BoatsHughes-Columbia 36

Hughes-Columbia 36

Masthead Ketch · Fin With Rudder On Skeg · First built 1979

A versatile William Tripp Jr. design available as a sloop or ketch, known for its shallow draft and multiple model names

Designed by William H. Tripp Jr, built by Hughes Boat Works Ltd.

LOA
Beam
Draft (max)
Displacement
Ballast
Hull type
Fin With Rudder On Skeg

Is it for you?

Character

Where this design lands on the numbers a shopper trusts — read straight from her own ratios.

LivelySea-kindly

Her heavy displacement on a narrow beam gives 35 — a sea-kindly motion in a seaway.

Comfort ratio 35
CoastalBluewater

At 1.65 she sits well under the 2.0 line — a solidly ocean-capable hull for her size.

Capsize screening 1.65
LightHeavy

305 — heavy for her waterline, built to carry stores and ride steadily.

Displacement / length 305
EasygoingPowered-up

13.9 — modest power for her weight; easygoing rather than lively, and happier with a breeze.

Sail area / displacement 13.9
TenderStiff

42% of her weight is ballast — stiff, standing up well to her sails.

Ballast 42%

Built heavy and sea-kindly — a boat made to cross oceans and forgive a rough night.

  • Draws less than ~97% of boats her size on file
  • Narrower than ~75% of boats her size on file

Compared with 2962 boats of the same type within a quarter of her length.

The record

Full specifications

The complete reference set — tap any figure to switch between metric and imperial.

Dimensions
Weights
Ballast / displacement
42.0%
Rig & sail area
Rig
Masthead Ketch
Ratios
SA / displacement
13.9
Displacement / length
305.1
Comfort ratio
34.8
Capsize screening
1.65
Hull speed
7.1 kn
Pounds / inch immersion
1017
Hull
Hull type
Fin with rudder on skeg
Construction
Fiberglass
Ballast type
Lead
Production
Years built
First built 1979
Designer
William H. Tripp Jr
Builder
Hughes Boat Works Ltd

Boats like this, on the water

Nobody has filmed this one — but these are close.

Comparable boats the fleet has on camera: same type, within a quarter of her length. Open the boat, or watch the video — a timestamp means she only appears in passing.

S2 Yachts 11.0 C10.97 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA center-cockpit cruiser by Arthur Edmunds, designed for stability and comfort with a skeg-mounted rudder
Herreshoff Manufacturing Newport 2910.84 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1914 Nathanael Herreshoff design featuring a fin keel and gaff-rigged sloop sail plan for classic performance
Westerly Yachts Ltd. Oceanquest 3510.81 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn Ed Dubois-designed cruiser sharing its proven hull with the Seahawk and Falcon, available in center or aft cockpit layouts
Hughes 3510.82 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA Sparkman & Stephens masthead sloop derived from design #2166, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder
Moody 36S10.97 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthAn aft-cockpit variation of the Moody 36, featuring a fin keel and skeg-mounted rudder for balanced coastal cruising
Freedom Yachts 35 (Pedrick)10.79 mSame hull familyNear-identical lengthA 1993 performance cruiser with a deep 1.98-metre draft and a spade rudder for responsive handling

The family

Related models

The designs closest to hers — usually the rest of the builder's range, sometimes the same hull sold under another name.

Keep looking

Nothing filmed of this one yet

Two ways to keep looking — both search what the fleet has actually recorded.

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