Setting foot into the sailing world in Ohio in 1960, Charlie Britton, along with designers Sparkman & Stephens, and builder Douglass and McLeod, Tartan Yachts launched its first fiberglass sailing yacht, the Tartan 27. Typical of the time were wooden boats, however Tartan immediately saw innovation in fiberglass and began building with the lightweight material. Not too long after, the yard launched the 34 and the Blackwatch 37, which led to the opening of an additional facility in Hamlet, North Carolina.
Later focusing its efforts in the trendy racing circuit throughout North America, Tartan continued expanding its vessel series to the Tartan 41, and the Tartan Ten. Experiencing a change at the helm in the 80s when John Richards and Jim Briggs took over, they brought design in-house with Tim Jackett who produced the new Tartan 31 and the 372, both of which won Cruising Boat of the Year.
By the 90s, the yard introduced the Tartan 3500 and 4100, which was its most popular model since the yard opened. This forced the company to open a larger facility in Fairport Harbor, where it currently builds today.