Manufactured by:
Division of Glass Marine Industries, Inc.
849 West 18th Street, Costa Mesa, California - 714 646-0221
Wesley & Jackson Sts., Portsmouth, Virginia
The following specifications and photo came from Mike Keers. I should note that the forward deadlight in the picture is actually a pair of small deadlights covered by a single piece of lexan. The original deadlights are shaped like what you see in the picture, but a little shorter in height and, obviously, a little shorter in length.
Mike and I have had a long discussion about the original Columbia 29, the C-29 Mk II, and the C-29 Defender. Sparkman & Stephens designed the Columbia 29 in 1962. The model was so well received that the company, Glas Laminates, decided to sell all their boats under the Columbia name, thus Columbia Sailing Yachts was born.
All the specifications we have seen - LOA, LWL, beam, draft, displacement, ballast, and sail area - are identical for all three of these models. Floor plans vary by year and model, but it is pretty certain that the Mk II is a cosmetically modernized version of the original S&S design, and that all three share the same hull and sail plan.
The Defender is a raised deck boat. The deck extends to the full width of the hull, so there is no deck next to the cabin. When going forward you are walking on the cabin top. You are initially higher than when walking on a traditional deck. Once at the mast, however, you are at the same height as you would be when standing on a traditional cabin top - and you have a flat surface to stand on. The biggist drawback is that it is a long way down to the dock. Plan on boarding amidships at low tide only.
This design reduces windage somewhat over more traditional full cabin trunk designs. I haven't come across specs for standing headroom, but raised decks tend to give up a little. In return, they give a straight exterior wall from the bench top to the saloon roof, so you can lean back against it when sitting on a bench. If the boat has a setee with facing benches, the outboard persons have more head and sholder room. The diagram shows how a traditional design's side decks intrude into the cabin.
Engineering drawings and literature available for the Defender 29