Overview
Introduced in 1986, the Tashiba 36 along with its smaller sibling the Tashiba 31 are the last of the full keel double-enders by designer Bob Perry; he considers them his best. The boat shares many of the innovations Perry made with his Baba 40 design and evolves them further to produce a boat with traits all sailors love. They are fast, close-winded, stiff, and well balanced.
The boats were built by Ta Shing, the best of the Taiwanese boatbuilders and recognized as one of the best quality yards worldwide. Some have described the interior of the boat as a piece of fine furniture.
History
The Tashiba 36 heritage is intertwined with the Baba line of boats. It’s said the name “Tashiba” is probably a play of words, bringing together the name “Ta Shing” with “Baba”. These boats were the brainchild of developer Bob Berg who brought together Perry and discovered the boatyard that was to become the best in Taiwan. The three boat line-up of the Baba 30, 35, and 40 became a hit.
The last of these boats, the Baba 40, eventually got renamed to the Tashiba 40 when Ta Shing took over the marketing and decided to forge ahead with their own line of yachts. Two smaller boats were required to fill out the new Tashiba line.
Having designed the entire Baba line of boats, Perry was the natural choice for the two new boats that became the Tashiba 36 and the Tashiba 31. They were designed together in California with Ta Shing’s Taiwanese representative working closely with Perry.
The Baba/Tashiba 40 having been derived off the lines of the legendary Valiant 40 performance cruiser showed such a marked improvement from Perry’s earlier full keel designs he decided to evolve the design further. Perry writes, “The turn to the bilges got even more firm for increased stability. The bows were finer”. The resulting design produced a boat that sailed incredibly well; fast and close winded enough to challenge many fin keel designs.
Construction
The boat’s hull is of hand-laminated fiberglass. The outer layers employ water and hence osmosis resisting vinylester resin. The interior of the boat is optionally lined with polyurethane insulation. Ballast is a single iron casting encapsulated in fiberglass.
The deck is in GRP and cored with end-grain balsa. In areas where through-deck fittings are bolted, marine-plywood is used as coring and stainless steel backing plates are used.
Buyers Notes
As with many of the Baba, Panda, and Tashiba boats built by Ta Shing, the Tashiba 36 has black iron fuel tanks that have proven susceptible to corrosion. The tanks have been replaced in many boats, but they remain an important inspection item. Few examples come onto the used market.
Links, References and Further Reading
» Yacht Design According to Perry, by Robert H. Perry (p89-p95)» Baba, Panda, Tashiba sailboat Yahoo Group, information and owner discussions
Variations
The boat was offered in a pilothouse version as well and the standard rear cockpit model. Rear cockpit models have a large stateroom forward and a quarterberth aft whereas the pilothouse has two large staterooms, one forward and the other amidship. The pilothouse has an inside steering station as well as the pedestal steering from the cockpit. Both versions feature a pressurized hot water system with a shower in the head area.