Tartan 41 vs. Newport 41s

[gmjosey]

A Tartan 41 racing against a Newport 41s. Same age(say 1982),an equal number of upwind and downwind legs,new sails,equal crews,etc.Wind is 12 kts. Which one is likely to win ?

[Newport41]

Well there is no Tartan 41 that I know of made in the mid to early 80s. However there is a Tartan 40 that I am familiar with. The two boats are very similar in speed. They rate between a 102 and 108 handicap for the most part. The Newport has a slightly larger rig and longer LWL. The Tartan is about 200lbs lighter. I pick the Newport because of the rig, the LWL, the easily driven hull, and the fact that I own one. Did I mention the Tartan os two or three times the price. P.S. any Tartan 40 owners in the Victoria Seattle are want to prove me wrong?

[Moonfish]

Newport 41s (designed by C&C for those that do not know) seem to surprise a lot of people. As a Capital Yachts product, they are often portrayed as inferior quality to Tartans and the like. While this may be generally true (Newports were built to a price point), the N41 has much going for it, as the previous poster has indicated, for a lot less money. They were also the "flagship" of Capital Yachts, so you know the builder had extra pride in them.

I sailed with Captain Greg Daley aboard his N41 "Principessa" from Marina del Rey to Catalina Island a few years ago. Totally impressed with the boat's performance. He also won his division that year in a Southern California racing series to address the racing question.