This 42-footer is a heavy-displacement offshore cruiser, though period specifications describe it as slightly overrigged relative to its peers.
Design and Construction
The Tartan 42 measures 42 feet overall, with a 32-foot waterline, 12 feet 3 inches of beam, 22,000 pounds of displacement, and 9,000 pounds of lead ballast. Its immersion rate is about 1,338 pounds per inch, and its ballast-to-displacement ratio is 40.9.
The fiberglass hull carries a fin keel and a skeg-hung rudder; the rudder arrangement provides protected, stable handling. Most boats left the mold with a Scheel shoal-draft keel for coastal access, although deeper keel alternatives were also offered. The keel is lead in either case.
Compared with similar sailboats, the T-42 is slimmer than 69 percent of other designs. Along with its 3.50 length-to-beam ratio, that gives the boat a measured profile rather than a beamy one, both below and on deck.
Rig, Performance, and Handling
The masthead sail plan is powerful. The mainsail-and-jib area is roughly 758 square feet, while the 150-percent-overlap genoa measures nearly 675 square feet. For downwind sailing, a 180-percent spinnaker adds 1,376 square feet.
The rig carries more sail area than 66 percent of similar boats. Test data described this slight overrig condition as part of the T-42’s racing heritage. Its theoretical hull speed is about 7.6 knots, in line with what a displacement hull of this waterline length will sustain.
With approximately 409 square feet of wetted surface, the boat is intended for loaded offshore passages rather than outright acceleration in light air. The skeg-hung rudder helps keep the helm steady in a seaway, and seaworthiness is the trait most often prized in the literature.
Accommodations
Below, the Tartan 42 sleeps six to seven in a spacious teak interior. Its 12-foot-3-inch beam and 32-foot waterline allow the cabin plan to spread out without the cramped compromises of a narrower hull, while teak joinery defines the interior.
This is a boat sized for a cruising family or a shorthanded couple sailing with guests, rather than a stripped-out racer’s cuddy.
Machinery, Tankage, and Ownership
A used T-42 may have an inboard Westerbeke diesel. Fuel capacity is 79 gallons, and water capacity is 165 gallons, supporting extended cruising without constant reprovisioning.
With only 34 boats built, buyers should expect variation among individual hulls, particularly in keel type and whether a shoal-draft Scheel keel or deeper fin was originally fitted. As an S&S classic with enduring value, the design rewards a careful survey of the specific boat’s keel and rig history rather than assumptions about a uniform specification.
The Verdict
The Tartan 42 is a heavy-displacement bluewater cruiser with racing roots, drawn by Sparkman & Stephens and built in small numbers by Tartan Marine. Its skeg-hung rudder and lead-ballasted fin or Scheel keel provide a steady offshore platform, while the powerful masthead rig keeps it competitive with more lightly canvased contemporaries.
The spacious teak interior and six-to-seven-berth capacity suit serious cruising. Its standing as an S&S classic also underpins lasting demand.
Pros
- Protected, stable handling from the skeg-hung rudder
- Heavy-displacement seaworthiness with 9,000 pounds of lead ballast
- Powerful 758-square-foot mainsail-and-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 compared with beamier rivals
- Only 34 were built, so variations among individual hulls matter during a survey
