The Tanzer 10.5 is a Canadian
sailboat
A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture.
Types
Although sailboat terminology ...
, that was first built in 1983. The boat was developed from the 1980
Dick Carter designed
Tanzer 10, with contributions from
Johann Tanzer
Johann Tanzer (1927-2016) was a Canadians, Canadian sailboat designer, who founded the sailboat manufacturer that bore his name, Tanzer Industries, in 1966.
Early life
Johann Tanzer was born on 3 January 1927 in the village of Velden am Wörth ...
.
[Sherwood, Richard M.: ''A Field Guide to Sailboats of North America, Second Edition'', pages 268-269. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. ]
Production
The boat was built by
Tanzer Industries Limited
Tanzer Industries Limited was a Canadian boat manufacturer based in Dorion, Quebec. The company specialized in the design and manufacture of fibreglass sailboats.
History
The company was founded by Johann Tanzer in 1966 and went bankrupt in May ...
in
Dorion, Quebec. The company entered bankruptcy in 1986 and production had ended by then.
Design

The Tanzer 10.5 is a small recreational
keelboat
A keelboat is a riverine cargo-capable working boat, or a small- to mid-sized recreational sailing yacht. The boats in the first category have shallow structural keels, and are nearly flat-bottomed and often used leeboards if forced in open w ...
, built predominantly of
fibreglass
Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass ( Commonwealth English) is a common type of fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened into a sheet called a chopped strand mat, or woven into glass c ...
, with wood trim. It has a
masthead sloop rig, a transom and skeg-hung
rudder
A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...
, wheel steering and a fixed fin
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...
or optionally a swing keel as the Tanzer 10 LK. The boat displaces and carries of ballast.
The boat is powered by a Japanese-made
Yanmar
is a Japanese diesel engine, heavy machinery and agricultural machinery manufacturer founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1912. Yanmar manufactures and sells engines used in a wide range of applications, including seagoing vessels, pleasure boats, cons ...
diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
of . It has a
pilothouse
A bridge (also known as a command deck), or wheelhouse (also known as a pilothouse), is a room or platform of a ship, submarine, airship, or spacecraft, spaceship from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is under way, the bridge is manne ...
and inside steering. The pilothouse is access ed from the cockpit down a short ladder. The pilothouse has wrap-around windows and a helm position to starboard, with a chart table located outboard. Aft of the pilothouse is the
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...
with a shower. Next to that is the
galley
A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...
, with a three-burner
propane
Propane () is a three-carbon chain alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but becomes liquid when compressed for transportation and storage. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum ref ...
stove and oven. The main cabin is two steps down from the pilothouse and features a dinette table with seating for eight people. The table can be converted to a double berth. In the bow are two separate berths, with the starboard one above the port one. There are seven deck hatches and three opening ports for ventilation.
Sails include a self-tending
jib
A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its forward corner (tack) is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main ty ...
, 110% and 150%
genoas, as well as a poleless
spinnaker
A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a Point of sail#Reaching, reach (wind at 90° to the course) to Point of sail#Running downwind, downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinna ...
of intended only for cruising use.
It has a
hull speed
Hull speed or displacement speed is the speed at which the wavelength of a vessel's bow wave is equal to the waterline length of the vessel. As boat speed increases from rest, the wavelength of the bow wave increases, and usually its crest-to- ...
of .
Operational history

In a review Michael McGoldrick wrote, "The Tanzer 10.5 (a 34 footer) was designed with a number of very interesting and innovative features. It has a retractable ballasted keel. Unlike many boats with a swing keel arrangement, the Tanzer 10.5's keel fills-in the entire keel house opening when it is in its lowered position. This means its performance should come very close to that of a true fixed keel. (While conceived as a boat with a retractable keel, it was possible to order it with a standard fin keel or fixed shoal draft keel.) Although the Tanzer 10.5 looks very much like a sleek sailboat, it actually has a pilot house with an interior steering station. Likewise, although the Tanzer 10.5 looks like it is an aft-cockpit boat, it is really a quasi mid-cockpit sailboat. It has a cabin located aft of the cockpit, which is connected to the main cabin by a small passage way. The innovative design of the Tanzer 10.5 does have a few drawbacks. For example, it has a small cockpit for a 34 footer, and because of the complexities of the keel lifting mechanism, this part of the boat is prone to problems."
Variants
;Tanzer 10.5
:Standard keel version with a draft of .
The boat has a
PHRF
Performance Handicap Racing Fleet (PHRF) is a handicapping system used for yacht racing in North America. It allows dissimilar classes of sailboats to be raced against each other. The aim is to cancel out the inherent advantages and disadvantages ...
racing average handicap of 162.
;Tanzer 10.5 LK
:''Lifting Keel'' version, with a draft of with the keel down and with the keel retracted. The keel is hydraulically raised and its housing is located inside both the main cabin and the pilothouse.
The boat has a PHRF racing average handicap of 153 with a high of 153 and low of 156.
See also
*
List of sailing boat types
The following is a partial list of sailboat types and sailing classes, including keelboats, dinghy, dinghies, and multihull (catamarans and trimarans).
Olympic classes
World Sailing Classes
Historically known as the IYRU (International Yacht ...
References
External links
*
{{Tanzer sailboats
Keelboats
1980s sailboat type designs
Sailing yachts
Sailboat type designs by Dick Carter
Sailboat type designs by Johann Tanzer
Sailboat types built by Tanzer Industries