Seems like you looked at a boat and feel in love with it. That might not be the best thing because you might not be looking at it rationally. For instense, I remember boarding my first
Beneteau. Beautiful. But today I would never want one for the type of sailing I want to do.
While I know nothing about Tartans other than they are supposed to be solid boats (don't know anything about current problems), I do know that you can get a lot of boat in excellent condition for much less
money.
For example, I was looking at a
Catalina 42 Mark II (1999) in the
Great Lakes region. From the
photo it looked like it was in excellent condition with lots of extras (including a dingy,
motor and davits). Also, it had only been in fresh
water. They were "asking" $129,000. I figured it could be had for less, but I would still want to add a few extras like a life raft, additional anchors and a few other things. But it sure is less than what you are looking at and the 42 Mark II, while not decked out with
teak, is a very, very nice boat. I've sailed a bunch of Catalinas (25, 27, 31 and 36) and they have all been rock solid. I sail on the
San Francisco Bay and they handle strong winds well. I'm sure that there are other brands, e.g.
Hunter and
Cal, that can be gotten quite reasonably and will give your wife the creature comforts she desires.
One other thing you should consider. How much "good looks" do you want in exchange for extra
maintenance? I personally like no
wood above
deck because it reduces
maintenance. Of course some people must have the wooden trim because it is traditional.
You mention one of my concerns ... draft. All the boats I see on the
west coast have deep drafts even if the manufacturer offers a shorter fin
keel. For example, the
Catalina 42 comes with a standard
keel and a fin keel. I seem to remember that the fin keel draws no more than 5.5 feet. That sure beats 7 feet.
Since I like monohulls, I'm not going to get a real shallow boat like a cat. But I'm certainly going to try to get something no more than 5.5 feet. That will limit the length of the boat, but the Catalina 42 is definitely enough boat for my wife and I and a couple of friends.
One of the instructors at the sailing club I belong cruises 6 months out of the year. His
44’ Nautic Santionge has a draft of a little over 6 feet. When he recently moved it to Florida he had trouble with the depth in places. In the Bahamas and South Pacific you will probably also have trouble with 7 feet. On the West Coast, Sea of Cortez and Carribbean you should be fine with 7 feet.
If you are interested in used boats with fin keels, then look for boats for sale in Florida. There are lots of them and good prices.
Marcus
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