Longtime Tartan designer Tim Jackett shaped the boat, which was born on the shores of Lake Erie and is built in Ohio. Its design lineage evolved from powerboats by Legacy, a company Tartan acquired in 2010, but the 455 remains a thoroughbred sailing vessel.
Design and Construction
The 455 measures 45 ft 6 in overall, with a 39 ft 6 in waterline, a 14 ft 1 in beam, and a displacement of 25,750 lb. A 9,750 lb lead ballast bulb provides stability.
Jackett’s hull has modest overhangs and a sheer that retains some character. Its sectional shape features a firm turn to the bulge and 13 degrees of deadrise. The stern is beamy, though restrained by the standards of most current production cruisers. A long, shallow skeg runs aft from about station 6.5, adding directional stability, and the boat carries a single deep spade rudder.
The hull and deck are resin-infused. The vacuum-bagged sandwich laminate uses epoxy resin, with a foam core in the hull and end-grain balsa in the deck. Solid-wood interior joinery is tied into the boat’s structural grid.
Tartan makes the carbon-fiber, double-spreader rig, rudder post, and other reinforcements in its in-house autoclave. The pilothouse is 85 percent glass, and there’s a step in the deck beside the pilothouse’s aft end.
Rig and Handling
The 455’s Cruise Control Rig uses a Solent arrangement, with a Code Zero-style reacher on the forward stay and a smaller self-tacking jib on the aft stay. The setup is intended to optimize performance across a range of wind angles.
A powerful, full-battened mainsail is handled by a Leisure Furl in-boom furler. A wide traveler on top of the deckhouse provides end-boom sheeting. All running rigging leads to the cockpit and is handled with rope clutches and Harken electric winches. The sails are cut by Sobstad’s nearby loft.
Upwind sail area with the mainsail and self-tacking jib is 977.5 sq ft. Downwind, using the mainsail and reacher, sail area increases to 1,324.6 sq ft. The double-spreader carbon mast reduces weight aloft while adding stiffness.
Test sailors found the steering tight and accurate. The twin Jefa wheels in the cockpit use cable steering, while the deckhouse station works through a hydraulic ram. The standard beavertail fin and bulb draws 6 ft 6 in; the drawings also show shoal-draft planforms.
Accommodations
Wide side decks, secure handholds, and thoughtful ergonomics ease movement both below and on deck. Grippy stainless-steel rails are fitted nearly everywhere.
The raised deckhouse surrounds the saloon with 360-degree windows and overhead light, creating an open gathering space. The main cabin has the pilothouse station forward to port, with a seat opposite, a large dinette to port, and the galley to starboard.
Tartan offers two- and three-stateroom layouts. In the three-cabin arrangement, guest cabins lie to port and starboard. The owner’s cabin forward includes an island queen, a seat at the foot of the bed, ample lockers, and a private head with a large, full shower stall. The guest head is tighter but adequate.
Choosing the two-cabin layout turns the third cabin into a large guest head with a shower. Moving the guest head to starboard also gives the port guest cabin room for a wider double berth and a large hanging locker.
The boat as sailed had cherry joinery, while teak and maple are also available. Much of the woodwork comes from Amish mills in northeast Ohio.
Deck and Cockpit
The exterior cockpit has twin helms for conventional open-air steering. It is deep and well sheltered, giving the crew a secure space underway and also suiting entertaining.
A fold-down transom section forms a generous swim platform between the twin wheels. Access passes the split hydraulic backstay. An outboard ramp rises from the cockpit to the side decks.
The bow overhang accepts a conventional anchor roller, which also serves as a tack point for off-the-wind asymmetrical sails. Buyers may specify classic teak toe rails or low-maintenance anodized-aluminum rails.
The Verdict
The Tartan 455 is a purpose-built pilothouse cruiser that combines a stiff, directionally stable hull with a refined Solent rig and a genuinely sheltered deckhouse lifestyle. Jackett’s restrained beam and moderate overhangs preserve recognizable Tartan character, while the infused epoxy sandwich construction and in-house carbon spar reflect a serious approach to building the boat.
Dual steering stations and multiple cabin plans make the 455 adaptable for long-range cruising by a couple or for voyages with more guests.
Pros
- Pilothouse with a full inside steering station and 360-degree glazing
- Solent Cruise Control Rig with a self-tacking jib and Code Zero-style reacher
- Infused epoxy, foam-core hull and balsa-core deck, with solid-wood joinery
- Two- or three-cabin layouts with flexible head and berth arrangements
- Deep, sheltered forward cockpit and fold-down transom swim platform
Cons
- Standard 6 ft 6 in draft limits access to shallow anchorages
- Guest head in the three-cabin layout is tight
- Beam is restrained compared with contemporary production cruisers
