The result was a 35-foot 11-inch bluewater cruiser, measured on deck and excluding the bowsprit. Its name deliberately combines Ta Shing and Baba. California developer Bob Berg shepherded the project, bringing Perry together with the yard’s Taiwanese representative to create the boat.
Design and Construction
The Tashiba 36 draws directly on the Baba 40’s breakthroughs, but it isn’t simply a scaled-down version. Perry made the turn of the bilges even harder than on his earlier full-keel boats to add stability, and he gave the boat more refined bows.
The hull is hand-laminated fiberglass. Its outer layers were laid in water- and osmosis-resistant vinylester resin to help ward off blistering. Ta Shing, widely regarded as Taiwan’s top yard and one of the world’s finest builders, built the deck in GRP over an end-grain balsa core. Wherever through-deck fittings are fastened, the yard used marine-plywood coring and stainless steel backing plates.
Ballast consists of a single iron casting sealed inside the fiberglass. Owners could also choose to have the interior coated with polyurethane insulation.
Dimensions, Rig, and Handling
The Tashiba 36 measures 30 feet 5 inches on the waterline and has 11 feet 9 inches of beam. Standard draft is 5 feet 6 inches, while a 4-foot 6-inch shoal version was also offered. Displacement is 20,350 pounds, including 8,740 pounds of ballast.
The standard sail plan covers 703 square feet; the pilothouse variant carries 705 square feet.
Writing for oceanwavesail.com, the reviewer noted that Perry aimed to create a bluewater hull that sailed incredibly well: quick, close-winded, rigid, balanced, and fast and close-winded enough to challenge many fin-keel designs. That assessment reflects Perry’s design aim, rather than idle marketing language. The harder bilges and refined entry gave the boat a poise that surprised period observers who expected a traditional full-keel slug.
Accommodations
Ta Shing offered two layouts: a rear-cockpit version and a pilothouse model. The rear-cockpit Tashiba 36 has a roomy forward cabin and an aft quarter berth. The pilothouse version trades that aft single berth for two large cabins—one forward and one amidships—and adds an inside steering station alongside the cockpit pedestal.
Both layouts include a pressurized hot-water system and a shower in the head. Some who surveyed the boats described the interior woodwork as “excellent furniture,” a telling indication of the standard of joinery Ta Shing delivered.
Known Issue
The one documented systemic weakness is the black iron fuel tank. Like many of Ta Shing’s Baba, Panda, and Tashiba sisters, the Tashiba 36 left the factory with black iron tanks that have proved susceptible to corrosion.
Many boats have since had their tanks replaced, but a survey should confirm the tank’s status rather than assume the work has been done.
Verdict
The Tashiba 36 is a thoughtfully evolved Perry double-ender. It combines genuine offshore capability with a surprising turn of speed, along with a builder’s finish that has aged well. It suits a cruiser who wants a classic hull form without classic sluggishness and who values a respected yard’s reputation as expressed in tangible joinery and resin work.
Pros
- Perry’s last—and, in the designer’s view, arguably finest—full-keel double-ender
- Harder turn to the bilges and a refined bow, improving stability and windward performance
- Hand-laminated hull with osmosis-resistant outer vinylester layers
- Balsa-cored deck with marine-plywood coring and stainless steel backing plates at through-deck fittings
- Two distinct layouts, including a pilothouse with inside steering
- Interior finish described by observers as “excellent furniture”
Cons
- Black iron fuel tanks are prone to corrosion; verify whether the tank has been replaced
