Tiara Yachts: Everything You Need To Know

The first thing worth knowing about Tiara is that it publishes its homework. Go to a model page and there is a performance report behind it: rpm by rpm, miles per hour, gallons per hour, decibels at the helm, calculated range, the test date, the water it was run on, how many people were aboard and what propellers were fitted. When a yard tells you the 46 LS burns 74.0 gallons an hour at 41.1 mph, it has said something it cannot walk back, and you can shop this range on numbers instead of adjectives.

The range asks you two questions, in order. The first is outboards or diesel pods. Most of these boats hang Mercury Verados on the transom, which buys you shallow draft, a transom you can service at any lift, and top speeds running to 59.0 mph. The two EX boats put Volvo Penta pods underneath, which buys you three separate staterooms, a quieter helm and a boat that is genuinely happy at 26 to 30 mph all day. The 56 LS and the EX 54 sit less than two feet apart in length and answer that question in opposite directions - four engines, 54.4 mph and 1,000 gallons against twin diesels, 38.7 mph and a third cabin. Neither is the upgrade of the other.

The second question is the one buyers get wrong, and it is LS against LE at the same number. The 39 LE and 39 LS are both 39' 6" on a 12' 6" beam. The 43 LE and 43 LS are both 43' 6" on a 13' 0" beam. Same length, same money bracket, completely different boat. The LE puts the volume below - staterooms, a below-deck galley, a private head - and carries the weight and the fuel to go with it. The LS keeps the volume on deck, with a walk-around layout, a fold-out terrace and berths for the nights that happen anyway. Sit in both on the same afternoon before you decide, because a broker cannot make that call for you.

One practical note. Every range figure Tiara publishes is worked on 90% of the tank, so the reserve is already inside the number and you should not discount it a second time. Get observed burn at your intended rpm in writing at sea trial and work your own arithmetic off the tank size on the boat you are actually buying.