32 tiara open

[tiara]

I currently own a 29 open, it's a very wet boat and poor in head seas conditions. My dilemma, I love the quality, resale and cabin of Tiara but prefer the ride of grady. I mostly day boat and fish but like enough cabin room for family weekend trips. Tiaras new 32 open seems to fit the bill but have not been able to test one under the right conditions. Looking at the 29's hull you would think it would be a smooth boat, it's not, looks don't tell the story. Owners of the 29 on this site have said how smooth and dry the ride is. I'm looking for non or honest owners of the 32 for ride info.

[djcxxx]

I have a 29 Coronet and I've generally been satisfied with the boat's performance in near shore conditions off SE Florida. I have a full enclosure and use the windshield wipers fairly frequently. I never been in a open boat in the ocean that wasn't going to get you wet at some time, so I guess I don't know what a "dry boat" really is beyond the sales talk. Your 29 Open and my 29 Coronet have 19 degree deadrise modified V bottoms which is neither shallow or true deep V. Everybody has different ideas of what an ocean boat performance should be. I don't run in steep 2-4s and I have to slow down when Jupiter's, Contenders, etc. don't. I doubt that the 32 will be any better than your 29 based on your current level of dissatisfaction. It's only 2000 lbs heavier with essentially the same hull form. In fact the 32 will be a whole lot more money especially with diesels, which can make the experience more painful. It's probably time for that Grady.

[ReelNauti]

It's all relative. My 29 Open rides much better than my old 235 SeaPro. Overall it's drier and rides better for a equal set of conditions. Being that it's much more boat I find that I'm out in conditions that previously I would have stayed in the bay. If the wind is blowing just right, it can be wet due to the blowback but like djcxxx, I usually have my top up and use the wipers. In the summer I have the side curtains off and occasionally welcome a refreshing spray on a hot day.

The thing I like about the 29 is it's a versatile boat. We can fish, cruise, entertain and live aboard comfortably for a reasonable period of time. I don't think that many other boats are in the same class. Now you talking moving up to the 32. I think the ride would probably be better than the 29 in equal conditions. In my mind the question would be where is the crossoverpoint for conditions vs ride. Is it that much higher before you encounter the same "problems"?

That said I do really like my 29 but I'd still take a 32 w/ diesels anyday.

[chainsaw42]

how many different boats have you run? maybe you don't have a good benchmark to compare things against? no, that your tiara is not especially dry. that's the way it was designed, and there are definitely drier boats out there. there are also boats that run better in a head sea. there are also boats that are more fuel effecient, are more stable at rest in a beam stea, run at better speeds with the same hp, etc. the thing you won't find is all of the above in the same boat. it's all about compromise. your tiara, with 19° deadrise at the transom, is right in the middle--where it couldn't be considered a wave smasher, but offers some stability at rest, as well as ok fuel burn, etc. you have to decide what's important to you. it sounds like head sea wave smashing ability is #1 on your list. that's not tiara, and it's not grady either. you should be looking at boats with 23°+ of deadrise at the transom. think albemarle. but be prepared to compromise away some aspects of performance for that new found ability.

[solarfry]

tiara - 1/25/2006 10:49 AM

I currently own a 29 open, it's a very wet boat and poor in head seas conditions. My dilemma, I love the quality, resale and cabin of Tiara but prefer the ride of grady. I mostly day boat and fish but like enough cabin room for family weekend trips. Tiaras new 32 open seems to fit the bill but have not been able to test one under the right conditions. Looking at the 29's hull you would think it would be a smooth boat, it's not, looks don't tell the story. Owners of the 29 on this site have said how smooth and dry the ride is. I'm looking for non or honest owners of the 32 for ride info.

IMHO:
I think you are looking at Contenders and Sea Vees going out in condition that make it painfull to you. Contenders and Sea Vees have 25 degree deadrise and spray strakes to keep them dry. They also have trim tabs and are designed for rough use. A bigger Tiara will not get you out there in same comfort as those particular boats.

Many owner's of cruising powerboats are day cruisers and only go "out" when seas are flat. Their boats are designed with this in mind.

looking at those guys heading off at high speed into more than 4 footers from a shiny new 32 footer is not going to make you happy.

[PSW]

I have been told by someone who worked on a 29 that it was a wet boat also. At that size there are better options. The 32 does have a lot of room and Tiara makes a nice boat. How much do you fish? Or is cruising your main interest?

[tiara]

50 50 fish cruise. boats I've owned or own 13, 17' 21 and 23ft whalers. 29 tiara open.Boats I've been most impresed with on the water 23 grady gulf stream 27 grady sailfish and 29 blackfinn combi. non of wich have a larg enouph cabin for me. I boat in the apostle islands in lake superior. Fairly protected but 3-4 footers are common. I would like to make 100 mile trip to Isle Royal. Tiara being a wet boat isn't a big deal because of the large wind shield but I was suprised to find how much water comes over the bow in comparison to most other boats

[WEAKFISH]

Have you looked at 31 and 32 Blackfin Combis?? Bigger cabins than the 29 Combi....almost 12 foot beams, great headsea boats, dry, etc.

[tigreen]

Tiara, I don't have any personal experience with the 2900 Open or the new 32, but I have a lot of Great Lakes' experience in our 1990 Tiara 3600 Open. The 3600 is also considered by many to be a "wet boat", but we have been out in 10-12 footers on Lake Michigan without problems. We were in a head sea, and the boat took huge amounts of water over the bow...wipers couldn't really keep up...but the ride was pretty good and we were able to maintain a speed of 18 kts.

My suggestion would be to take a look at older 3600's. I think you will find them to be very seaworthy, with a luxurious cabin and tons of fishing space. I highly recommend that you look at the "B-plan" interior...it is a lot more spacious than the standard A-plan interior. If the 3600 is too big for your needs, the early-90's 3300 has a similar layout in a slightly smaller package.

If you have any questions about the 3600, I'll be happy to answer them. I have tons of pix too, if you are curious to see what they look like.

BTW, we previously had a Grady-White 272 Sailfish. It was a great boat and very seaworthy for it's size, but not close to the ride of the Tiara.

Tom

[chainsaw42]

i think maybe 'wet' and 'not seaworthy' are getting mixed up. that tiara is a very seaworthy boat. but, like most tiaras, it does take water over the bow. and, like was mentioned, slikkers designed the windshield to deal with that. i have a 27 tiara which has more deadrise than the 29, but i have the same type of 'issue' of water coming over the bow. now, that said, i kind of like it! i think it's fun to smash waves and have it coming pooring onto the windshield/top. the ride of the boat is rock solid and meets a head sea with a solid 'thud'. another boat i'm in all the time is a friend's 27' sea ray amberjack. these two boats are nearly identical in size and layout. the sea ray is MUCH drier. i can scarcely remember a time when water hit the windshield, and we have been in some rough water. HOWEVER, the pounding that boat gives you is punishment compared to the tiara. i'm not even talking about the fact that everything on the sea ray feels, looks, and sounds like it's going to fall apart on impact, i'm talking about it riding 'on-top' of the waves rather than through them.

maybe you just need to get used to using the wipers and realize that the boat is designed to ride like that?

[djcxxx]

That was well said chainsaw42, very much agree.

[salmonhead]

If a headsea smasher is up your sleaves, check out the Carolina Classic, Albemarle, Blackfin type boats. My 25 CC has never taken green water over the bow. It rolls up to the rub rail and gets pushed to the side. Not to say spray wont get blown back on the windshield. I also boat in the Great lakes and have made 40 mile runs out in lake superior to fish Stannard Rock. Never an issue. The CC takes some hp to move it with the deep V, but the headsea ride is great! the 32 and 35 models have great cabins, maybe not as plush as the Tiara, but plenty adequate.

[ben]

If You want a true head-sea boat, go with the 32' Topaz. You won't be disappointed

[tiara]

thanks for all the feedback. I think I'm going to stay with Tiara, there are too many things I like about the make to give it up. Always Trade offs is the key phrase.

[djcxxx]

Tiara has a new 3000 Open coming out at Miami that may be worth a look. I was not too impressed with the 32 Open. It rides very bow high (8-9deg compared to 5-6 deg for the 29) and you need tabs to get it on plane. There will be less blue water over the bow but you'll never see that waverunner rider until you splatter him with your hull. I'd definitely get a real good sea-trial in some kind of seaway before plunking down the coin on a 32. You may also want to ask Tiara how the 3200 Open went from a dry weight of 12,500 lbs in 2004 to 15,990 lbs in 2006.

[tiara]

djcxxx, 3500lbs ? maybe they put a 2000lb weight on the bow and really big trim tabs in the back. The 32 has to be the only tiara to ride bow high. Thanks for the heads up. I am in no hurry to replace my boat, it's like new with only 300hrs all fresh water. I will never again buy a boat with out a proper sea trial.