Nick Burnham picks 4 of the best open and soft top motorboats on the market now. The rise of the hardtop has been quick, but there's still open top models that are worth a buy
The rise in popularity of the hardtop sportscruiser is not difficult to understand. 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.
A central lounge, with galley, heads and dinette, helps divide the two cabins
Interior
When Fairline launched the Targa 34, it had vee berths in the forward cabin and a mid cabin aft, with space for two transverse beds beneath the cockpit. Between them was the saloon, with a dinette to port, a galley to starboard and the heads ahead of that.
This proved a sticking point, as customers wanted a proper double bed forward. Two years later, Fairline relented and an offset double berth appeared in the bow. But it wasn’t as easy as simply changing the cabin layout.
The entire forward bulkhead had to be moved aft to accommodate it, resulting in the galley and heads changing places. Unofficially dubbed the Mk2, that’s the boat you see here, and it also has the rarer light wood rather than the darker, more common cherry.
Exterior
Sitting a little lower than more recent, more voluminous offerings, the Targa 34 is a sleek and well proportioned boat. The layout is very much a cockpit-orientated affair with two zones: a lower seating zone aft with a sociable dinette; and a raised driving zone forward with a single helm to starboard and an L-shaped seat alongside that for your crew.
The two-part cockpit provides sociable benches aft and companion seating forwards
Performance
Petrol engines were an option but, like Mercruiser diesels, they are rare. The vast majority got twin KAD 40 series motors. KAD 42/43s went in initially at 230hp, then KAD 44s at 260hp. This boat has the KAD 44 engines which should deliver speeds in the mid 30s.
Seakeeping
Agile yet planted, this is a great hull that punches well above its weight.
Fairline Targa 34 specifications
Length: 34ft 6in (10.5m)
Beam: 11ft 0in (3.4m)
Draft: 3ft 0in (0.9m)
Displacement: 6.4 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 570 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta KAD 44 EDC 260hp diesel engines
For Sale: Parker Adams Boat Sales
Riva Rivamare
Built: 2018
Price: €575,000
A little like coupé and convertible cars, we accept that open boats are less practical than bigger, bulkier, more sheltered craft but we’ll take that trade-off for the looks and style. And if you want to push that trade to the max then you want this Riva. From the metallic grey finish to the teak-topped foredeck, this is one of the loveliest boats afloat.
You’re never likely to sleep in it but the quality is such that you might just be tempted
Interior
Inside is where you pay the price for those looks Despite its 39ft length, you can only sleep two by converting the vee-shaped dinette using a sliding infill. But frankly, who cares.
There’s a neat little galley with a heads opposite, and more than 6ft of headroom at the aft end of the cabin. And given that this Italian thoroughbred is designed as a dayboat, this beautifully finished cabin is more than acceptable for the odd weekend away.
Exterior
Outside is where this boat really excels. There’s not so much as a radar arch to spoil your tan and the style is preserved by means of lovely details like the gorgeous stainless steel frame around the windscreen.
The cockpit is laid out very simply: a double helm to port flanked by a single seat to starboard and a big U-shaped dinette behind them. A sunpad stretches back to the stern with a removable centre section that grants easy access to the steps built into the transom. And rather cleverly the whole transom panel is able to rotate from the base, creating an extended bathing platform at rest.
The U-shaped dinette backs onto a simple raised sunbed that extends to the transom
Performance
The Rivamare was the first twin-engined Riva without shaftdrives. The Volvo Penta D6 400 engines use sterndrives instead, achieving almost 37 knots during testing on a heavily loaded boat, but the factory felt there was more to come.
Seakeeping
MBY man, Alan Harper, found that it “came through its trials with flying colours. A slight swell overlaid by a lively 2ft chop was despatched with barely a second thought, and the whole experience of driving this craft in these attractive waters was enhanced by its being that rare creature, a true open sportscruiser.”
Riva Rivamare specifications
Length: 38ft 11in (11.9m)
Beam: 11ft 5in (3.5m)
Draft: 3ft 9in (1.2m)
Displacement: 9 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 1,000 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D6 400hp diesel engines
For sale: Ancasta
Agapi 950
Built: 2019
Price: £85,000
In 2005 Pedar Asplund was living in Sweden and working for Ericsson. He had four boats in the family, ranging from a 36ft flybridge to a 9m RIB.
What he noticed was that the family gravitated toward the RIB, as it was the most user-friendly and fun, but they still wanted the protection and features of a larger boat when the weather took a turn for the worse. He couldn’t find what he was looking for so, having sketched a concept onto a napkin, he set about building it.
This is the kind of dinette you would more commonly expect of a sportscruiser’s cockpit
Interior
In 2010, the Agapi 950 was born and it was quite a different boat to the usual RIB of this size, particularly on the inside. There’s almost standing headroom and comfy sleeping for three or even four at a squeeze. A proper separate heads compartment with electric-flush toilet and a holding tank makes the boat far more useable than the more common loo under a seat – especially at night.
Exterior
The high-sided forward sections of the cockpit make this feel like a boat that you sit in, rather than on. In fact, with clear canopy sections linking the high windscreen to the hardtop, you’ve basically got a wheelhouse. The double helm hides a small galley unit beneath it, complete with fridge, sink and stove; and further aft, the U-shaped dinette is far more generous than most RIBs.
With twin 300s on the transom, this is an easy cruiser and an engaging 50-knot plaything
Performance
With the tubes deflated, it’s just about possible to tow this boat behind a substantial 4×4. The first one imported into the UK arrived here from the Polish manufacturing plant, having been towed 1,200 miles behind a Toyota Hilux.
But out on the water is where this boat really shines, especially with the twin 300hp outboards fitted to this model. Thirty knots is a 3,500rpm canter with another 2,000rpm and almost 20 knots still to go.
Seakeeping
Despite all that performance, when we tested an Agapi with these engines, one of the most impressive aspects was its ability to plane at very low speed. Even at 12 knots, it was still on the plane and that gives you a really broad speed range to work with.
Agapi 950 specifications
Length: 32ft 10in (10m)
Beam: 10ft 10in (3.1m)
Draft: 4ft 0in (1.2m)
Displacement: 3 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 480 litres
Engines: Twin Yamaha 300hp outboard engines
For sale: Ancasta
Windy Camira 39
Built: 2014
Price: £275,000
Windy’s Maestro 40, a hard topped family sportscruiser, was already in production when the Camira 39 was conceived and that allowed the designers to focus entirely on creating a proper open-topped sportsboat.
Launched at the Düsseldorf show in 2014, Windy (concept and build), Hans Jorgen Johnson (hull), Dubois Studio (exterior design) and Design Unlimited (interior design) all collaborated to create what has become a near-iconic open boat.
This is a tapered sportsboat with a flat foredeck so the cabins are solely for sleeping
Interior
The clearest indication of that design focus is below the long sleek foredeck, where you won’t find any proper seating at all. However, this is a 40ft boat, so there is still plenty of space for two decent double cabins, a serviceable heads with separate shower and a small overflow galley unit, comprising a fridge and microwave.
Exterior
Once again, it’s the outside spaces that really define this boat. The huge open cockpit sports a large sunpad aft, with a small tender garage underneath and walkways on either side. Two small curved sofas face the aft bench seat around a table and slide together, enabling you to rig it for maximum access or a more intimate dining area.
Most of the catering is up here too, thanks to a wet bar with a hob, fridge and sink, split on either side behind the triple helm seats. In classic Windy style, the canopy system stows away beneath the aft seat and lifts into position with gas struts.
The split wet bar and sliding benches keep the big cockpit wide open
Performance
Given the performance ethos of this boat, it’s hardly surprising that not one single owner opted for the smaller twin D6-370 option. The more potent D6 400 motors fitted to this boat deliver a 40-knot top end and a relaxed 33-knot cruise.
Seakeeping
The deep-vee hull (24 degrees even at the transom) gives great seakeeping and agile sports boat handling. After a day testing a Camira on the Solent, I described the feeling as that of “a happy dog with its head out of the car window” – and that’s exactly the euphoric sensation a fast open boat should give you.
Windy Camira 39 specifications
Length: 39ft 4in (11.9m)
Beam: 12ft 0in (3.7m)
Draft: 3ft 3in (1.0m)
Displacement: 7 tonnes
Fuel capacity: 810 litres
Engines: Twin Volvo Penta D6 400 400hp diesel engines
For sale: Berthon International
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