Design and Construction
The Tamarisk 19 pairs a solid fiberglass hull and deck with a kick-up centerplate and a laminated rudder and tiller described as best quality anchor. Iroko rubbing strakes and grab handles lend traditional detailing, while the hull was offered in ivory deck with navy or racing-green hull as a paid option. At 3,086 pounds displacement with 440 kg of lead ballast and a 7.35-foot beam, she is a stable, stiff moderate-weight sailboat with a displacement-to-length ratio near 268 and a sail-area-to-displacement ratio of about 17.3 — figures that mark her as a reasonably good performer rather than a lightweight racer. Her capsize screening value of 2.02 and a low righting capability if capsized are worth noting for offshore ambition, though her RCD Category C rating places her in sheltered and inland waters.
Rig and Handling
The gaff-headed sloop rig sits on a Sitka spruce mast, bowsprit, boom, and yard, with a stainless-steel tabernacle for the mast and bowsprit and a bronze horse traveller with spar bands. Sail area totals 229 square feet across a tan terylene main, furling jib, and optional genoa and topsail, handled through three cockpit winches and two fairlead tracks. The kick-up centre plate with its easy raising system drops to 4.04 feet or retracts to 1.74, giving her the shallow draft that makes rivers and estuaries accessible while keeping her able to race. A bronze and wood fit-out, rather than modern alloy, defines the period character.
Accommodations
Below, the Tamarisk 19 is more generous than her length implies. The cockpit is unusually large for a boat this size, and the spacious cabin offers plenty of headroom throughout, lit by four bronze opening portlights and a foredeck hatch that keep it light and airy. An all-wood interior with choice of fabric coverings, a galley with a two-burner spirit stove, sink, and manual water tap, a cabin table that slides up to roof panels, and two cockpit lockers round out the livable plan. Different cabin layouts were available, and a cockpit tent could further extend the accommodation, reinforcing her role as a comfortable trailerable weekender.
Equipment and Safety
Standard equipment leans period-correct and practical: best-quality cleats and fairleads, a boarding ladder, bilge pump, fire extinguisher, and fire blanket. The single-engine installation was kept simple — either outboard or inboard — and the shallow draft with easy engine access made her an ideal boat for exploring waterways yet still able to race. Bronze portlights and a foredeck hatch are both functional and part of the traditional aesthetic.
The Verdict
The Tamarisk 19 is a charming, well-built trailerable weekender that honors the character of her predecessor class while delivering a stable, stiff, and reasonably quick gaff-rigged platform. Her shallow drafting centerboard, large cockpit, and airy cabin make her a genuine small-cruiser, though the low righting capability if capsized and Category C rating counsel prudent waters.
Pros
- Unusually large cockpit and headroom-rich cabin for 19 feet
- Kick-up centerplate enables 1.74 ft shallow draft and 4.04 ft sailing draft
- Traditional spruce and bronze gaff rig with easy-raising plate
- Stable and stiff; reasonably good performer under sail
Cons
- Low righting capability if capsized
- RCD Category C — sheltered and inland waters only
- Best suited as a day-boat or weekender rather than offshore cruiser
