s sailboat type designs
Sailing yachts
Trailer sailers
Sailboat type designs by Joseph McGlasson
Sailboat types built by Columbia Yachts