Botnia Targa 44, MINERVA

Broker’s Comments

This gleaming Aft Door version of the sensational Botnia Targa 44 boasts an impressively full specification, including the CFC (Comfort Fore Cabin) with a double berth and en-suite, a gorgeous full teak deck, Joystick Docking at three stations, many further upgrades, and a comprehensive Raymarine/FLIR navigational suite. The build quality is simply stunning – and Botnia truly knows how to build a boat; just open the interior cubby lockers (all with automatic light switching) to see the level of finish these Finnish boatbuilders can achieve. MINERVA has been lightly and diligently used and has obviously been cherished by her owners – with hardly a mark on her and an exceptional level of presentation throughout.

She is equipped with a Climma 17000 BTU air-conditioning system, an Eberspacher D5 diesel heater, and electric oil-filled radiators throughout her accommodation to keep you toasty or cool under her plentiful shade as needed. Of course, her pilothouse glazing is shielded from heat by a set of reflective blinds, complemented by smart timber blinds. This is a very impressive motor yacht.

With two cabins aft (one double to port, one expansive pilot single to starboard) sharing a heads/shower, this is a practical, mature, and smart layout. All systems switching is readily accessible, all labelling is clear and uncomplicated, and there is an enormous amount of stowage cleverly tucked in everywhere you look. With a comfortable seating area in the middle of the pilothouse, there is plenty of space for a linear galley to starboard. However, the standout feature is the forward console, which boasts three super-comfortable Grammer forward-facing chairs, twin opening side access doors, and a superb view forward through those raked triple screens. Yes, the wheel swivels, the entire steering console can be adjusted, and there are kick-plates and rails for each seat – but this is an exceptionally well-designed helm. It is no-nonsense, with gentle satin varnishing of the timber to prevent glare, ample flat space for charts and oddments, and a profusion of vents to keep those screens clear. If the weather precludes use of the HiFly upper helm, this is where you can seek refuge and continue your passage-making in absurd comfort and complete safety. A proper driving environment.

Forward of the helm is the forward companionway, which can be completely isolated behind a pair of louvred saloon-style timber doors. A beautifully sculpted timber stair weaves down into a lobby, and there is a useful transverse single berth tucked away aft, with the main double berth taking up the whole of the forward triangle. Again, there is ample stowage, good ventilation, and plenty of natural light. The separate shower/heads are clean and compact, with even a handy washer/drier fitted. All of this is encased in one of the most proficient and robust planing hulls around.

As you would expect from Targa, engine bay access is superb, with two vast gas-hinged rectangles making up the aft deck sole. Even here, more storage has been added, which is so useful when on passage. Her decks are super-safe, with high bulwarks ringing the superstructure, topped with solid stainless and teak-capped rails. No wonder many professional and commercial operators exploit the excellent seagoing and safety characteristics of these designs. Atop her wheelhouse is a sociable flybridge, with an overhang extending back over the aft cockpit, creating a useful storage area for a liferaft or a tender if carried. Again, the view in all directions is uninterrupted, and there is a decent upstand to the screens to protect your crew, so everyone can enjoy their time underway.

She is an ideal boat for family adventures and comes with incredibly safe features to instil confidence when cruising with a full complement of passengers on board (and yes, she can accommodate 15 persons!). The Botnia Targa may well be described as the 4×4 of the sea, but this 44 offers so much more than impressive offshore capability. Please call us for a chance to get on board and see what all the fuss is about.

Sales Video

Owner’s Comments

Sorry to see the best sea boat I have ever owned over the last 50 years of yachting go, but the time has come for me to hang up my oilskins! An awesome, comfortable sea boat, she leaves the plastic fantastic flotilla twice our size in our wake as soon as there is a breeze! Botnia, founded by the Carpelan family, builds their yachts to an outstanding quality of engineering, with exemplary joinery sitting comfortably alongside the latest in marine electronics. MINERVA is a veritable Tardis inside, with every modern convenience. Suitable for Arctic conditions, she has three heating systems, and in temperatures of -15°C (with snow and ice on deck), we were as warm as toast and, in fact, too hot, having to turn the heat down and open the vents! Conversely, she has massive fresh air ventilation capabilities for temperate climes, and when it gets hot, you can crank up the AC. She is fitted out and skipper-maintained regardless of cost.

Press Comments

Superbly engineered and finished, the 44 is the perfect driver’s boat. Fantastic helm ergonomics, great visibility and offshore KAB seats make helming in the rough a pure joy.

Its famed hull can maintain planing speeds when other boats have to back off: we were lucky enough to be caught out in a strong Force 6 with 11 people on board and experienced for ourselves this boat’s formidable capabilities.

Good engine access and enclosed wide side decks make maintenance and movement in all conditions both safe and realistic.

– Motorboat & Yachting – September 2009.