Description
The Tahitiana, a robust 32-foot steel-hulled double-ender sailboat redesigned in the 1970s by naval architect Dudley Dix from Jack Hanna's iconic 1930s Tahiti Ketch (itself a Colin Archer-inspired lifeboat descendant), embodies bluewater seaworthiness and simplicity for amateur or professional builders seeking a "go-anywhere" cruiser capable of circumnavigations, with around 100–200 examples constructed worldwide, many as home-built projects using heavy-gauge plate (1/4-inch bottom, 14-gauge sides) for grounding resistance and longevity. Measuring 31 feet 6 inches LOA with a 10-foot-2-inch beam, 4-foot-4-inch draft on its full-keel underbody, and 14,000–18,000-pound displacement (ballast integrated for a modest .30–35 ballast/displacement ratio ensuring stiffness in gales), it offers cutter or ketch rigging with 500–600 square feet of sail area—delivering a SA/D ratio of ~14 for steady performance (PHRF around 150–180) at a 6.8-knot hull speed, prioritizing seakindly motion over speed in atrocious North Atlantic-style weather.
