The table folds into a neat storage void in the bow


It’s not crab sandwiches but it’ll have to do


Plenty of deep bench lockers in the bow area


There is an excellent selection of engine options, including a single


D6 330, 370 or 400, the latter proving very popular with customers so far. I can see why – it will still crack 35 knots but save the weight of an engine, the drag of a sterndrive leg and cut servicing costs in half. Twin installations include a pair of Volvo’s D4 225s, 260s or the highest horsepower option available in the twin 300s that our test boat had. If you want your 30.1 to be a true 40-knot boat then these are the engines to have. But there is more to it than outright pace because the 600hp option provides such a wide band of possible cruising speeds. At 20 knots, the 30.1 is doing 2.2mpg and has a range just shy of 250 miles but it’s also perfectly comfortable cruising – yes, cruising – at 38 knots with these engines. We can’t quite manage that today as Christchurch Ledge is in an irritable mood and the


The upper helm allows you to escape the confi nes of the wheelhouse


amount of spray defl ecting off the boat’s fl ared bow is increasing by the minute. I glance over at the 32 with Lester snapping away and dodging spray on the aft deck. They’re not beautiful boats by any stretch of the imagination but there is something about the way a Targa travels across a rough sea that gives you a tingle.


BREAKING HER IN The lee of the Isle of Wight begins to fl atten off the chop and both Targas blast in step past Hurst Castle at 35 knots. It’s an incredibly easy and comfortable boat to drive, the 30.1, with enough adjustment at the helm to suit even the most oddly shaped skipper. Not only does the wheel tilt, but the entire dash section that holds it and the throttles can be locked in three different positions depending on whether you are standing or seated. The seat slides and the simple, clean helm is as sensibly laid out and easy to use as you could wish for. The dash itself is pretty narrow but Botnia has countered this by leaving enough space above the windscreen to fi t extra screens and dials. The metal T-shaped handle jutting down from the roof lining to control the wheelhouse-mounted spotlight serves as a decent indicator as to the practical, fail-safe nature of the Targa range. We pull into Yarmouth harbour with salt-battered windscreens and


smiles across our faces. It’s the little things on these boats – I haven’t had to use the wipers and smear salt across the screen once because the inward incline of the windscreen means that water just runs off. Yarmouth’s harbourmaster zips over on a launch and designates


Coming alongside in Yarmouth; the side door is very useful


a side-to berth sandwiched between two boats. Potentially tricky but with benign conditions inside the harbour and such a manoeuvrable boat, it’s quite simple. The Targa is a joy to berth thanks to a combination of a potent bow thruster as standard, quick, light steering that swings the legs from lock to lock in a fl ash and an excellent view with the option to stick your head out of the side door to check proximity to the pontoon. We raft the Targas together and wander into Yarmouth in the bright


afternoon sun in search of the promised crab sandwich. No crab at the inn, sadly, so we grabbed what was left and headed back to the boats.


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