Fairline Targa 40

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Anybody own or previously owned a Fairline Targa 40?
I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences; good/ bad. Do they have any weaknesess/trouble spots that I should look out for when considering a used one? Also, are D6 engined versions much better that KAD300's??
Any comments gratefully received.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Where's Roger Rat when you need him!

The T40 is a great boat, we very nearly bought one at the beginning of last year; with the D6-350's they really fly. If you're considering a D6-engined one though make sure it has got the modded raw water filter caps - we made an offer on a boat that it turned out had suffered from a failure of one of these caps, and the boat had taken on a lot of water as as result. Based on advice received about the likely long-term effects of salt water on the electrical systems, we ended up withdrawing our offer.

But that specific point aside - I think the T40 is a brilliant boat, good accommodation, very quick, good headroom throughout, easy to drive and lots of fun. The D6 boats are quicker and I believe more fuel-economic than the KAD-300 boats (but Rog could say more about this).

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[admillington]

I have owned two Targa 40s. The first one was a problem but was quickly replaced by a new T40. This one was fitted with KAD300 and was an excellent boat. Great engine, cockpit and living space - we have an Onan 4KW Genset fitted that was useful.

It was fast enough with the KAD300s but I expect the D6s 310 would be the better bet in terms of leg corrosion - we had to have a lot of anodes and a galvanic isolator fitted to combat the 3 month anode erosion.

 

[RogerRat]

Hi Jimmy, just look on the boat or golf course and you'll find a rat. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

But in reply...

I like the T40 a lot. Many things going for it and few against. The Kad 300 boat will manage 35+knots and will cruise at anything from 21-30 knots easily but best speed seems to be around 26-28 knots, according to friend with one. I've driven this boat and it was that that convinced me to go Targa 40. There's nothing on offer from Fairline at the moment as good. imho.

The D6 350 version which I have is hyped up by dealers and price. The engines are quite bit bigger and heavier, the boat likes to travel quicker, which is great when the sea is flat but it's not always. Very fast boat and slightly more economical due to lower cruising revs. the D6s' are very torky and really kick the boat over the hump.

The boat itself handles all seas I've tried and leaves you feeling safe and confident. Not good in a head sea due to lightness but any other direction is fine.

Excellent accomodation for two or four for a weekend, great sociable cockpit and nice helm position, sitting or standing.

Don't want to bore you but in its class, I think they're hard to beat.

And they look quite good at speed with the covers down too. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

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Thanks for your comments...much appreciated.