{"id":48539,"date":"2022-05-24T15:15:31","date_gmt":"2022-05-24T19:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=48539"},"modified":"2023-05-06T18:19:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T22:19:01","slug":"sailboat-reviews-pocket-cruisers-tartan-j9-beneteau-first-27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/sailboats\/sailboat-reviews-pocket-cruisers-tartan-j9-beneteau-first-27\/","title":{"rendered":"Boat Reviews of Pocket Cruisers and Daysailors: Tartan 245, J\/9 and Beneteau First 27"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Tartan <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The Tartan 245 employs a sacrificial bow built for carving waves.<\/span>\n Jon Whittle<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n

Sailboats are getting \u00adbigger all the time. Gone are the days when a boatbuilder like Catalina would pump out hundreds of Catalina 22s in a \u00adproduction run that would last decades. Profit margins for \u00adbuilders are far greater with larger \u00advessels, and more and more \u00adbuyers\u2014even first-time buyers who\u2019ve \u00adnever owned a yacht\u2014are \u00adcoming into the market searching for boats 40 feet or greater. It\u2019s kind of amazing but also true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s interesting and exciting when production boats under 30 feet debut, and it\u2019s even better when our Boat of the Year<\/a> judging panel has a dedicated class of nifty new \u00adofferings to inspect, as we did for model year 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s cool about the trio of boats that comprised this year\u2019s Pocket Cruiser\/Daysailer \u00addivision\u2014the Tartan 245, \u00ad\u00ad<\/p>\n\n\n\n

J\/Boats 28-foot J\/9 and Beneteau First 27\u2014is that each was fundamentally different than the others, designed with a specific purpose or sailor in mind. Our task as judges was to determine which boat best served its stated purpose. As a big bonus, all three boats were stout \u00adperformers and a blast to sail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With no further ado, let\u2019s have a look at them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tough Little Tartan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My first thought when I peered into the cockpit of the 24-foot, Tim Jackett-\u00addesigned Tartan 245 was that it reminded me very much of my \u00adancient Pearson Ensign, which debuted in the early 1960s. Like the Ensign, the 245 is an unabashed \u00addaysailer with a long, inviting cockpit; good stowage beneath the \u00adcockpit\u2019s coaming; and a \u00adlittle cuddy cabin forward for \u00adstashing sails and duffels, and for a \u00adsimple berth or head while camping-c\u00adruising. When I mentioned this to Cai Svendsen, who\u2019d commissioned the design for use as a trainer in the Judd Goldman Center\u2019s adaptive sailing program, he expressed his fondness for the Ensign and confirmed that he\u2019d incorporated some of its features in the brief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the 245 is also quite different than the old Pearson in several important ways. First, it employs a lifting keel with 900 pounds of ballast\u2014a significant number in a vessel that displaces less than 3,000 pounds. Draft with the board down is 4 feet, 6 inches; raised, it\u2019s a mere 1 foot, 8 inches. With a kick-up rudder, this boat can traverse very skinny water and even nudge right up to the beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, with his experience teaching sailing (novices are known to whack the occasional dock), Svendsen opted for a false, sacrificial bow that is bolted on. It can be quickly and easily swapped out if damaged (you can also spec the boat without what Tartan calls the \u201cCrunchbow\u201d). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, like its larger siblings in the Tartan clan, the boat comes with a carbon rig (deck-stepped on the 245, with swept-back spreaders). You can also order an optional retractable carbon bowsprit for off-wind kites or reachers. For motoring in and out of the marina, there\u2019s a 4 hp outboard. The whole package can be easily towed by a small pickup or SUV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The profile is no-nonsense with just a hint of a sheerline, and with an open transom for safe and easy swimming (something I wish they\u2019d thought of on my Ensign). Sail controls are atop the coachroof, and the cockpit is definitely roomy; it is meant to accommodate four students and an instructor standing aft. Available sail plans include a choice of overlapping headsails or a self-tacking jib. The whole idea is to make the boat simple and accessible, a fact underscored by its potential use in programs where a wheelchair can be rolled aboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Svendsen was gracious enough to take us for an afternoon spin on Chesapeake Bay in a fitful breeze that never topped 10 knots. It mattered not a whit. The tiller-steered 245, with a simple tiller extension so you perch up on the rail with a grand view, was an absolute blast to sail, quite responsive, and surprisingly quick considering its diminutive stature. (The 245 shares this prowess with the many Jackett \u00addesigns in the Tartan lineup.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we sailed right up to the dock and dropped the main, Svendsen left us with this accurate thought: \u201cLittle boats are where you have fun. Big boats are where you spend money.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s totally correct. With the Tartan 245, in the fun\/cash quotient, the return on investment can be measured in miles and smiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n