Columbia 28 Sailboat 28 Foot Sloop - Crealock Design

Description

We are the boat’s second owners and bought her in late 1998.The original owners had kept her mostly stock with the exception of eliminating the stock fuel tank behind the quarterberth and installing a monel tank bulletproof) in the lazzerette. Most of the original gate valves were notfunctional and we replaced them all with ball valves which get cycled on a regular basis. They had also added an electronic tiller pilot which we’ve used on occasion, particularly during low visibility passages. Also, they re-covered the cabin cushions with Sunbrella which has held up extremely well.
A couple of years into ownership we addressed some soft spots in the deck and re-cored the side and foredeck with nidacore nylon/polyester and rot impervious. We also stripped the hull down, sheathed the lead ballast with fiberglass, barrier coated the hull below the waterline,sistered the decaying galvanized keel bolts with silicon bronze bolts, replaced the VHF radio. We also added a teak and holly cabin sole for esthetics, and replaced the plywood bulkheads with marine plywood, as well as repairing some tabbing issues on some of the internal lower bulkheads. We also eliminated the overboard head discharge and installed a 24 gallon internal holding tank for the head under the forward cabin settee along with a 4 gallon fresh water flushtank.
In the next couple of years we pulled the original Atomic 4engine and replaced the head, water pump, thermostat, heat sending unit, and rebuilt the exhaust riser which had been made out of black iron piping that had rusted badly. We replaced it with bronze piping and also replace the muffler,prop shaft, cutless bearing, and repacked the stuffing box. Replaced the waterpump with a bronze Oberdorfer which has run like a champ with just the usual lubrication. And replaced the bilge blower with an inline blower (we found after engine work we did subsequently that the only time we use the blower is while motoring dead downwind in the wallow)
We replaced most of the lighting with new or in the case of the interior, with LED lighting. We rebuilt the carb on the engine and upgrade the ignition to electronic which made a huge difference in fuel consumption(1/2 to ¾ gallons per hour at 4-5 knots). We also eventually replaced the starter with a rebuilt unit, and totally rewired the ignition circuit which was showing signs of shorting out. And we added a foot pump to replace the handpump in the galley because you can’t wash your hands really easily if you need one hand to pump water with. We also added storage in the form of a third drawer in the galley and a storage cubby behind.
About 10 years ago we replaced the original mainsail with a custom designed sail from Airforce Sails. Loose footed with three sets of reefpoints and two full and two partial battens, she was much flatter than the original and has held up well and we noticed significant improvement in our pointing ability.
We upgraded the jib from hank on to roller furling, and further upgraded our original furler to a CDI furler about six years ago. Acouple seasons back we had a new jib built by Fries Sails to give us about a145 and she furls nice and flat up to about 100.
We added a dedicated 110 volt AC panel with two breakers, but we are admittedly minimalists. New sail cover and cockpit cushions about 6years ago.
Added a Raymarine depth sounder around 4 years ago. Installed a USB adapter for phone and pad charging.
So about the sailing. This is a Bill Crealock design and for all intents and purposes, below the waterline she resembles a double ender, only above has a transom stern. This is Hull 88 and was built in 1968 so missed most of the blistering issues of later builds. The rig is a masthead sloop with a mast height of 30 feet above deck and a draft of 4’ 5” so she’s fairly low aspect and fairly shoal draft.
That said, she likes to be sailed fairly flat (10 degrees on the inclinometer seems to be her sweet spot, beyond 15 and she starts to get irked), has a nice deep cockpit with plenty of room (which was great with small ones). Has accommodations for 6 (but room for 4 adults with stuff). We have often cruised for a couple weeks with two kids and a dog without issue. The icebox on this boat could double as a bathtub. We have carried all plain sail with the hatch open from Watch Hill to Block Island in small craft advisories and stayed dry and comfy while the boys slept below.
We have sailed alongside boats our size who were rail down trying to keep up with us, with crew hanging onto the rails while we enjoyed cheese and crackers and tasty beverages laid out on the cockpit cushion. Find her sweet spot and there is very little helm required, steering with foot or side of thigh is fine.
She comes with ground tackle, all the sails we got with her including a cruising spinnaker (we’ve flown maybe half a dozen times…honestly, just pole out the jib and you’ll do as well with fewer gymnastics).
Two new batteries at the beginning of this season and lifeline float. 2 burner Origo non-pressurized stove. The bilge pump gets replaced about every five or six years (icebox drains into the bilge. Bilge will hold enough wine bottles standing up to cross the Atlantic).We’ve espoused the concept of “one hose and one halyard replaced” per year, so the gear is in really good shape.
If you're local, the rest of the season's slip fees are paid up and there's still good sailing for a month or two left.
We bought her as a good introductory family cruiser and then just held onto her for the next twenty something years. The original owner bought the boat with her first husband and sold her with her second so I thought….two husbands, one boat….must be a good boat. She is.