Fairline Targa 29 Review and Used Buying Guide

The Fairline Targa 29 was the entry ticket to the Targa club

In April 1997 Fairline's own website listed the Targa range as 48, 39, 37, 34 and 29. The Fairline Targa 29 was the smallest of them, an open sports cruiser that let buyers into the Targa family without the cost of the 34. Motor Boat & Yachting tested it for its March 1998 issue and came away impressed: handling and accommodation both scored 9.9 out of 10 in the writer's informal marking.

By 2000 the Targa 30 had taken over the entry slot, so the 29 was a short-lived model. Fairline has never published a build count, and we could not confirm the exact first and last model years, so treat the boat as a mid-to-late 1990s design. The listings we checked in 2026 were 1997 and 1998 boats.

Today the Targa 29 is one of the cheapest ways to own a diesel Fairline with two cabins. That makes it a popular refit project in the UK, and an interesting import for American buyers who want a European-style weekender rather than a gas-powered domestic express.

How it ran in a Force 5 and a 30-inch chop

MBY's test boat had twin Volvo Penta KAD32 diesels, 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbo engines rated at 170 hp each, on Duoprop drives with A7 propellers. The day was gusty Force 5 with a steep 30-inch chop, and the testers felt the boat would have coped with far worse. They praised the spread of torque for easy handling and quick acceleration.

Top speed was 36 knots at 3,900 rpm. At 3,300 rpm the boat cruised at 30.5 knots, the best balance of pace and economy, with a quoted cruising range of 205 nautical miles allowing a 20 percent reserve. Drop to 2,500 rpm and 20 knots and the range stretched to about 271 miles.

Those numbers are still respectable for a 31-foot diesel cruiser. They also show why the KAD32 was a good match: the boat planes cleanly at low revs and does not need big-block gasoline engines to feel lively.

Below decks the designers excelled themselves

MBY's headline praise was for the interior. The layout was spacious and well planned, headroom was as good as on many bigger boats, and there was no evidence of cost-cutting just because this was the smallest Targa. Fairline's own review page quoted the line that the designers had really excelled themselves.

Listings describe two cabins and four berths: a double in the bow and a mid cabin tucked under the cockpit, with a saloon, compact galley and a single heads compartment with a shower between them. On a 10-foot 2-inch beam, that is a proper weekend boat for a couple with two children, or two couples who are good friends.

Expect varnished joinery, opening ports and a cockpit hood on a stainless frame typical of 1990s Fairlines. Interiors that have been kept dry age well; boats left under leaking canvas show it in the headlining and carpets first.

The deck was the one weak score

The same MBY test gave the deck only 6 out of 10. The layout itself was fine, the testers said, but the detailing was poor, as if a different design team had worked on the deck. If you buy one, assume you will be improving cleats, handholds and stowage details rather than finding them perfect.

Owner Andy Dore's refit, documented by MBY, shows the kind of deck jobs these boats now need. He re-bonded half of the teak on the bathing platform after previous owners had tried Sikaflex and other adhesives that left glue 8 mm thick, replaced perished window rubbers and fitted new cockpit upholstery. His advice for any old boat: get a good surveyor and go in with your eyes open.

What a full refit costs: one owner's numbers

Dore and a co-owner found a neglected 1998 Targa 29 on the Isle of Wight advertised at 65,000 pounds and bought it for 54,000 pounds. Over six weeks ashore at Bursledon he fitted a bow thruster, applied Coppercoat after sandblasting the hull, serviced engines and drives, replaced the throttle box and cables, upgraded to a Simrad plotter with AIS and added a Fusion stereo. The all-in figure came to about 75,000 pounds.

Two problems surfaced after relaunch: a jackshaft bearing failed and let water in, which killed a starter motor, and a Separ fuel pre-filter was drawing air. Both are typical of a sterndrive diesel boat of this age, and both are worth checking before purchase.

The lesson for US buyers is that the purchase price is only part of the cost. Budget at least 20 to 40 percent of the price again for catch-up work unless the seller can show recent invoices.

• Purchase: 54,000 pounds for a 1998 boat advertised at 65,000
• Major jobs: bow thruster, Coppercoat, engine and drive service, new throttles
• Cosmetic: cut and polish, decals, teak re-bonding, upholstery, carpets
• Total: about 75,000 pounds including electronics

The Targa 30 that followed

By 2000 Fairline was selling the Targa 30, and its published dimensions are almost identical to the 29's: 31 feet 2 inches overall against 31 feet, the same 10-foot 2-inch beam, the same 3-foot 2-inch draft and the same 92 imperial gallons (110 US gallons) of fuel. Fairline quoted a dry weight of about 4 tonnes.

The Targa 30 widened the engine menu. Fairline listed twin Volvo AD31 150 hp diesels for 30 to 32 knots, twin KAD32 170 hp diesels for 37 to 39 knots, a single 310 hp 7.4-liter gasoline engine for 30-plus knots, or twin 4.3-liter V6 gasoline engines for 33 to 36 knots. MBY later described the Targa 30 as Fairline's A-Class, a scaled-down version of the bigger Targas.

On the brokerage market the two are easy to confuse. Check the builder's plate and hull identification number rather than trusting the advert, and price a 30 slightly above a 29 of the same condition.

Owning a Targa 29 on this side of the Atlantic

Very few Targa 29s were sold new in the US, so most candidates will be imports from the UK or the Mediterranean. That means checking 240-volt shore power, metric fittings and Volvo parts supply before you commit. The KAD32 is a well-supported engine, and Volvo Duoprop drives are familiar to American mechanics.

Running costs are modest. Using MBY's figures, the boat burned about 13.2 US gallons per hour at its 30.5-knot cruise and about 6.6 gph at 20 knots. With a 110-gallon tank, plan fuel stops every 150 to 200 miles in real conditions. Annual costs of roughly $9,000 to $18,000 cover a 32-foot slip or rack, insurance, bellows and impeller service, antifouling and canvas care in most US regions.

Shipping an inexpensive boat across the Atlantic can add a large share of its value, so it often makes sense only if you find one already in North America or combine the trip with other cargo.