Fairline Targa 43

Urs Wolfensberger is a man of fine taste. A self-styled Sydney boatie hailing from Switzerland, he brought with him to Oz the Boesch brand of timber dayboats. Pitched at like-minded connoisseurs, these Swiss-made beauties are among the best craft I have seen.

Not content with that, Urs has now added another string to his bow - the fabulous Fairlines from the UK. Considered the best production boats in the world, there are now around a dozen Fairlines plying Australian waters.

"The gentleman who wants a Jag or Bentley Turbo, that's us," Urs explains. "Order one today and we'll have it at your door in eight months. The Fairline factory has ISO 9001 accreditation, so you're guaranteed a top product."

Having swanned about on the fine Fairlines before, it's difficult to argue the point. At the Sydney International Boat Show this year, for example, these classy boats stood out from the pack. With hydraulically operated pasarelles kissing the gangways, they offer a level of sophistication not apparent in local production craft.

The big difference with this Fairline, however, is it doesn't hail from the steadfast Squadron motoryacht range. Instead, this 43-footer comes from the company's Targa line. This is more performance-orientated and geared towards fun and excitement.

Fairline says the Targa provides "high-performance enjoyment." With open decks, blue and white striped sunpads, an outdoor grill and big wet bar, the spin doctors might include a healthy dose of lifestyle, too.

But above all else, the new Targa 43 is built upon engineering excellence. Take the owner's manual, for example. A colour-coded tome that maps every wire, it reads more like an aircraft manual.

In fact, the compiler of Fairline's boat manuals is a graduate civil engineer, naval architect, and former consultant for the space shuttle and B1 bomber projects in the US Air Force. It's that kind of attention to detail that distinguishes the Fairlines from your everyday 40-footer.

STEPPING OUT IN STYLE
Bathed in winter sun at Squadron Boat Sales' new home at the marina at Rushcutter's Bay, the blue-hulled Targa 43 exudes an air of superiority on the water. Fittingly, Urs is dressed in white canvas boating attire, which matches the traditional blue-and white livery of the 43.

Without the need for a gangway at d'Albora Marina, climbing aboard is a matter of simply stepping onto the integrated boarding platform. There is a swim ladder to port and a hydraulically lifted hatch to a garage holding a Yamaha GP1200 PWC which, later in the day, I ended up launching one-up in about two minutes.

An access hatch on the starboard side reveals the lazarette below. I discover a perfectly laid-out hold harbouring the water heater, steering gear, air-conditioning unit, battery charger, circuit breakers, engine exhausts and more. There are neat hatches to all parts of the hull and sound insulation above.

Returning the gas-assisted hatch to its place, I proceed up three steps on the portside to the cockpit. Here, Euro-styled mouldings are the order of the day. The sculpturing and curvy lines also flow to the fit-out below. But as Urs points out, everything is done for a purpose, not just for looks.

Dominating the transom is a large island sunlounge with a high-quality blue-and-white striped canvass cover. There are stainless toerails so you won't fall off when underway, while the deck fittings, such as aft cleats, grabrails and bowrail, are sexy Italian-styled items made from thick stainless piping.

From near the sunlounge flow wide sidedecks which invite guests to the foredeck. The raked bowrail comes in at knee height, the non-skid grabs your deck shoes, while big cleats and fairleads secure the mooring lines.

There is a windlass, of course, and an optional sunpad with matching blue-and-white fabric flanked and two triple G'n'T holders. Looking back, the photographer's camera is filled with the image of sunpad, stainless, a raked windscreen, oval portholes, circular deck hatches and green-tinged perspex drinkholders.

PRIMED FOR PERFORMANCE
Then there is the cockpit. A white circular lounge with high back can seat at least six people behind the skipper. It's built around a fold-out table with Italian pedestal and Granicoat finish. The table is big enough to lay out a whole poached salmon.

To port is the comforts centre - a beautifully moulded module which contains storage space, a sink with stylish single-action hot and cold tap, a fridge and, wait for it, a De Dietrich electric grill.

The co-pilot is treated to a separate high-backed seat behind the windscreen, where dual storage boxes are built into the dash along with chic drinkholder racks. On the driver's side is a plush two-person bench seat overlooking a high-tech display of instruments.

Footrests allow you to drive seated just as comfortably as standing and the rakish screen cuts the wind while also offering a clear view ahead.

The dash suggests the Targa 43 delivers on that so-called "high performance enjoyment." The surface is matt grey with carbon-fibre facias. Black switch panels tie in nicely, leaving room for flush-mounting the Raytheon 520 chartplotter, ST60 Tridata display, and ST6000 Autopilot.

There is a little joystick for the optional bow thruster, a tilt-adjustable wooden racing wheel, trim tab buttons near the chrome throttles, spotlight and windlass remote control, an optional chain-counter, and drinkholders. A rudder indicator comes standard, as does plenty of covered chart-holding space.

While I didn't see the bimini top as it was pulled back against the targa arch, one supposes it will be befitting of both the quality of this boat and its chic style.

INTERIOR DEPTHS
Down below is another world again. Five steps beneath the top deck, the deep interior comes with loads of headroom and a sense of the exquisite. There are cream liners, speckled sand-coloured Granicoat benchtops, buff carpet, teak and holly flooring in the galley, and sparkling cherrywood joinery throughout. There's a hint of the art deco in the details, such as the metal-work grills covering the stereo speakers, while a more eternal style can be found in the camel, ruby and jade check fabric covering the plush four-person lounge on the starboard side of the saloon.

The fold-down dining table is carved from cherrywood and lacquered to a mirror finish, but underfloor exists storage for those nuts-and-bolts items which you won't want on display.

The way this boat's galley is concealed on the portside is really quite neat. Using cherrywood joinery just as curvaceous as the boat's mouldings and wooden covers, the galley will never look untidy. A separate finger of bench space near the companionway provides somewhere to assemble the canapes, and there is a serving tray held in a cupboard nearby.

Elsewhere, loads of storage in rounded cupboards, a fridge/freezer, drinks cabinet, dedicated crockery cupboard for the non-breakable Fairline kit, and an optional microwave behind sliding doors. There are also twin sinks, a two-burner electric stove, and lots of overhead pantry space.

Just forward of the galley is a useful day head with standing room, friendly moulded surfaces that are bump-free in a seaway, a toilet and shower... Oh, and virgin, white fluffy Fairline towels.

DELUXE CABINS
The Targa 43 has a two-cabin layout with privacy gained by having the saloon in between. The guest's cabin is aft. It has two transverse single berths with verdigris and buff-striped bedspreads. Roughly amidships, they will deliver a good night's sleep.

Air conditioning pours inside the aft cabin or, if you prefer, fresh air through the two opening portholes. A mirrored bedhead adds to the sense of space. This is useful as there's standing room near the entrance of the cabin only where a lounge and hanging wardrobe are located.

A locking device so you can prop the doors open would be a nice touch.

As it is, the cherrywood doors are fitted with stylish chrome handles and twin catches to stop them rattling when underway.

Though the door isn't designed for heavy traffic, once inside the owner's suite is the most spacious. Located in the bow, it contains a big island berth with an inner-spring mattress and dark-jade bedspread.

There are his and her dressing tables, clothes storage in underbunk drawers and twin hanging lockers. Finish is the highlight, with walnut accents, chrome designer reading lamps, a big mirror-backed bedhead, overhead hatch with shade and fly screens, and camel-coloured curtains hiding the portholes.

Naturally, the en suite is bigger than the guest head. The master bathroom has a very solid sliding perspex shower screen on rails, room to sit on the loo, a sink and a moulded vanity unit with mirror, and headroom.

In short, it's all very elegant inside the 43. But if you believe this level of decor makes for a heavy, inefficient boat on the water, think again.

UP TOP AND PERSONAL
Weighing in around 10,000kg, the 43-footer displays a keenness to get cracking right from the word go. So much so that this boat tester hadn't quite untied the bowline as the boat tried to edge away from the marina. Aided by the bow thruster, with fenders stowed in a dedicated deck hatch, and all lines away, I planted the twin throttles and noted comparatively little lag. Within a few seconds the turbos were whistling and the 43-footer was right out of the water.

The 43 is yet another triumph of the great Bernard Oelinski - the marine architect who designs Fairline and Princess hulls. I'm proud to say I'm a huge fan of Oelinski's work. Using big chines and aggressive strakes, these hulls run dry and seemingly ride on their own breaking wave.

From a fast idle speed of 6kt, the 43 Targa did 8.6kt at 1000rpm, 16.2kt at 1500rpm, before literally whistling along at 22kt at 1800rpm. However, the turbos on Volvo's new 480hp TAMD 74P EDC engines are quieter at 2000rpm, where a handy cruising speed of 26kt kicks in.

Still, the seaworthy, solid 43 seems to want to cruise faster. In moderate seas you should be able to hold 2200rpm and maintain 28.6kt. I put the throttles down and reached a top speed of 34.4kt at 2700rpm as the eyes started to water and the lips began to crack!

The Targa 43 is an easy boat to drive, responsive to the wheel due to transom-hung rudders and props that are tucked up inside tunnels, and reassuringly solid underfoot. Dare I say, I found the meaning of "high-performance enjoyment" out there.

In fact, it wouldn't surprise if there's a photo somewhere of this scribe wearing a cheesy smile on the Targa 43. Like Urs, I think I acquired a sense of fine taste and discernment out there. Only the beer budget stands in the way...