Targa 41 review: The offshore weapon you can take to the Med

Can a raft of fresh features take Targa’s all-new offshore cruiser to the top? Alex Smith gets behind the wheel to see how she performs

Very few boat-building blueprints are so woven into the fabric of maritime folklore as that of the original “4×4 of the Sea”. Targa has been a huge success over the years with its fleet of dry, soft-riding, four-season offshore pilothouse boats, so it makes plenty of sense that, while the rest of the industry frets and sweats over the latest trends, the freshest buzzwords and the most diverting reinventions of perfectly functional features, Targa marches serenely on with a subtly evolved Mark II of this and an even more subtly evolved Mark III of that. But while the new Targa 41 might look much the same as everything else in the fleet, a closer look reveals that the changes, at least by Targa standards, are actually quite significant…

The new stuff

As you look at the Targa 41 from the outside, a couple of key Targa firsts make themselves known. There are hull windows, rather than just compact portlights, and while their integration is subtle (almost to the point of imperceptible) they promise a major upgrade in terms of light and views down below.

The windows in the superstructure are also different in that, for the first time, what we have here are inset panels, bonded into the pilothouse structure without the need for the usual aluminium frames. Again, that promises uprated light and views from the saloon; and ease of movement has been uprated here too – firstly through the use of twin side gates in the cockpit (another first for Targa); and secondly, through the integration of much larger side doors in the forward part of the pilothouse.

It’s also worth noting that the engine access is nothing short of spectacular. Instead of a single deck hatch that hinges aft, we get two symmetrical hatches, that hinge forward, creating completely unobstructed access to every element of the engines, with such a generous arc of travel that you can stand bolt upright, even when you’re down in the engine bay. But the one thing that really differentiates this boat from other craft, both
in the fleet and in the broader sector, is the sheer flexibility of the external spaces.

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Now it’s no secret that boats of this kind, Targa included, have become known for some pretty one-dimensional outdoor layouts over the years. Think wide-open decks and simple bench seats that do nothing to cater for large gatherings and you’re pretty close.

Well it’s fair to say that the Targa 41 bucks that trend in a major way. At the aft end, for instance, there are two L-shaped seating sections, one on either side of the central boarding gate. These look forward to an additional bench along the pilothouse’s aft bulkhead that includes a cleverly integrated seat across the lower rung of the flybridge steps.

You can rig a large table between these three sections; you can install extra flip-down seats between the two L-shaped units to create an unbroken bench right across the aft end; and you can drop the table into the space to create a huge sunpad, while still getting easy movement between the side decks and boarding gates.

Things are less impressive at the bow, where the spatial requirements of the walkaround decks and the seamanship practicalities of the forepeak inevitably limit the day boating features to a simple raised island sunbed but there’s still space up here for four people to nestle beneath the optional sunshade. And up on the flybridge, compact though it is, the flexibility is again uncommonly well sorted.

You get a single helm seat to port and a C-shaped dinette to starboard, with a swing-over backrest at the forward bench so a couple of people can join the skipper up front. There’s also a table stowed beneath the seat plus the option of an infill to create a third sunbed, which is an extraordinary thing on a proper offshore pilothouse cruiser like this. Of course, the arrangement could still be improved if the fixed helm seat could rotate inboard to face the dinette, but even so, by the standards of the sector, the Targa 41 is the most gifted and versatile day boating platform around.

Upmarket internals

Step into the saloon and the starboard side is dominated by a fore-and-aft galley every bit as large as that on the flagship 46. Though tapered at its aft end for easy access through the pilothouse’s starboard door, it is deep, long and substantially elevated, providing plenty of storage and lots of fiddle-lined work surface.

In terms of features, there’s a two-ring gas hob, a large fridge and an integrated oven, as well as a satisfying slot for the chopping board that is precisely the right size and shape for the matching sink lid. And although most of the galley sits beneath the dipping deckhead of the flybridge, headroom is remarkably good too, with plenty of space, even for someone of 6ft 6in.

Across from the galley, the seats of the big starboard dinette are also subtly raised – this time to improve headroom in the mid cabin and to open up the views through those big frameless windows. Positioned between the aft stairwell for the mid cabin and the transverse co-pilot bench, it’s a huge space, and in a marked departure for Targa, there’s a TV on a teak plinth that lifts sheepishly from a cabinet at the dinette’s aft end.

The standard of finish is also very strong, particularly if natural teak is your favoured option for the cabinetry. It’s everywhere in here, either in the form of teak-faced ply or solid teak and it feels extremely premium. That said, while there are plenty of dedicated drawers and cabinets for glasses and crockery, the finishing here is a shade disappointing.

The sides and base of the drawers comprise sheets of ply that are connected by means of simple butt joints, glued and screwed in the time-honoured DIY fashion. It works well enough of course and the materials are very sound but this is the new flagship Targa, costing the best part of £1m. It’s a boat every bit as steeped in worldwide renown as it is in natural teak, so we would like to see a slightly more polished solution to this element of the boat than that.

Even so, as you move forward, the premium feel quickly resumes. With its easy adjustability, high-end suspension seat and outstanding dash layout, the helm is an object lesson in ergonomic purity. Across from that, the co-pilot’s bench is passive but well-specced, with a chart storage slot, a set of raised dials and a collection of storage compartments neatly concealed beneath the dashtop. In truth, the raised hinges of the dashtop hatches mean this is an imperfect place for chartwork but comfort, visibility and ease of movement are all first-class.

Uprated accommodation

The bow cabin is earmarked as the owner’s retreat and, with its teak bulkheads and pale fabric linings, it certainly feels very classy. In addition to a raised bed that makes the most of the breadth, you get lots of storage options plus a very well-sized ensuite bathroom with separate shower. But the real high point down here is to be found in the mid cabin. Accessed by means of its own private staircase, it encompasses the full beam in traditional Targa fashion and is broadly divided in two.

There’s a double berth beneath the elevated deckhead of the saloon dinette to port and a smaller 1.5-man bed beneath the more restricted deckhead of the saloon companionway and starboard galley. But rather than being split by a long central fore-and-aft bulkhead, as you tend to see on boats like this, the 41 uses a much more open-plan affair with a simple curtain that you can draw across for extra privacy.

If the sheer space on offer is impressive, the light and views are also far better back here than they are in the bow – and that leads us to suggest that if you owned this boat, you might actually favour this place as your sleeping quarters. It’s only the heads compartment that might lead you to change your mind. Positioned on the port side, halfway up the staircase, it’s much more compact and compromised than the forward compartment, with a wetroom set-up rather than a separate shower. But if you’re not one for a lavish morning routine, this could still be the cabin to pick.

Spectacular sea boat

It takes all of 20 seconds to recognise that the Targa 41 is nigh-on perfect at sea. Aside from a misplaced compass, the helm set-up is superb. Visibility is also very good and sound readings in the low 70s are very acceptable on a long cruise.

When you switch off the auto settings, it’s a supremely easy boat to trim, finesse and manipulate; and with that combination of the soft, swell-cleaving stem, the prodigious bow flare and the thick, undercut rubbing strake, the dryness here is truly extraordinary – so much so that we have a good go at provoking it into some misbehaviour. But even when we run with the nose dipped and the skipper’s door open, directly across the swells in a sturdy beam wind, absolutely no water makes its way inboard.

In fact, the spray is flung wide with such aggression that even the aft cockpit remains splash-free. We’ve been on a great many dedicated offshore boats with proven pedigree but this is undoubtedly one of the driest rides we’ve ever experienced.

That in itself is a lovely trait but the real beauty of this new Targa 41 is that it brings two such contrasting personalities to the table. When you want to take it easy, either in rough seas or on a long passage, it feels like a very big and substantial boat that will run flat, soft, quiet and dry, and take excellent care of you and your guests. But when you want to play, it will heel and carve, leap and charge with all the vim and enthusiasm of a much smaller, nippier, less statesmanlike sportsboat – and that really is a rare and special thing.

Targa 41 specifications

LOA: 45ft 3in (13.82m)
BEAM: 13ft 1in (4.0m)
DRAFT: 3ft 6in (1.10m)
DISPLACEMENT: 10,000kg (light)
FUEL CAPACITY: 1,500 litres
WATER CAPACITY: 350 litres
ENGINES: Twin Volvo Penta D6 440s
RCD: B10
PRICE: From: £658,310 ex VAT

Targa 41 costs & options

Test boat includes the following options…
BlackLine styling pack: £4,590
Grey hull colour: £5,490
Additional cockpit seating: £2,780
Cockpit bikini and poles: £1,780
Lumishore underwater lights: £1,320
Sidepower SX100 stern thruster: £6,950
Lewmar electric anchor winch package: £6,210

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