Later this spring Ohio boatbuilder Tartan Yachts plans to launch a new 39-foot sailboat that appears in drawings to be well suited for cruising couples who want comfortable surroundings and a generous measure of performance.
The new Tim Jackett-designed 395 is a two-cabin boat, with queen-sized berths in forward and aft staterooms, a perfect set up for owners who plan to have occasional guests aboard. Additional settees amidships in the saloon are to either side of a centerline dining table and could double as sea berths should kids or additional friends join the cruise.
There is a single head, located to port at the foot of the companionway stairs.
Like the others in the Tartan range, the 395 carries what the company calls its Cruise Control Rig - full-battened main, self tending furling jib and a reacher set on a roller-furler forward. Performance ratios show this Solent-style sail plan boosts downwind sail area/displacement to 26.9, up from 19.3 for upwind work. In other words, this boat has some get-up-and-go when the breeze moves aft. A German-style double-ended mainsheet is led to winches adjacent to the boat's twin helms, as are the jib and reacher sheets, putting all sail control lines at the helmsman's fingertips.
Tartan infuses its foam-cored hulls and balsa-cored decks with epoxy resin. The company also builds its own carbon-fiber masts and booms, which reduce weight aloft and should quiet the ride in any seaway. This is an option for the 395, though the standard boat carries an aluminum rig. Base price for the boat is $340,000.
A preview of the 395 shows a slightly overhanging reverse transom, an attractive sheerline and a low-profile house. It's a good looking boat that should bring a fresh new option to the Tartan line, which ranges from the Fantail daysailer to the 5300 bluewater cruiser.
