Have Fairline gone for cheaper finnish on their new boats?

[Thundergod]

I was at the Miami Yacht and Brookerage show the past weekend.
Visited both the Targa 38 and 48 and i must say that the level of finnish and attention to detail doesn´t seem to be as high as on older boats. To cut price maybe?
For example the lovely wooden banister when you walk down to the saloon are on both boats som rubberfinnish. Far from as nice as the earlier wooden ones. The light oak finnish in both boats didn´t leave the long lasting impression of great finnish and quality. On Targa 48, specially the owner suite had a very plain and basic feeling. The Princess V48 that was also on the show, wins the "feeling och luxury/quality" race clearly in my opinion.
I have always seen Fairline as at least on level if not better finnished, than Princess and Sunseeker. But things seem to have changed?
Remember that Fairline had a Squadron 42 on the 2012 Stockholm boat show and i remember that i thought the finnish and feeling of quality was fantastic and second to none...

 

[kashurst]

I agree with you. The new 48 series boats are not as well detailed as Princess, but the price reflects that. A new T48 is a similar price to my T50 from 7 years ago. A new Princess 42 is exquisitely finished but very nearly as expensive. Also the new fairlines are lighter than their competitors - hopefully saving fuel. I like the weight reduction and price savings - hopefully others will and expand Fairlines business. Where this leaves the market perception and postioning is interesting - better than a beneteau product? or replacing sealine product? Both sold/sell lots of boats.

 

[Portofino]

They are landlocked inland - everything needs to be trucked out and they have basically " maxed out " @
80 ft .
meanwhile t, others -Priny and SS have zoomed bigger - as the punters have demanded and new markets opened up .( show me a boat maker that starts big and goes small.)
meanwhile , whole upsizing the quality thingy -( that £ 25-30 M buys ) - come final finish -touch feel - call it what you will has filtered down from 155 ft right down to SS 40 and Priny v39 starter boats with all the increments inbetween .

That what you saw at Miami .

 

[kashurst]

I agree with Portofino that the detailing and finish on Ps and SSs is remarkable across the range but they have decided to do that. Fairlines big Squadron 78s etc are just as well or arguably better detailed and luxurious. Fairline have decided to change the product spec, not because of being landlocked but they must perceive some commercial advantage by doing so. Possibly they have decided being the "same" as Ps and SSs will not grow their business and they want more spend from the more numerous, less well heeled customers.

 

[rafiki_]

Fairline opened a new factory last year, with new production processes, and reduced labour content. It is therefore not surprising if their bespoke finish is no longer apparent. It is very tough making money out of boat building, and Fairline are trying to find out how to increase their return to their investor. No surprise really. SS and Prinny have different ownership models.

 

[Cashbuyer]

Had a look around the Targa 62 at Southampton in 2012. Not impressed by the finish. The forward ensuite has a double hatch which looks very bog standard. The handles are finished in black plastic. It looks cheap. I was expecting stainless or alloy. Small details like that can make all the difference.
And what is this preoccupation with square edges and pale wood which looks like B&Q laminate worktops?
And those hull windows which they seem to think people want. Just plain ugly.

 

[sharpness]

From viewing the boats displayed at LIBS by Fairline and Princess, I too felt the quality of fitout and materials used by Fairline didn't compare well to that of Princess. Even the metalwork on the radar arch on the new fairlines are now powder coated as opposed to nice mirror polished stainless.

 

[Nigelpickin]

Smart move IMHO, volume for these brands will be driven more and more by no domestic, non European markets.
Fairline are far better placed away from a quality arms race with Princess and Sunseeker, and the complications which burden that segment of the sector.
Cheaper, lighter, mass produced boats will be a far more viable export proposition and while they will pale in comparison to their historic peers they will still present well against any of be Beneteau yards/Amerian Cruisers and most others...

I think sometimes that boat fanatics are too close to the industry to see things from a regular punters pov, myself included.
To most, a FL 48 in any guise will be a very high quality product and I suspect that EBY et al will be relishing the opportunity to compete against MC 5's Prestige 500's and Princess 43's and perhaps occupy the ground given by the Sealine failure. It will be interesting to watch....

 

[kashurst]

+1 Nigel, I have always had Fairline down as a bit like BMW, sporty but good for the family guy. I think it might take a few models to work out quite where they are positioning themselves but there is (at the moment) room to manouver. What they need is an M3 equivalent, now what was that thing they had behind the screens at the boat show???

 

[scej]

i moved a fairline 65 squadron earlier in the week and i have to say i thought the overall finish was excellent. very well laid out engine compartment finished in white and the interior was fab

 

[Nigelpickin]

Sorry Kashurst, I've now read your earlier post and realise that I was echoing what you had already said...Agree also re the M3 comparison...perhaps Fairline could introduce an 'tuned' version to run in parallel with their range...anyone fancy a Targa 50GT AMG!?

 

[rafiki_]

i moved a fairline 65 squadron earlier in the week and i have to say i thought the overall finish was excellent. very well laid out engine compartment finished in white and the interior was fab

Steve, I believe the 65's are built in the old factory, the 48's in the new one, to the new processes.

 

[Thundergod]

if the price of the boats are getting significant lower, i see no big problem with the lower attention to detail etc. As the Targa 48 witch have at least a low starting price.
The models i would be interested in is Targa 38, V39 etc. At least here in Sweden the end price fot those boats would be quite similar. As the V39 is a larger boat (biggest difference in midcabin i think), and at least if you compare the boats on display in Miami, have better finnish/feeling of quality. The choise woulde be easy, eventough Targa 38 is a very nice boat in many ways.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Yes I wasn't over impressed by the Sq48 I looked at recently but IMHO, all the major boat builders have cut back on their finish in the last few years, I guess to keep their prices competitive. Now I believe that Fairline, Princess and SS are all pretty much on the same level. But thats only to be expected. During the global economic downturn, all the major boatbuilders have had to pay attention to the affordability of their products

 

[MarieK]

Does Fairline offer the same level of customization on the smaller models as they do for the bigger? Im not thinking MATCH levels of customization and obviously there is a cost associated but if its a case of changing a few door handles and different type of wood then perhaps they wouldnt be too far away from Prin/SS