The boat remains a recognizable example of the late-1960s American cruiser-racer: a sea-kindly hull that’s quicker off the wind than upwind, paired with an honest, unpretentious interior.
Design and Construction
The Tartan 34 C measures 34 feet 5 inches overall, with a 25-foot waterline, 10-foot-2 beam, and 11,200 pounds displacement. Ballast was 4,600 pounds on early boats and later increased to 5,000 pounds, giving a 44.6 percent ballast ratio.
The keel/centerboard arrangement is central to the boat’s character. Draft is 3 feet 11 inches with the board up and 8 feet 4 inches with it down. Because of this shoal-draft configuration, the center of gravity sits fairly high. Righting moment at one degree of heel is about 630 foot-pounds—some 20 percent less than that of a modern fin-keel cruiser/racer of the same displacement—so the Tartan is initially more tender than a deep-keel contemporary. This makes the Tartan initially more tender than a deep-keel contemporary.
The centerboard locks positively in any chosen position and won’t freely pivot upward if it strikes a rock, a deliberate contrast with many retractable boards.
On early hulls, the through-hull fittings are brass pipe nipples glassed into the hull, with gate valves inside. Many deck fittings are chrome-plated bronze. There’s also a great deal of exterior teak, including the cockpit coamings, forward hatch frame, handrails, and high toerail.
The short propeller shaft minimizes vibration. There’s no external prop strut to create drag, cause alignment problems, or possibly work loose from the hull.
Rig and Handling
The original rig is a masthead sloop with single spreaders and double lower shrouds—about as simple and sturdy as a rig gets. A yawl was optional, though most Tartan 34 Cs are sloops.
The original mainsail had an aspect ratio of roughly 2.5:1 and a 13-foot foot. Its mainsheet leads awkwardly to a cockpit-spanning traveler positioned just above the tiller and well aft of the helmsman. An end-of-boom lead was essential because of the old-fashioned roller-reefing boom.
With the arrival of the IOR, the main boom was shortened by about 2.5 feet. Neither the foretriangle base nor the rig height was increased to compensate, and some owners say the resulting loss of about 35 square feet of sail area is noticeable in light air. Shortening the foot did, however, substantially reduce the weather helm carried when reaching in heavy air. Owners also report using the centerboard to ease the helm in those conditions.
Like almost all S&S designs, the Tartan 34 C is a good all-around sailing boat without significant bad habits. Racers say she should be sailed on her feet: beyond 20 degrees of heel, she slows and makes leeway.
Performance
The Tartan 34 C has a PHRF rating of about 168 to 174, comparable to more modern fast cruisers of similar displacement. Its centerboard character is still apparent, however. Like most centerboarders, the boat is considerably faster downwind than upwind and can be run off more effectively than a fin-keeler.
Propeller efficiency is reduced because the prop is partly hidden behind the keel’s trailing edge to reduce drag. Its far-forward position also makes the boat difficult to back in a straight line.
Even so, Practical Sailor judged the Tartan 34 C seaworthy—the sort of boat it would choose for cruising somewhere like the Bahamas.
Accommodations
The original interior provides five fixed berths, and the port settee extends to make a double. On later boats, the lockers outboard of that settee were replaced by a pilot berth.
All the berths are long, including a 7-foot quarterberth. Even the forward V-berths are wide enough at the foot for big people, while 6-foot-2 headroom extends all the way forward.
The nearly level cabin sole is cork, an unusual feature. The only changes in level are in front of the galley dresser and quarterberth. Early boats have painted plywood bulkheads with oiled teak trim. Later examples use teak-faced main bulkheads and white laminate elsewhere, along with a drop-leaf main-cabin table.
The galley is small. It has a two-burner alcohol stove without an oven, a single sink, and an icebox with mediocre insulation. The icebox itself is large, tucked beneath the starboard cockpit seat. It can be reached from the galley and cockpit through a vertical door. Water capacity is 36 gallons.
Machinery and Systems
Most Tartan 34 Cs have the Atomic 4 gasoline engine. From 1975, the Farymann R-30-M diesel was offered as an alternative.
The engine is beneath the port main-cabin settee, which is a real advantage for access. Its position in the bilge, however, leaves it vulnerable if the hull floods.
Original drawings show a 21-gallon gas tank beneath the cockpit. Later boats have a 26-gallon tank beneath the port settee.
The electrical system is fairly primitive, with a 30-amp alternator, fuses instead of circuit breakers, and minimal lighting.
Known Issues and Ownership Notes
The most commonly reported age-related problem is cracking and crazing in the deck molding’s gelcoat, particularly around the foredeck and forward cabin trunk. A few owners also report separation of the deck’s balsa core where moisture has entered.
The centerboard and its operating mechanism are another frequently mentioned trouble spot. According to owner accounts, hull-bottom blistering has also occurred on a typical number of these boats.
The Verdict
The Tartan 34 C is a thoughtfully conceived S&S cruiser-racer. Its centerboard hull provides shoal-draft versatility without giving up downwind speed, while the interior offers long berths and generous headroom in an honest period layout.
Owners must accept tender initial stability, some awkward rigging legacies, and the usual age-related attention to the deck and centerboard. In return, the boat offers a simple, sturdy rig and a sea-kindly manner.
Pros
- Keel/centerboard layout with a positive board lock and strong downwind performance
- Simple, sturdy, single-spreader sloop rig; most boats are sloops rather than yawls
- Long berths and full headroom forward
- Cork cabin sole and practical icebox access
- Engine beneath the settee provides good service access
- Short propeller shaft and no external strut help reduce vibration
Cons
- Initially tender because the shoal-draft configuration gives a relatively high center of gravity
- Deck-gelcoat crazing, possible balsa-core separation, and reported centerboard-mechanism problems
- Engine sits in the bilge and is vulnerable to flooding
- Primitive electrical system
- Awkward mainsheet traveler
- Reduced light-air sail area after the IOR-era boom shortening
