Design and Construction
The Tartan 42 is a masthead sloop on a fin keel with a skeg-hung rudder, the latter arrangement giving protected, stable handling. Most boats left the mold with a Scheel shoal-draft keel for coastal access, though the design was also offered with deeper keel alternatives; the lead keel itself is a constant. The hull is fiberglass, and the boat's immersion rate runs about 1,338 pounds per inch, a figure consistent with its 22,000-pound displacement and 40.9 ballast-to-displacement ratio. Compared with similar sailboats, the T-42 is slimmer than 69 percent of all other designs, which together with its 3.50 length-to-beam ratio gives it a measured, rather than beamy, profile below and on deck.
Rig and Handling
The sail plan is powerful, with a mainsail-and-jib area of roughly 758 square feet and a genoa stretching the boat's 150-percent overlap to nearly 675 square feet; a 180-percent spinnaker adds 1,376 square feet for downwind work. The masthead rig carries more sail area than 66 percent of similar boats, a slight overrig condition that test data framed as part of its racer heritage. The skeg-hung rudder keeps the helm steady in a seaway, and the theoretical hull speed of about 7.6 knots matches what a displacement hull of this length will sustain. With a wetted surface near 409 square feet, the boat is built for loaded offshore passages rather than outright light-air acceleration, and its seaworthiness is the trait most often prized in the literature.
Accommodations
Below, the Tartan 42 sleeps six to seven in a spacious teak interior. The 12-foot-3 beam and 32-foot waterline let the cabin plan spread without the cramped compromises of a narrower hull, and the teak joinery is the interior's defining surface. This is a boat sized for a cruising family or a shorthanded couple with guests, not a stripped racer's cuddy.
Refits and Ownership
A used T-42 may be equipped with an inboard Westerbeke diesel, and the 79-gallon fuel capacity paired with 165 gallons of water supports extended cruising without constant reprovisioning. Owners shopping the limited 34-boat population should expect variation in keel type and in whether a shoal Scheel keel or deeper fin was originally fitted. As an S&S classic with enduring value, the design rewards careful survey of the specific hull's keel and rig history over any assumed uniform specification.
The Verdict
The Tartan 42 is a heavy-displacement bluewater cruiser with racer roots, drawn by Sparkman & Stephens and built in small numbers by Tartan Marine. Its skeg-hung rudder and lead-ballasted fin or Scheel keel make it a steady offshore platform, while the powerful masthead rig keeps it competitive with more lightly canvased contemporaries. The teak interior and six-to-seven berth capacity suit serious cruising, and its standing as an S&S classic underpins lasting demand.
Pros
- Protected, stable handling from the skeg-hung rudder
- Heavy-displacement seaworthiness with 9,000 lb lead ballast
- Powerful 758 sq ft mainsail-jib plan, slightly overrigged for its class
- Spacious teak interior sleeping six to seven
- Enduring value as a Sparkman & Stephens classic
Cons
- Slimmer than most similar designs, limiting interior volume versus beamier rivals
- Only 34 built, so individual hull specification variation matters at survey
