The Columbia 38 is an 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 ...

that was designed by Charles Morgan as racer-cruiser and first built in 1965. The Columbia 38 is a development of the Columbia 40.

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 ...

. The company completed 39 examples between 1965 and 1967.

Design

The Columbia 38 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 transom, an internally mounted spade-type

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 ...

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 ...

or optional short keel with a centerboard. The boat is fitted with a

Universal Atomic 4 The Universal Atomic 4 is a four-cylinder, gasoline engine produced by the Universal Motor Company between 1949 and 1984 for use as auxiliary power on sailboats. Both and versions of the engine were produced. Over 40,000 of the engines were pro ...

gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ''E ...

for docking and maneuvering. The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank also has a capacity of . The galley is located at the foot of the companionway steps on the port side and features a three-burner stove. The head is located forward on the port side, just aft of the bow "V"-berth and includes a privacy door. A hanging locker is provided opposite the head on the starboard side. Additional sleeping accommodation is found in the main cabin and includes the dinette table, which can be dropped to form a double berth, a single settee berth and an aft quarter berth.

Variants

;Columbia 38 :This model has a fixed modified long keel. 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. ;Columbia 38 CB :This model has a shoal draft modified long keel and a retractable centerboard. It has a length overall of , a waterline length of , displaces and carries of ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted.

References

{{Columbia Yachts Keelboats 1960s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat types built by Columbia Yachts

Production

Design

Variants

See also

References