Tartan 41

[jerski]

Hello,

I've read that a Tartan 41 is tough to single-hand. Does anyone have experience with this type?

[rslifkin]

There was a guy at our marina for a few years with a 70s Tartan 41 that singlehanded it regularly. With no autopilot too. I sailed it with him once in mild conditions and even with no autopilot and no self tailing winches it wasn't a big deal with 2 people.

[jerski]

I'm short a person to double hand lol

[Celestialsailor]

There was a member here, "Bash" or something like that, that had made the same claim. However, I met a guy who pulled into La Paz after single handing all the way down the coast. He seemed to do fine.
Any boat can be single handed if you have the right set up like self tailing winches and learn to reduce sail early.

[Snore]

The keys to single-handing are

• truly mastering the art of sailing
• knowing how NOT to rely on physical strength
• knowing how the boat you are on wants to sail
• modfiying the boat so it is user-friendly

My suggestion is to start with a 25' boat and master single handing it. Once you have done that, you can look at any boat and decide the rest of the above on your own.

When I did charter work, I single-handed a 54' Jeanneau while entertaining guests. It all starts with truly mastering sailing, then the rest is easy.