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• Specs

Specifications
LOA	46 ft., 10 in.
Beam	14 ft., 9 in.
Draft	3 ft., 7 in.
Displacement	26,700 lbs.
Fuel	350 gals.
Water	120 gals.
Engines	Twin Volvo Penta IPS 600 (435 hp)
Base Price	$859,000
Construction
Tiara uses a closed-molded resin-infused process for the balsa-cored hull sides and bottom. The fiberglass skin coat is hand-laid using AME 6000 premium vinylester, which is also used for the hull and sides. Wood and foam-core stringers are encapsulated by hand-laid fiberglass. All fiberglass compartments including the bilge and engine room are gelcoated.
Standard Equipment
Lenco trim tabs w/auto-trim, Sharp Aquos 32-in. LCD TV, (2) Sharp Aquos 19-in. TV/DVDs, windlass w/200 ft. of rode and 40 ft. of chain, LED lighting throughout, upper cockpit wet bar w/refrigerator, Clarion CD 8-speaker stereo w/subwoofer, fresh- and raw-water washdown, hot-water cockpit shower, teak flooring, Bose Lifestyle salon stereo, full galley w/Isotherm refrigerator/freezer, 2-burner electric stove, microwave/convection oven, 2 full heads w/VacuFlush toilets, Onan 11.5 kw diesel generator w/3 Marine Air Systems A/C units, Volvo Penta IPS 600 w/joystick control, hardtop w/sunroof, foredeck loungers and more.
Optional Equipment
Anchor washdown, cockpit carpet, teak cockpit table and swim platform, colored gelcoat hull, aft drop curtain, 32,000 BTU cockpit A/C, hydraulic platform lift, underwater lights, upper cockpit TV/DVD, wet bar freezer, electronics, central vacuum system and more.
Builder
Tiara Yachts, Holland, Mich.; (616) 392-7163; tiarayachts.com
West Coast Dealer
Crow’s Nest Yachts, San Diego; (619) 222-1122; crowsnestyachts.com Crow’s Nest Yachts, Newport Beach, Calif.; (949) 574-7600; crowsnestyachts.com Crow’s Nest Yachts, Seattle; (206) 625-1580; crowsnestyachts.com

Tiara 4500 Sovran

Posted: August 1, 2011  |  Boat Type: Express Cruiser

Tiara’s best-selling model just got better

By: Alan Jones

When the Tiara 4300 Sovran made its debut in November 2005, it was the first yacht designed especially for Volvo Penta’s IPS forward-facing pod that featured a joystick control system, which ushered in a new era of marine propulsion. The success was immediate, and the 4300 became Tiara’s fastest-selling model of all time, eclipsing the 100-unit mark by February 2007. So why on earth would the Holland, Mich.-based builder muck around with success by replacing it? I found out.

The 4500 Sovran isn’t just a stretch version; rather, it’s an all-new model that’s better than its predecessor by every meaningful metric.

Back to the Future

The differences are immediately noticeable as you come aboard via the ballroom floor-sized swim platform, which features an optional Nautical Structures hydraulic lift ($39,995) that allows you to deploy a dinghy or PWC in the time it takes to put the Croakie on your sunglasses. The designers at Tiara listened closely to what their boat owners wanted, and one of the most frequent requests was for a “back porch” seating area — so the 4500 has an optional transom flip-down lounger ($5,580) that doesn’t eliminate trunk storage for lines and fenders. Another addition to the patio-deck theme is a back-of-the-transom electric grill option ($1,960) that takes it out from under the hardtop, a smart move for chefs like me who like to cook at smoky temperatures that rival the sun’s surface.

A first for me was seeing the sisal carpeting on the upper and lower cockpit decks. I like to go sans shoes, and the carpet not only feels great under your bare feet, but you also have really good grip. A huge plus is that it’s rubber-backed, so it stays in place without snaps, which I find to be a foot-fault. OK, so there was a small trapezoid of carpet on the step leading to the upper cockpit that didn’t stay put, but a couple of small strips of Velcro would remedy that issue.

Seating for 11 in the cockpit is perfect for socializing or finding your own space to catch up on your reading. The bifold cockpit table allows you to flip up either side to allow inside passengers to escape without causing a mini stadium wave.

Scenic View

Once under the big hardtop, the first thing that strikes you is the panoramic view and ambient light often lacking in cockpits that are enclosed on three sides. Above your head is the massive sunroof design borrowed from Tiara’s flagship, the 5800 Sovran, which is pneumatically driven rather than the usual hydraulic or worm gear modus operandi. When running with it open, there’s no additional noise, and although you get the feeling of fresh air, there’s no hair-mussing vortex of wind. Another significant improvement is the lack of windshield hardware between you and the forward view. Instead of a small vented window in the center and its intrusive bracing, there’s just one slender mullion separating the two curved-glass windshield sections.

Our test boat features extensive use of teak, including on the swim platform, but my favorite piece of wood is the 17½-inch mahogany steering wheel, which is not only beautiful but tactilely superior on cool days. The helm layout is fantastic, with an electronically controlled double­wide seat that’s much wider this year, allowing you to invite company. Our test boat is rigged with the full array of Garmin electronics, highlighted by the GPSMAP 7212 12-inch Touch­screen Display. If Raymarine is your favorite, Tiara can accommodate that preference.

Because the flat area behind the windshield is black, no reflective ghosts impede your forward vision. The driver has a choice of two different footrests that accommodate different statures. This year, the joystick control is on the port side of the wheel, which I think is superior, since I like to stand facing rearward when backing into a slip. When it was on the right, the wheel would be against your back. A thoughtful touch is the transom door with a large inset window so the pilot can see the end of the swim platform when docking.

Yacht or Sportboat?

As pleasant as this vessel is at rest or at sunset-cruise idling speed, its special qualities are best revealed on plane. So as not to bury the lead, I will say the Tiara 4500 Sovran is the easiest boat of its size I’ve ever driven. Getting on plane in many boats is awkward at best. As you ramp up the throttle, the bow will often start rising until your view forward becomes only what’s imprinted onto your retinas and into your short-term memory. And there’s that wallowing feeling that reminds you that you don’t have full control yet. On the 4500, the Volvo Penta IPS, when used in conjunction with the Lenco auto-trim system, produces a holeshot that only took 7.5 seconds. The bowrise was so slight there was no big moment when you could feel the bow push over. This also means zero loss of visibility, and while on plane we ran dead level to the horizon no matter what direction we went in the modest chop. Wondering if the tabs affected our fuel economy, I took them off and the bow ran slightly higher, but it had no appreciable effect on economy, which is outstanding, as you’ll see.

To illustrate the efficiency of the Volvo Penta IPS 600 system on this boat, I compared it to the numbers I got aboard a Sea Ray 340 Sundancer powered by twin 7.4L gas inboards on a 500-mile trip down the Tennessee River. That boat weighed about 13,000 pounds dry and got about 0.85 nautical mpg at its best cruise speed. The 4500 Sovran weighs more than twice that much at 26,700 pounds and got 0.8 nautical mpg during our sea trial. The top speed was also a comparable 30.7 knots vs. 31.3 knots for the Sea Ray. Unlike the gas inboards that sucked fuel greedily when we had to romp at WOT to beat a thunderstorm, the fuel economy of the Tiara remained constant. Even at WOT, we still got 0.71 nautical mpg. If you’re not in a hurry, chugging along at 6.2  knots (1000 rpm) will extend your range from 243 nautical miles at best cruise to 1,214 miles, which would get you halfway to Hawaii from Los Angeles. 

While cruising in a straight line is easy enough for your teenager to handle, if you want to hear a gasp of wonderment from your guests, tell them to hang on and “watch this.” After the captain carefully scanned the surrounding area for boat traffic, he spun the wheel hard over, which caused the 4500 to heel over sharply, yet in a very smooth and controlled manner as it carved a turn that would be impossible were it not for the forward-facing twin-propped pods. There was no ventilation and no sliding, and because the turn is so sharp, there was no lateral visibility as we were looking down into Davy Jones’ locker to the inside. It easily surpasses ABYC standards for quick turns at WOT.

Not only does the 4500’s hull have a reconfigured running surface, it’s also lighter thanks to a new manu­facturing process. Extensive use of closed molding allows for an ultra-consistent hull. It’s been noted by the Tiara builders that the 4500’s hull has an average variance of the approx­imate weight of a supermodel after a eating a watercress sandwich without bread. (OK, so they said 100 pounds.) The fiberglass skin coat is still hand-laid, but the balsa-cored hull and sides are constructed using the vacuum bag/AME 6000 resin-infusion tech­nique that yields the lightest, strong­est combination possible.

Luxury Down Under

Stepping down into the cabin, you are greeted with the warm glow of teak, thanks in part to the generous amount of ambient light coming through twin skylights. Our boat features the optional teak-and-holly sole ($1,720), but a solid-teak sole comes standard. What sets the 4500 Sovran apart from many other boats this size are the two full head compartments. Going forward, the master suite has a full-framed teak door — not a flimsy curtain — a raised berth with an innerspring mattress with storage beneath and a cedar-lined closet for your going-to-shore clothes. Thanks to the space-saving IPS system, almost 3 feet of additional interior space is available to transform the usual dungeon-like amidships guest stateroom into a commodious living space with its own head, a 6,000 BTU Marine Air Systems climate-control system and, like the master, a 19-inch Sharp Aquos flat-screen LCD TV/DVD.

Perhaps the most impressive feature of the 4500 Sovran is its quietness. Nowhere under the roof where I went with my soundmeter could I register anything higher than 84 decibels, even when we were motor­ing along at WOT. Part of the reason is the excellent insulation in the engine room. This boat is so well put together it feels like one large piece, not an assemblage of many parts. I didn’t smell any diesel fumes either, as the exhaust on the IPS drives exits under the hull. The only sound you’re likely to hear aboard is that of happy guests and the only smell that of sizzling steaks on the grill.