Design and Construction
At 42 feet overall with a 32-foot waterline and a beam of 12.25 feet, the Tartan 42 carries 22,000 pounds of displacement against 9,000 pounds of lead ballast, giving it a ballast-to-displacement ratio in the low 40s and a length-to-beam ratio of 3.50. Period comparisons place it as slimmer than 69% of similar sailboats, a proportion that, combined with the fin keel and skeg-hung rudder, marks a hull tuned for protected, stable handling rather than volume maximization. Most examples left the yard with a Scheel shoal draft keel for coastal access, though the model was built with different keel alternatives and a lead keel throughout. The hull itself is solid fiberglass, a construction baseline of the era's Tartan production.
Rig and Handling
The Tartan 42's masthead rig carries a powerful sail plan, with a combined mainsail and jib area of 757.8 square feet and a genoa stretching to 150% LP. Relative to its peers, it carries more rig than 66% of similar sailboats, a condition that indicates the boat is slightly overrigged — a legacy of its racer roots married to the heavy-displacement cruising hull. The theoretical maximal speed of a displacement boat of this length is 7.6 knots, and the immersion rate of about 1,338 pounds per inch speaks to the inertia a loaded cruiser must overcome. With the skeg-hung rudder providing directional security, the boat is prized for its seaworthiness across offshore and coastal regimes.
Accommodations
Below, the Tartan 42 sleeps six to seven people in a spacious teak interior. The teak joinery and the 165-gallon water capacity frame a cabin intended for extended cruising rather than weekend racing, and the 79-gallon diesel tank supports the inboard auxiliary — some examples may be equipped with an inboard Westerbeke diesel engine. The interior volume is shaped by the 12.25-foot beam and the 22,000-pound hull, trading ultimate slimness for liveaboard capacity within the S&S cruiser idiom.
Known Issues
The documented record on the Tartan 42 is sparse on defects; the principal caveats are inherent rather than systemic. The slightly overrigged condition means that sail-handling loads — mainsheet runs of 105 feet at 14 mm diameter, genoa sheets at 42 feet and 14 mm — sit above typical similar-design norms, demanding sound deck hardware and standing rigging. The different keel alternatives across the 34 hulls mean a buyer must identify whether a given boat carries the Scheel shoal draft or a deeper fin, as draft and ballast distribution will vary the handling envelope. No structural or systemic failure modes are recorded in the authority documents.
Refits and Ownership
Ownership of a T-42 centers on preserving the Sparkman & Stephens intent: maintaining the masthead rig's overrigged sail plan within safe working loads, and keeping the solid fiberglass hull and lead keel free of osmotic or grounding damage. The 34-hull production run makes every example a comparatively rare S&S classic, and the 1980–1984 build window places these boats in a generation where original rigging and engine systems are now decades old. Prudent refit priorities follow the boat's known geometry — halyard guides of 121.8 feet at 12 mm, spinnaker sheets of 92.4 feet at 14 mm — rather than reinvention.
The Verdict
The Tartan 42 is a narrowly produced, Sparkman & Stephens–drawn bluewater cruiser that blends racer-derived sail power with a heavy-displacement hull and protected skeg-hung rudder. Its slim beam, teak interior, and S&S pedigree make it a considered choice for the cruiser who values lineage and seaworthiness over volume.
Pros
- Heavy-displacement bluewater hull with racer roots and S&S classic status
- Skeg-hung rudder and fin keel for protected, stable handling
- Powerful, slightly overrigged masthead sail plan (757.8 sq ft main+jib)
- Spacious teak interior sleeping six to seven
Cons
- Slightly overrigged versus peers, raising rigging and sheet loads
- Only 34 built (1980–1984), limiting market availability
- Keel alternatives require individual verification of draft and handling
