After just six months, we decided to sell Pistachio.  A great boat for sailing the Bay, we made the decision to put our time and resources into a larger boat with the same offshore aspirations as us, and we happened to have fallen in love with an old Passport 42.

‘Pistachio’ is a Tartan 3500, hull # 116 commissioned in 2000. 

The Tartan 3500 is a masthead sloop designed by Tim Jackett, and made from 1993 until 2005.  We chose the boat for the following reasons:

• The boat is a good size for the San Francisco Bay, recognizing its weekend cruising limitations, but still substantial enough for a trip down the coast when we get the opportunity.  Generally speaking, its just us two, but we wanted space to entertain friends or family on the occasional basis.
• We really wanted a boat that had a bit more of a traditional look, and the Tartan has always been a favorite – just the right balance of teak, ocean-grade portholes, the dorade vents, and pleasant lines.
• The Tartan 3500 is a ‘performance cruiser’ and is relatively light and quick, but at the same time the boat has a good reputation for being solidly constructed.
• Generally, the quality is what we were looking for.  While we loved our Hunter 37.5, we were looking to upgrade in terms of quality of finish, and were happy with what we have found in the Tartan.
• We recognize that while we’d like to purchase a bluewater cruising boat, it is unlikely to match our sailing lifestyle at this point while we have to work as much as we do.  We expect the Tartan 3500 will fit our requirements at this stage in our lives. (UPDATE:  A good plan … but we made the move sooner than we thought).

Here is a quick tour inside Pistachio:

Click this link to a good (and practical) review of the Tartan 3500 by (much respected) John Kretschmer from February 2012 Sailing magazine.

Tartan 3500 Specs:

Length Overall	35’ 2”
Waterline Length	30’ 0”
Beam	11’ 9”
Draft	6’ 6”
Displacement	11,400 lbs.
Ballast	4,500 lbs.
Sail Area	618 sq. ft.
Sail Area/Disp	19.59
Bal/Disp	39.47%
Disp/Length	188.49