The Tartans are beautiful yachts that I’ve admired for the past 30 yr. Good turns of speed. But when I’ve been on them, they have shown less than expected. No experience with the 4100, but some with the 3400, 3500, and 3700. We did a week charter on the 3400 (2005 model, two cabin) in the SJ’s last year. It simply was not well apportioned below in our opinion. We thought a very clumsy galley arrangement with little working area. A tiny head for a 34; seacock valves in ridiculously inaccessible spots, etc. A difficult-to-use anchoring set-up where the anchor was evidently prone to slam the bow on recovery and deployment, etc. Laid well and comfortably at anchor, nevertheless. Poor storage. Comfortable sleeping arrangement once prone, but tight. So Admiral and I stayed in the separate cabins.
The 3500 (a late 1990’s model), also not well apportioned below. The galley & salon combination simply not arranged well for dining/entertaining with folks aboard. Low quality material in the doors, thin. Fast and comfortable on deck when sailing, but below the joinery creaked like I not heard before. Also, I question the efficacy of the Solent design of the headsails. Difficult to use if much tacking is needed.
The 3700, don’t know the year, was two slips from me for several months and I met the “newbie” owner, just divorced. Don’t recall what exactly, but he worked below on the boat a lot. There were some issues but not enough to keep the yacht in port. We did a tandem cruise to Santa Barbara Island from Ventura, about 45 n.mi., anchoring three nights & rendezvousing there with the 3500. She stayed reasonably close to us motoring and then sailing on the afternoon wind. The yacht lay well at anchor, and the crew offered no negative remarks on the boat that I recall. Nevertheless, she appeared not to have been well maintained by previous owners, so deterioration was evident in the hull finish, life lines, and generally on deck. Cockpit was very roomy and comfortable, however. Gave the impression of a well-found yacht although I think too much for one’s first boat. But he did sail it with two more crew to Cabo San Lucas later that year in the Baja Haha. I and one other helped him try out a new asymmetrical for that trip in the swelly waters off Ventura. Good working space on the foredeck, and she sailed well. A delivery skipper brought it home and we heard from one of the crew that it had gotten pretty beaten up, etc. I would heed the comment about being a lot of boat in the 4100 for a couple but at least experienced ones in your case.
I would suggest that if you offer, your sea trial take place in 12-15 kt of wind where you can get the boat sailing in open water with everything up. A motor-sail tootle around the harbor on a light day, or sailing in light air, could deceive you, etc. I took two racing friends with me and Admiral. Got the chute up and down in 15 kt; did some tacks and gybes out past the harbor breakwater, etc. Good trial; learned a lot.
