Tartan 37 (S&S)
Built 1976–1988 by Tartan Marine
About the Tartan 37 (S&S)
Researched from public sources for this model. Any individual boat may have been modified or repowered — confirm before relying on any figure.
- Built
- 1976–1988
- Builder
- Tartan Marine
- Designer
- Sparkman & Stephens
- Length
- 37.29 ft
- Waterline
- 28.5 ft
- Beam
- 11.75 ft
- Draft
- 4.17 ft
- Displacement
- 15,500 lb
- Ballast
- 7,500 lb
- Hull
- fiberglass-cored
- Hull / keel
- centerboard
- Rig
- sloop
- Propulsion
- inboard
- Fuel
- 50 gal
- Water
- 90 gal
- Number built
- 486
- Stern thruster
- none
- Steering
- Edson
Distinct from the later Tim Jackett-designed Tartan 3700. Owners association: S&S design #2253 commissioned in 1975; the first few hulls were built as the racing Tartan 38 (deep fin, tall rig); 486 built 1976-1988, about 10% deep-keel and most keel/centerboard (4.17 ft up / 7.75 ft down); fin keel 6.58 ft; a few late hulls got a Scheel keel. Hull is balsa-cored in stress areas per Practical Sailor; sailboatdata describes hull and deck as balsa-cored. Early boats had a starboard pilot berth with a cantilevered chainplate arrangement, dropped by 1986.
Known problems for this model
-
Water damage to cored deck deck
Practical Sailor's main warning is the balsa-cored deck, which is prone to water damage and expensive to repair.practical-sailor.com
-
Hull-deck joint aluminum plate corrosion deck
Deck bolts are tapped into an aluminum plate glassed into the hull flange, so galvanic corrosion can loosen or strip them; inspect the joint closely.practical-sailor.com
-
Aluminum backing plates and poorly bedded toerail deck
Deck hardware is backed with aluminum plates that can corrode or swell if water gets in, and the toerail near the bow is often poorly bedded.practical-sailor.com
-
Complex centerboard pennant through the mast hull
The centerboard pennant runs up through the mast, requiring a complex mast step and compression beam and making centerboard service harder and costlier.practical-sailor.com
-
No shutoffs on cockpit scuppers plumbing
Exhaust, scupper and bilge outlets above the waterline lack shutoffs, though the scuppers can be submerged underway.practical-sailor.com
Engines & parts
Westerbeke W-40 (Westerbeke 40) parts: good
Factory standard engine — you entered “Westerbeke W-40”
Shares its base engine and rear-seal problem with the Perkins 4.108 (Foley Engines' 4.108 rear seal fix also covers the Westerbeke 40), so many internal parts can be sourced through Perkins 4.108 channels such as TAD and Foley.
Parts sources: Foley Engines, Trans Atlantic Diesels (Perkins 4.108 parts), Westerbeke (factory parts store)
Common problems (2)
-
Rear main seal leak engine
Same chronic rope-seal leak as the Perkins 4.108.foleyengines.com
-
Overheating under load cooling
Owners chasing W-40 overheating often find a nearly blocked raw water elbow at the exhaust elbow or a failed heat exchanger.cruisersforum.com
Steering
Edson — Pedestal chain-and-wire steering parts: good
Edson (New Bedford, MA) still sells service parts: chain-and-wire kits, sprockets, idlers, pull-pull conduit steering and internal pedestal parts, and keeps steering data sheets by boat model, many decades old.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (service parts)
Common problems (3)
-
Old or slack steering wire steering
Edson advises replacing steering wire about every five years, checking tension with the wheel locked, and inspecting under load annually; owners often find decades-old stiff wire.usna.edu · youtube.com
-
Lubrication and fastener checks steering
Chain, wire, sheaves and pedestal bearings need regular oiling or greasing, and clevis/cotter pins and bolts should be checked monthly to avoid failures.usna.edu
-
Replacing engine control cables in the pedestal steering
Swapping throttle/shift cables inside an Edson pedestal is a common owner job requiring removal of the wheel shaft sprocket pin.forums.sailboatowners.com
Edson — Traditional geared steerers (worm / rack-and-pinion) parts: good
Edson says its traditional wheels and geared steerers are still available, now built with modern materials; rack-and-pinion steerers are offered for transom-hung and inboard rudders.
Parts sources: Edson Marine (traditional steerers)
Model sources (8)
sailboatdata.com · practical-sailor.com · tartan37.com · tartan37.com · tartan37.com · betamarineusa.com · listingsport.com · westerbeke.com
Other Tartan models
- Tartan 27 1961–1980
- Tartan 30
- Tartan 34C 1968–1978
- Tartan 3500 ?–2005
Researched from public sources. Spotted an error? The sources are listed above — tell us what they got wrong.