petem
Well-known member
Time for another update. A couple of weeks ago I spotted a cheap Targa 37 currently moored on the Thames. I believed Jez lives in that area so dropped him an email to see if he'd be interested in viewing it. Deleted User and JTB (who have been mentoring me in my boat hunt) were copied in and Mike F suggested we all view the boat and have some lunch afterwards. So we set a date for Monday just gone and the dealer (Walton Marine) agreed to open up for us to see it. Darrell from Walton turned out to be a decent chap and gave us honest answers to all our questions.
From the outside the boat was poorly presented and didn't look like it had seen a bucket of water for a long time. The gel coat was badly faded but on close inspection was totally free of and crazing or collission damage (even minor). The cockpit and bathing platform teak had been replaced by a Tekdek type substitute that had been well laid with good borders. The owner had recently replaced the seating covers with a navy material (a la Windy). There were some poor after market decals which could be easily replaced. The covers were in poor condition but the broker advised that the owner was in the process of replacing them.
Equipment wise the boat had an aftermarket holding tank (no overboard discharge), autopilot, GPS and I believe heating.
Inside the boat was in a much better state. Jimmy was in his element having owned a loved a T37 previously and knew where any likely issues would be lurking. Sure enough he spotted one particular "they're all like that" minor crack that would require an easy repair. The interior furnishings were all in good condition and the boat even had a faint "new boat" whiff. The owners had left some tube heaters running inside the cabin and there was no water damage from leaks nor any damp issues. Even the hatches seemed to be keeping rainwater out meaning there was no rust staining (typical of Targas if this vintage). Woodwork was in excellent condition too with only a very isolated patch of blooming. The navy blue carpet was OK but I felt that a good quality cream replacement would really lift the interior.
Lifting the engine hatch revealed some tidy looking KAD42's with little signs of rust. Belts were in good nick and the bilges were relatively clean. The hour meters had stopped displaying some time ago so the hours run was not known. The owner believed the hours to be around 400 however all present were sceptical of this claim. The owner had maintained the boat himself for the seven years he had owned it and kept it on the Thames, the only documentation would being the invoices for the service parts. Having kept the boat on the non tidal Thames, it's likely that the Compressors and Turbos will have seen little or no use during those years.
So, would it be a good buy for someone? I think the answer would be yes. On the plus side, the interior is good and the expensive external stuff (covers and seats) will have been replaced. I'd love to see what "Marine Reflections" (of this parish) could do after a few days of cleaning and detailing. A potential buyer should assume the worst with regard to the engines and put enough money aside for them to be overhauled (in particular the cooling system, turbos and compressors). In addition a full service would be advisable including the important tappet checks / adjustments. Obviously if the boat was to spend future years on the Thames then some of the overhaul is less critical. Once this work had been done the boat should look very smart and give years of trouble free boating.
Was it a good buy for me? Unfortunately not. I didn't love the T37 more than the T34's I've already viewed and the cost of transporting it to the Med would make it non viable for me. So my hunt continues...
Happy New Year everyone!
From the outside the boat was poorly presented and didn't look like it had seen a bucket of water for a long time. The gel coat was badly faded but on close inspection was totally free of and crazing or collission damage (even minor). The cockpit and bathing platform teak had been replaced by a Tekdek type substitute that had been well laid with good borders. The owner had recently replaced the seating covers with a navy material (a la Windy). There were some poor after market decals which could be easily replaced. The covers were in poor condition but the broker advised that the owner was in the process of replacing them.
Equipment wise the boat had an aftermarket holding tank (no overboard discharge), autopilot, GPS and I believe heating.
Inside the boat was in a much better state. Jimmy was in his element having owned a loved a T37 previously and knew where any likely issues would be lurking. Sure enough he spotted one particular "they're all like that" minor crack that would require an easy repair. The interior furnishings were all in good condition and the boat even had a faint "new boat" whiff. The owners had left some tube heaters running inside the cabin and there was no water damage from leaks nor any damp issues. Even the hatches seemed to be keeping rainwater out meaning there was no rust staining (typical of Targas if this vintage). Woodwork was in excellent condition too with only a very isolated patch of blooming. The navy blue carpet was OK but I felt that a good quality cream replacement would really lift the interior.
Lifting the engine hatch revealed some tidy looking KAD42's with little signs of rust. Belts were in good nick and the bilges were relatively clean. The hour meters had stopped displaying some time ago so the hours run was not known. The owner believed the hours to be around 400 however all present were sceptical of this claim. The owner had maintained the boat himself for the seven years he had owned it and kept it on the Thames, the only documentation would being the invoices for the service parts. Having kept the boat on the non tidal Thames, it's likely that the Compressors and Turbos will have seen little or no use during those years.
So, would it be a good buy for someone? I think the answer would be yes. On the plus side, the interior is good and the expensive external stuff (covers and seats) will have been replaced. I'd love to see what "Marine Reflections" (of this parish) could do after a few days of cleaning and detailing. A potential buyer should assume the worst with regard to the engines and put enough money aside for them to be overhauled (in particular the cooling system, turbos and compressors). In addition a full service would be advisable including the important tappet checks / adjustments. Obviously if the boat was to spend future years on the Thames then some of the overhaul is less critical. Once this work had been done the boat should look very smart and give years of trouble free boating.
Was it a good buy for me? Unfortunately not. I didn't love the T37 more than the T34's I've already viewed and the cost of transporting it to the Med would make it non viable for me. So my hunt continues...
Happy New Year everyone!
