This Boat Shows That Tartan Takes "Performance" in "Performance Cruiser" Seriously

Designing a boat that maximizes interior volume and waterline length without it looking like a box is no easy task.

Tartan Yachts' in-house team led by Tim Jackett did it well with the Tartan 3500, which had a production run of 15 years, starting in 1991. I have been a long-time fan of Tartan boats, and I find the Tartan 3500 one of the more handsome of contemporary-styled designs.

The 3500's overall length is 35 feet, 2 inches; beam is 11 feet, 9 inches; and displacement is between 12,500 and 13,200 pounds, depending on the keel configuration. She was offered with a shoal draft keel drawing 4 feet, 10 inches, or a deep draft drawing 6 feet, 6 inches.

The construction quality of the Tartan 3500 is as good as, or in some cases better than, other production boat manufacturers, but Tartan's attention to detail is less than I've seen in other models.

Still, the Tartan 3500 is a well-built boat with a hull constructed of chop-strand mat, unidirectional fiberglass cloth and balsa wood core for stiffness. To mitigate water intrusion, no core was used in areas of through-hull fittings, chain plate or keel attachments. A layer of vinylester resin improves blister resistance, and Tartan backs up its hulls with a five-year warranty against osmotic blisters.

The decks and cabin are likewise constructed of fiberglass composites with balsa wood core. Deck hardware is soundly attached with stainless steel nuts, bolts and washers and either aluminum or fiberglass backing plates for distributing loads. Although Tartan eliminates coring in the area of deck-hardware attachments, I found indications of elevated moisture of the deck composite around several fittings of one model that was a mere three years old.

The deck and hull are joined using Tartan's standard method of stainless steel fasteners drilled and tapped into aluminum plates molded into the hull flange and bedded with 3M's 5200 sealant. I have never been a fan of using stainless steel and aluminum this way, but Tartan has been doing it for decades. The deck of the Tartan 3500 is well laid out and features a foredeck anchor locker, two-inch-high teak toe rails all around and good-quality hardware. The T-shaped cockpit provides plenty of leg space, and seats are not so far apart that you can't brace to leeward if necessary. The helmsman has foot cleats, and seatbacks are inclined for comfortable seating. A boarding ladder at the transom and molded swim step for easy entry and exit from the water.

Interior accommodations include two true double cabins separated by the main salon and galley. The forward cabin has a hanging locker, four drawers and a large V-berth with enough foot room forward for two people to actually sleep comfortably. The main salon has settees to port and starboard with a drop-leaf table in between and easily seats four for meals, six in a pinch. To starboard there is a good-sized galley and adequate navigation station. To the port side aft is the head and shower and a quarter-berth cabin with large double berth.

Tartan offered new boat purchasers the option of teak or cherry interior finishes. The cherry is attractive but doesn't seem to hold up well to an occasional dousing of water that is inevitable aboard a boat. One other recent observation is that the fit and finish of interior joiner work doesn't seem to live up to Tartan standards.

Auxiliary power is provided by Yanmar's 27-horsepower 3GM diesel, which is installed in an engine box below the companionway steps. The engine access for service is better than that provided by most boats of this type. When the engine box is removed, the entire forward part of the engine is exposed, though access to the aft part requires removing quarter-berth cushions and some panels.

With a sail area-to-displacement ratio of 19.4 and displacement-to-length ratio of 188, the 3500 makes it pretty clear that Tartan took the "performance" half of "performance cruiser" seriously with this design. The boat does not disappoint. The Tartan 3500 is easily driven, responsive and well mannered and has had success in a number of PHRF fleets around the country. For best performance, the deep-draft model is preferred, although not practical for more shallow cruising grounds.

More than 150 Tartan 3500s were built, and a reasonable selection of boats is usually offered on the used market, though they typically fall at the higher end of the price range for this size production boat. The Tartan 3500 continues to be a top choice for sailors looking for a performance-oriented family cruiser.

Jack Hornor, NA is the principal surveyor and senior designer for the Annapolis-based Marine Survey & Design Co. Hornor writes for BoatU.S. Magazine and other marine publications.

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