This review is excerpted from the original that ran in BWS in 2005. The Tartan brand is now under new ownership and management by the principles of Seattle Yachts, which was a Tartan dealer before they bought the company. The 3400, rebranded at the 345, remains a great small cruising boat that is perfect for a couple who wants to downsize from a larger boat or a young family just getting started.
The brief for the 3400/345 was to create a boat that more than lives up to the Tartan name by providing her owners with a small cruiser that sails extremely well, makes few physical demands on the crew and makes the most of Tartan’s cutting edge boatbuilding technology. The hull Jackett created for the 3400 has a 30-foot waterline and almost 12 feet of beam which translates into a boat that has a lot of interior volume for it’s size. The bow sections have been given a slight V-shape to prevent slamming when sailing to windward in a chop while the stern sections carry the beam well aft, which enhances reaching and running power and overall boat speed. Read More
