- New Sailboats
- Sailboats 21-30ft
- Sailboats 31-35ft
- Sailboats 36-40ft
- Sailboats Over 40ft
- Sailboats Under 21feet
- used_sailboats
- Apps and Computer Programs
- Communications
- Fishfinders
- Handheld Electronics
- Plotters MFDS Rradar
- Wind, Speed & Depth Instruments
- Anchoring Mooring
- Running Rigging
- Sails Canvas
- Standing Rigging
- Diesel Engines
- Off Grid Energy
- Cleaning Waxing
- DIY Projects
- Repair, Tools & Materials
- Spare Parts
- Tools & Gadgets
- Cabin Comfort
- Ventilation
- Footwear Apparel
- Foul Weather Gear
- Mailport & PS Advisor
- Inside Practical Sailor Blog
- Activate My Web Access
- Reset Password
- Customer Service
- Free Newsletter
Catalina 270 vs. The Beneteau First 265 Used Boat Match-Up
Ericson 41 Used Boat Review
Mason 33 Used Boat Review
Beneteau 311, Catalina 310 and Hunter 326 Used Boat Comparison
Tips From A First “Sail” on the ICW
Tillerpilot Tips and Safety Cautions
Best Crimpers and Strippers for Fixing Marine Electrical Connectors
Thinking Through a Solar Power Installation
Polyester vs. Nylon Rode
Getting the Most Out of Older Sails
How (Not) to Tie Your Boat to a Dock
Stopping Mainsheet Twist
Fuel Lift Pump: Easy DIY Diesel Fuel System Diagnostic and Repair
Ensuring Safe Shorepower
Sinking? Check Your Stuffing Box
The Rain Catcher’s Guide
What Do You Do With Old Fiberglass Boats?
Boat Repairs for the Technically Illiterate
Boat Maintenance for the Technically Illiterate: Part 1
Whats the Best Way to Restore Clear Plastic Windows?
Giving Bugs the Big Goodbye
Galley Gadgets for the Cruising Sailor
Those Extras you Don’t Need But Love to Have
What’s the Best Sunscreen?
UV Clothing: Is It Worth the Hype?
Preparing Yourself for Solo Sailing
How to Select Crew for a Passage or Delivery
R. Tucker Thompson Tall Ship Youth Voyage
On Watch: This 60-Year-Old Hinckley Pilot 35 is Also a Working…
On Watch: America’s Cup
On Watch: All Eyes on Europe Sail Racing
Dear Readers
- Sailboat Reviews
While not as well-built or comfortable as some other boats, the Ten does her thing--racing--very well.
The Tartan Ten was born out of a popular rebellion against the international Offshore Rule (IOR) in the mid 1970s. This was the worst period in the IOR’s history, when production sailboats were outdesigned even before their molds were finished. Although the IOR has since then gotten its act together, a great many of its early proponents had been lost for good by 1979. The disenchanted went in two directions—PHRF and offshore one-design.
The Tartan Ten is the child of Charlie Britton of Tartan Marine. Britton was one of the first to recognize the market for offshore one-designs. While he was conceptualizing the Tartan Ten, the J/24—soon to become the most successful offshore one-design—was being tooled up for production, although Britton didn’t know it was on the horizon. He was impressed by the Danish-built Aphrodite 101. It’s no coincidence that the Tartan Ten bears a resemblance to some of her features. Sparkman and Stevens designed the boat for Tartan in 1977; production began in early 1978, and ran through 1989.
Most of the boats built went to sailors on the Great Lakes, and most of them spend most of their time racing one-design. There are several hundred boats in the national class association, and the majority of those members race in one-design fleets on Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. According to class officials, there is one-design racing every weekend on Lake Erie, and small fleets in Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay, Houston and Jacksonville. Unlike a great many boats that tout themselves as offshore one designs, the Tartan Ten is one of the few boats that has accumulated enough numbers to actually race as a one-design.
When the Tartan Ten was introduced in 1978 at a base price of $21,500, she sold easily. Several boats a week were produced in the years immediately following. Then a steady series of price increases, the recession of 1981 and the first signs of a saturated market began to take their toll on sales. For Charlie Britton, a boatbuilder first and a businessman second, the problems of running so large a business was more than he wished to handle. So in the spring of 1982, production of the Tartan Ten ceased and Britton put his company up for sale. By the spring of 1983 he found a buyer in John Richards and production began again at the rate of two Tartan Tens a month.
Construction
While we wouldn’t consider the Tartan Ten to be one of the better-built racers, she doesn’t have to be. Since she is primarily intended to race against her sisters, consistency between boats is perhaps more important than superior (and hence, more expensive) construction. The major construction criterion she must meet is to be sufficiently seaworthy to endure an occasional short offshore race. She meets this criterion, although, like too many production boats, she barely makes it.
There have been a number of problems with the Tartan Ten over the years. Tartan Marine generally acted responsibly in correcting them. The worst problems occurred in the first 100 boats. For example, the original hollow stainless steel rudder posts were too light and bent too easily. According to Tartan, every boat with that type of rudder post was located and repaired by inserting a second post inside the original one.
A second problem was with the reinforcement of the hull around the keel sump and under the mast step. From 5′ forward of the transom, the Tartan Ten’s hull is cored with 1/2″ balsa, except in the bilge area, which is stiffened by a grid of hollow, hatshaped fiberglass floors and stringers. Because the Tartan Ten has a relatively flat underbody and fin keel, she is more susceptible to flexing of the bilges than a boat with deeper, more rounded bilges.
In the first 90 boats, the grid was neither stiff enough nor attached to the hull securely enough to prevent flexing. As a result the fiberglass tabbing which holds the grid to the hull began peeling off. On a few boats, small cracks developed in the grid and in the bilges. Tartan claimed that it sent repairmen all around this country to track down and fix every boat earlier than hull #84. In most cases the repair consisted of removing the old tabbing and re-tabbing with a heavier laminate. In cases where the grid or hull actually showed damage, more substantial repairs were made. According to Britton, “We got every one of them.”
The mast step has been strengthened several times during the Tartan Ten’s history. The Tartan Ten has a deck-stepped mast, rare in non-trailerable racers, because they offer less control of mast bend. They are no less seaworthy than a keel-stepped mast, provided there is adequate support underneath the mast, such as a compression post or bulkhead in the cabin.
The Tartan Ten’s compression post sits on top of the floor grid. After the initial problems with the first 83 boats, a 5″x4″x1/4″ aluminum plate was used under the compression post to distribute the load. The thickness of the aluminum plate was later increased to 1/2″. Mast step problems still existed to some degree after the first 83 boats. On a hull numbered in the 150s, we observed that the compression post had been moved off the floor grid (presumably because it was crushing it) and lengthened with a threaded extension so it rested directly on the hull.
Unlike most boats, which have shroud chainplates which extend above deck, the Tartan Ten’s shrouds pass through the deck to chainplates in the cabin. Although this may reduce windage and genoa chafe, the hole in the deck is difficult to seal. Many owners report chronic deck leaks around the shrouds.
The chainplates are anchored on a heavy fiberglass “tab” which extends up from the topsides inside the main cabin. According to the manufacturer, there were two chainplate tab delaminations in the first 100 boats. Tartan attributes this to the hull being cored under the tab. Tartan didn’t take steps to correct the potential problem until nearly 100 boats later. One owner of a 150-series boat reported that he had reglassed one chainplate tab after he noticed the telltale signs of delamination—the color of the tab changing from dark green to white where it is anchored to the hull.
By hull #200 Tartan had eliminated the core under the tab and began anchoring it directly to the outer skin of the hull. This didn’t completely solve the problem, according to Britton. Because the section of the topsides around the chainplates was uncored, that section could dimple inward slightly under heavy rig loads, causing isolated incidences of gelcoat blistering and delamination. Tartan corrected this problem shortly afterward—”about hull #270,” according to Britton, by widening the chainplate tab from 12″ to 18″.
Although the Tartan Ten is cored through 80% of her hull, she exhibits a fair amount of structural flexing. As one successful Tartan dealer pointed out, “she’s not overbuilt like the rest of the Tartan line.” We had several reports of the cockpit flexing noticeably while sailing in rough weather. Part of the reason is that the bulkheads under each side of the cockpit are glassed firmly to the hull, but very poorly attached to the cockpit seats. Also the main bulkhead is well forward of the mast and divided by the forward berth. A bulkhead in two halves located away from the chainplates is not very effective in absorbing rig loads. Instead the hull will flex.
The Tartan Ten’s hull-to-deck joint consists of an inward turned hull flange overlapped by the deck and topped by an aluminum toerail. The hull-to-deck joint is bedded with butyl tape, which stays soft and rubber-like for the life of the boat. It has no adhesive properties, but is a good watertight sealant. We have seen it melt and “bleed” out of hull-to-deck joints on occasion.
A strip of aluminum is glassed under the hull flange. This allows Tartan to fasten the hull and deck with bolts, but without nuts, by tapping the bolts through the aluminum insert—a real time saver. The bolts must be bedded, though, or corrosion would compromise the integrity of the joint, especially important since there is no chemical bond to fall back on. Tartan beds the bolts with silicone, which is probably adequate, but a chromate paste would be a better (although more expensive) bedding material. The hull laminate was strengthened when production was into hulls numbered in the early 100s. A heavier mat was added to improve the bond between the balsa core and the laminate. An extra layer of fiberglass was added to the hull laminate as well.
The mast of the Tartan Ten is a “safe” section. It bends easily with the backstay, but is sufficiently strong to sail without running backstays in a strong breeze. The shrouds are swept back.
The mast is not anodized. On early boats, it was finished with clear lacquer; later it was painted black. According to Frank Colaneri of Bay Sailing Equipment, who rigged all Tartan Ten masts until the mid-’80s, finishing with lacquer or paint is cheaper than anodizing.
On the first 150 or so boats the jib and spinnaker halyards are both wire and exit the mast above the hounds. They then lead through “bullseye” fairleads which have a tendency to chew the wire. (Colaneri called them “wireeaters.”) This system was redesigned so that now the wire jib halyard exits below the mast without a fairlead, and the spinnaker halyard, still exiting above the hounds, was changed to rope.
Schaefer booms were used on the first 70 boats, and bent reefing hooks were a problem. Since then Tartan has used Kenyon booms. The Kenyon booms have no outhaul car, instead relying on clew slugs to support leech tension. According to Colaneri, many booms had to be retrofitted with stainless plates over the sail slot because the clew slugs had pulled through the slot.
Handling Under Power
After hull #309 the Tartan Ten was equipped with an 11 hp Universal diesel. Before then a Farymann 7.5 hp diesel was standard. On boats prior to hull #200, excessive vibration and shaft coupling failures were a problem. According to Britton, the cause was poor shaft alignment. Britton says flexible shaft couplings were used on the first 200 boats, because Tartan was afraid the boat would bend under rig tension. The use of flexible couplings meant less attention was paid to alignment—hence occasional coupling failure and excessive vibration. Solid couplings were used on subsequent boats. “We thought we were bending the boat (by tensioning the rig), but we were wrong. Now we know it’s better to concentrate on alignment and use solid shaft couplings,” says Britton.
Because vibration could be a problem, when considering a used Tartan Ten you should check both the engine mounts and the electrical harness on the back of the engine. The covering of any wires attached to the engine should be checked for wear.
Tartan Ten owners report that the Farymann is relatively trouble free, runs well and is easy to hand start should the battery run down. Owners also say it tends to be underpowered. “Doesn’t do well into the wind,” reported one owner. A folding prop is standard equipment.
Access to the engine is excellent. The fiberglass engine box is light and lifts off easily and, because it also doubles as the companionway step, slides forward without obstruction. The box is easy to refit and latch in place. With the box off, all engine parts are accessible.
Handling Under Sail
Tartan Ten owners rave about performance. She may not be a ULDB, but she’s fast for a 33-footer. Typical comments are “Offwind we pass 36′ masthead rigs,” “rides waves well; good control downwind,” and “recorded 15.2 knots, sustained 10.5 knots.”
However, owners do not rave about her handicap ratings. The Tartan Ten was not designed to fit any handicapping rule. She carries an astronomical IOR rating of about 28.5. Under PHRF she rates from 123 to 132, depending on the handicapper. Most PHRF fleets assume that you have a 155% genoa, and the most common rating is 126. Some fleets, such as Detroit, allow the Tartan Ten to sail with its one-design inventory (100% jib) at a rating several seconds slower.
Owners report that she will sail to a rating of 126 in light air with a 155% genoa. However, with her narrow beam, she is tender and becomes overpowered quickly. In winds over 12 knots, she has difficulty winning with a rating of 126. Using a one-design inventory, the Tartan Ten will sail to a rating of 132 in medium winds. Although she is always fast downwind, owners say she has a difficult time making up what she loses upwind in a strong breeze.
Those who want to race both one-design and PHRF have several problems. Until 1982 headfoils were illegal for class racing. The class has dropped this rule to encourage Tartan Ten owners to race PHRF. Running backstays are still illegal for class racing. Although they’re not necessary to keep the spar in the boat, backstays nonetheless will improve performance slightly without rating penalty. Another, more subtle problem, is that a sailmaker will design the working sails of a class inventory differently than he would for a larger inventory. For example, a 100% jib that must be used for both light and heavy air in one-design racing will be a lot more powerful than a 100% jib for a larger PHRF inventory.
Despite its drawbacks the Tartan Ten still makes for enjoyable PHRF racing because its sailplan is so manageable, the boat is so maneuverable, and its cockpit is so easy to work in. It’s hard to believe you’re on a 33′ when you’re racing one; the boat feels much smaller.
As good as PHRF racing can be, one-design racing is even better. Owners report that all boats are extremely well-matched. In this year’s 40′ national championship, the second and third place teams sailed borrowed boats—boats that had not done well in previous regattas. Tartan Ten sailors may push their boats hard, but as a whole they don’t push them hard enough to cause major gear failures. We have no doubt that a hot SORC team could rip a Tartan Ten apart, but for its purpose the boat is well suited.
Before each boat leaves the factory, it is placed in an outdoor pool, and 50-100 lbs of lead is glassed to the hull 5′ forward of the mast to make her float on her lines. Flotation marks are molded into the hull to insure that the lead is not subsequently moved to change the boat’s trim. This helps make the boats equal in performance.
The keels are relatively fair from the factory, although most racers will want to spend a weekend making them smoother.
Most Tartan Tens race with a crew of 5-8. Although she is a light boat, her narrow beam limits the effectiveness of crew weight. Unlike beamier counterparts, such as the J/30, packing on more crew in a strong breeze is not essential. For best performance, the backstay and traveler must be constantly adjusted. Some of the more successful racers routinely barber-haul the jib outboard in strong puffs. As with any light displacement boat, you must be quick on sail trim to keep her level and driving.
Deck Layout
The Tartan Ten is equipped with a tiller, as any boat this small and light should be. With a tiller, though, you need a larger cockpit. The cockpit of the Tartan Ten is 9 1/2′ long, which gives the crew plenty of room for racing. The companionway, though, is obstructed by long stainless steel handrails. When tacking, the crew must all pass through the cockpit.
The cockpit seats have short, outward-angled seatbacks with a small coaming. This provides a modicum of day sailing comfort without sacrificing much racing efficiency. The slotted aluminum toerail does, however, compromise racing comfort. The crew could slide farther outboard for more hiking leverage if it weren’t for the toerail painfully biting into the backs of their thighs. Owners report that the cockpit drains quickly when pooped by a large wave. It nevertheless is worrisome, because its large volume would hold a lot of water, and its 6″ companionway sill would do little to keep that water from rushing below. We wouldn’t race it in rough weather without all companionway drop boards locked in place.
The rudder post exits the deck through a cockpit coaming that wraps around the stern. A tiller is attached to the post; when lifted and lashed to the backstay it leaves the cockpit unobstructed for an extraordinary amount of cockpit space at the mooring. The mast is stepped into a cast aluminum collar on deck. The collar is not hinged. The running rigging exits through the bottom of the mast, then runs through sheaves built into the collar and aft through sheet stoppers to Lewmar 16 winches on each side of the cabin house. Several owners said they had moved or replaced the stoppers made by Delta.
The primary winches are Lewmar 30s. Secondary winches are permitted under class rules, but are not offered as a factory option. Some owners report that larger primary winches are helpful to trim the genoas used for handicap racing. On the boat we sailed, the sheet tracks were backed with strips of aluminum, but the backing plates for the winches were 1/8″ plywood.
The deck gelcoat provides good traction, but this also makes it more difficult to clean. Stanchion bases, made for Tartan by High Seas, bolt through the deck and through the toerail. On the boat we examined there were no backing plates on the throughdeck stanchion bolts, but bolting through the toerail gives the installation adequate rigidity. Several owners reported that the welded sockets for the stanchions have failed.
The boom vang runs in a single part up from the mast step to the boom, then forward to the gooseneck, down to the deck via a 6:1 purchase, and aft to a winch. At the gooseneck, it attaches to a small welded eye, which could be of heavier gauge.
The backstay is split with a 4:1 purchase deadended on the stem. A crewmember would have to sit aft of the helmsman to play the backstay. The ball bearing traveler spans the cockpit and is easily adjusted with its 3:1 purchase. The 5:1 mainsheet deadends on the traveler car.
For a 33-footer, there isn’t much to the Tartan Ten’s interior. Headroom is only 5′ 2″. However, the companionway hatch is in three pieces and lifts off for stowage below, opening a 5′ long “skylight” in the cabin. This feature provides some amount of standing headroom below, without having to sacrifice the clean lines of the deck to a high cabin trunk. Erecting a dodger over the companionway encloses the standing headroom. The hatch cover could be stronger: we nearly cracked it by stepping on it.
There is no icebox in the cabin. A portable cooler stores in one of the two cockpit lazarettes. The standard head is a portable, stowed under the forward V-berth. Nearly every owner we talked to complained of its smell and said that it is difficult to empty. Most had either discarded it for a cedar bucket or installed a full marine head. There is no built-in stove and the chart table is small.
There is a small sink with a hand pump on the port side. On boats prior to hull #200, the water tank was installed under the starboard quarterberth, with the fuel tank under the port quarterberth. With the water tank and sink on opposite sides, all the water in the tank would drain out through the sink on port tack. Tartan’s retrofit was a rubber plug for the sink nozzle. By hulls numbered in the early 200s, they had switched the position of the fuel and water tanks, solving the problem.
The interior of the Tartan Ten is dark. The bulkheads, cabinetry and cabin sole are teak-veneered plywood. We would paint the settees white. The forward V-berth is a comfortable 6′ long. The “filler,” or section of the berth that covers the Porta Potti is removable for access to the head. However, the filler sits on very narrow cleats, so when you climb over it to get out of the berth, the filler frequently falls off its cleats and you tumble onto the head (Ugh!).
Vertical posts from the overhead to both the sink and the nav station make good handrails for moving about below in a seaway. Under both the sink and nav station are small lockers with zippered cloth coverings instead of doors. There is further stowage under the main berths and quarter berths. These stowage bins are not insulated from the hull, but because the boat is cored, condensation should be minimal. The bins are sealed from the shallow sump if they weren’t sealed, any water in the bilge would predictably soak their contents. One owner commented, “There should have been no attempt to create six berths at the expense of adequate storage.”
On the boat we sailed the joinerwork and furniture tabbing were mediocre. The overhead panels were sloppily fitted. The ceiling is covered with a padded vinyl liner. A strip of wood covers the hullto-deck joint.
There were several major changes to the interior after hull #160. In earlier boats, both the main berths and quarterberths were “root” berths. Root berths are somewhat like pipe berths. They consist of cloth anchored to the side of the hull and slung to a pipe running the length of the berth. The pipe fits into notches so that the angle of the berth can be adjusted to suit the boat’s angle of heel. Another piece of cloth attaches with Velcro to the pipe to form a seat back. While the root berth makes for comfortable sleeping underway, it is far less comfortable than a fixed berth to sit in while the boat is anchored.
After hull #160, the root berths in the main cabin were abandoned for fixed berths, with a dual purpose design backrest/leeboard. Additional stowage bins were added over the main berths. A drop leaf table was also added between the main berths. It is doubtful whether it would survive the rough and tumble of hard racing. We suspect most owners remove it for racing.
Conclusions
Like any boat, the Tartan Ten is built to a price for a particular purpose. She is not built as well, nor laid out as lavishly as, say a J/30; but she is also much less expensive. People don’t buy Tartan Tens to make long offshore passages, nor do they buy them for extended cruising. People buy them to day race, either as a one-design or under a handicap rule. Maybe they throw in an occasional weekend cruise.
The Tartan Ten is a joy to day race. It is easy to maneuver and crew on, offers lively performance, and is affordable. We think that one-design racing would be far more fun than handicap racing. At least under one-design you are competitive in all wind velocities.
The Tartan Ten class association appears to be well organized, which should help keep the resale value of the boat high. If you live near a Tartan Ten fleet, you should give offshore one-design racing a try. But beware; you might get hooked.
RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR
Leave a reply cancel reply.
Log in to leave a comment
Latest Videos
Hans Christian 41T – Boat Review
Seven dead after superyacht sinks off Sicily. Was the crew at...
What’s the Best Sailboats for Beginners?
Why Does A Sailboat Keel Fall Off?
Latest sailboat review.
- Privacy Policy
- Do Not Sell My Personal Information
- Online Account Activation
- Privacy Manager
Comfortable daysailing and coastal cruising can be found on this classic S&S design
There is a nice, clean Tartan 33 sitting on the hard at Spring Cove Marina in Solomons, Maryland. Although I have never sailed it, I have come to know the boat quite well. I have crawled through, around and over it during a couple of the boat-buying workshops I run. I've examined the bilge pump hoses, the rudder bearings, the standing rigging and chainplates. In the process I have come to appreciate the quality of its design and construction. And when I finally sailed a sistership a few months ago on Biscayne Bay, I was impressed with its overall performance. It sailed like a Tartan and that's a compliment. Although it's one of the last Tartans designed by Sparkman & Stephens, the 33 is not as well known or as highly regarded as other models like the 30, 34, 37, Tartan Ten and 41. And that actually works to the advantage of the used boat buyer. The 33 was in some ways a response to both the success and limitations of the flush-deck, one-design Tartan 10. While the T-10's popularity clearly demonstrated that there was a market for a 30-foot Tartan, its one-dimensional design turned off less competitive sailors who also wanted to cruise. The 33, with its comfortable accommodations and easy to handle fractional rig, was the logical solution. Logical or not, the 33 struggled to carve a niche in the tight sailboat market of the early 1980s. Launched in 1979, just over 200 hulls were built before the boat was replaced with the Tartan 34-2 in 1984. While those numbers would make a builder envious today, back in the glory years of production sailboats they were mediocre.
First impressions The 33 has the classic Tartan-S&S profile. A rakish entry trails into a subtle sheer and reverse transom. The overhang ratio is just 14%, but it looks like more. The low-profile cabinhouse blends into a beefy dodger breakwater, which is a Tartan trademark. The cockpit coaming gently continues the linear flow aft. One of the design parameters of the 33 was to reduce brightwork, and most boats feature an aluminum toerail. Shoal draft was also an important feature, and the standard Scheel keel produced a draft of just 4 feet, 5 inches. The fractional rig had mixed results with the sailing public. Some liked the idea of a big main and small headsail, recognizing that the ease of not dealing with big headsails was a plus. Still, this was the age of the genoa, and something about a fractional rig on a 33-footer suggested weird new-age thinking. A later version of the 33, the 33R, for racing, had a masthead rig and deep-draft fin keel. It was, by most accounts, a much faster boat.
Construction The Tartan 33 hull and deck are balsa cored. The forward section of the hull is solid fiberglass below the waterline. The hull and deck are joined on an inward facing flange and the through-bolts anchor the aluminum toerail, making it a structural component of the hull. The bulkheads are well tabbed to the hull. Molded liners are used in the forward and aft sections, as well as in the galley and head. Liners clean up the construction process, however the secondary bondings have to be done right. Both keels, the Scheel and the 6-foot, 3-inch deep fin on the 33R model, are externally bolted to a keel stub. In fact, the same stub is used for both models and results in a void along the stub in the deep keel models. It is not structural. The keel bolts are easily accessed for inspection in the bilge. What to look for Don't confuse the T-10 and 33R with the 33. I was telling a friend about how the 33 was a good value and he was excited because he'd seen one for less than $10,000. It was an old, beat-up T-10. Like all boats, there are some common problems to look for in the 33. Check the mast step, specifically the bridge and the base of the mast, for signs of corrosion. Mast wiring issues have also been reported as a result. Also, the starboard water tank apparently leaks occasionally and delaminates the sole. A survey will reveal the extent of hull blistering, and the 33 was not immune to this malady. All age-related items should be checked, including the standing and running rigging, the chainplates and the steering cables. The cored decks should be sounded for signs of delamination and the surveyor will put a meter on the hull to check moisture content.
On deck The cockpit is workable, and after you sail the boat, you will come to appreciate it. The traveler spans the cockpit just forward of the wheel, and it's well positioned for efficient sheeting. Wheel steering was standard and the helmsman is a bit removed from the sheet winches. Most 33s were built before self-tailing winches were standard, so if the previous owner has updated the winches that's a plus. The 33 was originally set up with the halyards at the mast. However, the dodger breakwater was equipped with fairleads for routing them aft and many owners have made this change. There is a large lazarette to starboard but otherwise no additional storage in the cockpit. A few sheet bags would be a nice touch. There is a narrow bridgedeck. The double-spreader mast is fractionally rigged. Most 33s are not set up with runners, relying instead on swept upper spreaders to maintain rig tension. I know runners are a nuisance, but I would have them rigged for heavy going and to counter forestay sag. The side decks are fairly wide and Tartan did a nice job with the molded nonskid. There are four teak handrails on the coachroof that double as foot supports when working the mast. There isn't an external anchor locker and rollers were optional when the boat was new.
Down below The interior plan is fairly predictable but it works and the boat is ideal for a couple or a small family. Once you drop below the galley is immediately to starboard. The large single sink faces aft along with the icebox compartment. This is the updated "B" arrangement. In the original plan the icebox was across from the galley just forward of the nav station. This effectively spoiled the port settee as a sea berth, but there is a pilot berth above so it was not much of an issue and actually made the galley a bit less cluttered. In the B plan the settee was lengthened and the pilot berth eliminated. The galley came standard with a pressurized alcohol stove and oven. Some owners have converted to propane and others to unpressurized alcohol. The nav station includes a good-sized chart desk and later model boats had a chart storage locker below. The electrical panel is located here. There is a decent-sized quarterberth behind the nav station. The saloon includes facing settees and a table that folds out of the way on the main bulkhead, ideal in a boat of this size. There is plenty of storage. In fact, later B models boast 22 separate lockers. Overhead ventilation could be better, and some owners have added a hatch in the saloon. With eight opening portlights, cross ventilation is terrific. The head spans the hull once doors to the saloon and forward cabin are closed. And you need all the space you can find because the mast also shares the compartment. The forward cabin includes a comfortable V-berth with a water tank below, and a large enough hanging locker with a couple of drawers to port.
Engine The standard engine was a 24-horsepower Universal diesel and it is interesting that most boats still have this original workhorse. This is sign of several things. First, that the 33 is a sailboat first and it's not necessary to motor in light airs. Secondly, it indicates the typical usage, daysailing, light cruising, low-engine hour kind of sailing. Lastly, that old model 5424 was a good engine. Access is surprisingly good as you can reach the engine from the lazarette, port quarterberth and from behind the companionway. The 26-gallon aluminum fuel tank is located beneath the port quarterberth.
Underway The 33 is not as lively as the 33R and this is reflected in their respective PHRF ratings, with the racing model giving up nearly 30 seconds. But, that doesn't mean that the 33 is not a good all-around performer. The Scheel keel limits pointing. It tracks well, and when you are cruising on a blustery day, tracking is more important than pointing high. The 33 likes to be sailed flat, and that means that the big main should be reefed early. Most owners seem to think that a 135 is the ideal headsail. The fractional rig clearly limits the boat's performance downwind; it's just a matter of sail area and horsepower. However, the 33 can be sailed very effectively under main alone, even off the wind, a feature singlehander's will surely appreciate. While not designed specifically for bluewater sailing, Tartan 33s have logged plenty of Bermuda passages, and I know of one boat that had cruised extensively in the Caribbean.
Conclusion The Tartan 33 is an excellent choice in an affordable, cruiser/racer. It is well built, handsome, capable and delivers rewarding overall performance. With prices ranging from just over $30,000 to just under $20,000, it really shines by way of comparison.
LOA 33'8", LWL 28'10'', Beam 10"11", Draft shoal 4'5", Draft deep 6'3", Displacement 10,000 lbs., Ballast 4,400 lbs., Sail Area 531 sq. ft.
PRICE: You can find a nice Tartan 33 for less than $25,000. That's hard to beat.
DESIGN QUALITY: You may or may not like the fractional rig, but overall this is another quality design from S&S.
CONSTRUCTION QUALITY: Tartan's reputation is well earned. Balsa-cored hulls make me nervous, unless they're old Tartans. A very well-built boat.
USER-FRIENDLINESS: The cockpit could be a bit friendlier, but the sailplan is easy to handle and the interior is impressive for 33-footer.
SAFETY: From the bridgedeck, to the handrails, to the wide side decks, the 33 is a safe boat. It is a bit tender and needs to be reefed early.
TYPICAL CONDITION: Even the newest Tartan 33 is 26 years old. Still, many seem to be freshwater boats-a plus. The others I've seen are well taken care of. This was never a "throwaway" boat.
REFITTING: Not the easiest boat to refit or find parts for, but there's plenty of information available on the Web. SUPPORT: There are several good Tartan owner's sites, including www.tartanownersweb.org/t33.phtml, which is specific to the 33. Other good information can be found at www.cbtsc.com, www.gotosca.org and others. Also, Tartan is still building new boats, and Tim Jackett, the head of Tartan, knows more about the boats than anyone else.
AVAILABILITY: There are always several 33s on the market. The best pickings seem to be on the Chesapeake, Long Island Sound and the Great Lakes.
INVESTMENT AND RESALE: It is hard to find a fault with spending $20,000 to $30,000 for a quality boat like the Tartan 33. What will it sell for in five or 10 years? I confess, I don't know.
Also in Used Boat Notebook
- Hunter Vision 32
- Hunter Passage 42
- Pearson Rhodes 41
- Santa Cruz 52
- Allied Princess 36
Also from John Kretschmer
- Hove to in the gales of Biscay
- Sailing's Promise
- Passage to nowhere
- Farewell to brothers of the sea
- Plotting a course to Caribbean sabbatical cruise
- Passage Planning
- Ready to Rumble
- Good vibrations
- Launching and boarding a life raft
- The Great Circle Route: Connecting the dots of a sailing life
- Dinghy Boats
- Furlers Page
- Boat Specific Parts
- Hardware & Misc. Gear
- Hooper's Service
$type$ • $price$ • $year$ • $model$ • $manufacturer$
- Boats for Sale
Tartan 33 for sale
Receive new listings in your email
Manufacturer
2 New and Used Tartan 33
Green Cove Springs, Fl, Florida (United States of America)
OFFERED BY:
Rigged for Single Handed Sailing!! Lombardini 30HP Diesel!! Only 600 Hours!! This 1983 Tartan T33 is a sloop designed and built to the high quality you would expect from Tart...
Tartan Ten 33
Toledo, Ohio (United States of America)
1978 Tartan Ten 33 in Great Condition! Powered by a Farymann L30 Diesel Engine! Rigged w/ Upgrades & Many Sails! Great Racing or Cruising Sailboat! The Tartan Ten is a re...
* Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price.
TARTAN 33 RELATED MODELS
The Tartan 10 is a 33.14ft fractional sloop designed by S&S and built in fiberglass by Tartan Marine since 1978.
400 units have been built..
The Tartan 10 is a light sailboat which is a high performer. It is very stable / stiff and has a good righting capability if capsized. It is best suited as a racing boat. The fuel capacity is originally very small. There is a very short water supply range.
Tartan 10 for sale elsewhere on the web:
Main features
| Model | Tartan 10 | ||
| Length | 33.14 ft | ||
| Beam | 9.25 ft | ||
| Draft | 5.87 ft | ||
| Country | United states (North America) | ||
| Estimated price | $ 0 | ?? |
Login or register to personnalize this screen.
You will be able to pin external links of your choice.
See how Sailboatlab works in video
| Sail area / displ. | 21.95 | ||
| Ballast / displ. | 49.85 % | ||
| Displ. / length | 151.96 | ||
| Comfort ratio | 18.54 | ||
| Capsize | 1.97 |
| Hull type | Monohull fin keel with spade rudder | ||
| Construction | Fiberglass | ||
| Waterline length | 27 ft | ||
| Maximum draft | 5.87 ft | ||
| Displacement | 6700 lbs | ||
| Ballast | 3340 lbs | ||
| Hull speed | 6.96 knots |
We help you build your own hydraulic steering system - Lecomble & Schmitt
| Rigging | Fractional Sloop | ||
| Sail area (100%) | 486 sq.ft | ||
| Air draft | 0 ft | ?? | |
| Sail area fore | 210 sq.ft | ||
| Sail area main | 276.72 sq.ft | ||
| I | 35 ft | ||
| J | 12 ft | ||
| P | 40.25 ft | ||
| E | 13.75 ft |
| Nb engines | 1 | ||
| Total power | 0 HP | ||
| Fuel capacity | 12 gals |
Accommodations
| Water capacity | 19 gals | ||
| Headroom | 0 ft | ||
| Nb of cabins | 0 | ||
| Nb of berths | 0 | ||
| Nb heads | 0 |
Builder data
| Builder | Tartan Marine | ||
| Designer | S&S | ||
| First built | 1978 | ||
| Last built | 0 | ?? | |
| Number built | 400 |
Other photos
Modal Title
The content of your modal.
Personalize your sailboat data sheet
| |
| |
 Great choice! Your favorites are temporarily saved for this session. Sign in to save them permanently, access them on any device, and receive relevant alerts.
Tartan 10 is a 33 ′ 1 ″ / 10.1 m monohull sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Tartan Yachts starting in 1978.  Rig and SailsAuxilary power, accomodations, calculations. The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more. Classic hull speed formula: Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL Sail Area / Displacement RatioA measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more. SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3
Ballast / Displacement RatioA measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize. Ballast / Displacement * 100 Displacement / Length RatioA measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more. D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³
Comfort RatioThis ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more. Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )
Capsize Screening FormulaThis formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more. CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64) Embed this page on your own website by copying and pasting this code.
©2024 Sea Time Tech, LLC This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. |
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Find Tartan 33 boats for sale in your area & across the world on YachtWorld. Offering the best selection of Tartan boats to choose from.
A 1979 cruiser/racer with a fractional rig and a Scheel keel, the Tartan 33 offers decent performance and accommodations. Read the review of this boat's design, sailing characteristics, and interior features.
TARTAN 33 is a fractional sloop sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Tartan Marine from 1979 to 1984. Find out its dimensions, displacement, ballast, sail area, performance and more.
Her evolution derives from the mast head rigged Tartan 34 and the off shore racer, the Tartan Ten (also 33'). The Tartan Ten was fast and easy to sail, but her interior was sparce and headroom was limited to stooping. Hence, the Tartan 33, with a more beautiful & modern interior and standing 6'6" headroom made her grand entrance.
The Tartan 33 is a good choice in a fairly fast, high quality, late model cruiser-racer. By the late 1970s, the old Tartan 34 had become very dated. The boat had been in production for a decade, and hundreds of families had cut their racing and cruising teeth on the S&S keel/ centerboarder. But the market was changing.
A review of the Tartan Ten, a popular offshore one-design racing sailboat built from 1978 to 1989. Learn about its construction, performance, features and problems.
18. Contact. 941-914-9217. 1. Sort By. Filter Search. View a wide selection of Tartan Ten 33 boats for sale in your area, explore detailed information & find your next boat on boats.com. #everythingboats.
The Tartan 33 is family of American sailboats, that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1979. The ... All models have a length overall of 33.67 ft (10.3 m), a waterline length of 28.83 ft (8.8 m), displace 10,000 lb (4,536 kg) and carry 4,400 lb (1,996 kg) of ballast.
The 33 was in some ways a response to both the success and limitations of the flush-deck, one-design Tartan 10. While the T-10's popularity clearly demonstrated that there was a market for a 30-foot Tartan, its one-dimensional design turned off less competitive sailors who also wanted to cruise.
Tartan Ten 33 for sale - - Stock #Tartan Ten 33 in Great Condition! ... Many Sails! Great Racing or Cruising Sailboat! The Tartan Ten is a recreational keelboat... View over 1000s of new and used boats and yachts for sale online. Buy a boat, Sell or list your boat for rent or sale, find berths, and more. ... 33.01 ft. DETAILS. Condition. Used ...
1978 Tartan Ten 33. $17,750. Toledo, OH 43623 | Pop Yachts. Request Info. <. 1. >. Find Tartan Ten 33 boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Tartan boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader!
Go to. Tartan Ten, 33 ft., 1979. #206. Tartan Yachts built 378 copies of this beautiful 10-meter offshore one-design from Sparkman and Stephens, the renowned maritime architects. For day-sailing this fractional rig boat can be single-handed or carry up to a dozen crew on its 9 1/2 foot cockpit seating and flush decks.
Tartan Ten 33 for sale in Toledo Ohio. View pictures and details of this boat or search for more Tartan boats for sale on boats.com. ... 33 ft: Length at Water Line: 26 ft 12 in: Beam: 9 ft 4 in: Keel Type: Other: Dry Weight 7100 lb: Propulsion ... Great Racing or Cruising Sailboat! The Tartan Ten is a recreational keelboat designed by Sparkman ...
Designed by Sparkman & Stephens, Tartan Yachts turned out over 200 of these beautiful hulls. Her rig is fractional for easier sail handling. Her lead Scheel keel was standard on all boats. Her evolution derives from the mast head rigged Tartan 34 and the off shore racer, the Tartan Ten (also 33').
33.01 ft. | YEAR: 1983 LOCATION: Green Cove Springs, Fl, Florida (United States of America) ... Great Racing or Cruising Sailboat! The Tartan Ten is a recreatio... * Price displayed is based on today's currency conversion rate of the listed sales price. TARTAN 33 RELATED MODELS. Tartan Sloop Tartan 4600 Tartan 3800 Tartan 30 Tartan T-37 Tartan ...
Tartan Tens. The Tartan Ten is a recreational keelboat, built predominantly of fiberglass, with aluminum spars. It has a 7/8 fractional sloop rig, a raked stem, a reverse transom, an internally mounted spade-type rudder controlled by a tiller and a fixed fin keel.It displaces 7,100 lb (3,221 kg) and carries 3,340 lb (1,515 kg) of ballast. [1] [3]The boat has a draft of 5.83 ft (1.78 m) with ...
The Tartan 10 is a 33.14ft fractional sloop designed by S&S and built in fiberglass by Tartan Marine since 1978. It is a light sailboat with a high performance, a good righting capability and a small fuel and water capacity.
1985 Pearson 530. $199,900. North Point Yacht Sales Southern Bay. <. 1. >. Find Tartan 33 boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Tartan boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader!
Go to. Tartan Ten 33 ft, 1979. well maintained $12,825. Located in Port Huron, Michigan. Description. Sailboat designed by Sparkman & Stephens, one of the worlds greatest ship designers. Inducted in The Sailboat Hall of Fame. Over 400 built. Active one design race fleets around the country plus great PHRF rating of 126!
33.67 ft / 10.26 m: LWL: ... See TARTAN 33 for more details. Sailboat Forum. View All Topics: ... Camden, Maine, 1997), states that a boat with a BN of less than 1.3 will be slow in light winds. A boat with a BN of 1.6 or greater is a boat that will be reefed often in offshore cruising. Derek Harvey, "Multihulls for Cruising and Racing ...
Find new and used Tartan Yachts of various sizes and models on YachtWorld, the world's largest yacht marketplace. Browse photos, prices, features and locations of Tartan Yachts for sale across the US and beyond.
Tartan 10 is a classic monohull sailboat with a keel-fin rudder and a sloop rig. It has a length overall of 10.1 m, a displacement of 3,221 kg, and a sail area/displacement ratio of 21.1.
Find detailed information about the TARTAN 10 sailboat, such as dimensions, weight, rigging, and performance. Join the sailboat forum to discuss TARTAN 10 with other owners and enthusiasts.