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Garcia Exploration 52vsTartan 53

Garcia Exploration 52 is the heaviest at 42,990 lb, 12% more than Tartan 53. Garcia Exploration 52 draws the least water, 4.2 ft — 2.5 ft less than Tartan 53. Garcia Exploration 52 has the lowest air draft, 70.5 ft; Tartan 53 stands 9.4 ft taller.

Anyone with the link sees this comparison.

Key differences

Worked out from the published figures below — arithmetic, not opinion.

At a glance

Dark icons are the standard layout; faded ones are what the larger layout adds.

Length : beam is length divided by beam — the higher it is, the slimmer the hull. Multihulls read low by nature.

Model
EXPLORATION_52-GARCIA-Yachts-EXPAND-3240px
t535ExtTransom

Tartan Yachts

Tartan 53
Overview
BrandGarcia YachtsTartan Yachts
ModelGarcia Exploration 52Tartan 53
GenerationUnknownUnknown
Hull typeSailing MonohullSailing Monohull
PropulsionSailSail
Production statusIn productionIn production
Production start yearUnknownUnknown
Production end yearUnknownUnknown
DesignerUnknownUnknown
Dimensions
LOA54.6 ft53.5 ft
Hull length51.2 ftUnknown
Beam15.7 ft16.1 ft
Draft4.2 ft–9.5 ft6.7 ft
Displacement42,990 lb38,226 lb
Accommodation
Cabins3–42–4
HeadsUnknown2
Berths5–86–10
Performance & Rig
Main sailUnknownUnknown
JibUnknownUnknown
GenoaUnknownUnknown
Upwind sail area1,292 ft²1,382 ft²
Downwind sail area2,002 ft²1,463 ft²
Engine power115 hp106 hp
Engine count11
Materials
Hull materialAluminiumUnknown
Deck materialUnknownUnknown
Mast materialAluminiumUnknown
Keel typeIntegral centreboardUnknown
Rudder typeUnknownUnknown
Sources

Figures read fromBROCHURE_GARCIA-E_52-EN-W_Pages.pdf(PDF linked from the builder's page)read 9/13/2026from the brochure PDF and the site's comparison table

Figures read fromtartanyachts.com/models/tartan-53/· Dimensions / Accommodations / Tankage / Sail Arearead 9/18/2026

Size, to scale

Each boat's published length and beam seen from above, and its mast height and draft from the side, all drawn on one scale.

From above — length × beam
0 ft10 ft20 ft30 ft40 ft50 ftGarcia Exploration 52: 54.6 ft × 15.7 ftTartan 53: 53.5 ft × 16.1 ftGarcia Exploration 5254.6 ft × 15.7 ftTartan 5353.5 ft × 16.1 ft

Outlines are schematic; the dimensions are the builder's.

From the side — height above and depth below the water
WaterlinePerson, 5.9 ftGarcia Exploration 52: 70.5 ft / 9.5 ft70.5 ft9.5 ftGarcia Exploration 52Tartan 53: 80 ft / 6.7 ft80 ft6.7 ftTartan 53

Drawings side by side

Each boat's layouts, profiles and sail plans as its builder published them. Step through each column to line up the drawings you want to compare.

Speed, power & tanks

What the builders publish about how fast, how strong and how far — each figure on one scale for every boat.

Tanks

One scale per liquid across every boat: a tank twice the height holds twice as much.

  • Garcia Exploration 52

    Fuel317 gal
    Water232 gal

    29 gal of water per berth

  • Tartan 53

    Fuel125 gal
    Water250 gal

    25 gal of water per berth

How they sail, in numbers

Classic yacht-design ratios worked out from each builder's published figures. They compare boats; they don't grade them.

Sail area / displacement

How much sail the boat carries for its weight — its power in light air.

ModestCruiserPerformanceRacing162024Garcia Exploration 52: 16.8Tartan 53: 19.5
  • Garcia Exploration 5216.8· Cruiser
  • Tartan 5319.5· Cruiser
How it is worked out

sail area (ft²) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅔

Garcia Exploration 52: published upwind sail area

Tartan 53: published upwind sail area

Displacement / length

How heavy the boat is for its waterline length. Lower is lighter and quicker; higher is steadier and roomier.

UltralightLightModerateHeavyVery heavy100180270350Tartan 53: 170
  • Garcia Exploration 52not published: waterline length
  • Tartan 53170· Light
How it is worked out

displacement (long tons) ÷ (0.01 × waterline length in ft)³

Ballast ratio

The share of the weight carried in the keel — a rough guide to stiffness, though how deep that weight sits matters as much.

LowModerateHigh3040Garcia Exploration 52: 34Tartan 53: 37
  • Garcia Exploration 5234· Moderate
  • Tartan 5337· Moderate
How it is worked out

ballast ÷ displacement × 100

Comfort ratio

Ted Brewer's measure of how gently a boat moves in a seaway. Higher means a slower, easier motion.

LightCoastalModerate offshoreHeavy offshoreVery heavy20304050Tartan 53: 29.9
  • Garcia Exploration 52not published: waterline length
  • Tartan 5329.9· Coastal
How it is worked out

displacement (lb) ÷ (0.65 × (0.7 × LWL + 0.3 × LOA) × beam^1.333), lengths in ft

Capsize screening

A guide from the inquiry after the 1979 Fastnet race: below 2 was taken as suited to ocean passages. It ignores hull shape and where the ballast sits.

Below 22 and above2Garcia Exploration 52: 1.80Tartan 53: 1.91
  • Garcia Exploration 521.80· Below 2
  • Tartan 531.91· Below 2
How it is worked out

beam (ft) ÷ (displacement as ft³ of seawater)^⅓

Hull speed

Roughly the speed a displacement hull reaches before it has to climb its own bow wave.

  • Garcia Exploration 52not published: waterline length
  • Tartan 539.1 kn
How it is worked out

1.34 × √(waterline length in ft), in knots

Most builders publish a light displacement. The ratios were defined on a loaded boat, so every boat here reads a little lighter than a surveyor's figure would — all alike, which keeps them comparable.

Worth adding to this comparison

The boats most like the ones above, by hull form, size and use.