Tartans are well regarded and hold their value. Practical Sailor rates the 3700 and 4100 among the best built production boats in America. The reviews still point at a few things to check, and most of them involve aluminium sitting next to stainless steel.
The hull to deck joint and its aluminium bar
On the 3700 and 4100, Practical Sailor describes the joint Tartan had used for more than 20 years: the seam bedded in 3M 5200, with stainless bolts through predrilled holes in an aluminium bar laid between hull and deck. Sailing Magazine describes the same idea on the 3500, built from 1991 to 2005: stainless fasteners tapped into aluminium receiving plates moulded into the hull flange, then bonded. Its reviewer wonders about the long term effects of marrying different metals at that joint.
Where to look. Inside along the joint for white corrosion around the bolts, stains and leaks; test a few bolts for movement; toerail fasteners for looseness. See stray current corrosion for how dissimilar metals are reported.
Aluminium backing plates
Sailing Magazine notes the 3500's backing plates are aluminium and fibreglass. Aluminium under stainless bolts in a wet deck corrodes and swells.
Where to look. Under winches, cleats, tracks and stanchions: swollen or flaking plates, bolts that won't hold torque, and wet core around the fasteners.
Balsa cored decks and topsides
The 3700 and 4100 hulls are hand laid, solid below the waterline and cored with Baltek balsa above it, with isophthalic and vinylester resins against blistering. Areas where hardware and stanchions go are solid glass. The 3500's hull is partly balsa cored, solid at the deck flange, through-hulls, chainplates and keel, and its deck is balsa cored. The 3400 has an oven cured epoxy hull and a carbon spar.
Where to look. Meter and sound the deck around every fitting, then the cored topsides. Look for fittings added later outside the solid areas.
Rudders
The 3700 and 4100 rudders are foam cored fibreglass on 304 stainless steel stocks, Practical Sailor says. Owners told Sailing Magazine that the 3500's rudder bearings swell.
Where to look. Moisture readings on the blade with the boat hauled, weeping at the stock, and play or binding at the bearings. See water in the rudder.
Centreboards
The 3700, 4100 and 3400 were each offered with a shoal draft centreboard as well as fin keels. A centreboard adds a trunk, a pivot and a pennant to inspect.
Where to look. With the boat hauled, lower the board fully and check it for damage, the pivot for wear and the pennant for chafe. Inside, check the trunk for leaks.
The forward hatch and rigging on the 3500
Sailing Magazine says the 3500 has very few inherent problems. Some owners reported leaks around the forward hatch. It advises looking for the design changes made over the long production run, and says the oldest boats are well past the age to change standing and running rigging. The aluminium fuel tank holds 25 gallons.
What to check on a Tartan
| Area | What to look for | Source of the concern |
|---|---|---|
| Hull to deck joint | Corrosion at bolts in the aluminium bar or plates, leaks, loose bolts | Practical Sailor, 3700 and 4100; Sailing Magazine, 3500 |
| Backing plates | Swollen or corroded aluminium plates | Sailing Magazine, 3500 |
| Cored deck and topsides | Water in the core around fittings | Practical Sailor, 3700 and 4100; Sailing Magazine, 3500 |
| Rudder | Water in a foam core, stock, bearings | Practical Sailor, 3700 and 4100; owners in Sailing Magazine, 3500 |
| Centreboard | Board, pivot, pennant and trunk | Practical Sailor, 3700, 4100 and 3400 |
| Forward hatch on the 3500 | Leaks | Owners in Sailing Magazine |
| Rigging | Age of standing and running rigging | Sailing Magazine, 3500 |
Writing it up
"Hull to deck joint, starboard side amidships: white corrosion products around three deck bolts where they enter the aluminium flange bar, one bolt turning without tightening, water staining on the joinery below. Recommend the affected bolts are removed and the bar inspected, with stripped threads repaired and the joint rebedded." Note how far along the joint you could see.