The Columbia 24 is a series of American

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 ...

s that were designed by Joseph McGlasson and first built in 1962. The Columbia 24 is a development of the Islander 24, which in turn was derived from the wooden Catalina Islander. The Columbia 24 design was developed into the Watkins 25 in 1983, as well as many other designs.

Development

Glass Laminates built the Islander 24 for designer McGlasson, who had designed it as a

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 ...

version of his wooden boat design, the Catalina Islander. The Columbia 24 was created by increasing the

freeboard In sailing and boating, a vessel's freeboard is the distance from the waterline to the upper deck level, measured at the lowest point of sheer where water can enter the boat or ship. In commercial vessels, the latter criterion measured relativ ...

height and adding a new deck and coach house, based upon the design of the Columbia 29. The Islander 24 moulds incorporated a wooden planking look that was from the original wooden boat imprint. The wooden planking effect was not used on the Columbia designs, however.

Production

The design was built 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 ...

by Glass Laminates. The company was later known as

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 ...

. A total of 1,125 of all three models were built between 1962 and 1968.

Design

The Columbia 24 series are all 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 ...

s, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. They all have

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, ...

rigs, 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 ...

s, raised transoms, keel-mounted

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 ...

s 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 fixed fin

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 ...

s. The keel is a truncated long keel design. The boat is fitted with an

inboard engine Marine propulsion is the mechanism or system used to generate thrust to move a watercraft through water. While paddles and sails are still used on some smaller boats, most modern ships are propelled by mechanical systems consisting of an electr ...

for docking and maneuvering. The design has 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 .

Variants

;Columbia 24 :This model was introduced in 1962 and produced until 1964, with 261 built. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. ; Columbia 24 Challenger :This raised deck model was introduced in 1962 and produced until 1968, with 534 built. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted. ; Columbia 24 Contender :This model was introduced in 1963 and produced until 1968, with 330 built. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the standard keel fitted.

Operational history

A Columbia 24 named ''Tola'' sailed by Mike Riley completed a

circumnavigation Circumnavigation is the complete navigation around an entire island, continent, or astronomical body (e.g. a planet or moon). This article focuses on the circumnavigation of Earth. The first recorded circumnavigation of the Earth was the Mage ...

, with various crew members. He met his future wife, Karen, in

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, they married en route and their son, named Falcon, was born on

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. After completing the circumnavigation they sold the Columbia 24 and bought a Dickerson 41, named ''Beau Soleil'' and completed a second circumnavigation. W. Miller wrote, "I sailed a Contender for quite a few years. Went to the Bahamas several times. Sailed it in eaufort forceeight to ten in the Gulf Stream. A little wet but never a problem. Spent three weeks with my wife and kids once. Everyone thought we were crazy but today the kids (now grown) look back on it as a wonderful trip. I would have taken that little Contender anywhere. Best sailing boat I've ever had."

References