Best Bay Boats - Tartan 37

There's a saying that goes something like this: "I know only two sailors who haven't run aground. One never left the pier and the other was a spectacular liar." On the Chesapeake, even the liar grudgingly owns up.

No doubt a shallow draft is a big plus here and that puts a bullet next to the Tartan 37 centerboard version (4'2" with the board up) on our list of Best Bay Boats.

The Tartan's interior build quality is excellent -- in fact, on a par with many of the Asian built yachts.

The balsa-cored decks and hull keep down the displacement. We've seen one local Tartan 37 hulled below the waterline and it wasn't pretty. On the other hand, we know of at least a few that have done circumnavigations.

Overall, T37s seem like sturdy little cruisers and great Chessie gunkholers.

Some 450 boats were built from 1976-1988.

There's a pretty good range on the pricing, but the median gets in around our $50K "affordability" benchmark. We admit that at 37' LOA, she comes in a bit over our original size parameter. But, hey, for this boat we're willing to bend the rules a little.

More info:

Tartan Sailing Association

Chesapeake Bay Tartan Sailing Club

Jack Hornor's Boat U.S. Review.

Best Bay Boats - Pearson 30

This week's entry is the venerable Pearson 30. She's a versatile cruiser/racer that has a reputation for being quick on the race circuit as well as safe and comfortable for gunkholing around the Chessie.

The early P30s sported the once-ubiquitous Atomic 4 gasoline engine, but for those who prefer diesel, many -- if not most -- have been repowered. One really nice thing is that her fin keel is encapsulated, so she'll take a grounding. And, there are no keel bolts to worry about.

About 1,000 were made in the 1971-1981 production run, so there are plenty of them kicking around.

Overall, not as pretty as the Alberg 30 we featured last week, but faster. The P30 is a solid, if unglamorous, performer. Median price seems to be about $12,000.

Here's more info from the Pearson Sailing Association of the Chesapeake Bay: http://cbpsa.org/links.asp

Best Bay Boats - Alberg 30

A new feature here on Sailing Maryland. We're taking nominations -- so here are the parameters: 25-35' LOA, with decent, used examples at less than $50,000.

Meantime, we're going to start with one of our favorites: the spunky little Alberg 30, the 60s/70s-era plastic fantastic from Canada, designed by the legendary Carl Alberg.

She's got circumnavigations to her credit but also seems to do respectably well on the various PHRF circuits -- not bad for a greying, modified full-keeler.

On the Chesapeake, there's the added benefit of an enthusiastic class association (http://www.alberg30.org/Assoc/) offering, among other things, a number of A30 one-design races throughout the year.

Clean, well-maintained Alberg 30s run $15-$20K.