columbia 31 help

dale1122 · #1 (**permalink**) 01-30-2003

I am considering the purchase of a Hughes/columbia 31, 1980, with a omc saildrive (gas). I would be useing the boat mostly in the ICW (vero area) in Florida and the Keys and Bahamas in the future. Could someone tell me the pros and cons of this boat and any particular problems associated with this boat that I should look out for?
I am also looking at at Tartan 30 tomorrow.

Thank you

sprega · #2 (**permalink**) 01-30-2003

Don''t know much about the Columbia, but have owned two Tartan 30s. If the Tartan has been well maintained, you can''t go wrong with it. If it still has the Atomic four, don''t let that scare you. They are fine engines if well maintained and due to the excellent access to the engine on a Tartan 30, most of their A4s were well maintained.
Good luck in your search for a new boat

Bart Toby · #3 (**permalink**) 01-30-2003

The Hughes/columbia was built in southern Ontario near lake Huron, the boats have seamed to survive well. I was on one last summer that was owned by a local club member, the OMC would be my main concern as parts can be hard to find and the engine was a real pig on gas. these boats were built using a chopper gun, that may mean more to some, than other''s? I went threw the plant in 1980 when my dad was buying his Hughes/columbia 26 SE which also had an OMC engine. she was nicely finished but sailed on one tack better then the other as I think the keel was not in line with the hull properly, we once raced against a North Star 26 which left us in it wake. Hughes/columbia bought its molds for the hughes line of boat from North Star, all of the boats were designed by S&S but the Hughes designs were changed by the factory. Hope this helps.
Bart

Jeff_H · #4 (**permalink**) 01-31-2003

The OMC outdrive should be a deal killer as major parts are completely unavailable and repowering is difficult.

To correct one minor point. The Hughes Northstars were all S&S designs but the Hughes Columbias included designs by a wide range of designers, (Guerney, Tripp and Rhodes)

Jeff

Mclion71 · #5 (**permalink**) 01-31-2003

If either deal falls through...I have a Pearson 28-1 for sale.
mclion71@sailnet.net

Bart Toby · #6 (**permalink**) 01-31-2003

Jeff H

Yes you are right about the Hughes/northstar conection ie.: S&S design. However the builder changed many things about the northstar designs after buying the molds. If you have a northstar 3000 beside a hughes 31 the two boats look like distant sisters not twins. the boats also behaved very different from each other, example is the northstar 26 and the hughes 26 looked similer but the rig on the 26 was alot shorter. Hughes bought columbia after it closed its doors, at which time the name was changed to Hughes/columbia. Columbia yachts were called wide bodys due to being very beamy for their time and were measured "sold" in metric numbers ie. "8.7" meters. in Ontario the columbia designs still seam to hold their value as good crusers. Hughes designs "S&S" have dropped in price and are fairly easy to find for sale. the Hughes 35 is the nicest looker of the bunch, but waging keels, or so I have been told, would make me run for the hills.
Columbia yacht that Hughes built I thought were designed by Paine?

Bart

jbanta · #7 (**permalink**) 02-09-2003

I had an OMC saildrive in my Lancer 29.. I have repowered and am still in love with my boat but you couldn''t give me anything made by OMC....Jim