Tartan 37 Sailboat Review, Specs, and Listings

Design and Construction

The hull is hand-laid and molded as a single unit, cored with end-grain balsa that is tapered to solid glass in any high-stress areas such as the engine bed, mast step, shroud terminals, thru-hulls and keel sections. The deck shares that balsa-cored fiberglass construction with excellent molded-in non-skid on all flat surfaces, and the two are joined by a bedded, mechanically fastened lap joint that has proven to be strong and dry. Practical Sailor’s survey found the interior construction finish among the best seen, with exceptionally neat fillet bonding and no raw fiberglass edges anywhere in the hull. Tartan made use of both unidirectional roving and balsa coring in stress areas, though some roving print-through is evident and there are visible hard spots on the outside of the hull; gelcoat quality, however, is very good. The hull-to-deck joint is stiffened with an aluminum plate glassed to the underside of the inward-flanged hull and tapped for through bolts, with the wide internal flange bedded in butyl tape and polysulphide and bolted with stainless-steel bolts that also carry the teak toerail. All through-hull fittings are recessed flush with the hull skin, and bronze ball valves serve those below the waterline.

Rig and Handling

The underbody features a skeg-hung rudder, cutaway forefoot and long fin keel, with a high-aspect rudder faired into the hull with a substantial skeg and flaps to minimize turbulence. The keel-centerboard configuration dominated orders until the early 1980s, with only a few deep fin keels — often with a tall rig favored by racers — and by 1985 all three keel shapes including the Scheel shoal keel were available. Owners report that the Tartan 37 is a well-mannered boat under sail, and period racing history bears this out: several boats participated in the Marion/Newport-Bermuda race and regularly performed respectably. Performance sailing to weather is excellent, offwind performance ranks with the best, and plenty of rudder contributes to great control in full-sail reaching or running. With good sails, the boat will not be disappointing on any point of sail. The optional inboard genoa track should be considered essential to those concerned with optimum windward performance, and headsail winches sit within reach of the helmsman, though no real provision exists for secondary headsail winches should staysails be desired. Wide decks, inboard chainplates and a narrow cabin trunk make fore-and-aft deck movement relatively easy.

Accommodations

Below, the boat is finished with lots of teak veneer and trim and teak-battened white Formica overhead — an abundance that makes the interior dark and cave-like. The forward cabin is comfortable for a boat of this size, with drawers, hanging lockers and separate head access, while the head itself is comfortable and braced for offshore use, its shower draining into a separate sump rather than the bilge. The main cabin is conventional, with a starboard settee that works well as a sea berth and a port settee that converts to a double; a dinette to port was standard, and until 1986 a pilot berth to starboard was eliminated in favor of shelves. A large, well-designed navigation station sits to port at the companionway base, with the quarterberth above converting to a double — a perk not usually found in a boat this size. Ventilation is excellent with eight opening ports, three hatches and four vent fans. The T-shaped cockpit is comfortable for five adults, with teak duckboards and a teak-grated sump under the helm; visibility from the helm is excellent thanks to the low cabin trunk, though the bridgedeck is lower than ideal for offshore sailing and the companionway is narrow. The completely louvered door between forward and main cabins limits privacy and is fragile in a seaway.

Known Issues

Prospective owners should pay particularly close attention to the cored deck, which is prone to water damage and can be very expensive to repair. The toerail in many hulls is not well bedded, and the cockpit scuppers — above the waterline with no shutoffs — would be submerged underway and should have provision for shutoff. The icebox appears well insulated on the sides, but the tops were not carefully fitted or insulated. The engine box was only partially insulated, and the louvered forward cabin door is a structural weak point. Exhaust line, cockpit scuppers and bilge pump outlets sit above the waterline without shutoffs, a flooding-path consideration underway.

Refits and Ownership

Most Tartan 37s are powered by the 32-hp Universal 40 diesel, with the Universal 50 originally offered as an option and early boats also recorded with a Westerbeke 4-107 of 40 hp; the standard 47- to 50-gallon fuel tank provides enough range for coastal or inshore motoring. The centerboard pennant rises through the mast center, necessitating a complex mast step with transverse floors and a massive beam to absorb compression — a detail to respect in any rig work. Most deck hardware is backed with thick aluminum plates and pulpits are through-bolted with backing plates, sound foundations for upgraded winches or windage gear.

The Verdict

The Tartan 37 stands as a thoughtfully executed Sparkman & Stephens cruiser-racer whose balsa-cored construction, dry hull-deck joint and offshore-minded underbody reward careful ownership. Strong sailing performance across all points and a genuinely clever interior layout — including a convertible quarterberth and separate shower sump — distinguish it from more generic 37-footers of the era, while the centerboard arrangement extends shoal-water utility without sacrificing windward ability.

Pros

Excellent performance on all points of sail with a well-mannered helm
Dry, strong bedded lap-joint hull-to-deck connection with aluminum plate stiffening
Distinctive interior with convertible quarterberth, separate shower sump and fine ventilation
Keel-centerboard and later Scheel keel options for shoal-draft cruising

Cons