Targa Yachts for Sale

These are Finnish boats, built by Botnia Marin at Malax on the Gulf of Bothnia. Johan and Britt-Marie Carpelan started the yard in 1976, began production in 1977 with sailboats and a mini barge, and bought the Targa name and the rights to the Targa 25 in 1984. Everything since has been a development of the same idea: a heavily bulwarked deep vee hull, a rectangular wheelhouse amidships, flat walkaround decks and enough structure to be run hard in poor water all year. Their son Robert Carpelan has been chief executive since joining in 2005, the yard also owns the former Sunwind facility at Nykarleby, and each boat is specified individually rather than pulled off a model year list.

Two warnings before you shop. First, Fairline also calls a whole line of sport cruisers Targa, so a search on the word returns two completely unrelated builders: the Finnish boats are pilothouse cruisers with a walkaround deck, the Fairlines are British sports cruisers. Second, this is a European boat with a very thin American footprint. The dealer network here is small, spares come from Finland, and an unmodified boat is wired for 230 volts at 50 hertz with European shore power fittings, so check whether the one you are looking at was specified for the United States or converted after import, and get the duty and import paperwork in writing before you make an offer. Set against that, a used Targa is one of the better built production boats you can buy: near cult resale values in Scandinavia and Britain, an owner base that actually uses them in winter, and hulls that come up well after twenty years. Survey the engine installation and the stern drive or pod, not the gelcoat.