tanzer 31 sailboat review

A sound and pleasing design from George Cuthbertson.

By Carol Nickle and Bryan Gooderham There must be a healthy market for the perfect 30-foot cruiser/racer – the boat that combines competent club racing performance with real cruising comfort for a couple or a small family for extended periods at a price tag in the neighborhood of $50,000. Tanzer Industries Inc. joins the ranks of manufacturers eyeing this target market with the introduction of the Tanzer 31, designed by George Cuthbertson. In many regards it is as successful as any of the contenders. It benefits from a sound and pleasing design, and comfort of the boat shine through. Cuthbertson’s design features moderation all its proportions; a waterline of 24 feet, a beam 10 feet, six inches, and a draft (with fin keel) of five feet, three inches. The Tanzer 31 has medium displacement, but its generous mast head sail plan provides plenty of horsepower. One senses the unerring hand of the professional the value of Cuthbertson’s many years of experience at the helm of C&C Yachts and other companies makes itself felt. He comments about the 31: “She is no ultra light and she won’t surf but she will certainly make fast passages… plus win her share of club races”.

We found the exterior of the Tanzer 31 quite attractive, an unusual feat for this size of yacht since the demands of standing headroom and interior volume often compete with aesthetics. Neatly placed waterline, sheer stripes and the sweep of topsides rising gently toward the moderately overhanging bow succeed in creating a much streamlined look than many other boats achieve. The cabin-house is also reasonably streamlined; smoked acrylic windows reinforced the impression. Stanchion Bases and Pulpits are study and the bow casting incorporating an anchor locker in the bow, a location that may expose it to more wear and tear than spot further aft. The mast is deck-stepped, with a somewhat bulky but effective looking tabernacle for easy lowering of the spar. Deck hardwareis up to industry standard, and Tanzer generously supplies two cars on both genoa tracks to ensure a clean lead to winches on the cock pit coaming. All hardyards are led aft on the cabintop and are serviced by winches. On a light, bright day in early September we went out with Bob de Athe and Lynne Zehethofer on Bob’s new Tanzer 31.

As usual, we thought the standard jib-sheet winches were a little small and we’d recommend the optional two-speed alternative. Mind you, it’s nice that self-tailers are being offered as standard equipment. Under the starboard cockpit seat there’s a huge locker with a plywood “floor” and additional stowage underneath. There’s also a large lazarette space under the helmsman’s seat, which would be more useful if dividers or bins were provided. Small cubbyholes in the cockpit coaming on each side are good for storing incidentals like sunglasses, suntan lotion or gloves, depending on the season.

Our first impression of the cabin of the Tanzer 31 was that it is the most spacious and inviting of any yacht we’ve seen in its size range. Two contributing factors, in addition to the basically attractive proportions of the interior volume, are the large fixed windows and the clean fiberglass headliner. The basic layout includes a double quarter-berth to port with a modest-sized chart table at the head of the berth and the galley area to starboard. The main cabin features an L-shaped settee to port and a short, loveseat-sized settee to starboard. The major drawback we found in the interior design was placement of the foot of the L-shaped settee which extends athwartships just ahead of the chart table, partially blocking the companionway ladder and making access somewhat difficult. The design change (in original drawings the L shape was apparently the other way around) was made to accommodate modifications in the galley.

The double quarter-berth is a little narrow for two big adults but it avoids the oppressive “low ceiling” effect because it doesn’t extend under the cockpit sole. There’s plenty of stowage in lockers under the berth. A narrow shelf above the outer edge of the berth would be a useful addition. The seat for the chart table is the head of the berth, a sensible use of limited space. The galley features a two-burner alcohol stove; we would recommend any serious cruiser opt for the propane alternative, a good-quality three-burner model with oven. The basic L-shaped layout of the Tanzer 31 galley is practical. There’s a good, deep sink and the dish lockers are roomy and serviceable. Tanzer also provides two moderate sized iceboxes, one on either side of the stove. However, with the bigger stove this means there are no drawers and rather limited bin storage.

Again, it’s a question of priorities. A useful addition to the galley would be more in the way of fiddles and a bar across the front of the stove. The main saloon is very appealing, with comfortable upholstery and nice, simple settee backs. The double berth to port can be assembled quickly and easily in a way that doesn’t require a gymnastics medal or an engineering degree. The attractive and functional floor mounted table is finished in a furniture grade wood-grain arborite, a nice blend of practicality and good looks. There is plenty of stowage in the saloon area, with closed lockers above the settee backs and open shelves behind them, as well as open lockers underneath the berths. A sensible bottle locker is located in the middle of the table. Forward of the saloon, a well-produced head compartment lies to port. It has doors to ensure privacy from both the main cabin and the forward V berth simultaneously, a feature you should get on any boat of 30 feet or more. There’s lots of useful stowage. Tanzer has added mirrored panels on the sliding locker doors which would be more useful a little higher. In future production Tanzer plans to install a mirror panel on the bulkhead behind the sink. Opposite the head is a roomy hanging locker. The forward V berth is small; you wouldn’t sleep two adults in comfort there, but then you probably wouldn’t need to.

Despite relatively low-key publicity, some 25 Tanzer 31 s have been delivered since the boat’s introduction in the early summer of 1984, and we expect it to prove broadly popular. Fundamentally the boat’s pleasing and functional layout delivers the essential features buyers want, and it does so graciously and without gimmickry.

Carol Nickle is an independent financial consultant. Bryan Gooderham is the owner of Bryan Gooderham Yacht services and a member of the crew of the Sorc and Admiral’s Cup Racer Amazing Grace.

Originally published in Canadian Yachting’s December 1984 Issue.

Photo Captions: The galley features a deep sink, roomy dish and two iceboxes. The main cabin features an L-shaped settee to port and a loveseat sized settee to starboard. The Tanzer 31’s exterior is attractive with a streamlined look often difficult to achieve in this size.

Specifications: LOA………………………30ft 7in Waterline…………….25ft Beam……………………10ft 6in Displacement……….8,300lbs Ballast………………….3,400lbs Draft…………………….5ft 3in Shallow Draft………4ft Headrom………………6ft 4in Berths…………………….6 Tanks Water…………………….35gal Fuel………………………..20gal Holding…………………..15gal Engine………………Yanmer diesel 2-cylinder 15hp

Sail Measurements: I…………………………….41ft J…………………………….12ft P…………………………….37ft E…………………………….12ft Sail Area…………………478ft2 (Main + 100%) Base Price ………………$54,000 (In 1984) (Working Sails incl)

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There is nothing more that I enjoy than being with friends and messing about in boats. Messing about in brand-new boats on a champagne sailing day on Lake Ontario at the beginning of the summer doesn’t get any better. To have the new owner, Helmuth Strobel and Anchor Yachts dealer Pancho Jimenez aboard made it even more special, as they can also speak to what they truly enjoy about the boat. We keep our own boat in a harbour that has a long waiting list for boats over 35 feet, so this little gem would definitely fit the bill and feels like a much bigger boat. True to the spirit of the 7 th  generation Oceanis line, the 34.1 is built in Poland and replaces the 35.1. It is 1,000 lbs lighter, 14 cm narrower and has 29% more sail area.

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• Sailboat Guide

Tanzer 31 is a 30 ′ 6 ″ / 9.3 m monohull sailboat designed by C&C Design and built by Tanzer Industries Ltd. starting in 1984.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Shoal draft version: 4.0’/1.2m; Disp: 8700 lbs./3955 kg.

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• Sailboat Reviews

This unusual, flush-deck 1970s-era boat draws a bit too much to be a true trailer-sailer, but her performance nearly rivals a J/24. The cockpit is big, but the cabin quite small.

We originally reviewed the Tanzer 22 in the December 1, 1981 issue, but a friend of ours did such a good job restoring the 25-year-old T-22 he inherited from his father that we decided to take a second look. The T-22’s accommodations haven’t gotten any more workable than they were when we first sailed her; her aesthetics are, at best, “unique,” and we doubt she’d have much luck in a drag race with lighter 22’s like those that have come on the market since she was introduced in 1970. Still, she’s simple and fun to sail. She’s also capable enough as a cruiser and challenging enough as a racer to make her one of the most popular boats of her type ever built. There were 2,270 sold.

The Tanzer 22’s shortcomings may illustrate some of the ways that sailboats have gotten better over the years, but her strengths are still genuine. A pint-sized weekender/racer that wears well, the T-22 has earned remarkable loyalty from her owners.

Johann “Hans” Tanzer, designer/builder of the T-22, grew up in Austria where he apprenticed as a boatbuilder. Then he went to Switzerland where he built and raced dinghies and small boats. Finally he emigrated to Canada. He worked at first on one-offs, dinghies, and raceboats before starting his own shop. Tanzercraft built Lightnings, International 14s, and Y-Flyers. “Right from when I started in Austria the main thing was always racing…to make a boat go fast,” Tanzer said from his home near Dorion, Quebec. “Then I thought, ‘What about a boat for the family, for the average guy?’”

His answer was a 16-foot daysailer he called the Constellation, his first design. When his company expanded and became Tanzer Industries, Inc. in 1968, the Constellation became the Tanzer 16, and then Hans Tanzer drew up an overnighter version, the next step in appealing to the average guy.

Next up was the Tanzer 22.

“I was inspired a bit by Uffa Fox, some by George Hinterhoeller and what was happening at C&C; I knew how to make boats go fast. But for the 22 I wanted a boat that was first of all safe, that would be forgiving, that you would not need to be expert to sail, that would let families sail together.”

Design The T-22’s cockpit is large. It is well over 7′ long and (in the absence of side decks) utilizes the whole of the boat’s beam. It provides room to seat six and lets four sail comfortably. The well is deep, the seat backs are high, the seats slope outboard; it is secure and comfortable.

“We’ve sailed the boat for more than 20 years,” said an owner from Maine. “We like the roomy cockpit and solid feel. It’s a great boat for children as the cockpit is so deep and spacious.” Most owners say the same; its over-sized cockpit is a key to the appeal of the boat.

It is also, however, too big to drain quickly. And there is no bridgedeck. We asked Tanzer about the potential danger of filling the cockpit offshore and/or in heavy weather.

“The corner of the house deflects water and protects the cockpit from taking solid waves,” he answered. “My son and I took out the first boat we built and tried to break it. We had the spreaders in the water and the waves still didn’t come aboard. The water just streamed aft along the deck. The hull has plenty of freeboard and the cockpit sides are high. I think I should have made the cockpit more self-bailing, though.”

John Charters, once service manager at Tanzer Industries and now editor of the class newsletter, said, “Many owners have, like I did, added drains in the forward corner outboard end of the cockpit benches to drain what water comes aboard to the scuppers. I’ve seen T-22s with their keels out of the water, but I’ve never seen them swamp or heard of one that sank. When it starts to blow hard, though, I always sail with the bottom drop board in place in the companionway to make sure no water gets below.”

The T-22 displaces 2,900 pounds (3,100 for the keel/centerboard version). That’s heavy, even by 1970’s standards. The Catalina 22, a contemporary of the T-22, weighs 2,150 pounds. The more modern J/22 is just 1,790 pounds (and she’s hardly the lightest racer/cruiser available in this size range.) It’s natural to think of displacement as “dead weight,” especially in a small boat where size puts an effective limit on sail area. However, it can also translate (as we feel it does with the T-22) into robust scan’tlings and healthy ballast/displacement ratios. “Everything on the Tanzer is built extremely heavy-duty,” said one owner.

Tanzer put much of the T-22’s buoyancy in the after sections. As a result, she accommodates the weight of a cockpit full of sailors without squatting or deforming her sailing lines. Finally, the T-22 provides little of the “corky” feel that some small boats do. It would undoubtedly be possible to build the boat lighter today. That might improve it some, but the T-22’s solid feel and generous payload have endeared her to “the average guy,” and much of that is due to her heavy displacement.

The mainsail is small (112 sq. ft.) with almost no roach. Her spar is a “tree” in section and virtually unbendable. A 200 sq. ft. (170%) genoa provides the real muscle of the sail plan. We prefer a big controllable mainsail married to a small, non-overlapping jib for versatile, efficient sailpower. In a bigger boat an out-sized genny can become a man-killer. However, the Tanzer’s sails are small enough to handle. Putting most of the horsepower in the foretriangle is one way to limit weather helm and boost square footage for light air performance. A 375 sq. ft. spinnaker is allowed by the class. The T-22 sailplan, though dated, is proven and straightforward.

The hull and foil shapes also are products of their time. Not nearly so sharp of entry nor flat of exit as a modern racer/cruiser, hers is a “through-the-water” hull.

Like many racers from the early 70s, especially those produced by neighboring C&C, the T-22 has a swept-back keel. Designers have since plumbed the underwater mysteries with deltas, trapezoids, ellipses, bulbs, and wings. You don’t see swept-back fins much anymore, but they provide a generous and wide “groove” (which suits the boat well for the average sailor) and minimize wave-making resistance (which helps the boat accelerate and adds to her lively feel). Other shapes have come into fashion, but the T-22’s fin works well.

The same is not entirely true of the T-22 rudder. Tanzer’s original design was a shallow, aft-raking, semi-scimitar. He wanted, he said, a lift/drag profile to match the keel’s and a “fail-safe” element to keep sailors from “driving the boat into trouble.” What he got was a foil that tended to lift clear of the water and ventilate when the boat heeled in a puff.

“We should have replaced it right away,” said Charters, “but it took a long time before we developed a new one. It was deeper, semi-balanced, and straight on the leading edge. It worked! What used to involve fighting ‘on-the-edge’ weather helm is now a two-finger operation. We let the new rudder (it was developed by one of our owners and costs only about $200) and old rudder race together in our regattas.”

There aren’t many boats that look like the T-22. Her straight housetop/deck extends from stem to cockpit. The bow is spoon-curved but a bit bulbous. Very modern-looking in profile, the sheer is traditionally sprung, traced by a cove-stripe/rubbing strake that runs along the deckless “deckline,” which creates the illusion of low to medium freeboard while the actual hull/house sides are quite high. Except for the visual trickery involved with this cove stripe, Tanzer didn’t invest much in trying to make his boat look like something it wasn’t. Her big cockpit, raised side decks, and “good-for-the-average-guy” hull were the main thing, and that is what you get. From some angles she looks saucy, from some others silly.

Accommodations Dinettes were very popular in the ‘70s. “Convertible space” was the magic key to making little boats accommodate big people. Obviously, you have to bend some to cruise a boat this small.

The T-22’s headroom (4′ maximum) makes that point emphatic. So do the sharply tapered V-berth and the narrow quarter berth. The physical and visual “elbow room” created by taking the house side out to the rail, however, helps make the cabin less cramped. Still, the need to convert is a haunting reality. Change the table into the double berth, lift the forward berth to access the head beneath, convert the front-opening ice box into something you can live with underway, the hatch cover into a pop top, etc. and, after a while, “two-way space” becomes a mixed blessing.

Ventilation is another sore spot, but stowage (except for the “silly waste of space given over to the sink and ice box” noted by an owner from Lake George, New York) rates as “good” to “very good” with most owners. Hardly the heart of the design, the T-22’s interior has still let thousands enjoy the sort of limited cruising she was meant for.

Construction Eric Spencer, Tanzer Industries president from 1968 until 1985, now runs Yachting Services, Ltd. (Box 1045, Pointe Claire, Quebec H9S 4H9, Canada; 514/697-6952) that, among other activities, sells parts for the more than 8,000 Tanzers out there.

“Hans was always on the shop floor,” Eric said, “rarely in the office. He was prone to over-engineering things. You can see it in the T-22 keelbolts. They’re the same size we later used on the T-31. And we used the same mast section in the 26 with no problems. And the rigging—everyone else was using 1/8″ wire; Hans had to have 5/32″”

The hull/deck joint is an outboard flange joined by semi-rigid adhesive and 3/16″ machine screws on 6″ centers. Charters, the ex-service manager, said, “Though many owners report no leaks, the joint can leak—sometimes. One of the simpler systems and certainly one of the easiest to fix, it has some minor faults. Impact to the hull, even squeezing between lifting slings, can break the adhesive bond. Both the machine screws and the Monel pop rivets used on some boats may loosen where fasteners pulverize the fiberglass. Remember that the T-22 sails with her rubrail in the water. That pressure can turn even a tiny gap into a leak.”

Charters recommends removing the rubrail, (“but leave it attached at stem and stern or you’ll never get it back on,”) replacing (with oversized machine screws or through bolts) loose fasteners, and redoing the seal using BoatLIFE Life-Caulk or 3M 5200. This “two- to three-hour process,” he said, will renew most boats’ hull/deck joint to tightness.

The portlights originally relied on a sponge rubber inner gasket and a hard rubber outer seal. These, too, most likely will need to be renewed on older boats. Replacing the inner seal with butyl tape is one suggestion. Cutting new, over-sized ports from an acrylic or polycarbonate material (the original plastic clouds with age) and fastening them to the house side with sealant and mechanical fasteners is another good fix, owners report. “The sponge and spline seals I purchased (about $100) for the hull ports from Eric Spencer made re-doing the cabin ports easy. It took four hours and the leaks are completely gone!” said the owner of a 1981 model in Ontario.

An interior hull liner incorporates the berths, cabinets, sole, etc. It’s easy to assemble, and strong if done meticulously (as it seems to have been on the Tanzer floor). But when this construction system includes molded headliners it is hard to move or add deck hardware.

Resin-rich fiberglass from the era when the boat was first built is prone to becoming granular and powdery around screw holes. The early gelcoats craze easily. Still, most owners seem happy.

“Finish has held up very well over the years,” and “Boat looks like new,” were comments frequently heard about the T-22.

Our friend’s 25-year-old heirloom, however, had passed that stage. To bring the hull back he washed it down with Interlux 202, patched dings and scratches with epoxy and microballoons, then brushed on two coats of marine gloss enamel. The result rivals a professionally sprayed job while the cost (time, labor, and materials) is in keeping with the value of a quarter-century-old 22-footer.

The T-22’s iron keel is a sore point. Iron is 40% less dense than lead so you need more of it (at a cost in added wetted surface) to give the boat sufficient ballast. And it rusts. One owner said he discovered no primer beneath the bottom paint applied at the factory. Many sailors know the agonies of fairing a keel that scales and peels. For race-ready perfection you can fill the major craters with epoxy and then build and sand with a system like Interlux’s Interprotect (2000 E coating and V135 Watertite fairing). Not many owners are that far into their fleet racing, but most wish that the keel originally had been made of lead.

Performance Hans Tanzer’s solid background in performance boats, dinghies, and daysailers helped him design the sort of “safe and forgiving” yet lively sailboat he was looking for to appeal to the average guy. He struck a number of balances well. The big cockpit (little cabin), good stability (stiff but not rock-like), controllable rig, and powerful yet easily driven hull combine to give her good manners.

We sailed our friend’s newly painted boat through a drifty morning and a sea-breeze afternoon. In the river she was quick, but tacking the genoa made us wish for a smaller jib and bigger mainsail. On the ocean she was solid and dry. She tacked in 75° in smooth water, and short-tacked up a channel, quickly getting her foils working after a tack.

With a 15-knot breeze she surged rather than surfed. Her deep, rounded afterquarters make her easy to steer but reluctant to get up on plane where a J/22 might.

The strongest T-22 fleets are in Montreal and Ottowa, but American fleets are active, too. Said Charters, “We were the first cruiser/racer invited to CORK (Canadian Olympic-training Regatta at Kingston). We’ve moved now to the offshore course and start 5 minutes behind the J/24s. Usually, the first T-22s, light air or heavy, catch the straggling 24s. We’ve never beaten the winners though.”

PHRF ratings for the T-22 range between 92 and 98, while the J/24 rates between 88 and 98.

The standard mainsheet is attached to a strongpoint on the cockpit sole. A number of traveler options have been tried. Tracks mounted on the sole rather than on a cross-cockpit bridge cut up the cockpit less but offer less control.

You might point higher if you could sheet the genoa tighter, but the shrouds don’t let you. Also, those shrouds, not in perfect alignment with the tabernacle hinge at the base of the mast, must be loosened before you lower the mast. Depending on how (and how much) the wind is blowing, that can be a problem.

The keel/centerboard version (about 10% of the boats sold have this configuration) is less close-winded and, according to racers, not that much faster off the wind than the full keel. Either needs at least 5′ of depth to float off a trailer, so being ramp-launchable involves sending the trailer into the water on a tether.

Conclusions One of the biggest pluses for the boat is the 700-member owner’s association. It maintains Tanzer Talk (a newsletter) and egroups.com/tanzer (a website) that make fellowship as big a part of ownership as you’d like it to be. The owner of a 1979 model from Long Island Sound reports “an outstanding T-22 website (http//www.tanzer22.com) and network of owners who are always willing to help with ideas and experience.”

Built efficiently but using high quality materials throughout the boat (even the pop rivets are Monel), the T-22 commanded a higher price than many of her competitors.

A prospective buyer can still find cheaper ways into the pocket cruising experience, but not many offer the combination of big boat feel and reliability, plus raceboat life, that have suited the T-22 so well to Tanzer’s “average guy.”

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Thank You! Good article. Just purchased a Tanzer 22. Needing to get proficient at raising and lowering the mast. I received a few Tanzer.22 Newsletters with the boat. In Volume 2 Numbers 21 to 42 page 82 has a good article about ” Mast raising or lowering”. Its quite descriptive but a little confusion. It was written by Brian Rees from CA, I would love to talk with him and have him explain the details. If you know the article, review it and feel free to comment. hank you

Excellent article and review, thank you!

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