Aft cabin flybridge to sports cruiser

oldgit said:
Would very much like to suggest that an actual viewing of any of those "sports boats" would be very beneficial.
Get your young lady to attempt to clamber out of the cockpit round onto the side decks ?
How are you with zips, Lift the Dot clips, baffling collections of chrome tube, milky plastic windows ,not forgetting all this stuff has to be removed ,stored and reassembled each time you go out on that rare sunny day mid July.
Just saying. :)
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Yup, we’re off to see a Windy 40 Bora and a Princess V42 to get a proper idea. Admittedly my Humber has a large amount of covers that need removing / rolling up including flybridge covers before we go out, so pretty used to it.
 
roa312 said:
I recognise your sentiment, as previously owned a flybridge and traded down to a Princess v42 - mainly to have something more manageable when it comes to weekly cleaning, etc. We also found that almost all time was spent on the flybridge, so the open sportscruiser layout suited us well, as it essentially resembles a significantly larger flybridge with a bimini top (depending on whether you go for a hardtop or not). I would second what others have said above: outdrive boats are definitely more difficult to handle during harbour manoeuvres compared to shaft-driven boats - lots of wheel turning.

The v39, v40, and v42 are quite similar and were in production for a long time. I would say the quality of these boats is low to mid-average. Many of them experience problems with leaky windows over the years, and we were no different. Then again, there’s a brand-new 2025 v50 sitting next to us that just had all its windows removed due to heavy leaks in the rain!

The boats on your shortlist are fairly different in layout, so it might be best to have a look around and see what feels right for you. Feel free to send any questions my way if the v40 or v42 looks interesting!
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Hi, does your V42 have shafts or outdrives?
 
Swaaby said:
Hi, does your V42 have shafts or outdrives?
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The v42 has outdrives but you can find the v40 with shaft drives. There's a few of them around and I believe they are mostly powered by VP TAMD63P, 370hp. There may be very few v42 with shafts but I suspect that those are really v40's that have been renamed by their owners. I'm not sure though.
 
roa312 said:
The v42 has outdrives but you can find the v40 with shaft drives. There's a few of them around and I believe they are mostly powered by VP TAMD63P, 370hp. There may be very few v42 with shafts but I suspect that those are really v40's that have been renamed by their owners. I'm not sure though.
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Here's one example, but I know it may not be relevant to you due to VAT in importing to the UK.

Princess v40 with vp63p for sale
 
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As already said, it might be a move you come to regret and working smarter on berthing can eliminate any running around by your good lady.

That said, this Fairline Targa 40 appears to meet your requirements. Price is very, very low (within your budget) and offered with no warranty (so assume it is a brokerage boat) and needs work. Caveat emptor and all that but might be worth a look.
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Swaaby said:
Yup, we’re off to see a Windy 40 Bora and a Princess V42 to get a proper idea. Admittedly my Humber has a large amount of covers that need removing / rolling up including flybridge covers before we go out, so pretty used to it.
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Be interesting on your observations regards side deck access and interior space on those two boats.
The T40, might be challenging for the less agile, friend had a T43 and that was not much better.
As for getting a turn on those stern cleats .
 

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Sticky Fingers said:
That’s a cheap example of a great boat, presumably cheap for a reason. Stern drives so maybe not what the OP wants.
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Yep, outdrives may be a compromise but then it is often said that all boats are a compromise 😁

My preference is definitely for shafts over drives but having had both on various boats over the years and having got my head around maintenance and handling I could live with drives if the rest of the boat was what we were looking for.

Be interesting to know the story behind the Targa but one thing is for sure, I would be paying very close attention to the engines and drives as that is where high costs might lie. That said, factoring in re-furbished drives as worst case is affordable in the context of the asking price and engine hours aren’t that high for a 25 year old boat.

The cosmetics (mainly upholstery) are eminently sortable, the canopy is new and the electronics look to be fairly recent Raymarine kit so wouldn’t need replacing assuming they are working as they should.
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Have you considered fitting a better bow and stern thruster system with remote controls to the Humber? Some manufacturers now make pretty advanced systems with proportional controllers that will hold the boat onto the dock for you.
The Humber is a lovely boat and will probably have much better living accommodation than a sports cruiser.
 
Greg2 said:
As already said, it might be a move you come to regret and working smarter on berthing can eliminate any running around by your good lady.

That said, this Fairline Targa 40 appears to meet your requirements. Price is very, very low (within your budget) and offered with no warranty (so assume it is a brokerage boat) and needs work. Caveat emptor and all that but might be worth a look.
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Yes that Targa 40 has come down to an extraordinary price. I did speak to boats.co.uk about it and they sent me a pretty useful video. There could be a tempting road trip ahead to take a look at her.
 
Swaaby said:
Yes that Targa 40 has come down to an extraordinary price. I did speak to boats.co.uk about it and they sent me a pretty useful video. There could be a tempting road trip ahead to take a look at her.
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Have purchased from Boats UK in the past as have several others on here.
General opinion being very good company to deal with and you will get an honest description of any boat you purchase from them.
 
Swaaby said:
Having got bitten by the boating bug badly last year, and buying a boat that is too darn big to handle (45ft flybridge, near 5m beam and a prominent aft cabin), I am looking for a friendlier unicorn in the shape of the following:
A 40ft + sports cruiser
Spacious cockpit, no real need for a tender garage
Nice sized saloon
A good main cabin and decent guest cabin
Preferably shaft drives but willing to consider outdrives

Up to £80k’ish and not afraid of a work
The boat will be used for me to learn on, work from mid-week and of course a cracking place to stay some weekends!
To be kept in the Plymouth area

The delights of endless hunting have brought into focus the following candidates. What do you think?
-Sunseeker Portofino 400
-Tired Princess V40
-Sunseeker Mustique 42
-“Bargain’ Fairline Targa 40
-Cranchi Endurance 39
- Windy Bora 40
..and just for a moment of madness.. Sunseeker Camargue 55

Any advice would be gratefully received!
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Boats.co.uk have/had a super cheap Targa 40 for sale (£69,950). Does anyone know why it was so cheap (apart from perhaps slightly underpowered engines)?
 
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