Six new Fairline boats heading to Australia

After celebrating its 50th anniversary in fine style in June (2017), Fairline is poised to launch some key new models and upgrade its favourites in the popular mid-40 to 80-foot luxury boat market.

Fairline is proving as resilient as the 6000-odd people that also call the small town of Oundle in Northhamptonshire their home. After the famous boat brand exited administration last year, following a successful bid by private Russian investors and boating enthusiasts
Alex Volov and Igor Glyanenko, Fairline has bounced back.

The revered British yard built and sold 63 boats from January 25 to December 20, 2016 — well ahead of it forecast sales of 37 boats — and by May, 2017, a refinanced and re-energised Fairline sold its 100th boat under new ownership.

This is the good-news story told to us by Miles Moorhouse, Fairline's head of marketing, on the One Brokerage stand at the 50th Sydney International Boat Show.

One Brokerage is the Fairline importer in Australia and it has six new boats on order. As we settle into the saloon aboard the Targa 48 on display, a Fairline selling for about $1.2m, a customer steps aboard.

"There’s been pent-up demand for Fairline, the new management team is all guns blazing, and thanks to the Brexit and currency devaluation, Fairline represents good buying today," Moorhouse says, as the new buyer finalises his chosen finishes.

NEW BOATS IN BUILD
New product development is also providing fresh impetus for Fairline and the news as you read it here. Fairline's fleet now spans 10 models from a new Targa 43 in build for 2018 to an 80-footer slated for release in 2019.

Fairline has been working with Dutch superyacht firm VriPack Yachting for the hydrodynamics of its new boats, while engaging Italian designer Alberto Mancini for its hot new 63 Targa GTO set to launch at the 2017 Cannes Yachting Festival from September 12-17.

"This industry lives on new product… buyers don’t want a boat from three-years ago," Moorhouse adds.

That said, Fairline is perhaps more measured than most about its model development and styling, so the boats don't date as quickly as some — and that is part of its enduring appeal.

BOAT-SHARE DRIVING SALES
But it is also thanks to boat share or fractional ownership that six new Fairlines are now heading to Australia.

As Glen Moltoni from One Brokerage, the importer and dealer for Fairline Yachts in Australia, and the owner of Boat Equity, says: the Fairlines are beautifully styled and luxurious, but also manageable for owner-drivers in share-managed fleets.

The six new Fairlines heading to Australia include a new Targa 48 Open (Gen II)
arriving October 2017; a Targa 48 GT (Gen II) arriving October
2017; a Targa 53 Open (one of the best hulls in the range)
arriving November 2017; a Squadron 48 (Gen II) arriving
December 2017; a stock 48 arriving 2018; and a new
Targa 43 Open arriving in 2018.

Certainly, the popular 48-53 footers tick a lot boxes, with large entertaining spaces, off-the-wheel sporty handling, soft-riding hulls…. and user-friendliness.

Using resin-infused hulls, the boats have always been known for their performance. All Fairlines above 50ft are shaft driven for coastal cruising and open-water boating.

But the hot model, the 48 comes with Volvo Penta IPS600s or IPS700s for 32-34 knots top speed. There are options of two or three cabins, a galley-up option, hydraulic
swim platform, and you get an aft garage that accommodates a Williams
285 Jet RIB.

A joystick gives docking ease and, along with the inherently good sight
lines and low windage, you gain a reassuring driving experience... perfect in a shared-boat situation.

NEW 48 UPGRADES
Fairline recently introduced some significant upgrades across its 48-foot model range, which includes the Targa 48 GT (retractable hardtop), Targa 48 Open (retractable soft top) and the Squadron 48 (flybridge). The creative flair of Italian yacht designer Mancini has been utilised by Fairline’s design team.

The 48s' reworked interiors are said to maximise quality, comfort and style, while a backlit ‘spear’ emblem on the hull, illuminating the word ‘Targa’, adds panache. The updated interior has been made more luxurious by the addition of new hull windows.

Russell Currie, Fairline’s Managing Director, says Fairline’s range of 48-foot boats features some of the yard's most popular yachts.

"We were eager to future-proof these much-loved models for our customers to enjoy for years to come.

"Mancini’s design expertise has significantly influenced every design decision we make at Fairline, and we are confident these upgrades will be well received by our customers across the globe."

50TH FAIRLINE ANNIVERSARY
A record 50 boats from across the range paraded in fine style for Fairline's 50th Anniversary celebrations in Mallorca, Spain, in June 2017.

Sending a message that Fairline is back with renewed vigour, the flotilla even featured an original Fairline 19, which was the first boat produced by the company in 1967.

You can see Fairline's 50th Anniversary celebrations in Mallorca, Spain, in this event video...

Since selling the first boat on the
afternoon that the new owners signed the deal (January 25, 2016),
Fairline has now embarked on a plan of steady growth.

That
new Italian-designed 63 is about to be launch and the 80 is being
worked on, but it's the 48 and 53 that account for the lion's share of the local action. We hope to report from on board at least a few of these six new Fairlines as they arrive in coming months.

It's a good news story we share here and Fairline is back in the black. More at
Fairline