The Botnia Targa 30 has a touch of the eccentric inventor about it. It's quirky, full of interesting and unusual ideas, and is slightly strange to look at.
The Botnia Targa 30 has a touch of the eccentric inventor about it. It’s quirky, full of interesting and unusual ideas, and is slightly strange to look at. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste, because this particular inventor has not allowed fashion to dictate his reasoning. Consequently, many of the solutions that have been found are often the sensible and practical outcome of form following function. The most obvious example of this is the boat’s fundamental concept, which abandons the traditional aft cockpit, forward accommodation layout in favour of the large centralised wheelhouse.
This results in a boat that can be used effectively in all sorts of weather. We may all manage to leave when it’s sunny but we can’t always choose conditions for our return. Of course, zoomy, aft-cockpit sportsboats have their folding canopies, but they can’t hope to compete with the warmth, convenience and visibility that the Targa’s wheelhouse provides.
The decor is fairly utilitarian by today’s standards, although overall the fit and finish was OK and the teak joinery will probably last forever. The constant polishing and scratch renovation that will plague its ubiquitous high gloss counterparts can thankfully be avoided. However, there were areas that required more attention to the final finishing. Botnia’s Targa costs 10% more than the Cranchi Endurance 39 (see p50) when fitted with the same KAD44 engines. I felt that for that outlay, the finish should at least be more consistent.
With 30 to 45 knots available, and a generous 400-plus-mile Range (for our 35-knot boat), the Targa is capable of cruising far afield quite rapidly. I thought the handling was extremely impressive in the rough conditions we encountered, which bodes well for longer trips when it’s not possible to predict the conditions ahead.
If extended cruising is on the agenda, the internal layout will lend itself well to coping with two adults and two children, storage limitations aside. This dovetails rather well with the Targa’s very impressive levels of safety: the deep, all-round bulwarks and handrails; and the protection and superb visibility from the wheelhouse. Of course, safety is also important to adults, but this is one of few high-Speed powerboats in which I would be happy to take children out.
DIMENSIONS
LOA 31ft 7in 9.63m
Hull Length 29ft 8in 9.05m
Beam 10ft 4in 3.15m
Draught 2ft 10in 0.85m
Air draught 10ft 1in 3.07m
Displacement 4.0 tonnes (light) 4.6 tonnes (loaded)
Fuel capacity 125 imp gal 570 litres
Water capacity 22 imp gal 100 litres
Engines Twin Volvo Penta KAD32 DP
170hp @ 3,800rpm
4cyl 2.4lt turbo diesels
Duoprop outdrive legs, A7 props
RPM Speed Trim GPH MPG Range
800 4.2 0.0o n/a n/a n/a
2,000 12.4 5.0o 3.4 3.68 368
2,500 20.5 3.0o 5.2 3.91 391
3,000 26.0 3.0o 8.8 2.95 295
3,500 32.5 3.0o 20.2 12.3 263
3,800 35.3 3.0o 16.2 2.18 218
Range allows for 20% reserve
50% fuel, 50% water, 2 crew
Sea state: 5ft (1.5m) swell
Wind strength: Force 3-4
Performance
Maximum Speed 35.3 knots
Maximum Range 218 miles at 3,800rpm
Cruising Speed 26.0 knots
Cruising Range 295 miles at 3,000rpm
Price from Price as tested
£99,950 ex TAX £108,515 ex TAX
Designer
Botnia Marin
Builder
Botnia Marin, PO Box 9,
Fin-66101 Malax, Finland.
Tel: +358 63651 555.
Fax: +358 63651 551.
Supplier
Wessex Marine, Salterns Marina, Lilliput, Poole. Dorset BH14 8JR. Tel: +44 (0)1202 700702. Fax: +44 (0)1202 706677.
Sound levels dB(A) Saloon Cockpit Cabin
Cruising @ 26.0 knots 79 82 83 79 82 83
Maximum @ 35.3 knots 83 85 86 83 85 86
