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Random Quote: If it has wheels, breasts or needs an anchor it will eventually cause you trouble.
Would like opinions on an '87 Tiara 3100. It has pretty new Yanmar 300's and may be a really good deal. I know Tiara has a reputation for high quality, but I don't know about ride, fishability etc. All opinions welcome!
They are great boats. I am going to look at one tomorrow as a matter of fact. Take a look here for a review: www.yachtsurvey.com. Also on the same site is a pretty thorough discussion on the merits of gas vs. deisel. Interesting stuff.
I have a 31' 1984 Tiara I repowered with with Cummins 4B250's. LOVE it. It is a great all around boat. Large cabin, good ride, huge cockpit. Now the drawbacks, It can be a wet ride and it's rough in a short steep chop. But, if you don't plan on fishing in nasty weather, you'll be just fine. I have run my 31' Tiara up to 102 miles offshore, and came back in 6-8ft seas. Besides a lot of spray, it was no problem. You will not be able to cruise at 27 knots in a chop like a real deep-V hall, but at 18-22knots, it's not bad.
Just for comparision, I cruise at 27 knots at less then 18GPH with just 240SAE horsepower. With the 300's, you should be a bit faster. Average trip to the canyons, 80nm miles out, 80nm back and about 10 hours of trolling, about 150 gallons of fuel. (350 gallons for my friends 32' Blackfin with Cat 375's!!!)
If I didn't like the boat so much, I would not have spent the approx. $50,000 to repower it.
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1984 31' Tiara Open, 2001 Cummins 4B250 Diesels
Is it cheating if you don't get caught???
The one thing that has me really questioning this boat is its reputation for a "rough ride in a chop". Here in the Gulf we get a lot of 2-3' seas with a 4 sec period. If I can do maybe 20 knots in that stuff fine, but if I have to slow to 10 to keep from banging the crew around then no. Spray I wouldn't think would be that bad as I can always put up the curtains.
I know it's hard to quantify, but just how rough is this ride in a chop?
Sounds like you need to go for a ride and find out for yourself. I know the Gulf chop is different than the Atlantic. You do a lot more long runs in the Gulf than we do over here. Over here, it is nothing for me to fish 5 minutes from my inlet and catch sailfish and kings all morning long. If it is at all possible, perhaps you can convince the owner to take you out for a real world test. Of course I would offer to pay the expenses of the trip. I know there was a time that they changed the hull design to make the ride a little better, but I am not sure when that was. Also, there fuel tank issues with certain years of that boat. Tiara was replacing the tanks at no cost, but I don't know if that offer still stands. Best of luck!
There is a big difference in the hull between the pre and post 92 3100 hulls. The pre 92 hull is shallower in deadrise and the rough water ride is not that good. Based on your posting concerning travel over rough water in the Gulf I would not consider this 3100 a good choice.
There is a big difference in the hull between the pre and post 92 3100 hulls. The pre 92 hull is shallower in deadrise and the rough water ride is not that good. Based on your posting concerning travel over rough water in the Gulf I would not consider this 3100 a good choice.
Correctamundo. Get a 1992 or up for your needs. It has a deeper V. Or get that Northcoast.
I own a 1988 31 open and can also say it is a great all around boat. Made very well, nice for fishing or crusing. I laugh when I see posts that 92 hulls ride better than this or that. They went from 16 degrees to 18 degrees. Big deal. I have been on both early and late versions can say there is not much of a diffenence in the ride, both are wet. Some changes on the later models were nice, less teak better engine hatch set up. Nicer helm design.
I like the Tiara but it is pretty dated hull technology. My company develops commercial offshore response vessels and we search for superior hull technology. We now use the patented DDC hull (Duo Delta Conic) and find we can sustain much higher speeds in rougher seas. Our company does not build pleasure craft however, the company we buy our hulls from has a new 33' similar to the Intrepid. May be worth a look. We operate our vessels in both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico on the worst of days and swear by this hull technology. Challenger Offshore in Washington Missouri and I represent Sea Machines, Inc.
I fish on the Great Lakes in conditions similar to what you are describing, and have had a limited amount of experience on pre-92 Tiara 3100's. The first time I fished on one of these boats was in a tournament, as a mate, back in 1989. I was looking forward to fishing on the boat, since it was high up on my "dream" boat list at the time.
I came away for this experience much less impressed with this vessel than I expected to be. In a 2-3 foot steep chop the boat did not have what I would call a comfortable ride, but it was dry. Compared to other boats that I had fished on of comparable size (26 Stamas, 30 Baha Cruisers (((I couldn't believe it either!!)))and a Trojan 10meter) I would have to rate the Tiaras ride below all of them. I would also rate the ride of my 24 Albe above a 3100 Tiara in those sea conditions.
Since then I have fished on other 3100's and have been impressed by the quality of these boats, but have never been a fan of their ride in any sea-state that I have been out in, not counting calm days. If your looking for a smooth riding boat I would pass on a pre-92. I can't speak for a later model Tiara since I have not had the pleasure of fishing on one.
the '31 is not a GREAT fishing boat. Its a VERY GOOD cruising boat. Its beamy (at 12') and as noted before, has a fairly shallow hull form. With those two traits, It's not made for running into 3 to 4's for hours on end. It is nice and stable at rest, however. It's also quite high quality, and running in bad stuff will be slow but safe. (been there). If you want to fish, buy a fishing boat.
For those who have said the ride is not that great, I will not argue since I have not taken one for a spin. I hope to do so in the next few days. For fishing in the gulf, I could see where the ability to make long runs in comfort is a big issue. Over here, much of my fishing is done within 15-30 minutes of my inlet. I occasionally run offshore, but it is usually in the summer when it is not much more than 2-4 anyway. I spend the majority of my time drifting, where a boat with a bit less deadrise is actually an advantage. Of course you ahve to be able to get to the fish, but that is another issue. Assuming I have full canvas and can tolerate some spray, it seems like I would still be comfortable. I know it is hard to hurt these boats based on the construction. The stringers were doubled 2x6's! I have not looked at a lot of boats in this size range, but from what I have seen so far, the 31 Tiara seems to fit what I want the boat to do.
You are speaking of the 31 Tiara NOT the the 3100. The 3100 Tiara was produced from '92 on and has an 18 degree deadrise which is the same as the Bertram 37, and the 30 moppie. Also, there is quite a bit more to good offshore performance than deadrise alone and Tiara got it right with this one! (BTW: I own a 29 Blackfin)
Tiara 3100?
