Sixty-five years ago, Tartan Yachts based in Ohio on the shore of lake Erie came out with their first boat, the Tartan 27. The Sparkman & Stephens dessin was a keel-centerboard, masthead sloop with a simple but roomy layout. Easy to sail but fun to race in the popular MORC classes of the day, the boat proved popular and launched the legendary brand.
Now under new ownership, Tartan offers five models from 34 to 53 feet and, this year, announced that they have an all new 27-footer in the works. They call the launch “the return of an icon.” The new owners under the direction of Chris Duer, have embraced the classic Tartan ethic of delivering the highest quality, American-built composite sailboats possible.
This is particularly good news for me. I spent my youth cruising and racing on Tartan 27 hull number 64 in which we sailed from southern New England to New York at one extreme and to the farthest reaches of the Maine coast at the other. We often entered regattas with a crew of six aboard. The little boat stayed in our family through three generations and taught us all how to sail, cruise and race.
The new 27’s lines evoke the original with its springy sheer, square transom and pleasantly curved bow. The cabin sits neatly on the hull and is sleeker than the original. The rig is still a masthead design, but the mast has been moved forward and a built-in bowsprit added that doubles as an anchor roller and the tack-down point for an asymmetrical spinnaker.
Adapting modern hydrodynamics to the design, the new 27 has a bulbed fin keel, a spade rudder and a flat run aft for a clean water flow and reduced drag. The boat will be steered with a tiller, just as the original was, which adds to the joy of sailing and opens the cockpit for more comfortable seating.
Down below, the designers have achieved the nearly impossible. Insode the 27-foot envelope they had provided a V-berth forward, a double quarter berth, a full galley, an enclosed head and a sitting and dining area for six people. Including the bench settees, there are berths for a crew of six.
“Opportunities to carry forward the tradition and legacy of a historic brand are rare—sometimes they come only once in a lifetime,” said Chris Duer, CTO of Tartan Yachts. “The new Tartan 27 represents our commitment to understanding what made generations of sailors fall in love with Tartan and ensuring those same values continue to inspire the next generation.”
In an age when owning a sailboat is out of the reach of many American families, Tartan is offering a truly seaworthy small cruiser with ample accommodations and modern systems that fills a niche in the market. The new 27 will be perfect for a young family cutting their teeth on the cruising life style and for older sailors who want to downsize to a smaller, simpler boat from their larger vessel.
Although the new 27 will not be inexpensive, it is a Tartan after all that will last for generations, it will be in a price range that will appeal to a broad section of the American public. Let’s hope the new design helps the new owners continue to build on Tartan’s legacy. In my view, the Tartan brand is American royalty.
