2004 Fairline Targa 34 opinions please ?

[Nick1150]

Hi to all,

I've been looking at a 2004 Fairline Targa 34 lately, which is been sold in my marina. It has twin KAD300 with Volvo Aquamatic drives and more or less 400 hrs on them. I always loved Targas and I was seriously thinking about upgrading.

Are there any T34 owners here who can advise me about the pros & cons of this boat ?
Possibly what to be cautious at during survey ?
I was also curious about the sea worthiness comparing to a Princess 286. Any experience on this ?

Thanks in advance,

Nick

 

[Questor]

We've had ours for 11 years, which must say something.

There's nothing that I don't like about it.

It's got us to all sorts of places in all sorts of conditions.

I would replace it with the same again.

Can't think of any peculiarity of this marque you should be cautious at survey about, over & above the norm.

I personally much prefer the MK1 interior and helm design to the MK2.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions you may have.

 

[Nick1150]

Thank you Questor for the info,

The deal was not agreed before the summer, but now at the end of the season together with the bad economic situation in Greece, the dealer has called and gave me a price reduction. We have a smaller difference now, but we need more time to agree...

I was wondering how the T34 handles chopy waves, lets say B5 or B6 for example, which is an everyday weather here in the Aegean sea.

Another question would be the fuel consumption in lts per hour at crusing speed.

Thanks advance

Nick

 

[GeorgeJeff]

You are absolutely right but what are the basic difference between B4 and B5?

 

[DavidJ]

Just be a bit careful whether tax has been paid. We went over to Greece some years back because the boats were so cheap, only to find that it was common practice to register them as charter when new and not pay the tax and of course it's still due for the next unsuspecting European customer.......and they wonder why they are in such an economic mess!

 

[Nick1150]

Dear friend,

Thanks for the reply. Yes I know the status here in Greece and yes indeed the government used to permit private charter boats without paying vat. Thats history now, at least for new boats.

I could give you pages about the Greek economic crisis and the reasons for it, but thats not the correct forum for this. I am deeply involved in this matter and I can tell you one thing. Greek people are a very proud type of citizen and there is no actual blame on them, except electing rotten governments for the last 30 years or so. The situation here in Greece is bad, but there is none to blame from the simple people side who feel very sad and uncomfortable for this situation.

Nevertheless I am interested in knowing more info about the T34 as said above.

Thanks

Nick

 

[minkysailing]

Nick,

Surveyed many Targa 34's over the years, last one done was a couple of weeks ago which was a 2002 model. Overall very nice motorboat well designed and as with all vessels if looked after and well maintained will be reliable. Things to consider/look for :-

1. Check for light impact damage around the hull to deck join. This can result in localised gelcoat cracking or possible leakage at the join.
2. Check around the transom as the swim platform is prone to damage if the vessel is reversed into a berth. Localised gelcoat cracking.
3. Check around the bow thruster tunnel as several examples have had gel voids and hairline cracks in this region.
4.Usual issues with outdrives including leakage about the transom shield, corrosion and making sure the anodes are working.
5. Stress cracking around the windlass and corrosion of the windlass motor.
6. Corrosion around the fuel pick-up on the fuel tanks.
7. Checking all skin fittings and valves for corrosion, dezincification and loose hose fittings.

PM me if I can be of further assistance.

 

[Questor]

Thank you Questor for the info,

I was wondering how the T34 handles chopy waves, lets say B5 or B6 for example, which is an everyday weather here in the Aegean sea.

Another question would be the fuel consumption in lts per hour at crusing speed.

Thanks advance

Nick

In 5s & 6's the T34 will get thrown about like any other boat of it's size, but does ride more comfortably than some.

Dare I say that a friend had a Sealine S34, and in lumpy seas you could see the radar arch flexing. Does not happen with the T34. No doubt in my mind that the Fairline is better built.

The earlier models, however, feel more solidly built than the later ones. One reason that I haven't changed ours.

Re fuel consumption, cruising at around 22-24Kts burns around 60 litres per hour.

Bits'n'pieces have gone wrong over the years, but nothing attributable to Fairline or quality of build.

 

[John100156]

I had a 2006 T34 for a couple of years - really excellent boat. Just a tad too small for us and we needed AC, so we upgraded to a Sealine F43.

Taken it over and around Mallorca, hit some very heavy seas on the return trip which slammed us about a lot but always felt confident, the boat has an excellent hull.

Some problems from time-to-time, access to the rear of the engines was a pain, I had a problem with the AP actuator which came loose and was difficult to get to. We have heavy fouling where we are in Spain, it was great to be able to lift the legs up every few weeks to clean the props from the bathing platform! Covers and zips can be a pain from time-to-time.
We had a few issues with the veneer blowing to the edge of cupboard doors in the saloon above the galley. I had one tee joint on the Hep2O pipework spring a leak, could be because of the bumpy trip back from Mallorca. But other than these very minor, cosmetic and inexpensive defects, the boat was fantastic and really great fun to own.

The boat is also one of the best looking and performing in its class in my opinion.

Make sure the engines and equally importantly the legs (bellows, etc) have been well maintained.

 

[Nick1150]

Thanks all for the info which is highly appreciated.

As an alternative the dealer gave me a good price for a 2008 Cranchi zaffiro 34. I will create a new thread for comparing.

Nevertheless, I like the looks of T34 better and I feel that the fairline is a better boat as far as choopy waves is concerned.

Thanks all again,

Nick