Page 8: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2012)

8Maritime Reporter & Engineering News By Greg Trauthwein Last month I hopped aboard the new Protector Targa 30 for a test ride down the Hudson River, up the East River and around Manhattan, The Protector Targa 30 is the latest addition to the Protectorline, a slight extension from the Targa 28, and the speed, ride, maneuverability and overall performance was -- in choppy, conjested waters -- in a word, spectacular ?Our normal model was the Targa 28,? said Andrew Carleton, Northeast Sales Manager, Protector Boats. ?We length- ened the hull 18 inches; we redesignedthe transom and the engine wells on thisboat, so we added 180 pounds of buoy- ancy in the stern and the engine wells are a little bit deeper.? He explained that the Targa 28, when originally designed, was outfitted with twin 115 hp engines, which graduallyevolved to 150s, then 200s and 225s. ?In the end, we were rigging the 28swith twin 250 hp four strokes. Everybody wanted the most power that they could get, so we made the decision to build a boat that could handle the bigger power,? said Carleton. ?You are hanging a lot of weight off the back of the boat, so we in- creased the buoyancy.? The Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB), astested, is built with a fiberglass hull as a consumer craft and included twin 300-hpVerado?s, delivering a top speed of well over 60 knots. The ride on the choppy Hudson amongst a smorgasbord of com- mercial and pleasure boat traffic of every variety around New York City was fast, stable and comfortable. Including the base price ($250k) andoptions (the engine upgrade to 300 hpfrom 250 hp, teak decking, automatic an-chor system, fresh water package, an up- graded electronics package with a 15?display, commercial grade tubes and Stidd seats), the boat as tested retails at$295k.While the boat tested was targeted for consumer sales, Carleton explained the commercial connection. ?All of our boats are commercial. Every single one of them, with the exception of our little 20- ft. Protector Jet, was originally designed for commercial application.? Engineered for Speed, Handling and Seaworthiness Designed for resilient comfort in any sea state, the Targa 30 offers increased rough water performance and more off- shore capability for added flexibility. As with other vessel in the RIB class, one of the keys to a soft, stable ride is hull de- sign and the tubing system. Carleton ex- plains how the pedigree of the Targa class resulted in the ride of today?s boat. ?A lot of people think that the tubes are for bumping off of things,? he said. ?From the commercial side when they originally designed the boat, they (the tubes) were useful when coming along-side and boarding another vessel,? said Carleton. ?The boat was originally de- signed as a search and rescue vessel for the New Zealand Coast Guard, to per- form operations off of the rough and rocky waters off of New Zealand. So they wanted a rough-water vessels. They con- tracted Rayglass to build them a few boats. Rayglass is a reputable builder; and they essentially took one of their hard-sided fishing boats, took the sides off and added the tubes. What they got was the benefits of the stability of the tubes. They also act like big shock ab- sorbers for when you?re coming off of big waves.? The Targa 30 today offers a 35-mph cruising speed, 63-mph top speed and a265-mile range. It has a maximum ca-pacity for 12 passengers and features aspacious, fully enclosed cabin designwith expanded deck space and an ex- tended interior cabin. With an increased slope dash, the boat provides more helm space for better er- gonomics of switches and larger naviga- tion displays, higher steering wheelplacement for enhanced ease of operationand added space for larger helm seats. The new Targa also features an extended pilothouse, larger anchor locker to ac- commodate an underbow auto anchoring system, larger transom engine wells and longer hull length that allows for a 180- pound increase in buoyancy for enhanced performance of heavier outboards. The Protector Targa 30 can be outfitted with twin outboard engines, or a singleinboard gas or diesel option. The vessel weighs approximately 7,200-pounds, hasa 9.5-ft. beam when inflated (8.25-ft.beam when deflated) and an overall length of 30.5 ft. The boat has a deadrise of 60-degrees in the bow and 23-degrees in the aft, and draws two-feet of water. All Protector vessels feature a solid hand-laid fiber- glass hull, shock-mitigating seven cham- bered hypalon tubes, and ,.ma 5-year structural hull warranty. www.protectorboats.com Tel: +1 510-261-3200 PROFILEBOAT OF THE MONTH (Photos: greg Trauthwein) Targa 30 Protector?s New Model = Power & Performance 30 Targo with Twin 300 Verado?s Length, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30.6 ft. Length, w.l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 ft. Beam, Infalted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9.5 ft. Beam, Deflated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.25 ft. Draft Motors Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 in. Draft Motors Dn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 in. Dry Weight w/ motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6,200 lbs. Loaded Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7,200 lbs Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130 gal. Time to plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .< 4 seconds Speed to plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16.5 mph Prop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-blade Revolution 21 Dead Rise fwd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 degrees Dead Rise aft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 degrees Recommended hp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .400-600 Top Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 MPH Cruise Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 MPH Range at Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .270 miles Max Occupancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 The Protector Targa 30 as tested is priced at about $295,000, withteak decking, Stidd seats, commer- cial-grade tubes, an electronics package upgrade, and an engineupgrade from a pair of 250 hp to 300 hp units.(Photo: Protector) MR#7 (1-9):MR Template 7/6/2012 2:02 PM Page 8