wheelhouse, 30 knots feels more like a sedate 20 knots, such is the cosseting effect of the inside helm. In the wheelhouse, with the engines far behind you, noise levels were exceptionally low. The hull performed just as expected, with a soft ride while ploughing through the wake of the photo boat, and tight, grippy turns when thrown around, even at full speed. The deep vee hull that delivers this soft ride does also deliver quite a bit of spray over the front when bashing through, but that’s the beauty of this style of boat. The boat itself may be getting wet but you can stand or sit at the helm wearing nothing more than a T shirt and a big grin. The hull form also means that the boat leans more than expected in tight turns, but for me it is all the more fun for it. The forward facing three section windscreen, each with its own wiper, provides great visibility even when the spray is in full flow, and visibility aft is better than you might think, thanks to the aft wheelhouse window. The flybridge driving position is unusual, being so far aft, but you soon get used to it and find that the
The flybridge helm is simple, but has all of the important instrumentation repeated
upper helm is actually surprisingly good. One downside is that when seated on the flybridge, you find your visibility of the bow restricted by the wheelhouse roof. This is only really an issue when manoeuvring at close quarters, and is easily overcome by standing up. Conclusion The Targa 32, in this CFC layout, has taken the very good, but somewhat functional, 31 and turned it into a more luxurious and comfortable family boat. It has done
78
March 2016