88 Tartan 31 vs 05 Beneteau 323

tommays · Jan 23, 2012

That is more or less 20 more years of wear and tear on the systems unless there is a big list of upgrades on the 88 boat

Cayennita · Jan 23, 2012

I bought an older boat, not for the price but for the lines and because it was a very good offshore boat. needed a lot of upgrades, including engine o/h. A newer Beneteau for the an extra 30k was available but neither one had any extra equipment. The extra money was spent on the older boat updating everything including adding generator, water maker, A/C, etc. Never regretted it.

KD3PC · Jan 23, 2012

DaveGL said:
The Tartan's owner only had it since this past July. ....the layout and faster hull speed of the Beneteau. Just don't know if it's worth the extra $.

having only owned the tartan for a few months, would cause me to look EXTRA close at this boat...

age would win for me either way...

Jackdaw · Jan 23, 2012

Both are fine boats. As yo know the Tartan is an masthead rig design with big overlapping headsail and smaller main. If you sail a 320, you'll be right at home. The Bene is fractional with a non-overlapping jibs and a big main. So most of your sail/wind control will come from the main. You'll want a aspin to go down wind with the beni.

The difference in price is big, but all up when you want to do to the tartan to get her up to scratch. Look at the sails and diesel too. As someone else said, check out why the CO is selling so soon, but I'm guessing you already know.

Ed Schenck · Jan 23, 2012

Can we ask why you are giving up what is a good and similar boat in the C-320?

joker460 · Jan 23, 2012

Can't speak for the Tartan but my buddy has the 05 323 down in Ft Meyers. It's loaded. It's a comfortable boat for 2-3 people on long trips.

It's a fast boat. Nice to sail.

As the others have said the price difference is large between the 2 but to bring the Tartan up to todays specs may cost just as much.

Good Luck in your decision.

JoeWhite · Jan 23, 2012

There are many 88 Taran 31 available on Yachtworld.com for less. Take a look.

Ron20324 · Jan 23, 2012

I bought a 323 for the electric fridge, the pivoting wheel, the standup room in the vee, and the head. Oh, yeah, the people love that "Bathroom" as they call it. The 323 owners web site should have an update by the end of the month.

Stu Jackson · Jan 23, 2012

That 323 is a lovely boat.

Ron20324 · Jan 25, 2012

Last year 4 people were abaord my 323 for 16 days to circumnavigate the DelMarVa Peninsula. Separate bunks for each, storage was okay even though there was too much food aboard. No problems.

FastOlson · Jan 25, 2012

Tartan likely has a lead keel and the Bene may have an iron keel. There are some large $$ differences in maintenance costs down the road. Then there's the superior sailing performance with the lead ballast.

Lots of ways to look at it... and in the end you just need to be sure you understand the tradeoffs.

L

Ed Schenck · Jan 25, 2012

You wrote "faster hull speed of the Beneteau". Not sure how you determined that. I have never seen a slow Tartan. For me it would be the difference between a solid, fast, and traditional design(with lead keel) compared to a comfort boat. Comfort because of the large aft cabin and walk through transom. I obviously opted for the former. But there is a lot to be said for new, light and airy, and roomy. There is a T31 on YachtWorld in RI that is well equipped and over priced. Might be a deal there.

Jackdaw · Jan 25, 2012

Ed Schenck said:
You wrote "faster hull speed of the Beneteau". Not sure how you determined that. I have never seen a slow Tartan. For me it would be the difference between a solid, fast, and traditional design(with lead keel) compared to a comfort boat. Comfort because of the large aft cabin and walk through transom. I obviously opted for the former. But there is a lot to be said for new, light and airy, and roomy. There is a T31 on YachtWorld in RI that is well equipped and over priced. Might be a deal there.

Ed, I'm guessing he's referring to the WL Hull speed. The Bene is over 3 feet longer on the water. That translates to hull speeds of 7.24k vs 6.83k. A useful bump... I know theoretical but the relative differences are almost always valid between similar boats.

The T31 is a great boat, and TJ does not know how to draw a slow one. But in the same vein the 323 is easily one of the better performing non-First Beneteaus of that size. Its a Finot design and its SA/D is slightly better than T31. Factor in the HS advantage and it's just my guess but I figure it beats the Tartan to most anchorages.

zeehag · Jan 25, 2012

which one do you like the handling of best???? have ye sailed either one of these boats yet??? might want to do that before ye buy.....

Jackdaw · Jan 27, 2012

DaveGL said:
Have not sailed either. Last boat was a Catilina 320. I don't know how easy it is to set up a trial sail without signing a contract ect...

Most owners/brokers will want to make a satiafactory sea trial a condition of sale on a purchase agreement. This means that you will have to sign a PA, give a deposit etc... But YOU get to decide what satisfactory is. If it is not to your liking you can walk and get your check back. But the owner is going to want to make sure it's just not a joy ride.

They will understand that you have never sailed one and want to feel comfortable.

Jumpstart · Jan 28, 2012

I looked at 323 at the Annapolis show a few years ago seriously wanting to buy one. The shrouds go to the rail which means no overlapping genoas. That's a non-starter where I sail as you need a genoa to power through the slop. Your old Catalina 320 would go to weather much better than the Bene. The Bene's best point of sail will be a reach. A long waterline for it's size and the hull shape will allow you to reach at speeds faster than the Tartan 31. On the other hand the swept back spreaders limit your angles downwind.

One of my race crew has a Tartan 31. Beautifully finished interior. Rod rigging. Nice construction details and stiff. The T31 will go to weather much better than the B323 and also will sail at deeper angles because it doesn't have swept back spreaders. The T-31 will be a better all around sailing boat and much stiffer. One of club members sailed his T31 to the Azores and plans to go to Europe on his this summer. He added some things (monitor steering vane etc). He has been happy with how it has held up.

Summary: Even though the PHRF ratings are similar the T-31 will beat the 323 around the race course most of the time.. If all you plan to do is reach around in long period waves the 323 is for you. If you plan on bashing to weather occasionally and maybe sailing wing and wing then the T-31 will give you a much nicer sailing experience.

When looking at both boats look carefully at some of the construction details. The 323 is a solid glass hull, the Tartan is cored. Also look at the displacement/ballast ratios. The 323 is under 30% ballast, the Tartan over 40%. Also check out the thru hulls. You might find that the Tartan has proper ones.

It is always a tough decision. If equipment and condition are comparable the T-31 should be the hands down winner. If not, the decision becomes a little more complicated.

Jackdaw · Jan 28, 2012

Jude,

You are correct the 323 has a non overlapping headsail, but unlike your masthead rigged C&C (I have owned a c&c 34) the fractional main provides most of the drive. So maybe some advantage, but not as much as you might think.

But I'm confused by your statement about the t31 beating the 323 most of the time around a racecourse. According to US sailing the PHRF for the 323 is on average 10 seconds/mile faster than the T31. Why would the T31 get around quicker?