Tartan 31 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the used Tartan 31 means choosing between the original 1987-run boats and the later “Piper” revision, both products of Tim Jackett’s in-house design work at Tartan. These are semi-custom 31-foot performance cruisers, and the differences between versions matter more than the usual brokerage-year noise. The original carries a Scheel keel; the Piper trades that for Jackett’s Beaver Tail shoal draft and a reworked interior. Either way you get a 9,030-pound hull with lead ballast in an external fin, a double-spreader masthead rig, and a Yanmar diesel.
Layouts on the Used Market
The original 31 keeps a fold-down nav station behind a full bulkhead and a port pilot berth, while the Piper removes that pilot berth for added cabinets and shelves, shifts the settees outboard, and centers the table to open a second head door. Both share a big forward double, an aft quarter berth that owners rate as the best sleeping spot at 7 by 5 feet, and a U-shape galley. Headroom runs 6′2″ in the main cabin. The Piper’s permanent aft-facing nav station gives more room for instruments than the original’s fold-down setup.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the market carry an autopilot, chartplotter, and dodger as standard cruising kit, with a bimini and radar often seen alongside spinnaker or asymmetric spinnaker gear for downwind work. For buyer consequence, focus on the energy and sail-handling clusters: a quality Harken roller-furling and winch package with all lines led aft supports short-handed sailing, and an autopilot paired with a chartplotter makes the manageable cockpit even easier to single-hand. Less common are air conditioning and hot water, which show up as owner upgrades rather than factory fit, and a true short-handed setup is a similar occasional retrofit.
What to Inspect
Several owners complain about mast leaks anchor, so check the mast collar and cabin sole for signs of past water intrusion. One owner reported a tie rod left unsecured and attributed it to the dealer, so verify the steering linkage is properly fastened. Piper-version buyers should note some owners bemoaned the absence of handy stern chocks, a minor but real fitting gap. Beyond those points, the known construction is sound: the hull-to-deck joint uses stainless bolts through a teak toerail into an aluminum backing strip with 5200 adhesive, and the keel is secured by seven three-quarter-inch bolts.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
The Tartan 31 appears on the used market in the United States, where its semi-custom status means each boat should be evaluated on its own outfitting and care. When you go look, run this short list:
- Confirm which keel version (Scheel or Beaver Tail) and whether the shoal draft suits your waters
- Inspect for mast-leak staining and verify tie-rod security
- Check Piper boats for missing stern chocks if that matters to your docking
- Confirm the swing-aside companionway still gives clean engine access
- Match the nav-station layout (fold-down vs permanent) to your instrument plans
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Tartan 31. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 10 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 1 | $22,600 | — |
| Jul 25 | 6 | $39,000 | +72.6% |
| Aug 25 | 1 | $34,000 | -12.8% |
| Sep 25 | 3 | $19,500 | -42.6% |
| Nov 25 | 2 | $34,000 | +74.4% |
| Jan 26 | 1 | $34,000 | 0.0% |
| Apr 26 | 2 | $49,900 | +46.8% |
| May 26 | 3 | $31,000 | -37.9% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $6,190,031 | +19867.8% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $39,000 | -99.4% |
Where they're listed
Tartan 31 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 14.
Country view
14 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $34,000 | 14 | 2 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
7 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hallberg-Rassy 31 | 31.56' | $ 92,313 | 43 | 13 |
| Tartan 30 | 29.92' | $ 9,950 | 18 | 5 |
| CAL 31 | 31.5' | $ 10,500 | 16 | 4 |
| Elan Boats 31 | 30.84' | $ 48,703 | 15 | 4 |
| Tartan 31You are here | — | $ 34,000 | 14 | 2 |
| Tartan 3100 | 31.33' | $ 35,000 | 13 | 6 |
| Pearson 31 | 31' | $ 16,900 | 9 | 6 |