Beneteau 373 / Tartan 372 / Delphia 37

[BoJoBob]

I haven't sailed at all, yet. So I know this is going to sound very silly for me asking, but I would like to get a general idea of thoughts on these boats.

In 2016 I will be moving to the Tampa/St. Pete, FL area. I would like to find a good boat that I can take out in the gulf and sail across the Atlantic within a couple of years to Croatia were I have some friends and family.

For the past year I have been looking at all of these boats and many more. I would like some honest opinions about the ones above.

My budget is 100k for the sailboat, and 40k to outfit it. I am not opposed to doing some small repairs/upgrades on my own, but I am by no means a handy person. I am taking a diesel repair class next summer (2015) between spring and fall semester.

The Beneteau 373's in this price range are in the early to mid 2000's and "seem" to be in pretty good shape. Meaning to me that they won't need a ton of work to get them ready.

The Tartan 372's are of the late 1980 / early 1990's and "seem" to look pretty good and are stunning from the outside. The inside is a bit dated, but that is the kind of work that I can handle. The older engines concern me a little bit with the amount of work that might be needed to keep them up and running.

The Delphia 37's are good looking boats and the interiors are more modern. In my price range I am looking at the ones from the late 1990's.

I am trying not to be one of those posters who ask for the perfect boat to sail the world in. I have spent a lot of time looking into these three and would like to hear from owners of any of them and others who have spent any time on these boats.

Thanks,
Bob


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[deluxe68]

There are quite a few Tartan 37's that have circumnavigated although I have never seen one in person. I looked at a 2001 3700 last year and the only thing that kept me from buying it was that my Beneteau 36.7 had not sold yet. I would definitely go with Tartan over Beneteau but have no experience with Delphia.

[Curmudgeon]

I wouldn't touch a Tartan 372. The engine is under the kitchen sink and consequently the whole boat smells of diesel when you run the engine. I have no idea of what they were thinking.

An older Tartan 37 ( the S&S design) is a much better choice and will cost you less. Nice boats with a very loyal customer base.

[Orion Jim]

If the whole boat smells of diesel there is a bigger problem to resolve.

[BoJoBob]

The Tartan 37's look very nice for a boat of their age. If I went with a boat in this price range I could move up my anticipated voyage to Croatia.

I have read about a few deck core issues with the Balsa wood on the Tartan's from the 70's and 80's. Has anyone had any personal experience with this. Does it become cheaper just to sell the boat if this problem arises and look for something else. Do the more modern boats have these same issues with the core?

Thanks for taking the time read and respond even if these dreams are still a couple of years away.


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