Greg01
Active Member
Does any one own, has owned or skippered one of these boats. I am researching an article on buying one and would greatly appreciate any feedback from any body with experience of these boats.
Fairline Targa 34, your experiences welcome
- Thread starter Greg01
- Start date
PowerYachtBlog
Well-Known Member
which 34 Targa?
is it the old one later renamed the 35 produced in early nineties
or the modern one which was produced from 1997 till 2002
is it the old one later renamed the 35 produced in early nineties
or the modern one which was produced from 1997 till 2002
volvopaul
Well-Known Member
Nice looking boat but early model with open plan not anywhere near as good as later one with double bed up front, seems a cramped boat at 34ft compared to a sealine s34 or equivalent Cranchi, cockpit works well and thats really why you have one.
Engine room is my dept and there tight, not good to reach items to rear of both engines, the T37 is bad enough!.
Have heard stories about loose mouldings and worktops coming adrift.
To back up fairline though, they are still better built than others, though you can get more boat for your money if you switch makes.
Early green hull models dont sell easy though for about 2k you can get it painted, well you can up here in the reasonably priced midlands.
Engine room is my dept and there tight, not good to reach items to rear of both engines, the T37 is bad enough!.
Have heard stories about loose mouldings and worktops coming adrift.
To back up fairline though, they are still better built than others, though you can get more boat for your money if you switch makes.
Early green hull models dont sell easy though for about 2k you can get it painted, well you can up here in the reasonably priced midlands.
gimmesunshine
Well-Known Member
early ones prone to leaks
but overall, great boat, well made, there are others that win on accomadation but not in the looks dept,
canopy not that well thought out
dont like the huge step in the cockpit and the l shape front seat doesnt work that well
having said all that, i'd still have one
but overall, great boat, well made, there are others that win on accomadation but not in the looks dept,
canopy not that well thought out
dont like the huge step in the cockpit and the l shape front seat doesnt work that well
having said all that, i'd still have one
Questor
Well-Known Member
I've had a Mk I T34 since Sept 2001, which really suits the two of us very well, and find very little to fault, and hence are quite content and have no need to upgrade or upsize. Dare I say, ours has the much sought after and rare aqua hull (£600 extra), but appears far more emerald in colour than the jade finish on earlier T29s & 39s & similar, and does look good, but hey, we got it "cheap" (in boaty terms), so I'm more than happy.
There are a lot of differences, between the MK1 & MK2 T34, and in my opinion and many others I know, the Mk I is the better option.
Starting from the front working backwards:
The bed in the fore cabin in the MkII is not really a double, and is on the piss. On the Mk I, if you use the infill you’ve got a really good sized double.
On the MKII they have increased the size of the fore cabin to allow for the walk way either side of the bed by putting in a curved panel, which eats into the saloon area, therefore making the saloon smaller, and it feels a lot smaller.
The settee on the Mk II is also smaller, and a lot shallower. The settee on the Mk I encloses a drinks cabinet, which is not to be found anywhere on the Mk II - Most important.
In the heads on the Mk I there is a proper shower cubicle with sliding glass door, which is missing totally from the Mk II. The water from the sink in the Mk I drains overboard, whereas on the Mk II it runs into the shower sump, so at night, you not only get the water pump come on and wake everyone, but also the shower pump.
The galley area on the Mk II has a lump, which protrudes from the floor, which is very irritating, and not there on the MK I as the galley is in a totally different place.
The aft cabin door on the MK II opens into the already smaller saloon, whereas on the Mk I the door opens into the cabin.
On the Mk II, there is a lump on the aft cabin wall / ceiling which protrudes and is good for bashing your head on, which isn’t there in the Mk I, although the aft cabin on the Mk II does feel a bit more spacious, with the beds in both models being about 6’8” long.
The helm and instrument layout on the MK I is sexier (as on the T37) and less cluttered than the MkII, although the seating layout / arrangement is identical on both.
The engine room appears much more spacious on the Mk I and the engines & ancillaries are more accessible, and doesn’t have that stupid table storage compartment in there, as does the MK II. The MK II and the T37 seem so cramped in the Engine rooms, by comparison.
There are probably other differences but these are a few which come to mind. The only two disadvantages I can think of with the MK I over the MK II, is that 1) they are older & 2) weren’t available with the KAD 300s.
A friend of mine had a new MKII and much prefers the layout in my MKI, and as I’ve said before, the Mk I doesn’t fall apart like the 5 month old MKII did on a rough crossing to C I s are couple of years back.
Over the years of ownership we've had little trouble, none of which we could put down to Fairline.
We did have the chance of buying our friends T34 MK11 with KAD 300s at a little over 12 months old at the unbelievable price of £135k, but decided that our MK1 was the nicer boat to live with, and really it was no contest.
Hope that is of interest
There are a lot of differences, between the MK1 & MK2 T34, and in my opinion and many others I know, the Mk I is the better option.
Starting from the front working backwards:
The bed in the fore cabin in the MkII is not really a double, and is on the piss. On the Mk I, if you use the infill you’ve got a really good sized double.
On the MKII they have increased the size of the fore cabin to allow for the walk way either side of the bed by putting in a curved panel, which eats into the saloon area, therefore making the saloon smaller, and it feels a lot smaller.
The settee on the Mk II is also smaller, and a lot shallower. The settee on the Mk I encloses a drinks cabinet, which is not to be found anywhere on the Mk II - Most important.
In the heads on the Mk I there is a proper shower cubicle with sliding glass door, which is missing totally from the Mk II. The water from the sink in the Mk I drains overboard, whereas on the Mk II it runs into the shower sump, so at night, you not only get the water pump come on and wake everyone, but also the shower pump.
The galley area on the Mk II has a lump, which protrudes from the floor, which is very irritating, and not there on the MK I as the galley is in a totally different place.
The aft cabin door on the MK II opens into the already smaller saloon, whereas on the Mk I the door opens into the cabin.
On the Mk II, there is a lump on the aft cabin wall / ceiling which protrudes and is good for bashing your head on, which isn’t there in the Mk I, although the aft cabin on the Mk II does feel a bit more spacious, with the beds in both models being about 6’8” long.
The helm and instrument layout on the MK I is sexier (as on the T37) and less cluttered than the MkII, although the seating layout / arrangement is identical on both.
The engine room appears much more spacious on the Mk I and the engines & ancillaries are more accessible, and doesn’t have that stupid table storage compartment in there, as does the MK II. The MK II and the T37 seem so cramped in the Engine rooms, by comparison.
There are probably other differences but these are a few which come to mind. The only two disadvantages I can think of with the MK I over the MK II, is that 1) they are older & 2) weren’t available with the KAD 300s.
A friend of mine had a new MKII and much prefers the layout in my MKI, and as I’ve said before, the Mk I doesn’t fall apart like the 5 month old MKII did on a rough crossing to C I s are couple of years back.
Over the years of ownership we've had little trouble, none of which we could put down to Fairline.
We did have the chance of buying our friends T34 MK11 with KAD 300s at a little over 12 months old at the unbelievable price of £135k, but decided that our MK1 was the nicer boat to live with, and really it was no contest.
Hope that is of interest
gimmesunshine
Well-Known Member
i agree, mk1 does have lot going for it over mk2, especially the dash layout, although standing at galley sink you tend to have to curly feet up due to hull cutting in
Questor
Well-Known Member
Only a curly left foot /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
amf
Well-Known Member
Just sold our 2004 Targa 34. Great boat! - PM if you want specifics.
