OPEN BOAT

The rise in popularity of the hardtop sportscruiser is not difficult to understand.

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Boats like the latest Princess V40 and the Fairline Targa 40 offer sporty, low-profile style and they put all of the day space on one level, while providing plenty of shelter and a roof that closes at the touch of a button. But there's no getting away from the fact that, no matter how big the roof opening, it still feels more like a car with a sunroof than a proper convertible. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that the side windows are always fixed (albeit sometimes with a small opening section). And there's another problem. How do you rig a bimini for some shade at the helm? Your only option on a hot day is to slide the roof shut, rather defeating the point. So in spite of all the effort involved in wrestling with the canopy at a sunny anchorage, nothing beats a true open boat. Something, perhaps, like one of these...

FAIRLINE TARGA 34

BUILT: 2002
PRICE : £117, 995

The Fairline Targa 34 falls very firmly into the “why doesn't anyone build boats like this anymore?” category. High quality with good seakeeping and an excellent layout, there is a very good reason why more than 300 of these were sold between its launch in 1997 and its demise a decade later.