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I'm looking at buying a 1976 Tartan 30 Hull Number 366.
The boat is currently sitting in a backyard on blocks with some minor hull damage on leading edges. Other wise the hull looks decent.
The interior lining has been pulled out, and the majority of the wood has been pulled out. This boat does have a aft galley, diesel, & older wiring.
My plan would be to replace wiring, hoses for water, and over time upgrade the rest.
Does anybody have links to sites explaining what they did for wiring (any sites that could help) on a tartan 30, upgrades from bare bones, and details on how to replace/fix issues like leaking chain planes, stem fitting and replacing/upgrading ports.
My other question would be is this a good boat for a single guy to live aboard and do some off shore sailing???
Unfortunately you don't "buy" a boat like that you take it off someones hands for FREE!
Even if you get it for free it will cost you in multiples of what the same vessel in pristine condition will cost you.
Based on the above description you're looking at a 25-45k boat by the time you're done..
I'm sure I won't be the only one to give this advice but even if it's free you should walk away!! You can buy some nice boats in this economy ready to sail for very, very short money!
In over ten years on various sailing forums I have seen your situaion played out hndreds of times and every time they either give up or spend 500%+ more than they thought they could.
My buddy bought a Catalina 30 for 22k, even though I tried to talk him out of it. He could have bough the same boat in bristol condition, with a brand new diesel engine & sails, for about 25k. He now has close to 45k into a boat that is still only worth about 20-22k on a good day...
Unless you have unlimited time & money to burn and you really prefer working on boats, rather than sailing them, don't ever buy a boat that was someone elses unfinished project cause it's a no win situation!
My buddy bought a Catalina 30 for 15k, even though I tried to talk him out of it. He could have bough the same boat in bristol condition, with a brand new diese engine & sails, for about 25k. He now has close to 45k into a boat that is still only worth about 20-22k on a good day...
So far including Dingy and Outboard I'm looking at about $6000 in costs for basics... I can live with a foot pump versus electric. This also would include solar panel and wind generator...
The sails are in good shape, and the rigging is new. The only real deck issues I spotted where on the hull just on leading edges.....
The thought behind something like this would be something cheap to get fix the basics and get on a mooring ball for $55 a month in the river to live aboard. I also live about an hour from a marine chandlary and have a decent sailing community for support...
On the bad side at least two of my local buddies (Metali'Cat one of them), have boats that they have been working on (mostly in the water) for at least two years. The downside for me is I'm not sure I have 20k to spend on a boat for live aboard right now... I'm short selling my house and in the military.
Edward,
Are you sure it has a diesel engine? Many T30's were equipped with Atomic 4 gasoline engines. A diesel would be considered an advantage by many people although my T27 still has a 41 year old A4 engine in it.
MaineSail makes good points but he also likes to make money on his boating transactions and spends a bit more up front then you seem able or willing to. We got our 1967 T27 for $4K with everything in working order. A T30 at our club recently sold for $5.5K in working order but in need of work (all older boats need work). Even if you fixed up a boat like this it would not likely be worth more then $10K upon resale (if you are lucky).
That said, hulls are repairable, wiring is not that difficult to replace and you will learn as you go. A great book for embarking on this adventure is Nigel Caulder's "Boat Owners Mechanical & Electrical Manual".
Good luck.
We have a Tartan 30, 1977 vintage. Excellent boat. The diesel engine is an upgrade as these were all built with Atomic 4's. I recently removed the engine and am putting an electric engine in. I imagine the wiring changed quite a bit with the diesel upgrade.
A good coastal cruiser that performs well and can be raced but I wouldn't do extended offshore cruising on it. Pretty cramped for a liveaboard. Resale even with a diesel is 10 to 15K max so don't pay much. If this hull has been on the hard for several years examine the hull closely for blisters which will be very difficult to detect having dried out. If you fit it out yourself you will spend up to and more than market value before you're done but to finance a boat at full price (assuming you don't have the cash) would cost you double or triple in the end game so toss out the whole net net argument of cost. Paid cash for ours and all told have about 12K cash in it including sails, running rigging and other consummable items as well as the electric engine conversion.
There are a few minor issues with this boat - bow stem plate bolts had a tendency to corrode and fail so check that out. Chainplates, as most boats with thru the deck bulkhead mounted chainplates will leak and require frequent rebedding to stop the leaks (once a year for weekend sailing using 3m 4200 or 5200 but not a big deal). Engine is as easy to work on as it gets but when working on it, the rest of the cabin is consumed with tools, engine cover and etc - tight space for living aboard. Boat is watertight and dry as a bone assuming the deck gelcoat hasn't cracked anywhere (easily fixed).
The fact that the headliners were removed is indicative of leaks probably originating from cracks in the decks, the hatch area, chainplates, stanchions, etc. all of which would need rebedding or repair. Regardless I would walk the deck. Look for flex or knock on it with a mallet or something and listen for hollow sound. If so, its indicative of rotted core material from long term leaks and would need repair. Repair in such cases is easy unless broad areas of the deck are affected.
Winches and other deck hardware are no longer made or parts are very hard to find so replacement is more the norm. This includes the cockpit bilge pump although I think defender sells a repair/overhaul kit that will work at 1/2 the price of going new. Normally these pumps (Henderson's) will still work but the diaphragms will certainly be cracked or torn.
Check the keel bolts as these are normally stainless and as far as I know don't have or didn't have any protective coating on them. If there is rust it would be wise to investigate further especially the keel/hull joint. If you see rust stains coming out of that joint, it will be a bit expensive to have the boat and keel separated to replace/reinforce those bolts. I believe, but don't know for sure, those bolts are molded into the keel making replacement nearly impossible leaving you with drilling holes and installing additional bolts as a possible solution.
Check the keel stepped mast at the keel for corrosion at the base. If the metal is heavily corroded, clean it up and be sure the mast is not damaged, pitted or otherwise structurally unstable.
Look for play in the prop shaft to be sure the cutlass bearing doesn't need replacement and check the shaft at the stuffing box, thru hull and the grease fitting to insure it has no grooves or other wear from years of use or abuse.
These are all things that will add significant cost to your restoration. If the diesel is well cared for this is a plus as people are spending 10K or more to replace the A4s with diesel (including installation costs) but don't count on it adding anything to the resale value.
Hull repair is relatively easy but I would strip the bottom paint all the way down. I put an epoxy barrier coat on, applied 3 coats of ablative and redid the boot top stripe. Stripping the paint down to gel coat also exposes the tiny pits indicative of dried out blisters
When you drop the boat in the water it is designed to sit lower at the bow waterline which is offset by the added weight of crew in the cockpit while sailing. S&S designed it that way so if you notice it, its not a concern.
That's about all I can think of. Good luck with it if you get it.
I own a 1973 T30 (hull #173), and have overhauled it extensively (everything from hand painting new LPU on the mast, boom, decks and non-skid to replacing the atomic 4, fairing blisters, etc.). They are great boats, and I enjoy mine immensely (although I'm putting it on the market due to a relocation). Has been a fun cruiser and is fairly quick and sweet when sailed properly.
For a very comprehensive overhaul narrative, google search for a great blog called 'tartan30makeover (I can't paste links yet...)
This guy went nuts on his boat - beyond even what I did to mine. The results are stunning. You might get some good insight into the inner workings of this boat there.
There is also a fairly active owners group that has good articles and resources, tartan30 .org.
Best of luck! IMO if you enjoy the process of upgrading and working on boats the T30 is itself a good place to start, and the end result will likely be something special (at least to you...)
I have owned a 1975 Tartan 30 tall rig for 2 years, hull 275. This boat was a one owner boat sailed by an avid racer. It has good deck equiptment such as barient 26, & 10 winches . strong mast and rigging . the hull and deck are solid. The rudder was soggy and needs replacing.
I resealed the chain plates and only one had leaked to the point where there was a very small amount of rot in the sourrounding deck
Look around and for $12,000 you can find a well taken care of boat a few basic repairs should be all thats needed, then you can spend your time sailing rather than working on the boat, I am planning on learning to sail for 5 years or so before i venture down the coast , then after a few years , maybe across an ocean.
I am looking for my third boat; and second cruising boat (in california).
in 92' i seriously looked at buying a Yankee 30, just because of their legendary sailing ability. instead, i convinced myself that i needed a bigger boat and went that route.
back on track again, i would like to go with a simpler boat, a smaller boat and have a yankee, but its not always easy to find a decent one. tartans i know little about, though many were made, but some posters are noting similarities of the tartan to the yankee. the forums have little in the way of comparison between the two, other than noting that there is a similarity.
if i found a tartan in decent condition, take it, or keep searching for a yankee?
I am looking for my third boat; and second cruising boat (in california).
in 92' i seriously looked at buying a Yankee 30, just because of their legendary sailing ability. instead, i convinced myself that i needed a bigger boat and went that route.
back on track again, i would like to go with a simpler boat, a smaller boat and have a yankee, but its not always easy to find a decent one. tartans i know little about, though many were made, but some posters are noting similarities of the tartan to the yankee. the forums have little in the way of comparison between the two, other than noting that there is a similarity.
if i found a tartan in decent condition, take it, or keep searching for a yankee?
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