Tartan 26 Discussion Group
Design History & Factory Brochure

Pretentious

1972 Tartan 26 (#30), designed by Tom Norton and built by Douglass & McLeod Plastics Corporation (aka Tartan)

The new old Tartan 26, a 1972 edition.

...my intended home away from home and office away from office after a very extensive overhauling. I have to confess, I would not have bought a larger boat except that for these purposes, the 17 would be a little cramped, especially when one considers the extra electrical draw that computer use 8-10 hrs/day creates. The additional complexity of items (reference materials, computer, generator, etc) plus seating for multi-hours just pointed to something slightly larger. If I were just looking at cruising for a few months during the summer, the 17 would surely be sufficient. On my two week cruises, I'm just getting situated aboard; used to the routine. Multi-months would be great! Anyway, back to the 26: I bought her Nov 8, 2003 and she spent the winter at the boatyard. Then, last summer I launched her briefly to see how she sails and on Sept 10, '04 I brought her home to my driveway with the help of the travelift at the marina, a boat hauler, and a local crane company. As you can see from the pace that things have happened so far, this might well be the world's slowest restoration, so check back frequently (once a year at least) for updates!

Wearing out the brokers	The search for a suitable boat. "I think he's just too cheap to buy tickets to the boat show." "If he were serious about buying a boat, he'd've bought one by now"
Yup, one born every minute	Making an offer which was too quickly accepted, wondering how much extra I paid and how deeply over my head I was getting.
Testing: 1,2,3...	...a trial sail before investing any more time or money. Did I buy the right boat?
Home is the sail(boat)	Moving from a marina on Lake Erie to my driveway where she sits until I get things situated, for instance, my Thistle out of the garage so I can use the space for a workshop.
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Gimme Shelter	Getting her out of the weather.
Strip and Scrub	Removing extra stuff (like that engine, for one!), then scrubbing and cleaning.
Will she fly?	Mock-ups commence.
Snip, snip. Buzz, buzz.	Uh-oh. We're in trouble now!