Tartan 40 Buyer's Guide
Shopping the brokerage market for a Tartan 40 means chasing a scarce commodity: only 72 were built between 1984 and 1989, and few of them surface in listings even now. Those that do tend to be owner three-cabin layouts, though both the Standard and alternative plans appear, and ex-charter examples are not unusual. Built by Tartan Yachts to a Sparkman & Stephens design with interior collaboration from Tim Jackett, she is a 40-foot fiberglass sloop with deep-fin and keel/centerboard configurations, later joined by a Scheel-keel drawing 5 feet 1 inch, and wide decks with substantial teak toerails.
Layouts on the Used Market
Three original interior plans were offered when the boat debuted, and used examples reflect that spread. The Standard layout centers on an aft-facing nav station to port of the companionway with four hanging lockers and a trio of sea berths in the saloon settees and quarter-cabin double. Alternative plans swap in a wet locker and forward-facing nav station, or place a second head in the quarter cabin. The interior was drawn to go to sea, with handholds everywhere and chamfered teak surfaces below. Buyers should note the Standard's single head is cramped, and the aft nav station gets poor airflow — minor liveaboard annoyances rather than structural faults.
Equipment and Common Upgrades
Most boats on the market carry an inverter, bimini, dodger, autopilot, chartplotter, and air conditioning as standard cruising kit. Often-seen additions include a furling main, electric winches, hot water, teak decks, and radar. Less common owner upgrades range from solar and spinnaker gear to bow thrusters and liferafts. For a buyer, the meaningful clusters are power and energy — inverter and often solar or a freezer — and sail-handling automation like electric winches and a furling main, which reduce short-handed effort on a 17,250-pound displacement.
What to Inspect
The steering quadrant sits behind deep vertical lazarettes and a single cockpit locker, and reaching it in a seaway is genuinely difficult without modification. Check whether a previous owner cut an access panel in the after bulkhead of the quarter cabin, which would ease future maintenance. The hull itself is laid up with unidirectional fiberglass, balsa coring, and vinylester skin coat for blister resistance; survey the gelcoat for any osmotic evidence despite that specification. Also confirm the mast is supported appropriately if the boat was used offshore without an inner forestay and runners, as the original rig benefits from that addition for such work.
Availability and Buyer's Takeaway
Tartan 40s are typically found in the United States and Canada, but remain uncommon in brokerage inventory. A short checklist for the serious shopper:
- Verify hull number and build year against the 1984–1989 production window
- Inspect steering-quadrant access and any owner-added bulkhead panel
- Confirm gelcoat condition despite blister-resistant layup claim
- Assess which interior plan suits your crew and whether head count suffices
- Review rig for offshore upgrades if passage-making is intended
Price & volume trends
Monthly asking-price and listing-volume trends for the Tartan 40. The line shows the median ask each month; the bars show how many listings appeared.
Monthly breakdown · 8 rows
| Month | Listings | Median ask | Δ vs. last mo. |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | 3 | $89,900 | — |
| Jul 25 | 1 | $92,500 | +2.9% |
| Aug 25 | 5 | $49,900 | -46.1% |
| Sep 25 | 4 | $84,900 | +70.1% |
| Jan 26 | 2 | $75,000 | -11.7% |
| Apr 26 | 1 | $89,900 | +19.9% |
| May 26 | 1 | $89,900 | 0.0% |
| Aug 26 | 3 | $70,000 | -22.1% |
Where they're listed
Tartan 40 listings appear across 1 country. United States has the most listings with 12.
Country view
12 listings · 1 country| Country | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $89,900 | 12 | 2 | 100.0% |
Comparable models
Similar length, displacement, and era. Open a row to compare that model's market page.
Similar boats to compare
6 similar designs| Model | LOA | Median ask | Listings · 12 mo | Active · 90 d |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tartan 37 | 37.29' | $ 47,000 | 73 | 27 |
| Elan 40 | 39.04' | $ 91,993 | 30 | 6 |
| Passport 40 | 39.42' | $ 99,000 | 27 | 4 |
| Tartan 4000 | 40.67' | $ 299,500 | 22 | 0 |
| Tartan 40You are here | — | $ 89,900 | 13 | 3 |
| Tartan 42 | 42' | $ 89,000 | 13 | 11 |