Fairline 43 ac opinions please

Kevin,

Never owned one but met a few owners who loved them. Seem to be the boat people upgraded to from a Turbo 36. The space is great, the hull great and I think the only downside was storage as no large lazerette.

Aft cabin Fairlines have a strong following!

Paul /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Hi Kevin, ive worked on a few so here goes and a friend of a friend has just nicked one from Ireland.

The general build quality is very good, usuall Fairline however you dont get a lot of boat for 45ft, just 2 double cabins and the aft has a bed thats on an angle.

Engines room is very good not like the old turbo 36 that it replaced, however there is not much room for a genny in there.

When they were built they had a short production run mainly due to build costs and demand it never took off like the t36.

For its size and weight it should have had at least 800hp its hull was an old design as it didnt have prop tunnels, now most aft cabs dont need em because the engines are further forward to accomodate the aft cabin anyway, however you get a slighty shallower draught and better propulsion as the shaft are at a better angle.

The other major issues and ive been out on 2 is the fact that you dont have a long cruise range of fuel due to poor mpg and fairline had egg on there faces over this, one boat had an extra tank fitted foc by the builders to overcome this.

The other issue is they ride bow up like the old t36 if you look at the seating layout, only the driver can see over the bow when the boats under way as the other seats are low down and not forward facing only one position has this.

Most had blue hulls so that is a personal issue regarding scratches and more upkeep to kepp a blue hull looking nice, they did a few white ones.

If you have davits you can board from the stern easy either, but after all that I think they looka very nice boat and yes I would buy one.

If you want any help with survey either hull or engines let me know.
 
I've not owned one, but did spend some time on one, with a trip over the channel & back. The boat was six weeks old at the time. Initially I didn't warm to it, but soon changed my mind. I think only 19 were built in total.

My only criticisms were there's a lot of steps - from getting aboard, to getting into the saloon, and then more from the saloon to both forward & aft cabins & the galley. So you need to be fit & agile.

The stern still looks a bit ugly, but more than compensated for by the fab cabin within.

However, the water pump must be fitted close to the bed in the aft cabin, 'cos when it kicks in you know about it, and is at least as good as any alarm clock.

Other than that I thought it was a fantastic boat, which performed, rode & handled as well as would be expected from a boat of that era. And I wouldn't mind one.
 
To be fair on mpg I would say there better than a broom I would say a broom is every bit as good as a fairline and vice versa, your not old enough for a broom yet! its the speed factor with a broom versus mpg, hammer a broom and it costs you so I would say the fairline will be better but not by a vast amount.
You have been spoilt by your lightweight sealine, funny thing is ive bought another princess and thats no where near as good on mpg than my old same model boat.
Ive been thinking about putting a post on the forum asking owners what they get from there boats wether they are sterndrive or shaft, if we have any ips owners either as they were supposed to be the next generation of propulsion, though service costs are for the rich list only.
 
Well if I may offer a blatant advert, ABS 47, 2 X IPS 600's 25 knts, 1.7 mpg which is pretty good for a 12 ton 47' boat. IPS not everyone's cup of tea though you get better MPG and better top end but it is a livelier ride than shafts and they are very trim sensitive so to get the best you have to trim and trottle all the time in heavy weather.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Well if I may offer a blatant advert

[/ QUOTE ]

Blimey Trev, are you losing your touch? You've sort of asked permission, there's no photo, and no scantliy clad girls in sight. Back to salesman's school for you young man.. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
This one arrived in Ireland only a few months ago. Very nice boat.

DSCF6030.JPG
 
Yes the performance figs look good, but the 47 lacks the cavernous accomodation space of the Phantom 43AC. Depends on what use folks want but for extending cruising in UK climate the AC makes sense, whereas in the med the more open HT and FB designs seem more suitable. Personally I see IPS as a technology designed to reduce the cost of boat building (ie cut the hole and drop the drive in compared to lengthy shaft alignment costs). It will take another decade before TCO is proven.
 
I was one of those ex Turbo 36/ex Princess 435 owners who went to SIBS when the new 43AC was introduced very keen to see what Fairline had produced. Fairline trumpeted it as a replacement for the Turbo 36 but since the most expensive Turbo 36 was about £130k when it went out of production and the 43AC was listed at about £290k (if memory serves) it was never going to be of much interest to T36 owners. Then it never offered as much space as the Princess 435 or the Sealine 410/450 or most Brooms, basically because it lacked a lower dinette/3rd cabin option. There were a few other issues like range as volvopaul has already stated and looks. The transom in particular was very slab sided. Also the guest cabin having a double bed rather 2 singles put some people off
So, it bombed. I remember Peters had one in stock for ages which they couldn't sell and they eventually turned into a sea school boat. On the plus side, it is supposed to be a good sea boat and it's lack of popularity means that it's cheaper on the used market
IMHO, the Broom 41 or 38CL are better buys in the same price range or the 42CL if you can stretch a bit further but that's a personal opinion
 
We looked at the purchase of a 43 ac and then decided to opt for the F43 Sealine, as we weren’t old enough to own a broom, the 43 ac seemed underpowered with the 63p's and didn’t really have a decent alternative to the fly bridge boat, also a bit dark in the aft with the bed on the slew, I remember the Peters boat well as it was the one we looked at however with the canopy down and a typical Solent chop it was a bit trim critical and we got very wet which I was surprised about.
On the plus side the boat is built well has plenty of internal space, good safety access to the decks etc, it seems to have a following, and looks good too.
The Sealine though had a bigger following being more main stream and was easier to sell and did about 31 knots with the 63’s which elevated the cruising speed without sacrificing the fuel consumption to much, in addition we had a princess 430 and although not an aft cabin was again underpowered with the 63ps only achieving about 28 knots.
All is due to the boat weight, size and positioning of the engines so we bought another F43 and totally loved the huge saloon and dinette but disappointed in the aft cockpit space, but its horses for courses. [image]
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I have said recently that we were staying out for a few years but after viewing a boat we previously owned i.e. another Sealine, an S42 with the KAD 300’s the internal and external space added to the large aft cabin we decided to take the plunge so were now on the Hamble before going to Spain next year.
I am not adverse to outdrives as some are in here as the handling at slow speed is not an issue given the weight, but the benefit of the small engines and the efficiency of the drives give a great cruise of 24 knots @ approx 3000 rpm with very good fuel consumption.
Hope you get what you want
 
Definitely concur regarding the F43. The accommodation is fantastic for a boat of this size and the sea keeping seems to be very good. The aft cabin is very comfortable, with a large proper shaped bed!

My top speed maxed out at 29Kts lightly loaded with 63Ps. But now with rope cutters / strippers and (half of my house and garage! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) on board, it tops out at about 26Kts on a good day. I have fuel flow sensors fitted and at our cruising speed of about 20Kts, we get about 1MPG.

The whole boat seems to be well put together. Mine is 10 years old now and people often comment on the good condition.

I have a diesel genny fitted under the bed in the aft cabin and it's relatively quiet in the saloon when it's running. However, I don't need to run it that often as I have a 2.5KW inverter system as well.

I have moved all my batteries that were located under the bed in the aft cabin (plus a couple of extra batteries) to the fwd end of the engine room, to assist the weight distribution.

My F43 seems to ride pretty level, so it must have been successful!

Hope this has been helpful to you!
 
A number of larger engined Broom 41's around at the moment that will give a surprising turn of speed around 30 knots. Superb space and finish.
 
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif That's very interesting Paul. Do you know what size motors are in her? I know the chap who brought her in and he's a happy camper.
 
<span style="color:blue"> </span> Hello, we own a FAIRLINE(Phantom) 43AC based in Largs. It was commissioned in 1998. We upgraded from the Turbo 36 which was a terrific boat too in its own way. I have always felt safer at sea than when on other brands of cruiser owned by friends over my 20 years on water. The 43AC is a joy to own and a terrific boat for socialising because of the unbeatable space. It has to be experienced to be believed. I love the fact that the removable canopy on the deck creates another "room" for entertaining. We have always favoured aft cabins to give guests distance and space in the evening rather than having berths next door to each other. The lounge area can be made into a double berth using purpose designed boards and cushions that are kept in a dry lined area under the master bed. We have had the boat up at 29 knots however prefer to cruise at around 20. We have owned the boat for 3 years now, sadly we are having to sell having purchased a holiday cottage business on Lochearnhead www.stayatbriar.co.uk. Weekends are no longer free. We wish we could bring her with us however we will need to purchase a more modest day boat for here. If anyone is interested in viewing the boat for purchase email briarinfo@btinternet.com with your contact details or tel: 01567 830 443. We will eventually bring our rib and outboard from the davits to Lochearnhead, though would consider selling in as part of a reasonable offer. Best regards, Jazzsinger
 
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