Motor Boat & Yachting — November 2017

Edited by

Nick Burnham

The key boating stories you need to read Email: [email protected]

LATESTNEWS

Fairline’s radical new 40-knot sportsboat

British yard reveals plans for a stunning new 33ft dayboat

Fairline stunned the boating world by

revealing plans at the Southampton

Boat Show for a radical new 33ft

sportsboat due out in early 2019.

The first in a new series of express

cruisers known internally as project

F-Line, it puts the emphasis back

on fast, stylish dayboating after

years of following the market’s move

towards larger more luxurious craft.

Although not intended as a direct

replacement for the hugely popular

Targa 33 and 34 of the 1980s and

’90s, it will be the first sub-40ft

model launched by any of the big

three British yards since the Fairline

Targa 38 of 2005.

Designed by Italian Alberto

Mancini, the first rendering shows

a sleek open boat with an aggressive

vertical bow and a reverse sheer

transom that folds down to create

an open terrace on the sea.

Further forward, an expansive

foredeck sunbathing area caps

a striking side profile intersected

by slender full-length hull windows

that sweep up into the sidescreens.

The cockpit is the heart of the

boat with a driver-focused helm

tucked behind the heavily raked

screen, an open-air dinette and

an outside galley supplemented

by a fridge-freezer below decks.

A relatively open layout makes the

most of the limited internal volume

with scissor-action berths either side

of a drop-down dining table. Further

aft, there is just enough headroom

for a separate cabin with a crawl-in

double berth under the cockpit.

A heads compartment with shower

completes the picture.

Power will come from a range of

single and twin petrol and diesel

sterndrive engines. Fairline is

currently quoting a conservative top

speed of 35-36 knots but given that

the first boat off the line will be fitted

with twin 400hp Volvo D6 engines, it

seems certain that 40 knots or more

is on the cards for the faster models.

There is even talk of a twin V8 petrol

model for performance enthusiasts

that may get close to 50 knots.

Fairline promises the finished

craft will feature ‘handcrafted

details and robust seakeeping,’

saying that the new boat ‘draws

on Fairline’s core DNA but with

a very modern twist.’

The news was met with joy by

Fairline owners, with over a dozen

orders already taken for the new

concept. With prices for a single-

engined boat likely to start at just

over £210,000 ex VAT, that’s no

mean feat.

UK marinas fl ourishing despite Brexit

The British market for marina berths and moorings continues to grow

The UK’s marinas and moorings

sector is upbeat following a fifth

consecutive year of growth, according

to a new report from British Marine.

The report represents the first

piece of in-depth research undertaken

on the UK’s marina and moorings

operations and highlights healthy

growth over the past five years.

The sector brought in a combined

revenue of £222m in 2016 (up 0.3%

on 2015), which supports nearly

3,000 full-time equivalent employees.

Coming just over a year after the

EU Referendum, the report shows

that the sector, like many others,

experienced a dip in business

optimism. But it rebounded quickly,

taking immediate advantage

of the depressed Sterling and

the subsequent increase in visits

from overseas sailors and tourists.

Berth occupancy is reported to be

at its highest levels since 2013, with

both inland and coastal marinas at

88% of capacity. Business confidence

across the sector is also high at

+58%, with British Marine members

reporting positive performance. This

is considerably higher than the +29%

reported across the whole UK marine

industry and is helped by the growth

of residential berths in inland marinas

and moorings, while coastal marinas

have invested in dry stack storage and

facilities for smaller boats.

However, this positive sentiment

is also tinged by concern. Marinas

continue to struggle to retain

customers with an ageing market

that find it increasingly difficult to

justify the rising costs associated with

marina berthing. In some quarters,

the low valuation of Sterling is a

particular concern since it threatens

a boat drain in the UK as European

buyers capitalise on beneficial

exchange rates, further threatening

marina occupancy in the UK.

6

Styling mixes core Fairline DNA with

supercar elements like the bulging

rear arches and fl icked-up boot lip

Marina berth occupancy is at

a healthy 88% of capacity