Tartan 42

[sailorboy1]

Anyone out there who has ever been on one of these (Tartan 42)? The "numbers" look good, but I have concern about the narrow stern design. The other thing is the pricing seems werid as all on the market are between $90-110k where the 40s are much more. Searched for comments on the 42s but didn't find anything to explain wh the pricing seems lower than what you would think.

[Gudgeon]

Don
Check out Tartan sailing on Yahoo. You have tor register, but you will find many Tartan owner there.

[anotherT34C]

As far as I can tell, the pricing is due to the 40's being a generation newer than the 42's. I don't really know of any good reason why this would be so, except that the design of the 40 looks decidedly more "modern".

Personally, I think the 42 is handsomer. I don't care for beamy afts (there's a wife joke here, but I don't like sleeping on the couch).

[Amgine]

I've been aboard both at the docks.

The 42s are the older design. They're heavier, smaller in volume, and (imo) seemed designed for blue water racing back when it was a non-professional sport.

The 40 was more open, lighter, probably faster, and (imo) oriented toward a performance cruiser market. Another impression is they were built in a factory, while the 42 seemed to have been built in a boatyard.

[sailorboy1]

Factory vs Boatyard??? which are you saying is better?

Do you remember what you thought of the interior volume as it seemed a little small in picutres to me (is it going to be "comfortable"). There is a T42 in my area for $90k that looks in real good condition and equipped for coastal cruising, but I don't really want to waste their time showing it to me unless I think it is a possible.

[Amgine]

::grin:: Mind you, this is just my personal impression from two boats I walked on a year ago, but...

I'd say the newer 40 looked like all the pieces were cut and assembled by different teams in different parts of a factor, and then put into the boat. Everything looked very well machined, but the interior designer had clearly worked on techniques to allow for slight discrepancies, factory style (think all those cover pieces over joints in a car.)

The 42' didn't have much of that, and any flaws were clear to see, though I can't recall seeing any errors in the cabinetry (and for me, all the interior is cabinetry.) Boatyard finishes, however, tend to be a bit unique. So you can't take measurements from one 42 and expect the exact same on another; this boat may have a 16.5" rectangle galley sink while the next has a 16.5" oval. The semi-custom nature of boatyard boats may be what they had in stock, or details the owner asked for.

The interior felt a little small for a 42, which was exactly what we were looking for in a liveaboard. The reason it felt smaller is the fore and aft below are broken up, giving more privacy to bow and aft. It also 'felt' quieter - may have been due to more fabric. Those were important to us because we still have a kid at home, teenager who needs to get away from parent-types for phone conversations and chatrooms and ::shudder:: Guitar Hero. We didn't go for the boat because its aft-of-mast furler needed major work or a new mast and the standing rigging needed complete replacement.

[Don Cady]

Four years ago I purchased a 1981 Tartan 42 located in Mattapoisett, Mass. Over the past summers my wife and I have cruised twice from Rhode Island to Maine and just this past July the two of us sailed her short-handed from Newport to Bermuda and return (we have a Monitor wind vane). She points well into the wind, handles well in rough conditions, and is quite sea kindly. I have found the boat to be extremely well built.

Over the past few years I have noticed the advertised price for these boats typically ranges between $85,000 and $115,000. My best guess as to why they sell in this relatively low price range is that there were only 34 made between 1980 and 1984 and with her relatively small cockpit she definitely is not a party boat (the small cockpit and bridge deck are a real plus if you are going offshore). If these boats are in decent shape they are a bargain.

I purchased my boat in 2005 for $95,000, but there is a Tartan 42 in Myrtle Beach that has been on the market for a very long time that is now priced at $69,000. I'm not sure what the problems are (for starters, there is no windlass), but you can afford to put a fair amount of additional cash into a boat if it is priced right.

Note that the Tartan 42 hull core is constructed of end grain balsa below waterline. This fact makes it particularly important for any contract to provide for an out-of-water marine survey for blistering and water penetration.