Columbia 34

Columbia 34

Development
Designer	Wirth Munroe and Richard Valdez
Location	United States
Year	1966
Builder(s)	Columbia Yachts
Name	Columbia 34
Boat
Boat weight	10,500 lb (4,763 kg)
Draft	8.00 ft (2.44 m) with centerboard down
Hull
Type	Monohull
Construction	Fiberglass
LOA	34 ft (10 m)
LWL	23.58 ft (7.19 m)
Beam	9.92 ft (3.02 m)
Engine type	Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine
Hull appendages
Keel/board type	long keel with centerboard
Ballast	4,200 lb (1,905 kg)
Rudder(s)	internally-mounted spade-type rudder
Rig
Rig type	Bermuda rig
I foretriangle height	36.80 ft (11.22 m)
J foretriangle base	12.30 ft (3.75 m)
P mainsail luff	32.00 ft (9.75 m)
E mainsail foot	15.00 ft (4.57 m)
Sails
Sailplan	Masthead sloop
Mainsail area	240.00 sq ft (22.297 m2)
Jib/genoa area	226.32 sq ft (21.026 m2)
Total sail area	466.32 sq ft (43.323 m2)

The Columbia 34 is an American sailboat that was designed by Wirth Munroe and Richard Valdez as a cruiser and first built in 1966. ^{[1] [2]}

The Columbia 34 is a development of the Columbia 33 Caribbean, using a deck adapted from the Columbia 40. ^{[1] [3]}

The Columbia 34 was replaced in the company product line in 1970, by the unrelated William H. Tripp Jr. designed Columbia 34 Mark II. ^{[1] [4]}

Production

The design was built by Columbia Yachts in the United States, but it is now out of production. Some of the boats were sold as kits for owner completion. ^{[1] [5]}

Design

Dick Valdes described how the Columbia 34 design came about, in a talk given at the Long Beach Rendezvous on 23 February 2002. He said, "The C-33 was a fast and comfortable boat from Wirth Monroe who had designed and raced Commanche in the SORC. The boat was a direct descendent of Commanche but Wirth didn't have an eye for looks and we all called the C-33 the "Guanno" boat cause it looked like ----.! (Mike, a C-33 owner notes: they still had the nerve to market it as a "flagship" in the brochures). So after about fifty boats we decided to see if we could make a change. So we took a C-40 deck we had laying around and set it on a C-33 and it pretty much fit, and looked much better, so we took a saw and trimmed off all the overhangs and that's how the C-34 was born." ^[3]

The Columbia 34 is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a spooned raked stem, a raised counter, transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed stub long keel, with a centerboard. It displaces 10,500 lb (4,763 kg) and carries 4,200 lb (1,905 kg) of ballast. ^[1]

The boat has a draft of 8.00 ft (2.44 m) with the centreboard extended and 3.50 ft (1.07 m) with it retracted. The boat is fitted with a Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine for docking and maneuvering. ^[1]

The galley is located on the port side at the bottom of the companionway steps and features a two-burner stove. The head has a privacy door and is located forward, just aft of the bow "V"-berth and opposite the hanging locker. Additional sleeping accommodation includes the main cabin dinette table, which can be converted into a double berth, a single berth on the starboard side and an aft port side quarter berth. The raised stern counter configuration precludes an aft stateroom. ^[1]

See also

• List of sailing boat types

Related development

• Columbia 33 Caribbean
• Columbia 34 Mark II
• Columbia 40

Similar sailboats

• Beneteau 331
• Beneteau First Class 10
• C&C 34
• C&C 34/36
• Catalina 34
• Coast 34
• Creekmore 34
• Crown 34
• CS 34
• Express 34
• Hunter 34
• San Juan 34
• Sea Sprite 34
• Sun Odyssey 349
• Tartan 34 C
• Tartan 34-2
• Viking 34

References

1. McArthur, Bruce (2019). "Columbia 34 sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
2. McArthur, Bruce (2019). "Wirth Munroe 1902-1968". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
3. Columbia Yacht Owners Association. "Columbia 34 Specifications". columbia-yachts.com. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
4. McArthur, Bruce (2019). "Columbia 34 Mark II sailboat". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
5. McArthur, Bruce (2019). "Columbia Yachts". sailboatdata.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.