Tartan 31 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull form features plenty of flare to the topsides amidships and a broad powerful stern, with a distinct turn at the bilge that reduces wetted surface in light air and builds stability once the wind rises. Practical Sailor’s survey found the hull is hand-laminated with alternating layers of chopped strand mat and unidirectional E glass, while behind the NPG/ISO gelcoat a layer of vinylester resin provides what so far appears to be the best osmotic blister protection available anchor. Tartan limited its balsa end-grain coring to the deck because of the 31’s small size, and the hull-to-deck connection runs the length of the boat with stainless steel bolts every six or seven inches through a solid teak toerail into a molded-in quarter-inch aluminum backing strip, further solidified by 3M’s 5200 adhesive. The keel is secured by seven three-quarter-inch stainless bolts with thick bedding. Both appendages carry elliptical trailing edges, and the boat may be a little tender initially but the flare gives it a big stability shoulder once heel angle passes 10 degrees anchor.

Rig and Handling

The standard rig is a double-spreader masthead sloop carrying roughly 507 square feet of sail — 266 in the foretriangle and 241 in the fully-battened main — with a 135-percent standard jib. Bob Perry’s design review noted dramatic prebend in the spar, a device that lets the boat use a smaller and lighter mast section even though the mast is consequently more flexible anchor. Tartan led all sail-control lines aft to housetop-mounted winches, and the inboard shrouds keep side decks clear while sharpening upwind trim angles. The boat moves nicely to windward, especially in a breeze, and handles well dead downwind; owners describe the balanced rig as very forgiving, though like other Tartans it is least effective on a broad reach when seas build. Under PHRF it rates between 141 and 153, averaging 150.

Keel Options and the Piper

The first 31s carried a Scheel keel drawing 4 feet 4 inches, while both versions also offered a six-foot deep fin that most owners passed over for the shoal draft. For 1992 Jackett “Piperized” the model: the Piper brought a revised interior and a new shoal-draft keel of his own design, the Beaver Tail, which draws the same 4′4″ but uses NACA foil sections for greater lift and a somewhat flattened bulb to create an endplate effect. By concentrating weight lower, the Beaver Tail delivers the same righting moment with 300 fewer pounds of ballast, dropping to 3,600 pounds and a ratio just under 40 percent, without making the boat noticeably more tender. The Piper also adopted sweptback spreaders and dropped the babystay.

Accommodations

Below, the original 31 has a big double forward and another double berth aft, with angled bulkheads that some find visually disorderly but which are effective in packaging the space. The galley is a squatty U-shape and the chart table is big. Teak covers bulkheads, furniture, and cabinets, offset by an off-white partial liner, and the sole is varnished teak and holly with six-inch-thick settee cushions. Standing headroom is 6′2″ in the main cabin and 6′ in the forecabin. The Piper reworked the layout for more stowage: the port pilot berth was removed for cabinets and shelves, settee berths shifted outboard, and the table moved to centerline to allow a second head door. The quarter berth (7′ x 5′) is the most comfortable sleeping spot, while several owners find the narrowing forward V-berth cramped and prefer sleeping aft or amidships.

Known Issues

Several 31 owners complain about mast leaks, and one owner reported her tie rod was not secured, though she attributed that oversight to her dealer rather than the builder. Other Piper owners bemoaned the absence of handy stern chocks. These are isolated owner-reported gripes rather than systemic defects, and the same owner circle widely praises the easy engine access gained by swinging aside the companionway stairs.

The Verdict

The Tartan 31 is a thoughtfully engineered small cruiser-racer that trades extremes for all-around competence. Jackett’s flare-and-shoulder hull, prebent spar, and inboard shrouds produce a boat that is initially tender but stiffens predictably, points well, and stays forgiving for short-handed crews. The Piper refinement broadened the shoal-draft appeal without sacrificing righting moment. Interior finish is genuine teak, and the revised Piper layout solves stowage without losing the comfortable quarter berth.

Pros