1975 Tartan 30-C Resto

[75Tartan30]

Hello everyone. I recently purchased a very solid Tartan 30-C for racing and cruising. I will be upgrading a lot of systems and stripping old hardware/repainting a lot of parts/deck/mast. Figured most would enjoy a good old restoration thread so if your so inclined feel free to comment and follow along. Pictures to follow soon...

[sailingfool]

That's a sweet boat, well worth time and money!

[75Tartan30]

Originally Posted by sailingfool

That's a sweet boat, well worth time and money!

I agree! And am looking forward to next spring. Here are some pictures as she lies right now. So far I have been working on the spars and have stripped/repainted the boom with interlux perfection. The mast is next. Upon removing the mast mounted winches I found 1 which was seized and not rebuildable but luckily found the same model from the same year on ebay. After I complete the mast I will be removing all deck hardware and rebedding with butyl.

[Sabreman]

That's one really nice boat. Whoever the PO or POs were, they kept it in extraordinary condition. So many boats of this vintage are real wrecks and I gasp when I see pictures. I really like that engine arrangement - so easy to access and low in the boat.

Your work area is awesome. I would kill to have an indoor shed on which to maintain Victoria.

You'll be sailing in no time.

[CalebD]

The engine access on the T 30 really is phenomenal.
Looks like your engine has a HX (fresh water cooled). Is that a diesel?
Great shop.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by Sabreman

Your work area is awesome. I would kill to have an indoor shed ...

My thoughts exactly!.. what a great environment for a project like that.. and at that she's not really so much of a 'project' compared to many.

Nice job on the boom... do you paint cars too?? (peeking in the background).. Careful about too many time consuming hobbies!!

[75Tartan30]

Haha too many projects? Never! The car in the background is just about ready for paint but I will not be painting her myself. I have a knack for spars as that was my job for a few years at a local boat yard when I was younger. Nothing like a heated shop with a 16' door and all the tools in the world to help along any type of project. I used to work out of a quonset hut but finally said enough was enough and upgraded to the bay. The PO was a really nice older fellow who took very good care of the boat so there really is minimal work to be done. Mostly cosmetic as there are zero soft spots on this boat but I may get involved with the chain plates later in the year. Just finished prepping the aluminum piece on the bow(not sure of the name of this piece...anyone?) Old chock must of snapped off at some point and the other was frozen in place so out came the drill. Drilled the old bolts out and sanded it down with 100 grit. Was thinking of using the same paint(different color) as for the mast with an epoxy primecoat and a few coats of perfection.

[75Tartan30]

Originally Posted by CalebD

The engine access on the T 30 really is phenomenal.
Looks like your engine has a HX (fresh water cooled). Is that a diesel?
Great shop.

Yes its a 1989 Universal Diesel with fresh water cooling. Its actually giving me a bit of a fit right now as I am having trouble getting it to turn over. The PO admitted there was a wiring issue that let it fire right up sometimes but other times it wouldn't turn over. I have chased the wiring back to the starter and all looks ok so I was thinking it may be an issue with the control panel. When I hold the glow plug button everything is fine and the buzzer is going off but when I press the start button the buzzer and light on the control panel dim way down like there is a big load on the circuitry. But at least the engine isnt buried in the stern of the boat. S&S new what they were doing when they designed this version of the Tartan. All that weight right in the center of the boat way down low with excellent access plus its mounted right on top of the lead keel which dissipates any vibration.

[75Tartan30]

Merry Christmas everyone! Started stripping the mast this morning. Got about 10' done in 1 hour. I think I am looking at about 9 hrs to strip it completely to bare metal. Also started removing some of the damaged pieces of teak that need to be replaced.

[CalebD]

Originally Posted by 75Tartan30

Yes its a 1989 Universal Diesel with fresh water cooling. Its actually giving me a bit of a fit right now as I am having trouble getting it to turn over. The PO admitted there was a wiring issue that let it fire right up sometimes but other times it wouldn't turn over. I have chased the wiring back to the starter and all looks ok so I was thinking it may be an issue with the control panel. When I hold the glow plug button everything is fine and the buzzer is going off but when I press the start button the buzzer and light on the control panel dim way down like there is a big load on the circuitry. But at least the engine isnt buried in the stern of the boat. S&S new what they were doing when they designed this version of the Tartan. All that weight right in the center of the boat way down low with excellent access plus its mounted right on top of the lead keel which dissipates any vibration.

Sometimes it can be the ignition switch itself that is the problem. I wonder about any electrical brushes in the starter motor itself too. Hopefully someone with more expertise in this area will chime in.
If the glow plugs are working it should start up pretty easily I'd think.
Probably time to break out your multi-meter.
If you don't already own it, Nigel Caulder's "Boatowner's Mechanical & Electrical Manual" is a great resource that covers engines, wiring and many other items in great detail (wiring diagrams, photos etc.). Well worth the ~$40 considering most decent engine mechanics charge ~$80/hour.
Good luck chasing down those starting demons!