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The mold for the 3900 sat on the far side of the plant, a rust-colored shell wrapped in a scaffold, and in it was Hull No. 3 with its balsa core already enshrined in AME 6000 vinylester resin. A few hundred feet away, a group of female workers in Tyvec suits stood on the upturned deck of No. 3, spraying the flowcoat beneath florescent lighting.
I crossed the shop floor with Dave Walsh, Tiara's director of marketing, as he pointed out different departments that were all housed in the 800,000-square-foot facility in Holland, Michigan. "[From] metal fabrication to woodwork to looming," he enthused, "it's all done on-site." In-house fabrication heightens Tiara's control over components, he explained, such as certain deck hardware and most cabinetry, allowing the company better quality control.
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We continued our peregrination through the plant, and in a few minutes were standing beside a finished saloon. It sat out on its own, as if it were a walk-through model on a showroom floor. Tiara enlists modular construction like this to both expedite manufacturing and keep quality uniform, as it allows technicians unfettered access to virtually everything. Such prefabrication also allows technicians to more easily check the integrity of all systems and examine the layout of their wiring and plumbing runs before access becomes trickier. It also cuts down on man-hours, according to Walsh.
A good example of the role this philosophy plays in Tiara's boatbuilding processes can be found in the preassembled panel that attaches to the forward engine-room bulkhead. Technicians can mount equipment like the Racor fuel-water separators and Fireboy fire-suppression system to it at the same time without interfering with each other's projects.
Hull No. 1 had undergone this process a few months prior and was now nestled in her slip at the company's lakeside facility, a couple of miles down the road. As I examined her, I began to realize that this is a boat built for Americans who take their penchant for the outdoors to heart. The sunlight reflected off her windowless hull sides and optional integral hardtop—just two components of her sportfisherman-inspired styling. My test boat was equipped with the Fishing Package, which includes a pair of 28-foot Rupp outriggers, a transom baitwell, and a rocket launcher.
The 105-square-foot cockpit comes with two 651⁄4"x16"x151⁄4", insulated, split-hatch, flush-deck fishboxes. The aft bulwark held a starboard-side tuna door, which aligned perfectly with the corresponding fishbox. Tiara also opted for a flat transom, as opposed to its more common reverse design, which means there's less of a chance a taut line can rub against the gunwale. One place that the line might snag on the otherwise clean setup is on the oversized hinge for the gate—a recessed cuddle hinge that sits flush might be a better option. There was also a standard 21"x21" aluminum backing plate laminated to the underside of the sole in case a serious angler decides to mount a fighting chair.
The highlight of the cockpit for me, however, was not its fishing capabilities, but rather the alfresco relaxation area provided by its mezzanine seating. Both the molded parts and the seat cushions are manufactured in-house, and it was as comfortable as it looks (see photo on page 85). The best part? There's stowage in the footrest, under the seat, and behind the backrest, each with a door that each opens on a gas-assisted strut.
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