Fairline hasn't messed about too much with the outgoing Targa 50 Open for this Limited Edition version, so the basic appeal remains much the same: a low profile, big open cockpit, huge sliding roof and a tender garage under the aft sunpad.
What has changed is the detail, and on Edition #2 that starts with a pale grey hull, an anthracite hardtop and mast, pale grey deck caulking and new upholstery. It looks very smart.
Fairline Targa 50 Edition
- LOA 15.64m
- Model Year 2026
- Cabins 2
- Max Speed 34 knots
- Status In Production
- Yacht Type Sportsboat
- Use Type Weekending
Video Tour
Fairline Targa 50 Edition At A Glance
Why you'll love it
- Low, sleek sportscruiser profile
- Huge opening roof and cockpit
- Big D8 IPS700s give mid-30-knot pace
Things to know
- High specification brings more systems to maintain
- Headroom drops beneath part of the owner's cabin
On Deck
There are two other versions of this 50ft platform. The Targa 50 GT puts an enclosed saloon on the main deck, while the Squadron 50 adds a flybridge. This one is the sportscruiser of the family, and Fairline has kept it that way rather than chasing more interior volume by pushing the whole boat upwards.
That does bring a compromise or two, as you'll see in the owner's cabin, but it also keeps the boat low and makes the side decks easier to work from.
At the stern, the hydraulic bathing platform gives you a few choices. It will take a Williams TurboJet 325, while a Williams TurboJet 285 can fit in the garage. You wouldn't necessarily want to carry both, of course, but you could put the larger tender on the platform and a jet ski in the garage, or keep the smaller tender tucked away and use the platform for something else. Entirely your choice, and that is rather the point.
Most of the working bits are sensibly grouped here too. Controls for the passerelle, platform and garage are together, with a deck wash and shower alongside, and a small door closes the lot off when you're finished. From there you step straight into the cockpit, which is very much the heart of this version of the Targa 50.
The clever bit is the cockpit table. By folding the top, lifting the backrest, taking out a cushion, the whole arrangement slides back out of the way. It sounds more involved than it is - it can be mostly be managed with one hand - and once it's gone you get a useful amount of clear floor rather than a large folded table left somewhere in the cockpit. It's a very nice idea. Opposite is a proper wet bar with a sink, barbecue, ice maker and fridge, plus a draining locker and bin, so there is little reason to keep nipping below if everyone is outside for the day. Fairline has even put air-conditioning into the cockpit, rather than stopping at the accommodation below. With the roof and aft enclosure shut, that makes a fair bit of sense.
The helm is one of the more substantial changes on the Edition. The old console has gone, replaced by a much cleaner glass-bridge arrangement with a pair of Garmin screens. On the Edition #2, one carried the chart while the other shows the reversing camera, which sits in the trailing edge of the hardtop and gives a very useful view straight down onto the bathing platform. Engine information, media and the other usual functions can be put where you want them. There is red backlighting as well, which is quite funky, although you can turn it off if that's not your thing!
Above all this is an absolutely huge powered roof. One nice detail is the headlining, which stays flat as the roof slides back rather than gathering itself into an untidy bundle. With the roof fully open there is an enormous hole above the cockpit, and a drop-down section beneath the helm gives enough height to stand properly at the wheel and look straight out across it.
That also helps explain why this arrangement suits the Targa rather well. Its sister, the Squadron 50, has a flybridge above this area. Here there is nothing over your head once the roof is back, so the lower helm feels much more like the driving position of an open sportscruiser. Stand up, put your head into the opening and the view is excellent.
By happy chance there was a Targa 47 alongside, and the difference in deck height was obvious. On the 50 the side decks sit much closer to pontoon level, which sounds a fairly minor point until you're alongside with a rope in your hand as all the cleats and lines are simply much more easy to get at.
More importantly, it keeps the profile low. There is a temptation now to keep pushing cockpits upwards in the hunt for more room beneath them, with the inevitable result that some sportscruisers end up looking rather tall and blocky. Fairline hasn't done that here. There is a price to pay below decks, however. This still looks like a sportscruiser.
The run forward is straightforward, with side-deck access on both sides and a large sunpad on the bow above the forward cabin.
Interior Accommodation
The changes below are much the same story as those outside. Fairline hasn't torn the interior apart, but it has given it a useful lift. There is less wood than before, more grey and some rather nice Fairline fluted timber, which replaces the large mirrored panel that used to run down one side of the saloon.
The lower saloon is still a useful space rather than somewhere you simply pass through on the way to the cabins. The table adjusts for height, slides fore and aft and opens out for dining, while the seating can make a daybed. The television looks slightly oddly placed at first, but it swings round to face the seating properly, and there is stemware tucked beneath the small worktop opposite.
The galley has had the same treatment, with more grey and less timber. It is all electric, with a combination oven, hob and dishwasher, plus a properly sized fridge and freezer rather than the token cold storage you sometimes find on boats of this size. Fairline has also found proper homes for the crockery, glasses and cutlery, which sounds obvious until you spend time on boats where nobody seems to have thought about where any of it is meant to go.
Most of the boat's domestic controls are grouped here as well. Battery and engine power switches, generator and air-conditioning controls sit close to the fresh and waste-water gauges, while the circuit breakers hide behind a push-panel nearby. There is a washing machine farther aft, wine storage and some useful space beneath the floor. Even the hanging locker gets a light and a gas strut on the door. Small stuff, admittedly, but these are the details you tend to notice once you start using a boat rather than just walking through it.
Owner's Cabin
The owner's cabin is full beam beneath the cockpit and initially gives very good headroom. Step down into it and you can stand comfortably across most of the space, although the deckhead does drop where the cockpit floor passes overhead - taller people will notice it.
Fairline has done it to keep the deck low above, and it is not enough to spoil what is otherwise a very good cabin. The large hull window brings in plenty of light, there is an opening portlight as well, and a run of drawers gives useful storage without crowding the room. A wardrobe sits behind another panel, with the AV equipment, lighting and air-conditioning controls all close to hand.
The ensuite is nicely separated, with a good-sized shower and the loo tucked beneath a lift-up section. Fairline still fits those lovely sculpted door handles too, one of those slightly unnecessary details that nonetheless makes the place feel a bit special.
There is plenty of daylight elsewhere in the accommodation as well, helped by the skylights overhead, all with blinds when you want to shut the world out. Overall, it feels very Fairline - solid, neatly finished and comfortable, but with the newer greys and timber details taking some of the weight out of the older interior.
Forward Cabin
The guest cabin in the bow is more flexible than a fixed double. The two single berths can move together to make a double, which is a far better arrangement if the boat has to cope with children one weekend and another couple the next.
The Edition changes continue here with less wood, more grey, fluted timber, a new headboard and new reading lights. An overhead hatch brings in daylight and fresh air, while the television sits on the bulkhead. There is an illuminated hanging locker too, so guests are not expected to live out of a bag.
The forward heads serves two jobs. It opens directly from the cabin at night but also works as the day head from the passage, so guests keep their privacy without tying up a separate bathroom. There is a proper shower, the sink sits behind the door and the loo disappears beneath another lift-up cover when it isn't needed.
Performance & Engine Room
The interesting bit here is the engine choice. This boat has a pair of Volvo Penta D8 IPS700s, and they are big motors for a 50ft sportscruiser. More often at this size you find the D6-based IPS600s or IPS650s, so Fairline has gone quite a long way up the Volvo range rather than settling for merely adequate power.
It suits the boat. The D8s push the Targa into the mid-30-knot bracket, which is where a sportscruiser like this ought to be in my view, with 25 knots making a very comfortable cruising speed. Range at that sort of pace is about 250 miles, which is fairly typical for a boat of this type. There is enough performance in reserve that you are not spending the whole time with the throttles pushed against the stops simply to make decent progress.
Getting at the engines is a two-stage affair. For a quick look there is a separate hatch in the cockpit with steps down into the machinery space, which is fine if all you want to do is make sure nothing is leaking, loose or generally looking unhappy. It was full of canopies and boat-show paraphernalia when we saw it, so it looked rather more cluttered than it normally would.
For anything more serious, the tender garage lifts and then a large powered section of floor comes up as well. That opens the space properly from above and gives much better access to the engines for servicing and checks such as the dipsticks. It takes another button press or two to get there, but once everything is open the access is very good.
That feels about right for this boat. The quick-check route is there when you just want a glance around before setting off, while the proper access is available when somebody actually needs to get their hands on the machinery. And with those big D8s underneath, the performance has enough bite to match the way the Targa 50 looks.
Ownership Considerations
This is a very highly specified Targa 50, and that is worth remembering when other Editions start to appear on the used market. The badge may be the same, but the equipment need not be, so I would look closely at the actual specification rather than assume one Edition is much like another.
There is plenty here to make life easy, but plenty to maintain as well. On a used example, I would want to see a good history for the engines, IPS drives, generator and powered deck equipment, and I would want to operate the lot rather than simply admire a tidy interior. A fresh set of cushions is cheap compared with neglected machinery.
The cruising brief is straightforward. Four berths, decent domestic kit, a comfortable 25-knot cruise and about 250 miles of range at that pace make it a very usable boat for a couple, with another couple or family aboard when required. The harder decision is whether the Edition updates and specification justify the extra money over an older Targa 50 Open. That will come down to the individual boat far more than the rarity of the badge.
To find out more about the Fairline Targa 50 Edition , or indeed the rest of the fleet, take a look at all Fairline Yachts for sale. Alternatively, view all yachts for sale for other options.
Pricing
Price as reviewed: £1,300,000
As of September 2026 the Targa 50 Edition is priced at £1.3million excluding VAT, and it is very much a loaded example rather than a base boat - having full Mediterranean specification and all options fitted.
That puts quite a bit of daylight between the Edition and late examples of the regular Targa 50 Open. YachtBuyer MarketWatch currently has 2024 and 2025 Opens advertised at around £800,000 excluding VAT, although those are older stock or pre-owned boats rather than a direct new-for-new comparison.
The Edition therefore needs to make its case on specification as well as rarity - the bigger D8 engines, new helm, revised trim and the long options list all matter when you look at that asking price.
As ever, asking prices move, particularly once these boats reach the used market, so check current Targa 50 Open prices in YachtBuyer MarketWatch for the latest boats for sale and asking-price data rather than relying on a figure fixed at the time of this review.
Rivals to Consider
The Maritimo S50 Sedan is the more cruising-led alternative. At 15.69m (51ft 6in) it is almost identical in length to the Fairline, but a much broader 5.22m (17ft 2in) beam and 3,500-litre fuel capacity give it a very different brief. There is a proper enclosed saloon, two cabins and shaft-drive Volvo Penta D13s rather than IPS, so this is the one to look at if range, interior volume and a more traditional cruising set-up matter more than the Targa's open-air feel.
The Princess V50 Open is the closest match in spirit. It is 16.02m (52ft 7in), has two cabins for four guests, a tender garage and a 32-knot top speed, so it goes after much the same buyer. The difference is in the detail rather than the basic idea, which makes it a particularly useful comparison if you are deciding between two British open sportscruisers of almost exactly the same size.
The Pardo GT52 takes a rather different route. At 16.58m (54ft 5in) it is slightly longer and, at 4.96m (16ft 3in) across, much beamier than the Fairline, with a wheelhouse layout, two cabins and a 25-knot cruise. It also carries 2,000 litres of fuel and has a quoted 300nm range at that speed. If the Targa is the more traditional sportscruiser, the Pardo is the broader, more contemporary crossover alternative.
Considering a new yacht? Explore Fairline's entire current range to find the model that best suits your needs, and compare it with alternatives from competitors to ensure you make the perfect choice.
Specifications
- Builder Fairline
- Range Targa
- Model Targa 50 Edition
- Length Overall 15.64m
- Beam 4.32m
- Draft 1.15m
- Hull GRP
- Cabins 2
- Berths 2
- Yacht Type (Primary) Sportsboat
- Use Type (Primary) Weekending
- Cruising Speed
- Max Speed
- Fuel Capacity 1,309 Litres
- Fresh Water Capacity 482 Litres
- Engine Model 2x Volvo Penta D8-IPS700
Tenders
The following tenders are compatible with the Fairline Targa 50 Edition
- Williams TurboJet 325 Builder: Williams Jet Tenders Length: 3.3m Speed: 42 Knots
- Williams TurboJet 285 Builder: Williams Jet Tenders Length: 2.9m Speed: 40 Knots
Fairline Targa 50 Edition Layout
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Main Deck
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Lower Deck
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