Tartan 4000

Weeknight club-racing fleets around the country, and even major distance races, have long seen performance cruisers doing able duty as offshore racers. And as far as Ohio-based Tartan Yachts is concerned, its new Tartan 4000 is exactly what you want for distance racing in comfort. At 40 feet, it displaces 19,604 pounds and has a 7.5-foot keel so it’s plenty stable, but with a double-spreader carbon rig it’s light enough to get up and go when it needs to. And when it comes to shifting into cruising mode, the 4000 has all the luxury to get away for the week in style, for a sail-away price of $500,000. www.tartanyachts.com

Topper Topaz 14CX

The cat community has long bemoaned the lack of a viable youth entry-level boat that yacht clubs could offer to junior sailors. The Topaz 14CX could be the answer. Yes, it’s rotomolded. And yes, it looks like another recreational cat, but from what we’ve been told by cat-sailing experts who have sailed it, the boat is a stiff platform with a powered up sail plan that’s perfect for two teenagers. The 242-pound, 14-footer has skegs rather than daggerboards, so beaching it, or pulling it up on a dock, is easy. It comes equipped with a twin trapeze, a Dacron main and jib, and a 107-square foot asymmetric spinnaker. A two-piece mast simplifies transport. The retail price is $10,000. www.toppersailboats.com