Design and Construction
Jackett gave the 245 a hull with some deadrise through the midsection that is carried aft, very straight garboards, and a fine, V-shaped entry, while minimal topside flare is kept. The result is a hull that reads as a modern daysailer rather than a mini-cruiser. A perky sheer lends the boat a visual lift that one reviewer found pleasing to the eye. The rudder is a clever design that will kick up at any impact, a practical safeguard for shallow-water sailing and the kind of grounding a retractable-keel daysailer invites. The open transom aft reinforces the boat's focus on easy access and cockpit-centric use.
Rig and Handling
The 245 is rigged as a fractional carbon sloop with swept spreaders, carrying 272 square feet of sail area and an SA/D of 21. Sail controls are grouped forward on the short cabinhouse top, while the mainsheet traveler sits on the cockpit sole just ahead of the helmsman. Jib tracks run on top of the cockpit coaming for a fair lead to the winches, with shorter jib tracks notched into the house side forward of the coaming. Tartan offers a self-tacking jib arrangement and a retractable carbon fiber bowsprit as factory options, the latter widening her downwind envelope without cluttering the bow at anchor.
Accommodations
This is fundamentally a cockpit boat: the design is 60% cockpit, with space for four student sailors and an instructor. Below, the story is more compromised. The keeltrunk intrudes through the cabin and mucks up all efforts to make the area comfy, though there is sitting headroom and a porta potty can be fitted off to port. The 245 is built to sail, not to live aboard, and the cabin exists to shelter and stow rather than to charm.
The Verdict
The Tartan 245 is a purpose-built daysailer that trades cabin comfort for cockpit volume and shoal-draft flexibility. Jackett's hull geometry and kick-up rudder make her forgiving in thin water, while the carbon fractional rig and optional self-tacking jib keep short-handed sailing manageable. The lifting keel is the defining asset and the defining compromise: it opens shallow creeks and easy trailering yet dominates the belowdecks space.
Pros
- Lifting bulb keel gives 4-foot draft down, 1 foot 8 inches up
- Beam-forward hull and 60% cockpit make a roomy sailing platform
- Kick-up rudder protects against impact grounding
- Carbon fractional rig with factory self-tacking jib and bowsprit options
Cons
- Keeltrunk consumes the cabin and blocks any real belowdecks comfort
- Minimal topside flare and open transom mark her as a fair-weather daysailer
- Sitting headroom only; porta potty is the sole concession to cruising
