Design and Construction
The hull form is a clean IMS-type with a smooth run and broad hips aft, but Jackett stopped short of an extreme transom clean IMS-type with a clean run and broad hips aft without going to an extreme. Very arc-like sections meet the centerline with a tangent, and moderate topside flare keeps the topsides from bulging. The beam waterline measures 10 feet inside a 12 foot 4 inch overall beam, while the low point of the sheerline sits surprisingly far aft, around station 7.75, giving the deck a distinctive profile. Above the waterline, the deck flows in soft, sculpted shapes that read as low windage rather than slab-sided. Structurally the boat is a solid fiberglass hull and deck with lead ballast, and the fin-keel version carries 6,500 pounds of lead against a 15,200-pound displacement; the Scheel-keel option adds 500 pounds of ballast for 7,000 total. Buyers could choose between a 6-foot-10 fin and a 4-foot-9 Scheel keel — letting owners trade ultimate draft for shoaler cruising.
Rig and Handling
Up forward the 372 wears a masthead sloop rig with double spreaders and a babystay, and Jackett built roughly four inches of pre-bend into the mast designed about four inches of pre-bend in the rig. The rudder is elliptical with no skeglet ahead of it, a configuration that favors quick response over redundant protection. With a sail area of 672.5 square feet against that 15,200-pound displacement, the SA/D comes to 17.53, and the D/L sits at 232 — numbers that place her in the lively cruiser-racer band rather than the heavy-displacement camp. The clean run aft and broad hips suggest a boat that carries power off the wind without the stern-heavy manners of more radical sections.
Accommodations
Below, the forward cockpit coamings were wrapped by Jackett to steal a little seat length but add working headroom in the head and aft stateroom wrapped the cockpit coamings around the forward end of the cockpit. Angled bulkheads in the main cabin enlarge the usable space, or at least the impression of it, a trick that keeps the saloon from feeling boxed-in. The galley wraps around over the engine box, consolidating the cooking and mechanical spaces along one side. Aft, the quarter cabin holds a generously sized double berth 6 feet 4 inches wide, paired with a bureau and hanging locker — a private owner's space that rivals larger boats.
Engine and Tankage
A Yanmar 3HM 3FE auxiliary rated at 34 horsepower drives the single screw, and the boat carries 43 gallons of diesel and 90 gallons of water. Those volumes support extended coastal cruising without the constant hunt for a fuel dock that plagues smaller tanks.
The Verdict
The Tartan 372 is a considered design from Jackett's mature Tartan period: an IMS-flavored hull with two keel choices, a pre-bent double-spreader rig, and an interior that uses angled bulkheads and wrapped coamings to feel larger than 37 feet. Sixty built means a small but coherent fleet, and the shoal Scheel option broadens where she can roam.
Pros
- IMS-type hull with broad aft sections and clean run
- Choice of 6'10" fin or 4'9" Scheel keel with extra ballast
- Angled bulkheads and wrapped coamings enlarge interior feel
- Large 6'4" quarter-berth stateroom with storage
Cons
- Elliptical rudder lacks skeglet protection
- Only sixty built, limiting fleet size for parts-sharing
