Tartan 27 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Tartan 27 means considering a Sparkman & Stephens centerboarder built from 1961 into 1980, with 712 examples launched and a small licensed run from California. These boats split between the original low doghouse layout and the 1977-onward 27-2 with a raised sheer and rounder cabin, and both versions share the same essential sailing character. The marque’s first fiberglass design, it remains a common sight on the brokerage scene in the United States.
Layouts on the Used Market
Early boats show a midship galley opposite a port dinette, an exposed quarterberth aft, and a tiny head forward of the V-berth, while later 27-2 models carry an aft galley across from a nav-icebox desk with settee berths and a larger head. The post-1977 deck also eliminated the boxy doghouse and lengthened the cockpit in 1973 fashion, but raised the sheer without a new hull mold, creating a more vulnerable outward deck joint. Either layout reads cramped against today’s 27-footers, yet the earlier cockpit-opening icebox and the later chart table each have their adherents.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Spinnakers and their asymmetric cousins are commonly fitted, reflecting the boat’s club-racing past, and autopilots with chartplotters are equally common on the used fleet for short-handed navigation. Beyond those, buyers should note the standard powerplant history: most boats carry the Universal Atomic 4 gas engine, with a minority Farymann diesel that owners find underpowers and vibrates. No other equipment tiers appear frequently enough to flag, so canvas and sail-handling upgrades tend to be owner-driven rather than factory standard.
What to Inspect
The most often mentioned defect is delamination of the balsa-cored deck, especially around the chainplates. Wood under the maststep rots from partner leaks and can collapse, taking nearby bulkheads with it, while the rudder post runs without a bearing and wears sloppily in its tube. The pivot may erode until the board hangs only from its pendant cable, and the pendant can saw through its trunk tubing; through-hull gate valves ought to be changed for real seacocks, and no backing plates were fitted under deck gear originally. Some gasoline tanks leak, the teak rubrail breaks often, and colored gelcoat topsides chalk badly.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The used Tartan 27 is found on the market in the United States, with both original and 27-2 configurations in circulation. A practical checklist for any serious candidate:
- Sound the balsa deck at every chainplate for delamination
- Inspect maststep wood and surrounding bulkheads for rot
- Verify rudder post bearing retrofit and tiller head condition
- Confirm centerboard pivot and pennant trunk integrity
- Replace gate valves with seacocks; add backing plates
- Test fuel tank for leaks; budget rubrail and gelcoat refresh
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Tartan 27. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 1 row
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25 | 1 | $8,000 | — |