Tartan 34 C Sailboats for Sale

Layouts on the Used Market

Most boats you will find are masthead sloop rigs, though a yawl was originally optional. The interior in its original form sleeps five on fixed berths, with the port settee pulling out to a double; later hulls dropped the outboard lockers there for a pilot berth. Every berth is long, the forward V-berths are generously wide at the foot, and 6-foot-2 headroom runs forward. The cork cabin sole stays nearly level except by the galley and quarterberth. Early boats finished in painted plywood with oiled teak; later ones moved to teak-faced bulkheads and white laminate. The galley is compact—two-burner alcohol stove with no oven, single sink, and a large icebox under the starboard cockpit seat reached through a vertical door. Water capacity is 36 gallons.

Equipment and Common Upgrades

An autopilot is commonly fitted by now, and air conditioning and a chartplotter are often seen. Beyond those, a spinnaker, inverter, dodger, heating, solar, or electric winches turn up as owner upgrades rather than standard gear. For a buyer, the meaningful clusters are modest: power and energy is usually still anchored by the primitive original electrical system with its 30-amp alternator and fuses, so solar or an inverter matters; navigation is handled by a chartplotter where fitted; and canvas or sail-handling additions like a dodger or spinnaker reflect how the prior owner sailed her. Most boats still run the Atomic 4 gasoline engine, with the Farymann diesel possible from 1975 models.

What to Inspect

The most common age-related defect is gelcoat cracking and crazing of the deck molding, particularly at the foredeck and forward cabin trunk anchor, and delamination of the balsa-cored deck is something a number of owners have cited. The centerboard and its operating mechanism is another frequently mentioned problem area anchor. Owners have reported blistering on the bottom at a rate consistent with an ordinary sample of aging fiberglass yachts. Early through-hulls are brass pipe nipples glassed into the hull with interior gate valves, worth close examination for corrosion. Remember the engine sits in the bilge and is vulnerable if the hull floods anchor, so confirm the later 26-gallon tank under the port settee or earlier 21-gallon cockpit tank for condition and leaks.

Availability and Buyer's Takeaway

These boats typically appear in the United States, Denmark, and Portugal. For a shopper, the short list is: check deck crazing and any balsa delamination; exercise the centerboard and inspect its mechanism; survey early brass through-hulls; confirm bilge-flood vulnerability around the settee-engine location; and verify electrical and tank upgrades. A clean, later-model Tartan 34 C with the increased 5,000-pound ballast and a sound board is a capable, sea-kindly cruiser for shoal or deep water alike.