The Tartan 34 C is an American

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

, that was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and first built in 1968. The boat is Sparkman & Stephens Design Number 1904. The Tartan 34 C was initially marketed as the ''Tartan 34''. When a later, unrelated design was introduced in 1984, it was also marketed as the ''Tartan 34''. To differentiate the two designs the older one is commonly called the ''Tartan 34 C'', with the "C" indicating ''Classic''. The latter ''Tartan 34'' became commonly known as the Tartan 34-2.

Production

The Tartan 34 C was built by Tartan Marine in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

between 1968 and 1978, with 525 examples completed, but it is now out of production.

Design

The Tartan 34 C is a small recreational keelboat, built predominantly of

fiberglass Fiberglass ( American English) or fibreglass (Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass cl ...

, with wood trim. It has a masthead sloop rig, a skeg-mounted

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

and a fixed stub

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

, with a retractable

centerboard A centreboard or centerboard (US) is a retractable hull appendage which pivots out of a slot in the hull of a sailboat, known as a ''centreboard trunk'' (UK) or ''centerboard case'' (US). The retractability allows the centreboard to be raised ...

. It displaces and carries of lead ballast. The boat has a draft of with the centerboard extended and with it retracted. The design had a factory option of a pilot berth in place of the port storage cabinet, over and outboard of the dinette, but few boats were so equipped. A

yawl A yawl is a type of boat. The term has several meanings. It can apply to the rig (or sailplan), to the hull type or to the use which the vessel is put. As a rig, a yawl is a two masted, fore and aft rigged sailing vessel with the mizzen mast p ...

rig, with a mizzen mast, was also a factory option. The mainsail foot dimension (parameter "E") was reduced at least twice during the boat's production run, increasing the aspect ratio of the mainsail to improve sail balance and to lower the design's

International Offshore Rule The International Offshore Rule (IOR) was a measurement rule for racing sailboats. The IOR evolved from the Cruising Club of America (CCA) rule for racer/cruisers and the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) rule. Rule context - past and present rating ...

handicap rating. Hull serial numbers 125 to 200 have an "E" of , while hull serial numbers 200 and later have an "E" of . The boat is fitted with a Universal Atomic 4 gasoline engine of . The fuel tank holds and the fresh water tank has a capacity of . The boat has a hull speed of .

References

{{Sparkman & Stephens Keelboats 1960s sailboat type designs Sailing yachts Sailboat type designs by Sparkman and Stephens Sailboat types built by Tartan Marine

Production

Design

See also

References