Fairline Targa 52 Used Buying Guide and Specifications

The Fairline Targa 52, flagship of the 2000s Targa range

When Fairline announced the Targa 52 in late 2001, it billed it as the longest of its open-cockpit, long-range sports cruisers and the new flagship of a Targa family that then started at 30 feet. The boat made its public debut at the London Boat Show in January 2002, priced from £394,000 including VAT, and YachtBuyer records production running from 2001 to 2009. That makes the Fairline Targa 52 one of the longest-lived big Targas, and plenty of them reached American owners through Fairline's US dealer network.

The formula was familiar but scaled up: a sleek profile, a large open cockpit under a GRP arch, a big sunpad aft and a garage for a jet tender, combined with something most sports cruisers of the time could not offer, a full three-cabin layout. Motor Boat and Yachting summed up the appeal in a 2010 used-boat review, asking why a growing family would bother with a 40-footer when a used Targa 52 cost the same.

Today the boat sits in a sweet spot for buyers who want a fast, good-looking 50-footer from a respected builder without paying for a newer pod-drive boat. The trade-off is age, and the oldest examples are now more than 20 years old.

Three real cabins in a sports-cruiser profile

Fairline made three cabins standard. The forward owner's cabin and a twin guest cabin are joined by a port-side cabin that buyers could order as a twin, a den or office with audio and video, or a utility room. MBY reported 6 feet 9 inches of headroom in the saloon and galley, reducing to 6 feet 6 inches in the accommodation. Interiors were offered in multi-lacquered cherry with eucalyptus, or honey maple with bird's-eye maple.

The lower saloon and galley form the social heart below, and PMY's tester admired the flawless cherry joinery and solid cabinet closures. He was less taken with the saloon strip lighting, which he thought a little too Las Vegas, and both he and the owners agreed that Fairline's standard TV position, low in the island between galley and saloon, was poorly planned. The owners also had the dealer replace the standard half-height refrigerator with a full-size unit, a common upgrade worth looking for.

MBY's one real complaint was that the boat can feel cramped downstairs, the price of fitting three cabins into a 14-foot beam with a sports-cruiser profile. Tall guests will notice it in the twin cabins.

Cockpit, canopy and the transom garage

On deck the 52 is built for sun. The cockpit includes a bar with a fridge, icemaker and electric griddle, and the roof can be converted to a sun canopy that stows against the GRP arch. The cockpit sole and bathing platform are teak-laid, the platform has a hot and cold shower, side decks are wide, and there are sunbathing areas both forward and aft.

The garage is the feature owners talk about. MBY described it lowering a jet RIB into the sea without davits, and PMY's test owners chose the boat partly because the garage takes a twin-engine waterjet tender close to 12 feet long. A Palm Beach owner interviewed by Yachting in 2017 carried an 11-foot RIB plus paddleboards aboard and added a hydraulic swim platform, a sensible upgrade on an older boat.

Engine choices, from 615 hp to 775 hp a side

Fairline offered four engine packages at launch. PMY lists twin 615 hp Volvo Penta D12 EDC diesels as standard, with 675 hp and 715 hp versions of the D12 and 660 hp Caterpillar 3196s as options, all on straight shafts. The yard expected the most powerful option to reach about 38 knots. Later boats moved to newer ratings: MBY's 2010 review boat had twin Volvo D12-800 EVC engines at 775 hp, and YachtBuyer's builder data lists Volvo D12-715 and Caterpillar C12 ACERT engines at 705 hp, with a top speed of 36 knots.

In MBY's hands the 775 hp boat pushed effortlessly to 37 knots and was barely working at 25 knots and 1,800 rpm, which the magazine said delivered close to 1 mile per (imperial) gallon. PMY's 715 hp test boat was quick enough for full-throttle figure-eight turns at about 40 mph, and the tester said that on plane she handled as nicely as any boat he had been on, with one-finger steering and decisive banking. The owner's wife, below in the saloon during those turns, did not notice them.

Fuel capacity is large for the class at 400 imperial gallons, which MBY lists as 1,820 liters and PMY as 480 US gallons. That tank is why Fairline marketed the 52 as a long-range sports cruiser.

• Early standard: 2 x 615 hp Volvo D12 EDC
• Early options: 2 x 675 or 715 hp Volvo D12, 2 x 660 hp Caterpillar 3196
• Later: 2 x 775 hp Volvo D12-800 EVC or 2 x 705 hp Caterpillar C12 ACERT
• Tested tops: about 37 knots (MBY, 775 hp); builder figure 36 knots for D12-715

An engine room a mechanic will thank you for

Big garages usually squeeze the engine room, so PMY's George Petrie went below expecting the worst. He found close to standing headroom at the forward end, thanks to a platform deck above the stringers that ends just aft of the engines, and hands-and-knees access to the auxiliaries on the port side and the steering gear aft. Small hatches reach the bilge pumps and valves.

The details were good too. The Mastervolt transformer and main panel sit beside the access ladder, the Onan generator is in a hush box on the centerline, and on the starboard engine Fairline relocated the filters to a manifold aft of the engine so they can be serviced from the centerline rather than from the narrow gap against the fuel tank. Standard equipment on the test boat included a 17 kW Onan, 37,000 Btu of CruiseAir reverse-cycle air conditioning, an 8 hp bow thruster and an autopilot.

The Targa 52 Gran Turismo hardtop

After Fairline's former management team bought the company in 2005, it added Gran Turismo versions of the Targa 47 and Targa 52, according to Yachting's 2006 Miami show preview. The GT added a hardtop over the cockpit with an opening section, which suits owners who want shade and weather protection without giving up the open-air character. A 2006 Targa 52 in Fairline's own pre-owned listings is described with a sliding GRP roof.

On the used market both versions are simply called Targa 52, so check photographs and the listing carefully. The hardtop boats tend to suit American conditions better, especially in Florida, and generally command a premium. The Targa 52 was succeeded in Fairline's range by the Targa 50 GT, built from 2010 to 2014, and later by the Targa 53.

Owning a Targa 52 more than 15 years on

These are now 17 to 25 year old boats, and condition matters far more than model year. The Volvo D12 is a well-proven engine with good parts support, but a boat approaching or past 2,000 hours may be due for injector work, heat exchanger service or a full overhaul, and the cost of that should be reflected in the price. Shaft drives are simpler and cheaper to maintain than pods, which is one of this model's quiet advantages.

Budget around $35,000 to $70,000 a year in the United States excluding depreciation, depending on slip, hours and how much deferred maintenance comes with the boat. Common refit items at this age are canvas and the cockpit canopy, teak decks, upholstery, air conditioning components, electronics, and the garage door hinges and rams.

Values have flattened rather than collapsed. A good boat that has been kept up still finds buyers because there is little else with three cabins, 37-knot speed and Fairline finish at this price.