Targa, Botnia Marin's 4x4 of the Sea From Finland

Rugged, fast pilothouse boats built by the Carpelan family's Botnia Marin in Malax and Nykarleby, Finland.

Founded
1976
Headquarters
Malax, Finland
Parent company
Botnia Marin Oy Ab
Models reviewed
3

Targa models

Botnia Marin, a Finnish family firm dating from 1976, has built Targa pilothouse boats since 1984, and their high bulwarks made them the benchmark for rough-water cruising. We cover the 32, 37 and 41.

Known for
  • Offshore pilothouse boats with doors on both sides
  • High bulwarks and flat walkaround decks
  • Volvo Penta sterndrive and IPS power
  • Decades-long model lives and slow depreciation

The Carpelans of Ostrobothnia

Johan and Britt-Marie Carpelan founded Botnia Marin in 1976 in Ostrobothnia, on Finland's west coast, and launched their first Targa eight years later, in 1984. Fifty years on, the company is still family run, with Robert Carpelan as CEO, and still builds in Malax and Nykarleby. It marked its anniversary in August 2026 with about 420 guests at Åminne Folkpark in Malax, and the founders received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Boat Builder Awards.

The recipe has barely moved since the first boat: a deep planing hull with tall bulwarks, a level deck you can walk all the way around, and a boxy wheelhouse amidships that opens to both sides. In Finland these boats work as year-round transport through the archipelago in raw spring and autumn conditions, which earned them the nickname 4x4 of the sea and, less kindly, the flying potting shed. In the US, beware of confusion with Fairline, the British yard that once sold unrelated sport cruisers under the Targa badge, so always check who built the boat in a listing.

Targa 32, 37 and 41

Three Targas have their own pages here. The 32 took over from the 31 in 2011 and became Botnia's biggest seller, a Volvo-powered pilothouse that is genuinely fast for its size and has also been sold with outboards since 2023; the 32 Coupe collected a YachtBuyer five-star trophy in 2026. The original 37 had a 27-year production run ending in 2025 and is what turns up on the brokerage market, while its clean-sheet replacement was unveiled at Helsinki's Uiva Flytande show in August 2026, with a Coupe version a month later.

The 41 arrived in 2024, launched at boot Dusseldorf as the 44 bowed out after a long run, and introduced hull windows and bonded frameless glazing to the range, with a choice of Volvo sterndrives or IPS pods. The Targa 46 remains the flagship above it. Specs, speeds and layouts for all three live on the model pages. Botnia evolves models slowly, which is one reason Targas depreciate gently.

Owning a Targa in the United States

Targas are rare in North America, and the used supply sits mostly in the Nordic countries and Britain. East Coast Yacht Sales brought the 41 to the US in 2025, and Soundings ran one between Mystic and Montauk in 2026. A boat bought in Europe carries freight, duty and the cost of bringing it up to US standards, so weigh the total delivered price against anything already on this side of the Atlantic. Good examples sell quickly because owners keep them for years.

Survey points are consistent across the range.

  • Make sure the boat is a Botnia Marin Targa and not a Fairline
  • Volvo Penta engine, sterndrive bellows and anode service
  • Pilothouse door seals, sunroofs and window gaskets
  • Teak rails, bulwark caps and decks
  • Interceptor trim tabs, thrusters and joystick
  • CE paperwork and US compliance on imported boats

Targa history

  1. 1976The Carpelans, Johan and Britt-Marie, start Botnia Marin on Finland's Ostrobothnian coast.
  2. 1984The first Targa is launched.
  3. 1998The original Targa 37 is introduced.
  4. 2011A new 32 takes the place of the 31 in the lineup.
  5. 2024Boot Dusseldorf sees the 41 launched, and the long-lived 44 is retired.
  6. 2026The all-new Targa 37 premieres and Botnia Marin celebrates 50 years.

Frequently asked questions

Who builds Targa boats?

Botnia Marin, a Finnish family business founded in 1976, builds every Targa at its yards in Malax and Nykarleby.

Is the Botnia Targa related to the Fairline Targa?

No. The British yard Fairline once applied the Targa name to its own sport cruisers, which have nothing to do with the Finnish pilothouse boats.

Where can I buy a Targa in the US?

East Coast Yacht Sales handled the Targa 41's US debut in 2025, and used boats can also be imported from Scandinavia.

How fast is a Targa 32?

Quick for a pilothouse boat. On its standard twin Volvo diesels a Targa 32 runs at around 40 knots flat out, and our model page has the full speed data.

Official website: targa.fi. Yatch US is independent and not affiliated with Targa.