Columbia 26 MkII

About the Columbia 26 MkII

Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.

Built

1969–1977

Builder

Columbia Yachts (Whittaker Corp.)

Designer

William H. Tripp Jr.

Length

25.58 ft

Waterline

21.5 ft

Beam

8.5 ft

Draft

4.33 ft

Displacement

5,900 lb

Ballast

2,500 lb

Hull / keel

fin keel

Rig

sloop

Propulsion

outboard

Water

13 gal

Number built

950

Stern thruster

none

Steering

tiller

Outboard-powered pocket cruiser with the Columbia bubble cabintop style; owners fit roughly 8-10 hp outboards on a transom bracket (a well mount is also discussed). Shoal-draft version draws 3.16 ft. Small 13 gal water tank; no factory holding tank on the owner's boat (portable toilet). Only production years 1975-1977 overlap the catalog window. Sources for this model are thin (one owner essay plus sailboatdata).

Known problems for this model

• Unprotected spade rudder steering
  The stock rudder has no skeg and is considered undersized in strength; an experienced owner recommends a new, stronger rudder and post before any offshore use.
  columbia-yachts.com
• Hull-keel joint and keel bolts hull
  The same owner lists reinforcing the hull-to-keel joint and renewing keel bolts as part of a serious refit. Ballast is cast iron per sailboatdata.
  columbia-yachts.com · sailboatdata.com
• Icebox drains to bilge and hard-to-pump bilge plumbing
  The icebox drains into the bilge, causing odors, and on at least some 1974 boats there is no room under the sole for a proper bilge pump pickup forward.
  columbia-yachts.com
• No insulation, condensation interior
  The hull and cabin have no insulation, so condensation and mildew are persistent without active ventilation.
  columbia-yachts.com
• Transom outboard lifts clear in a seaway running gear
  A transom-mounted outboard can ventilate or come out of the water in steep seas, over-revving and shearing the prop pin; heavy motors also stress the transom.
  columbia-yachts.com

Other Columbia models

• Columbia 10.7 1976–1979
• Columbia 8.7 1976–1987