[b]change from targa 34 to phantom 42[/b]

[John100156]

After some advice please - I am in the early stages of considering a possible cost to change my 2006 Targa 34 for a 1998 Phantom 42, with TAMD63P engines running hours circa 600. Actual boat picture as follows:

I did want to sell Buster and go for a Squadron 43, but if I can do a deal on the above it may suit me better!

Can anyone give me some info on these boats, what they are like to own, cost to run, problems to look for, if they know if this boat has ever been chartered, previous owner etc., all advice very welcome good and bad.

Many thanks.

John

 

[FunkyMonkey]

you have probably already checked this john but heres a nice little link to a review

http://www.fairlineownersclub.com/phantom42.htm

regards


Anthony

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Forumite henryf ran a Phantom 42 for several years before his current Princess 42. Might be worth a PM.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

I think to remember that JFM also had a Fairline 42 Phantom in the past....

I ran one a few times 1997 and can say it rides a bit bow high, and slams in head seas over three ft.
Remember also when they changed the teak in this one, which is in actual fact 0.005 mm of teak and the rest marine ply, with those cheap looking inserts. All the foam core in the aft deck was so wet that it was spilling water for a couple of days before they actually inserted the teak.
Being the one you are seeing is a 1998 I think the teak is change!

 

[jfm]

John
I had one of these, a 1999er, from 1999 til 2003. I wrote the review in funky's link above

I loved it. Did 600hours in her iirc and never a problem. 1999 -2002 was in Lymington, then we shipped it to SofF and had airco retrofitted and passerelle

I really don't have a bad word to say about it and we had loads of fun in it. The tamd63ps were easily up to the job but a bit smokey by today's evc standards. No big smoke on start up but after a long trip 100nm say there would bee a bit of transom soot, that's all. No big deal, and no reason not to buy the boat

I once read on a forum that some had leaky windscreens but i never expereinced that and we did some serious passages in her. Worth checking for though, I guess. a 1998er would be hull 100+ so they knew how to make them by then!

Ours had a factory OEM genset which was fine but made by HFL and it was hard to get servicing in France. Not that anything went wrong, but a small point to keep in mind

Nice big lazerette and bathing platform on the boat, and good lunch table on the flybridge

I could go on for hours. Anything specific that's worrying you? Do you have the spec for that boat?

There is an MBY back issue test of an early one, about 1997, where they did delivery trip to Jersey. Review was complimentary. I don't still have it.

The owner's shower room is fine, but the 2nd sower room was very small. You'll see when you inspect the boat. One of those jobs where the whole room gets wet when you use the shower. We hardly used it, and used the owner's cabin shower plus the transom shower in the warm med.

Ref PY's post, we had the 6mm solid teak so no problems, and no problems with wetting of the deck core. We retroffitted flybr teak which was nice in the med. It never felt to me like it rode too bow high, maybe a degree or two but it never felt bad or odd. My 3rd pic below exaggerates the angle becuase the camera is at the quarter. There are plenty of running shots of the ph42 on the www. Nor did it slam in head seas any more than other 42ers, imho. I found it a very good seaboat and did a few thousand miles in it (I still have the logbook at home!). At the right price and condition it would make an excellent buy imho

A few pics of ours, taken 2003

 

[John100156]

Thanks for all your comments so far, very useful.

Jimmy: I will PM HenryF thanks, I will ask him to contribute to this thread if he can.

JFM: looks like a nice boat that you had way back then! If you have any pictures of the fly deck, I would be grateful to receive them!

Keep it coming chaps, the more info I have the more informed my final decision will be. I do like the Squadron's though, mind you, I like my little T34 too! Decisions, decisions, decisions.....

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Fairlines always do look as though they are running bow high but I think thats just a visual perception caused by the way the spray rails curve upwards towards the bow

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Oooh, a sat TV dome. My teenager would kill for one for one of those on our boat Looks nice, I hope it works out for you

 

[John100156]

Yes - The Spec., seems good and it also has AC and new carpets! I showed Lorraine (SWMBO) all the images I have last night, we both prefer the SQ43, but if Fairline accept our offer (it's simply a yes or no, I do not intend to barter) then we may just go for it.

Spec., as follows:

Air conditioning and generator
Autopilot
GPS/Plotter with repeater on Flybridge
Radar
Bimini top
TV
Satelite TV
Shower with hot and cold water bathing platform
Sofa in saloon in beige leather
Hydraulic pasarelle
New carpet
Antifouled April 2009

I could do with a few more comments to do with any problems forumites have experienced with the P42's - just in case I do go over to take a look at it!

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Fairlines always do look as though they are running bow high but I think thats just a visual perception caused by the way the spray rails curve upwards towards the bow

I actually speak from experience of helming the boat and in Force 4 head seas, the slamming is about 1 out of 5 waves at about 22 knots. Fair to say she does give a dry ride because of the bow high ride too. You have to remember that the 42 has also a small waterline for it size because this was just extended with the platfrom from the 40 above the water. I also feel the boat was a bit slow with the 370hp 63s, and also had a high planning speed of about 18 knots. Not good in head seas.
As for the teak I used to take care of a 52 Squadron from 1999, and still had laminated teak (2mm teak and 4mm mar ply below). Altough it did look 6mm thick, and you notice this only when you change it, normally after 5 years of age in the platform, the deck can serve more. Did you order it seperate JFM or fitted it after deliverey?
The water in the cockpit core deck was also a surprise, but that think was soaking wet with water spraying like from a fountain for a couple of days. On a good note I am surprised this did not delaminate.
I don't think any famous production builder uses solid teak on there deck. A Fer 53 I sold had also laminated teak but it was 10 mm (4t & 6mp) and was changed it after 10 years because of the black caulk.
Then to be honest on looks alone I prefare it to the Sqaudie 43, altough this is more rich inside that the 42 Phantom...
If you want a 2 cabin boat I'd look at the 42 Phantom more or try to find a bargain 43...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I haven't owned a P42 but I have owned a couple of other Fairlines and I can't say I particularly noticed a bow up attitude compared to other makes but, if you have a particular experience of the P42, then I accept what you say

 

[jfm]

I actually speak from experience of helming the boat and in Force 4 head seas, the slamming is about 1 out of 5 waves at about 22 knots. Fair to say she does give a dry ride because of the bow high ride too. You have to remember that the 42 has also a small waterline for it size because this was just extended with the platfrom from the 40 above the water. I also feel the boat was a bit slow with the 370hp 63s, and also had a high planning speed of about 18 knots. Not good in head seas.

This is to some extent matter of opinion but I must say I disagree. I found it a good seaboat, perfectly as good as 40 footers generally. I did thousands of miles in ours so got to know it really well, sometimes in v big seas. If it had been as bad as you say I'd have got rid of it - they sell easily and I wouldn't waste 3 years of my leisure time owning a boat that bad! Planing speed was much less than 18kts, and top speed on ours (heavy, with big gen, big tender, and passerelle) was 30kts with clean bottom. Your waterline length comment isn't correct. Under half of the platform there is hull, and only the aft half of it is sticking out. Like say the current Prin42. In comparison, many 42-ers from other builders have fully cantilvered bathing platforms. See this picture, there is hull as far aft as the exhaust pipes, and only the bit behind the exhausts is the "facelift" add-on mod when the boat changed from ph40 to ph42. And even then it extends below the water, and then curves into the transom a bit like a curvy chinless chin so it doesn't form part of the underwater planing surface

It does, as I agreed, seem to ride a degree or two bow high, at least in some pictures. I never felt this to be a problem. The 1997-ish MBY test said the same and blamed it on heavy tender. I had a VERY heavy tender for this size boat, 3.4m Avon, console, 15hp electric start Yam, plus a chunky hydraulic passerrelle, so you'd expect mine to be a degree or 2 high, but I think it is a feature of the hull (it rides a bit high even with no tender) then amplified (visually) by the angles of the spray rails etc. but this is a fine point and never spoiled my use of the boat

As for the teak I used to take care of a 52 Squadron from 1999, and still had laminated teak (2mm teak and 4mm mar ply below). Altough it did look 6mm thick, and you notice this only when you change it, normally after 5 years of age in the platform, the deck can serve more. Did you order it seperate JFM or fitted it after deliverey?
The water in the cockpit core deck was also a surprise, but that think was soaking wet with water spraying like from a fountain for a couple of days. On a good note I am surprised this did not delaminate.
I don't think any famous production builder uses solid teak on there deck. A Fer 53 I sold had also laminated teak but it was 10 mm (4t & 6mp) and was changed it after 10 years because of the black caulk.

I think the teak on ours was 6mm solid. It was factory OEM. But it was long time ago and i could be wrong. No worries, John 1056 will easily be able to check this on the actual boat he is looking at, or ask the broker to walk out and check. Certainly FL were using 6mm solid in later years; my 2004 Sq had solid but i dont know about 1998. The water ingress in your sounds a mess PY. I never had any problem like that and without more info it's hard to know if it was a FL mistake or an owner mistake/accident


A few more pics, including the flybr John as requested (before we teaked the fly), and even one of the lazerette!

 

[benjenbav]

I found it a good seaboat, perfectly as good as 40 footers generally. I did thousands of miles in ours so got to know it really well, sometimes in v big seas. If it had been as bad as you say I'd have got rid of it

Aha, I can see now why, when I was looking at Phantom 40's, you said on here, why not get a 42? I think the boat looks great. No idea how it goes tho'. BTW, were you in the Yacht Haven? I started off thinking Berthon but it doesn't look like Berthon to me.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

I think the teak on ours was 6mm solid. It was factory OEM. But it was long time ago and i could be wrong. No worries, John 1056 will easily be able to check this on the actual boat he is looking at, or ask the broker to walk out and check. Certainly FL were using 6mm solid in later years; my 2004 Sq had solid but i dont know about 1998. The water ingress in your sounds a mess PY. I never had any problem like that and without more info it's hard to know if it was a FL mistake or an owner mistake/accident

Fwiw my 1998 Targa 37 had the teak/ply combo as described by PY. By the time I sold the boat in 2007 the original bathing platform teak was pretty much at the end of its life, so if the boat that John is looking at still has original teak it'll be very immediately apparent if it is the teak/ply stuff or solid.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

This is a two owner boat, but the first one kept it better then new. He was very keen on her. Now in Malta this is saying something we keep our boats very well in the major of cases.
I was told about this mess when by the person who was changing the teak and had a look at it. Hey I never said it is a bad boat just in certain seas it slams. I am sure it would feel more solid to a 34 Targa...
Surely the problem came from Fairline but changing the teak 10 years later, what could he do.
Yes for the waterline you are correct but what I meant is that when the boat is planing you have no extension there, unlike the 43 Phantom, or new 40 Phantom.
To be honest it did do above 30 knots when first purchased, but after a few weeks in the water it slows down by about 2 knots
Saying all this I also used to take care also for a 43 Phantom from 2003, and for me the quality improvement in all areas of the newer boat was immense. The 43 Phantom actually feels double the size in many areas compared to the 42 Phan...

 

[jfm]

Aha, I can see now why, when I was looking at Phantom 40's, you said on here, why not get a 42? I think the boat looks great. No idea how it goes tho'. BTW, were you in the Yacht Haven? I started off thinking Berthon but it doesn't look like Berthon to me.

Yep the 42 just has a bit of extra bathing platform extension, which is well worth having for playing on and carrying a big tender. We berthed in Berthon but yes in 2 of the pics in my post just above yours it is in Lym Yacht Haven. It was there just temporarily, cos we used to use a couple of good boat fixers there. The first pic in that post, showing the oversized (!) tender close up, is in Golfe Juan. The three pics at sea in my first post are all taken off Juan Les Pins

 

[jfm]

...in certain seas it slams.

Saying all this I also used to take care also for a 43 Phantom from 2003, and for me the quality improvement in all areas of the newer boat was immense. The 43 Phantom actually feels double the size in many areas compared to the 42 Phan...

I found it perfectly fine ref slamming - it's Olesinski - but let's agree to differ!

You're right about advancement ref use of space. Some of it is CAD design I guess. And some is moving the windscreen a bit forward but hiding that with the styling. The new ph40 has 2 quite decent shower rooms, due to clever CADing I think, whereas one of the shower rooms on the 1990s ph40/42 is a bit small (though the other is very good)

No matter, if it's in good condition at the right price the 1990s ph42 can be a very good solid purchase and a boat you could get a lot of fun out of. Where OP is based, St Carles, it would be an excellent boat for blasting to the Balearics for a week's cruise, for example, and it can take a reasonable amount of weather, quite a lot more than t34, before you get uncomfortable

 

[kcrane]

The first pic in that post, showing the oversized (!) tender close up, is in Golfe Juan.

Quite the master of understatement - how did you get on and off?

 

[jfm]

Quite the master of understatement - how did you get on and off?

It does look awfully big in that pic K! It lifted off ok with the passerelle, which was retrofitted and sized for the job. The ph42 had been built with the optional transom reinforcement, in anticipation of going to Med and fitting a pass later. The previous tender (in some of the above pics) was a lightweight Valliant, 2.8m I think, with 5hp 2 stroke Merc, and was light as a feather, but we felt we needed bigger for Med so got the Avon just before the boat got trucked to France

There's a Sq58 now in Antibes with a near 5m Avon with a 50hp Honda. It sticks out a bit either side of the mothership, and must weigh more than the 365kg passerelle rating. So I'm not as bad as some people!

When we sold the ph42 it came back to UK and I kept that tender. It's now doing sterling service on my brother's 50 foot trawler yacht in Oban/Dunstaffnage. That 15hp Yam 2-stroke was/is a super engine

 

[kcrane]

That 15hp Yam 2-stroke was/is a super engine

You would need the passarelle just to get passed the tender.

I'm regretting letting the little Lodestar with 9.8 2-stroke Tohatsu go when we sold the cat, would have made a good stand-in till we choose something else.

May get a chance to go look at Walker Bays this weekend, though the 6 Nations, a couple of brothers to watch it with and a pack of Guinness is tempting... and with the seatrial set for Monday, could be an enjoyable few days.