Ilike this quote from the promotional material that came with this Tim Jackett-designed Tartan 245. “Although there may be no such thing as the perfect daysailer, that’s not our decision to make, we have done what we can to push that envelope to a place we believe daysailers belong.” 

If you are looking for a daysailer with a bit more zip than the 12-foot Scamp has, but not quite as much as the Eagle 53 cat has, maybe this new Tartan offering will appeal to you. The promo blurb also says, “Keep it simple. Keep it safe, keep it fun and keep it real.”

 I’ve probably reviewed more Tim Jackett designs than any other designer. Tim is responsible for most of the Tartan line going back many years. I like his work. The hull shape for this daysailer is typical of Tim’s designs. There is some deadrise to the midsection and this is carried aft. Garboards are very straight. The entry is fine and V-shaped. Topside flare is minimal. All in all it’s a clean shape with no surprises. 

The D/L is  124 and the L/B is 2.85 indicating a beamy boat. This is good for stability. There is 900 pounds of ballast in a lifting keel with bulb. Draft with the keel down is 4 feet and keel-up draft is 1 foot 8 inches. The rudder is a clever design that will kick up at any impact. In a day when sheer spring is almost forgotten, Tim has given the 245 a perky sheer that looks good to my eye.

This design is 60% cockpit. There is room for four student sailors and an instructor. The transom is open aft. The mainsheet traveler is on the cockpit sole just forward of the helmsman’s position. Sail controls are forward on the short cabinhouse top. There are jib tracks on top of the cockpit coaming for an easy fair lead to the winches. There are also short jib tracks notched into the house side forward of the coaming so that you have options for the size of jib you want to use. I’m wondering if that forward track is the primary jib track and the aft track is just for a fairlead to the winch. Either way you have options with your headsails. Tartan even offers a self-tacking jib arrangement and a retractable carbon fiber bowsprit. The 245 can be rigged simply or with the complexity to suit the most competitive sailor. The sailplan is a fractional, carbon rig with swept spreaders and an SA/D of 21.

I would not go so far as to call the area down below the “interior.” The keeltrunk sort of mucks up all efforts to make the area comfy. You can have a porta potty off to port and there is sitting headroom there. Forward you can have a V-berth for some sporty  cruising with a very good friend.

With so much emphasis today on very high-performance sailing, builders and designers often forget that there is a market for a good, safe boat that can be sailed by novices or a family just out for some safe fun. This type of boat was common years ago. The Tartan 245 looks to be a well-thought-out boat that will fit this need. This is the kind of boat you could use to teach your grandkids how to sail. If it were mine, I’d fit it with a tiller driven auto pilot. I can see myself, with my dog, of course, enjoying an afternoon on this boat.

LOA 24’; LWL 22’2”; Beam 8’5”; Draft keel up 1’8”, keel down 4’; Displ. 3,000 lb.; Ballast 900 lb.; Sail area 272 sq. ft.; D/L 124; L/B 2.85; SA/D 21;  Auxiliary 4-hp outboard

Tartan Yachts

1920 Fairport Nursery Rd.

Fairport Harbor, OH 44077

401-392-2628

www.tartanyachts.com