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Old 10-11-2014, 06:24   #1
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Center board

So one boat on my list is an older Tartan 37 not planning a new old boat till next year but.

I will be sailing in shallow waters off Florida and a CB makes sense. I have sailed a CB boat before and it made noise any time it was in the down position and sometimes in the retracted position.

What may I expect with the Tartan 37?

Normally I would not go for a CB boat but they seem to have many more of them in that model at my price range.

Also

I tend to push boats and could see myself in some nasty conditions. What would happen if this boat gets turned over by a wave in a storm? Would the CB come through the bottom of the boat - if not what would be the outcome with a 360 role and the board extended?

Thanks for any advice - I'm OK with guessing and second hand advice.

Not in in depth mode yet .
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Old 10-11-2014, 07:05   #2
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Re: Center board

Music,
The T-37 does decent off-shore without use of the board and I only use the board to gain a few extra degrees when pointing. I have had mine for twenty years now and with the proper upgrades, she makes an excellent passage maker for a relatively low investment. If you turned turtle, I don't think the board would punch through the trunk, but that's theory only for I have never heard of a T-37 capsizing. I wouldn't use the board in really rough conditions anyway, so there wouldn't be any slamming to begin with.
I know of several T-37's that have circumnavigated, with centerboards.
Here's a fun blog of a couple sailing across the Pacific in a T-37:
http://ridethetrades.com/
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Old 10-11-2014, 07:06   #3
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Re: Center board

The T37 is a well respected, quality boat. There is a very good write up on them in Practical Sailor's, Practical Boat Buying. That might answer your questions.

I have no experience with them, but have not heard of the CB being an issue in any regard. Whether banging or coming through the bottom if rolled.

CB's are not usually ballasted or very heavy. The one on my Hood 38 was one of the heavier ones at 300-400lbs. And never a problem. I cannot see it bashing through the canoe bottom of a T37 if rolled...but...again...have no experience with them.

I do agree that for FL, a CB is a great idea. Many a chart datum here are out dated and no longer accurate. Storms fill in bottoms quite a bit.

I was very glad I had a draft of 4.5 ft through Biscayne Bay, the Keys, the west coast and in any spot on the ICW.

Hope this helps
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Old 10-11-2014, 07:28   #4
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Re: Center board

There are a number of T-37 owners who post regularly on the Tartan Owners' forum (tartansailing@yahoogroups.com). Not only will they answer your questions, when it comes time to buy you may get leads on boats that aren't yet being advertised. Depending on your location, you also may find owners who are happy to take you out for a sail so you can get first hand experience.
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Old 10-11-2014, 07:31   #5
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Re: Center board

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Originally Posted by tartansail View Post
There are a number of T-37 owners who post regularly on the Tartan Owners' forum (tartansailing@yahoogroups.com). Not only will they answer your questions, when it comes time to buy you may get leads on boats that aren't yet being advertised. Depending on your location, you also may find owners who are happy to take you out for a sail so you can get first hand experience.
There's the Tartan 37 website as well:

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Old 10-11-2014, 07:51   #6
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Re: Center board

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Music,
The T-37 does decent off-shore without use of the board and I only use the board to gain a few extra degrees when pointing. I have had mine for twenty years now and with the proper upgrades, she makes an excellent passage maker for a relatively low investment. If you turned turtle, I don't think the board would punch through the trunk, but that's theory only for I have never heard of a T-37 capsizing. I wouldn't use the board in really rough conditions anyway, so there wouldn't be any slamming to begin with.
I know of several T-37's that have circumnavigated, with centerboards.
Here's a fun blog of a couple sailing across the Pacific in a T-37:
http://ridethetrades.com/
Thank you for the response!-wow twenty years you should know then.

And so I ask - why not use it in really rough conditions?

I will be checking out the info you and others have mentioned and perhaps re-post soon on other forums.

The C&C 38 is also on my list but on my initial look the T37 seems the better boat in open water. It's about money right now - some day my hope is to buy a H49 or Stevens 47 but for now they are out of reach. I have lots of small boat lake experience and a little island charter 30-38 experience but no real blue water.

I'm going for it now and my tendency is to go when most won't so enough boat is important but probably not as important as good decisions?

I put a question mark so that maybe some would post up that they have taken what most think of as light costal boats on some more dramatic missions. And so gain some perspective I really don't have.

Lots of boats I would chose if money was no object - but it is!
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Old 10-11-2014, 08:04   #7
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Re: Center board

I have a 1987 tartan 40 with CB. I use it all the time upwind as it really balanced boat and adds 5-10 deg of pointing.

As for capsizing- neither my boat nor a t37, nor most keelboats, will turn turtle without some serious waves. And upwind, even more unlikely. So in conditions you may get turtled- offshore with breaking waves- ESP surfing conditions or lying a hull, you wouldn't need the board down. In fact you definitely want the board up so the boat can get pushed sideways by breakers, not trip on CB and roll.
It's why I really like k/CB as a cruising option. Shoal draft for downwind or shallow waters, and great upwind.
Make sure you get a good hull survey on the t37 given cored hull.


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Old 10-11-2014, 08:13   #8
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Re: Center board

In RSA I met people sailing a cb Tartan. They loved their boat. They said it was a great sailing boat and very comfortable to live in.

I loved looking at their boat.

So, as a minimum, expect some sailors looking at your boat wishing it was theirs.

b.
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Old 10-11-2014, 08:47   #9
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Re: Center board

The choice between the T37 and the C&C38 gets down to how you will use it. The C&C I expect is a bit quicker but the T37 is a much wiser choice for an offshore cruiser.
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Old 10-11-2014, 08:52   #10
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Re: Center board

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Originally Posted by 4music3 View Post
Thank you for the response!-wow twenty years you should know then.

And so I ask - why not use it in really rough conditions?.........


Lots of boats I would chose if money was no object - but it is!
Truth is, is that unless I am really trying to gain extra degrees in pointing, I don't really use the board. It adds nothing for stability and adds very little in tracking. The T-37 has a very long (horizontal) keel that tracks quite nicely. The T-40's keel isn't quite as long horizontally and their centerboard is broader helping out tracking-wise.

I agree about money and boats.....if I had an extra 750-900K, a Morris 42 or 44 Ocean Series would be a nice upgrade But alas, I'll have to admire from afar. Actually, there are not too many boats out there that I would switch to because all that extra money that I saved by not spent on a bigger boat can go towards the cruising kitty.
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Old 10-11-2014, 09:24   #11
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Re: Center board

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The choice between the T37 and the C&C38 gets down to how you will use it. The C&C I expect is a bit quicker but the T37 is a much wiser choice for an offshore cruiser.
The C&C Landfall was one of the boats we looked at before choosing the T-37. I like a lot about the C&C but the build quality seemed a bit more robust on the Tartan, plus the C&C had almost no opening side ports and limited hatches so I could imagine sweating my butt off in the tropics on the C&C.
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Old 10-11-2014, 10:30   #12
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Re: Center board

Thanks guys - knowing my nature I think I will cross the C&C off the list.

There are some out there that are 1/2 the T37 but I'll find a way.

Good point about not getting tripped up by the board when forced down a wave - that makes sense to me.

Yes sir a survey will be in the plan - the core issue is a bit scary but I expect to have satisfactory knowledge by the time I pull the trigger!
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Old 10-11-2014, 10:45   #13
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Re: Center board

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Yes sir a survey will be in the plan - the core issue is a bit scary but I expect to have satisfactory knowledge by the time I pull the trigger!
The coring in the deck is no different than any other boat with a cored deck: as long as the deck fittings have been properly bedded, it should be fine. Tartan did keep a slight separation between sheets of balsa to allow resin to act as a barrier of sorts.They also used plywood where heavy loads were anticipated, like the genoa track or winch bases. This plywood is also separated with resin from the balsa.
As far as the cored hull is concerned, The T-37 has a very thick outer skin, at least 3/8" to 1/2" then the core, then the inner skin(about 1/4")creating a very thick hull of well over an inch. The hull coring is also only limited to large panel areas and stops well before the turn of the bilge or areas of compression or high stress. I drilled a new through hull about a foot above the turn of the bilge and well before the coring started for an air conditioner inlet and found the hull thickness to be 1-3/8" of solid glass. Solid boat.
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Old 10-11-2014, 10:59   #14
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Re: Center board

Also, keep in mind that these boats are getting older and the ones on the market will need some elbow grease to get them to shine and put your mark on them but I've had the greatest time thinking of improvements and working on upgrades. Have fun
Here's a shot of my interior with a semi-gloss finish:
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Old 10-11-2014, 20:36   #15
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Re: Center board

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Also, keep in mind that these boats are getting older and the ones on the market will need some elbow grease to get them to shine and put your mark on them but I've had the greatest time thinking of improvements and working on upgrades. Have fun
Here's a shot of my interior with a semi-gloss finish:

That's a beautiful boat and thanks for the help!
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