Tartan 3800 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Tartan 3800 means looking at a small series—43 hulls built between 1994 and 1999—of Tim Jackett’s 38-foot performance cruisers. These are boats aimed at sailors who want a capable coastal or light-offshore vessel with club-racing sparkle, and the used fleet tends to reflect that dual purpose in both layout and equipment.
Layouts on the Used Market
Most 3800s follow the standard two-cabin, two-head arrangement sleeping six or seven, with a forward and an aft double stateroom and a separate shower stall plus wet locker in the head. The reviewed boat showed one head with an extra forward washbasin, so buyers should confirm head count per individual hull. The teak-trimmed interior carries Corian counters and shore power as standard; cabin headroom is 6'5". The compact but comfortable cockpit works well with five aboard, and the chart table faces forward in a generous niche. Galley sink sits near centerline; the deep icebox has top and front access. Tankage runs 38 gallons fuel, 80 water, 24 holding.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Well-equipped examples commonly carry a short-handed setup, asymmetric and symmetric spinnakers, autopilot, chartplotter, dodger, bimini, furling main, electric winches, and cabin heating. For buyer consequence, the power-and-energy cluster often includes solar alongside the standard shore power, while sail-handling upgrades center on the furling main and electric winches that ease short-handed work. Navigation is typically modernized with chartplotter and autopilot. Teak decks are often seen rather than universal. Less common owner additions include swim platform, dinghy davits, cockpit shower, AIS, and life raft—useful to confirm but not expected on every boat.
What to Inspect
The hanging lockers are cedar lined but fitted with finger-through-a-hole latches instead of push buttons, a possible nuisance in bumpy conditions anchor. Check the stove gimbal range: on the reviewed boat it swung 40 degrees port but only 25 degrees starboard due to trim interference. The deep icebox’s top-and-front openings require deliberate provision stowage, so verify shelf access. Confirm keel type—standard 5'4" shoal beavertail or 6'10" high-lift elliptical—and inspect the hull-to-deck joint sealed with 3M 5200 and the aluminum strip in the toe-rail flange. Bronze seacocks should be present throughout; engine access is via molded companionway steps and side panels to a Westerbeke 37-horsepower diesel.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
These boats appear in the United States and Canada. For a buyer, the checklist is short: verify head count and keel variant, test stove gimbal both tacks, confirm bronze seacocks and deck-joint integrity, and assess whether the commonly fitted short-handed and electric-winch gear matches your intended sailing.
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Tartan 3800. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 5 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | 4 | $129,000 | — |
| May 26 | 2 | $114,450 | -11.3% |
| Jun 26 | 1 | $129,726 | +13.3% |
| Jul 26 | 2 | $139,500 | +7.5% |
| Aug 26 | 1 | $129,000 | -7.5% |
Where they're listed
Tartan 3800 listings appear across 2 countries. United States has the most listings with 9 (90.0%), followed by Canada.
Country view
10 listings · 2 countries| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $129,000 | 9 | 3 | 90.0% |
| Canada | $129,726 | 1 | 1 | 10.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
11 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CATALINA YACHTS 380 | 38.42' | $ 93,700 | 82 | 15 |
| Tartan 37 | 37.29' | $ 47,000 | 73 | 27 |
| Tartan 3700 | 37' | $ 159,900 | 53 | 18 |
| Sabre 38 | 37.83' | $ 49,999 | 46 | 17 |
| Tartan 4300 | 43.08' | $ 362,500 | 18 | 7 |
| Tartan 4600 | 46.2' | $ 224,900 | 16 | 3 |
| Dufour 3800 | 30.67' | $ 27,857 | 15 | 11 |
| Tartan 4400 | 45' | $ 349,000 | 14 | 4 |
| Tartan 40 | 40.25' | $ 89,900 | 13 | 3 |
| Tartan 42 | 42' | $ 89,000 | 13 | 11 |
| Tartan 3800You are here | — | $ 129,000 | 10 | 4 |