Tartan 40 hull question

[lpd]

I've recently come across conflicting information about mid- to late-80s Tartan 40 hull construction. The web site sailboatdata.com indicates that the Tartan 40's hull is of solid fiberglass construction, while a Cruising World article from Nov. 2001 (URL below) states "The 40’s hull, laid up with unidirectional fiberglass, balsa coring, vinylester resin in the skin coat, and isophthalic NPG gelcoat, is blister resistant and has weight and strength in the right places."

https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailbo...assagemaker-0/

Can someone here (perhaps a late 80s Tartan 40 owner) help resolve this question? Although I like the Tartan 40 overall, I would in general prefer to stay away from cored hulls.

Thank you.

Louis

[psk125]

Sailboatdata doesn't seem to differentiate between solid and cored fiberglass. We know that our J/36 hull is cored and it shows as "FG" in their listing.

[zemurray]

you could call Tartan directly and ask. FWIW I have a late 80’s Tartan 28, and its not cored in the hull. Only the deck is cored.

[Dsanduril]

Couldn’t find anything specific about the original 40, but the Wayback Machine has this from Tartan’s 1998 website:

Some builders use a solid laminate construction. These boats are either excessively heavy or weak. The reasons...fiberglass laminates depend on the thickness to develop stiffness. To achieve adequate thickness, a solid laminate utilizes large amounts of heavy, brittle resin. The result is an excessively heavy hull leaving a choice of either (1) under ballasting or (2) heavy displacement - both resulting in poor performance. The alternative in solid glass is to maintain low weight by allowing a thin hull. A weak laminate is the result.

At Tartan, we have pioneered the use of balsa coring starting with the original Tartan 27 in the early 1960s. Balsa coring produces stronger, lighter, higher performing cruising boats. End grain balsa core has a natural cell structure which is exceptionally strong, light weight and water resistant. As a comparison, it is twice as strong as the best same weight foam cores in sheer strength. A composite laminate utilizing balsa allows the boat builder to design a performance structure taking advantage of the higher tensile strength of uni-directional non-woven fabrics.

Balsa has proven its value in yacht construction for over thirty-five years. In fact, both ABS and Lloyds of London certify balsa for hull construction above and below the water line.

An important consideration of cored construction includes the care which must be taken in thru-hull, chain plate, keel and hardware installation. In the case of all Tartans, these areas have been identified and locally, the core is omitted. Alternating layers of mat and roving are used to replace the coring and develop the required thickness at these installation points. The result is a long-lived hull and deck which maintains its appeal and value beyond that of lesser brands

One final advantage of cored construction is that Tartan owners enjoy not only the added measure of strength and performance, but also its superior thermal and sound insulating properties. A boat cored with balsa resists condensation below decks and is measurably quieter.