# Buying a Columbia 10.7 - yea or nay?



## SMR (12 mo ago)

Hi All, my husband and I are considering a 1979 Columbia 10.7. Thirty years ago we sailed a Columbia 8.3 on Lake Erie and for
many reasons had to let her go. While prowling around marinas we found our dream boat, the 10.7 which happens to be for sale.
We are officially seniors and have a few reservations about sailing a larger boat [mostly the docking part]. Would welcome any
thoughts or concerns about the 10.7 or sailing at this season of life. Thanks


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

I don't know the boat but I know about the size of boats. The bigger the better. More comfort, better liveability, often better sailing performance.
The first time you get on a boat you think is too big you think "it's tooooo big". Next time you get on you only think it's a little too big. After a while it feels just right.

Parking à big boat can be a little more tricky the first few times but then it's OK.

Finally, remember, your too big is someone else too small.


Go big.

Welcome to SailNet! 😊😊😊😊

BTW how big is a 10.7?


Mark


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## colemj (Jul 10, 2003)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> BTW how big is a 10.7?


10.7 meters

Mark


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

The Colombia 10.7 looks to be a very sturdy built boat. I am sure it will survive and come out on top of any docking misfortune that may occur. Now the wise crack is aside, practice, practice, and more practice is the key to safe docking along with approach speed, only as fast as you want to hit the dock. It happens. There are plenty of you tube videos on docking. Pick a calm day no current and then practice, him handling lines with you at the helm then switch. And really big fenders help.


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## colemj (Jul 10, 2003)

Since you owned an 8.3, then there will be little about the 10.7 that surprises. They are the same hull designs, rigging, etc, and have similar sailing and handling characteristics. The build quality of Columbia was never in the top tier, and these model boats were made when Columbia was cutting corners right before going out of business. 30yrs on, these boats could have some issues that require a good surveyor to really pay attention to. Docking will never be done without complete attention and some optimistic hope, but you should be familiar with this from the 8.3. Sailing will never be sporty, but again, 8.3. It's biggest feature is the interior volume for a boat this size (at least in the day).

I'm not bashing Columbia. I've owned 2 of them, and lusted after a couple more, but unless this boat is really inexpensive, you can do better with something a bit more enjoyable to sail and easier to handle. On the other hand, if you want a nice livable boat to putter around in, this could fit that bill.

Markofsealife is correct above - no matter how big and scary the boat looks when you first start using it, it becomes smaller every time you use it, and you very quickly stop thinking of it as big at all.

Mark


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

If your previous boat was inboard powered, then transitioning to the bigger boat should be easy. Maneuvering any inboard powered boat is all about knowing how. IMO, until we're talking about a ridiculous size (somewhere over 50 feet), bigger boats are generally easier to maneuver than smaller ones, because they don't get moved by the wind quite as easily as smaller boats. I just sold a 35 sloop that I sailed and raced singlehanded and with crew and docked singlehanded at age 79. When I came to the Chesapeake and bought my 35, I didn't know anybody locally, and realized that I had no choice but to learn to handle it by myself, at least until I made friends locally. 

While you're learning, take it slow. If you hit something at slow speed,you're not likely to do any damage. Also, keep an extra long boat hook in the cockpit during docking. It extends your reach.

If your previous boat was outboard powered,then you'll need to learn the techniques needed to maneuver an inboard boat. If you can learn just two techniques,you'll be fine.You need to know how to rotate the boat and how to back into a slip.


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> I don't know the boat but I know about the size of boats. The bigger the better. More comfort, better liveability, often better sailing performance.
> The first time you get on a boat you think is too big you think "it's tooooo big". Next time you get on you only think it's a little too big. After a while it feels just right.
> 
> Parking à big boat can be a little more tricky the first few times but then it's OK.
> ...


10.7 is 35 feet. Thank you for your insights


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

Skipper Jer said:


> The Colombia 10.7 looks to be a very sturdy built boat. I am sure it will survive and come out on top of any docking misfortune that may occur. Now the wise crack is aside, practice, practice, and more practice is the key to safe docking along with approach speed, only as fast as you want to hit the dock. It happens. There are plenty of you tube videos on docking. Pick a calm day no current and then practice, him handling lines with you at the helm then switch. And really big fenders help.


Yes, lots of very big fenders. We may be the laughingstock of the dock but...I'd rather take extra care


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

colemj said:


> Since you owned an 8.3, then there will be little about the 10.7 that surprises. They are the same hull designs, rigging, etc, and have similar sailing and handling characteristics. The build quality of Columbia was never in the top tier, and these model boats were made when Columbia was cutting corners right before going out of business. 30yrs on, these boats could have some issues that require a good surveyor to really pay attention to. Docking will never be done without complete attention and some optimistic hope, but you should be familiar with this from the 8.3. Sailing will never be sporty, but again, 8.3. It's biggest feature is the interior volume for a boat this size (at least in the day).
> 
> I'm not bashing Columbia. I've owned 2 of them, and lusted after a couple more, but unless this boat is really inexpensive, you can do better with something a bit more enjoyable to sail and easier to handle. On the other hand, if you want a nice livable boat to putter around in, this could fit that bill.
> 
> ...


Thanks In looking around the internet I have seen a few comments about the way they handle when docking...don't know it could be a personal thing like you are either pretty good at parking a car or not. Hoping that a 10.7 owner will see this and comment. This boat seems to be in excellent condition and it's our dream boat so...we'll see how the survey turns out.


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

Sailormon6 said:


> If your previous boat was inboard powered, then transitioning to the bigger boat should be easy. Maneuvering any inboard powered boat is all about knowing how. IMO, until we're talking about a ridiculous size (somewhere over 50 feet), bigger boats are generally easier to maneuver than smaller ones, because they don't get moved by the wind quite as easily as smaller boats. I just sold a 35 sloop that I sailed and raced singlehanded and with crew and docked singlehanded at age 79. When I came to the Chesapeake and bought my 35, I didn't know anybody locally, and realized that I had no choice but to learn to handle it by myself, at least until I made friends locally.
> 
> While you're learning, take it slow. If you hit something at slow speed,you're not likely to do any damage. Also, keep an extra long boat hook in the cockpit during docking. It extends your reach.
> 
> If your previous boat was outboard powered,then you'll need to learn the techniques needed to maneuver an inboard boat. If you can learn just two techniques,you'll be fine.You need to know how to rotate the boat and how to back into a slip.


Thank you for responding. Single handling a 35' boat at 79? Wow, you give us hope! It's been 30 years since we've sailed so now both of us are in our 60's and worry that we may be past our time for this. We will definitely get the extra long boat hook as soon as we sign the papers


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## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

Been a long time since i skippered a 10.7 but I don't remember anything hard about docking one. the thing I would be aware of is the sailing of a boat with a very large mast head genoa, are you up to handling those large head sails. does it come equipped with a roller furler and electric winches would be nice. they can keep you wanting to sail for many more years


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

overbored said:


> Been a long time since i skippered a 10.7 but I don't remember anything hard about docking one. the thing I would be aware of is the sailing of a boat with a very large mast head genoa, are you up to handling those large head sails. does it come equipped with a roller furler and electric winches would be nice. they can keep you wanting to sail for many more years


Thank you, it does have roller furling and adding electric winches might be a good idea.


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

In sailing, as in other pursuits, you can work hard, or you can work smart. If the helmsperson and the jib tailer each do their own thing, the tailer will grind until becoming arm weary. If they coordinate with each other, the helm can make the tailer's job much easier. Most helms over-steer each tack. Consequently, the jib becomes heavily loaded with wind, and the tailer has to grind hard to bring the boat up to closehauled. If the helm stops the turn when the jib is streaming close along the gunwale, the tailer can pull in all but about one foot of the jibsheet, hand-over-hand, while it's still slack and before the sail becomes loaded. When the helm bears off to load up the jib, the tailer only has to grind in a foot or two of jibsheet.

The problem helms have is in knowing exactly when to stop the turn. They can use the apparent wind indicator, if they have one, or they can watch the wind vane atop the mast, or they can just watch the jib. After they have stopped the turn, they need to watch the tailer, so that, as soon as the jibsheet is tailed in, they can bear off and load up the sail. I learned how to do this by studying videos of world class racers. I figured they knew some things that we didn't.

Electric winches are wonderful, but I never needed them for my 35, or even for 40-45s that I crewed on. If you buy them, Westmarine used to have an annual 2 for 1 sale on Lewmar winches. Don't know if that has changed since covid.


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## overbored (Oct 8, 2010)

The Harken Rewind Electric winch is by far the best. it lets you wind in and out with the push of a switch . it is the only one that does all the others wind in with electric but have to be eased by hand. really take a lot of work out of fine tuning when single or short handed. at my age I consider it a safety device. i can sail a lot longer in higher winds without getting tired.


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

Sailormon6 said:


> In sailing, as in other pursuits, you can work hard, or you can work smart. If the helmsperson and the jib tailer each do their own thing, the tailer will grind until becoming arm weary. If they coordinate with each other, the helm can make the tailer's job much easier. Most helms over-steer each tack. Consequently, the jib becomes heavily loaded with wind, and the tailer has to grind hard to bring the boat up to closehauled. If the helm stops the turn when the jib is streaming close along the gunwale, the tailer can pull in all but about one foot of the jibsheet, hand-over-hand, while it's still slack and before the sail becomes loaded. When the helm bears off to load up the jib, the tailer only has to grind in a foot or two of jibsheet.
> 
> The problem helms have is in knowing exactly when to stop the turn. They can use the apparent wind indicator, if they have one, or they can watch the wind vane atop the mast, or they can just watch the jib. After they have stopped the turn, they need to watch the tailer, so that, as soon as the jibsheet is tailed in, they can bear off and load up the sail. I learned how to do this by studying videos of world class racers. I figured they knew some things that we didn't.
> 
> Electric winches are wonderful, but I never needed them for my 35, or even for 40-45s that I crewed on. If you buy them, Westmarine used to have an annual 2 for 1 sale on Lewmar winches. Don't know if that has changed since covid.


Thank you. I agree about working together...husband and I started sailing as newlyweds and we learned to communicate with each other because of that.


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

overbored said:


> The Harken Rewind Electric winch is by far the best. it lets you wind in and out with the push of a switch . it is the only one that does all the others wind in with electric but have to be eased by hand. really take a lot of work out of fine tuning when single or short handed. at my age I consider it a safety device. i can sail a lot longer in higher winds without getting tired.


Thank you for the Harken suggestion it sounds like a winner.


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## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

For docking, there's nothing like taking a sailing class that focuses exclusively on docking. I can't recommend this highly enough, might be the best $500 I spent on the boat. Doing nothing for two days but practice docking to really calm your anxiety about it. Everything can still go wrong but you'll be able to handle it much more calmly and with more confidence after learning some techniques and getting lots of practice.


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## Col45Escape2.0 (Dec 23, 2019)

Fear Not ! The Columbia 10.7 took Fatty Goodlander and his wife ( columnists for Cruising World) many nautical miles for many years. 
I single handed my Columbia 36 for 14 years. As in any endeavor you need to think ahead and have an alternative plan when docking any boat. I was forced to sail into my upwind slip a few times, but realistically almost every docking situation is under power. Like a good billiard shot, it doesn't have to be fast. Lifeline gates open, fenders down, lines under the lifelines, and the jib luffing but ready to be sheeted if needed and ready to step to the dock to cleat at least one line while the engine idles. Being under power means you can slow and reverse if needed, but the boat will hold herself adrift while you tie her up.
Call me a curmudgeon, but power winches on anything below 45 feet is superfluous and another thing to go wrong. 
Once you get the feel of your boat you will be very comfortable knowing she won't just gallop away with you.


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## colemj (Jul 10, 2003)

Col45Escape2.0 said:


> Fear Not ! The Columbia 10.7 took Fatty Goodlander and his wife ( columnists for Cruising World) many nautical miles for many years.


I agree to fear not, but pretty sure the Goodlander's never owned a Columbia 10.7. They had a boat he built himself, then a Hughes 38.

Mark


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## SMR (12 mo ago)

Col45Escape2.0 said:


> Fear Not ! The Columbia 10.7 took Fatty Goodlander and his wife ( columnists for Cruising World) many nautical miles for many years.
> I single handed my Columbia 36 for 14 years. As in any endeavor you need to think ahead and have an alternative plan when docking any boat. I was forced to sail into my upwind slip a few times, but realistically almost every docking situation is under power. Like a good billiard shot, it doesn't have to be fast. Lifeline gates open, fenders down, lines under the lifelines, and the jib luffing but ready to be sheeted if needed and ready to step to the dock to cleat at least one line while the engine idles. Being under power means you can slow and reverse if needed, but the boat will hold herself adrift while you tie her up.
> Call me a curmudgeon, but power winches on anything below 45 feet is superfluous and another thing to go wrong.
> Once you get the feel of your boat you will be very comfortable knowing she won't just gallop away with you.


Thank you, we are going for our first look inside on Saturday [high temp 19 degrees]🤞


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## Col45Escape2.0 (Dec 23, 2019)

colemj said:


> I agree to fear not, but pretty sure the Goodlander's never owned a Columbia 10.7. They had a boat he built himself, then a Hughes 38.
> 
> Mark


Dear Mark,

You are correct and I was mistaken. Hughes Boatworks of Canada took over the production of Columbia Yachts after 1980.
Their Hughes 38 was a Hurricane Hugo salvage for $3000 that Fatty repaired.


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