Targa 48 & tamd73p edc engines

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John100156

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I looked at a T48 this weekend named 'Splash & Dash' - it seemed to be in relatively good condition commensurate with age (built 1997 commissioned 1998) with around 850 hours on the clock, which seems to me to be about right.

I have Volvo KAD300's on my T34, the T48 is twin-screw and fitted with TAMD73P EDC engines.

Would really welcome any comments regarding the reliability of these engines and of course the boat, from anyone that owns, or has owned one, or knows the boat. Are there any areas I need to give close attention to?

Having had a stern-drive boat I would expect less maintenance on the running gear on a twin-screw, but when would you expect P-Bracket bearings and stern glands etc., to be replaced?

Any/all info gratefully received!

Many thanks

John
 
Hi John,

The Targa 48 is a cracking boat, and I have coveted one for a while. They have a good layout, and a really nice cockpit with decent amount of seating and a useful garage.

They are quite a wet boat, and punching a sea take a fair bit of water over the front. Nothing dnagerous, just a bit, well, wet.

As with all targas of this vintage, the blue hull is the one to go for. I dont think they ever bothered with green or burgandy on the 48, and the white hulled boats while look ok, are left lacking a bit on the second hand market. The blue hull is not without its problems, and if buying a med based boat you will find the gel is very chaulky and faded where the rear quaters are facing the sky (and the sun).

You are right about maintenance, with it not being neccessary to lift the boat for a service as the shaft set up is much simpler than the legs you have on the T34. Also, the engines are simpler than the complex KAD300 and dont have the susper sensitive tappit arrangement that require minute adjustment every 200 hours. That said, the 74s will need more oil and ancillaries will be more expensive than on the KADs. What you save on servicing, you will spend on fuel, but the boat is much bigger so you should expect that and what the hell, you cant take it with you.

Over all, I rate the T48 as one of the best boats Fairline have ever built. If you really need three seperate cabins and two bogs then its a good choice. If you dont need the thrid cabin, then I would seriously look at the Targa 43 as well. You will get a newer boat for the same cash and they are a bit more of a modern design in terms of the freeboard and layout. Nothing wrong with the T48, i like them, but its worth looking at the options...
 
The shaft bearings will last for ages in clear med water, they only tend to wear quickly in muddy water. I had TAMD73P's of '98 vintage in a Sealine T46 which generally ran well, but I managed to cook one pretty seriously when the raw water intake got blocked. Can't blame Volvo for that I suppose, but I was a bit dissapointed that the damage was already done by the time the overheat alarm went off.

Can't comment on the Targa 48 as i've never been on one, other than there's obviously a lot of canvas on them
 
Hi John,

Not heard of them with TamD 73's only 74&75s' but they're pretty much the same, mostly software and mapping, I believe. Certainly, this series of Volvo is proven and reliable. They smoke a bit and are not as economical as the later series stuff. Cruising @ 2100RPm will give around 25 knots at between 5-6 litres per mile on the Tam74s'

Personally, I can't understand why they stopped making the T48. They look great and go well too max around 33-34 knots.

'Targalout' is one of the best to ask on here as he's run one for the last four years and could tell you the real worry items to look for.

He may appear on here but having sold his T48 a couple of months ago, he may not be.
So a PM might be worth a try if you are serious about pursuing this actual boat.

Good luck.
 
I had a 1997 Targa 48 with Cat 3126 motors (426hp each). The boats with TAMD73P's are more sought after because of the small extra power gain and because the Cats had mechanical problems early on (valve failure) although these should all have been fixed under warranty. The Cat powered boats should do about 31-32kts flat and the Volvo boats about 1 kt more. I think the TAMD73P's were replaced later by the 480hp TAMD74P motors which should give 34kts+. You will also find 2 different types of bathing platform, a standard type and one with a cut out to allow launch of PWC from garage. I'll go through what I thought were the good points and bad points

Good points

One of the only 3 cabin sports cruisers in it's class (I guess thats why you may be looking at it?)
Narrow deepish V hull although as Whitelighter says it throws a bit of spray around. Good in a head sea but don't think it's a race boat hull because it ain't (many owners seemed to drive them like they were)
Good cockpit layout particularly having 2 forward facing seats
Still looks good today despite being 14yr old design


Bad points

V narrow doors to cabins
Narrow beds in guest cabins
Narrow hull means that it rolls a lot at anchor (a consideration in the Med)
Tricky engine access unless you lift floor of dinghy garage which is a pain
Huge canopy is a real pain to put up and take down
Helm ergonomics not right. If you sit down it's difficult to see over bow and if you stand you have to stoop to look thru screen (I'm 6 ft 1")
Early model standard dinghy garage can only take max 2.8m soft floored RIB (in fact it's designed for Zodiac Cadet 285 although later models may have redesigned garage capable of storing hard floor RIB)
No central aircon system at least not on my boat which had rubbish HFL standalone units in each cabin which were v noisy and vibey

OK, this point is a contentious one given that Fairline are held up as the pinnacle of UK production boat building quality. Certainly my boat and other T48's whose owners I got to know were not built to a high standard. My boat suffered bulkhead cracking, windscreen frame cracking, dinghy grarage mountings cracking, exhaust elbow failure and numerous interior trim problems. It seems that Fairline fixed everything with self tappers, at least in those days, and we experienced towel rails coming away, bed coamings coming loose, shower enclosures dropping off and many other irritating trim related issues. Watch also for the faux walnut veneer on the helm peeling away (expensive to replace). The one thing that really got to me though was that the soundproofing panels in the engine bay were stuck on with glue and, despite my best efforts many kept falling down often onto hot engines. By the way, I only had the boat one season (in the Med)! FWIW, I've had 2 Italian boats since the T48 and they're better screwed together

There were blue, white and green hull colours. The green is not popular, the white is a bit more popular and the most practical but, as Whitelighter says, the blue is the most sought after. Inside there were 2 timbers offered, a sort of light oak which wasn't that popular but is a reasonable choice because it brightens the interior and a gloss cherrywood which most people seemed to go for. Best choice therefore would be blue hull with gloss cherry interior and TAMD74P motors. RIB or PWC storage is down to you but I don't think there were many made with PWC storage. Despite what I said about my experience with the build quality, the T48 is basically a fine boat. Get a good one that has been looked after and it should do you well and this brings me on to my last point. Because of the 3 cab layout and because so many went to the Med, many T48's were chartered. We looked at quite a few dog eared ones before finding a suitable boat so tatty ones with high hours should be priced well below market average
 
T48

Deleted User has said it all, in great detail.

All I can add is that, the 48s are good boats, with acomodation that is near as dam it to the Sunseeker portafino 53. So it's good value with good reliable engines although dated. All round its a good boat. Deleted User has highlighted the pros and cons. All I would say is it may look quite a big boat when viewing but it will shrink slightly in use.
 
The 73's randomly melt pistons. I have rebuilt several of these. They seemed to sort that out when they went to the 74's. Boost pressure sensor suffers from moisture and are prone to fail. Targa48 is a cracking boat though.
 
Hello.

I used to do a lot of work on that boat in 2002 ish when it was based in puerto portals Mallorca. There were not many problems in all the time that I worked on the boat but I do seem to remember that the passerelle was problematic. It was a Whittall passerelle but it may have been changed by now.

We still look after boats for the same customer and he says it was the best boat he ever owned.

Any questions you can call me on (0034) 609 522 703

Tom.
 
aquatom said:
Hello.

I used to do a lot of work on that boat in 2002 ish when it was based in puerto portals Mallorca. There were not many problems in all the time that I worked on the boat but I do seem to remember that the passerelle was problematic. It was a Whittall passerelle but it may have been changed by now.

We still look after boats for the same customer and he says it was the best boat he ever owned.

Any questions you can call me on (0034) 609 522 703

Tom.
Click to expand...

Yup, I forgot about the pasarelle. It was a one off design made by Whittall and it was pants. For anyone that doesn't know it, it's stored in a slot under the s/b steps to the bathing platform and slides out when required. Unfortunately, the cantilevered section is far too long which means that it bounces about when anyone steps on it (it once launched my SWMBO into the water) and we had endless electrical problems with ours, often at embarassing moments
I think at the time, Fairline were trying to stay loyal to their established UK suppliers so instead of getting a manufacturer who knows what their doing like Besenzoni or Opacmare to design the pasarelle, they went with Whittall who AFAIK had never designed a pasarelle before. Similarly Fairline fitted homegrown HFL gennie and aircon equipment when better equipment was on the market elsewhere
 
Deleted User said:
Yup, I forgot about the pasarelle. It was a one off design made by Whittall and it was pants. For anyone that doesn't know it, it's stored in a slot under the s/b steps to the bathing platform and slides out when required. Unfortunately, the cantilevered section is far too long which means that it bounces about when anyone steps on it (it once launched my SWMBO into the water) and we had endless electrical problems with ours, often at embarassing moments
I think at the time, Fairline were trying to stay loyal to their established UK suppliers so instead of getting a manufacturer who knows what their doing like Besenzoni or Opacmare to design the pasarelle, they went with Whittall who AFAIK had never designed a pasarelle before. Similarly Fairline fitted homegrown HFL gennie and aircon equipment when better equipment was on the market elsewhere
Click to expand...

I've not got any experience of Whittall but it seems to me that none of them are really good. A comment from a Besenzoni engineer I met the other day said that they only last a couple of years before they go wrong. My Opacmare one hasnt been without problems - thanks to djefabs and RogerRat, I understand how it works now and it works really well - (at the moment!!!).
But I think they all need a bit of TLC to see them through.
 
Hurricane said:
I've not got any experience of Whittall but it seems to me that none of them are really good. A comment from a Besenzoni engineer I met the other day said that they only last a couple of years before they go wrong. My Opacmare one hasnt been without problems - thanks to djefabs and RogerRat, I understand how it works now and it works really well - (at the moment!!!).
But I think they all need a bit of TLC to see them through.
Click to expand...

Believe me, the Whittall pasarelle on the T48's was a pile of poo. Badly designed and badly executed. Maybe I've been lucky but I've had 5 seasons with the Besenzoni on my boat and it hasn't put a foot wrong. My only complaint is the white anodized finish which marks easily and doesn't look as good as s/s
 
Roger Whittal is a personal friend of mine, you can go all over the world and see his davits, cranes and passarells on boats from all makes and sizes.

The engineering and design far outweighed anyone elses products.

He worked with Brian Peters on most of his models, they were desined around Fairline Boats.

The actuall make up was so stong it could carry far more weight than the load plate stated, the point about the gang passarells being rubbish is down to the hydraulic power packs, as good old GB doesnt make anything anymore it was down to Whittal to source power packs that are made from good quality materials, the only place at the time was the USA, but these products were not that good and it must have reflected on him.

I will send a message to Roger ref this post, hes back in the UK now as he spends most of his retirement aboard his boat in the med.
 
Small world, I bumped into Roger in Corsica earlier in the year, when we were both bundled into the back of a small van to be driven round to the Capitainerie
 
volvopaul said:
Roger Whittal is a personal friend of mine, you can go all over the world and see his davits, cranes and passarells on boats from all makes and sizes.

The engineering and design far outweighed anyone elses products.

He worked with Brian Peters on most of his models, they were desined around Fairline Boats.

The actuall make up was so stong it could carry far more weight than the load plate stated, the point about the gang passarells being rubbish is down to the hydraulic power packs, as good old GB doesnt make anything anymore it was down to Whittal to source power packs that are made from good quality materials, the only place at the time was the USA, but these products were not that good and it must have reflected on him.

I will send a message to Roger ref this post, hes back in the UK now as he spends most of his retirement aboard his boat in the med.
Click to expand...

I understand your wish to protect a friend (has he still got that Broom Ocean 42?) but the design was flawed. It might have been able to resist a far higher load than it was plated (that might have been part of the problem) but the cantilevered part of the pasarelle (ie the bit that stuck out) was too bouncy either because it wasn't supported far enough along it's length by it's hydraulic ram or because it was just too heavy. Then the necessity to take off the handrails every time you wanted to slide the pasarelle away was a pain, in fact it was dangerous because it meant that nobody could be bothered to use the handrails. Every other passarelle I've come across has fold down handrails. The combination of bouncy cantilevered section and no handrails made the whole thing dodgy to use. I think we had 3 fallers in the space of just one season.
Then I had issues with the controls which seemed to have a mind of their own and often the damned thing would be stuck half in and half out.
I've had a number of Mr Whittall's products on previous boats, mostly davits of course and jolly good they were too and so was the service. When one of them collapsed, well out of warranty, Whittall agreed to repair it foc which I thought was very fair. I don't think the T48 pasarelle was one of his best though
 
the Whithalls davits wer good, especially the materials they where made off but to say they could take more they should is an over statement
I had friends who finished with a tender carrying dilemma during a trip in uncomforable conditions due to cable (most common) breakage, or davit failure, yes they where less to the limit to the davits but not by much
but I think the real problem was more for the high position of the tender situated to the upside close to 2 metres above water level then the davits themselves...

back to the post..
it is real surprising Deleted User says he had bulkheads cracking on his boat, which he also says is something common with other 48 Targa and everyone says this is cracking boat
I wonder what could else happen to this 48 Targa to be called a bad boat, wonder what would have been said if this was another make or from another country i.e. not British build....
 
PowerYachtBlog said:
back to the post..
it is real surprising Deleted User says he had bulkheads cracking on his boat, which he also says is something common with other 48 Targa and everyone says this is cracking boat
I wonder what could else happen to this 48 Targa to be called a bad boat, wonder what would have been said if this was another make or from another country i.e. not British build....
Click to expand...

Yes but not structural bulkheads. On my boat there was cracking on the join between the hull and the bulkhead separating the saloon from the master cabin shower and also at the join between the moulding supporting the saloon seating and the hull. As I mentioned, the windscreen frame on my boat also exhibited cracking. None of this is acceptable but the T48 quickly got a reputation for being a good sea boat so maybe the previous owner of my boat drove it hard but I doubt it because he was a nice old German man with a nervous wife! My boat was built in 1997 and therefore was one of the early T48's and also I understand that demand was much higher than expected at the time so maybe Fairline couldn't build them fast enough and cut some corners.
I try to speak as I find whether it's a British or foreign boat. I'm happy to say that I had a bad or good experience with any boat that I've owned wherever it came from
 
Thanks guys, keep it coming if anything else comes to mind.

I did run out the pasarelle when I looked at the boat, it seemed to work very well and did not cause me any concern at the time. I will check it more thoroughly when I take another look.

Aquatom: Its always good to know of previous owners/engineers. I may send you a PM if you dont mind, should I proceed to offer.

I am currently negotiating an offer on my 2006 Targa 34, I have dropped the price to see if I can entice a buyer via my broker EBY. I was going to let it go with the remainder of my annual 12mtr berth Contract in Sant Carles - but this runs out 31st Dec 09, so not much of an incentive now!

Volvopaul: May I seek your opinion on the TAMD73P engine please?

Once again - many thanks to all.
 
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