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So You Wanna Test a Boat?
Earlier this year I’d convinced PMY I was qualified for the job—sort of.
By Dave Young
"Maverick, never, ever leave your wingman." While flying from Toronto to test Tiara's flagship 5800 Sovran, I couldn't help but think of that Top Gun mantra and the fact that my brother Don, co-winner of PMY's Boat Test Contest and the only true yachtsman in the family, would not be manning the helm of our test boat. I'd be on my own—a weekend warrior and wannabe, more accustomed to popping corks and slicing brie onboard than facing the solo challenge of navigating a world-class yacht and subjecting himself to the scrutiny of PMY readers.
My resume for the privilege wasn't fabricated. Due to an errant docking in my youth, I have required the services of a fiberglasser. For a parental stay-of-execution, I once treated the family boat to a Liquid Paper paint job. Consequently it was always Don (now a successful yacht broker on Vancouver's Granville Island who had to forego his testing role as a result of conflicts of interest) who always handled the finer points of boating—minor tasks like actually driving and docking. Back in the day, my ability to spin a yarn for Don's scholastic advancement elicited the use of his personal Sidewinder knockoff. When PMY offered up a boat for a day in exchange for editorial content, I stepped up, regaling the editors with an account of our youthful exploits, brotherhood, and somewhat dubious motivations.
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My compatriot for this boat-test adventure was Capt. Bill Pike—a nautical man known to many readers for his years of service in yachting journalism. Pike has driven everything from Gheenoes to freighters, but you wouldn't have been blamed for wondering if it was his first time behind the wheel of a rental car. Admittedly, he prefers the open water to the open road, and I suspect that if the highway from Grand Rapids to Holland, Michigan, had been marked with green and red buoys, we probably wouldn't have gotten lost.
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Jeremy Frechette |
The undeniable high point of David Young's PMY test experience was carving a sharp right-hander at full-throttle. |
The extra time in the car made for an enjoyable icebreaker as Pike openly shared stories of his life and filled me in on our itinerary, which would commence with a tour of the Tiara factory. Thanks to Pike's easy style, it wasn't long before my jitters subsided, replaced by the anticipation of the day ahead.
My few words here most likely won't do justice to the 5800 Sovran or the procedures Tiara uses to construct her. More than 16 football fields in size, the 800,000-square-foot facility we toured is a manufacturing marvel, its entrance graced by a lovingly restored 1955 SlickCraft that is a tribute to the heritage of Tiara and founder Leon Slikkers' early days as a builder. Tiara's marketing director, Dave Walsh, proved a gracious and knowledgeable host. Tiara owners-to-be are welcome to visit the plant—an offer, according to Walsh, accepted by an estimated 80 percent of purchasers. No matter where you live, it's worth the trip, in my opinion, to see your new Tiara passing through the dedicated hands of the Tiara family of employees.
From the exquisitely manicured lawn of Tiara's Yachting Center on Lake Macatawa, I caught my first glimpse of our test boat, and my jitters returned. Don't pretend you haven't had them—the butterflies that flock to your innards as you anticipate handling a boat that's a little out of your league. Add to that a couple of Tiara big wigs, one senior PMY editor, a camera crew, and, well, you get the idea.
As it turned out, my trepidation was unfounded. First off, one of those Tiara fellows turned out to be Evan Dufendach, a Tiara test captain who eased the 5800 Sovran away from the dock with the assistance of Volvo Penta's IPS joystick and no help from me. And second, I always had Pike riding shotgun.
Out in Lake Michigan we put our test boat through her paces by making multiple passes for radar-gun readings and recording fuel-burn rates, running attitudes, and other data at the various rpm levels. The Tiara made short work of the chop and felt more like a muscled runabout than her 50,000-pound displacement would suggest. Fear turned to healthy anticipation as I took my turn at the helm and promptly opened up her three Volvo Penta IPS 600s.
Trust me! If fortune ever affords you the opportunity to seize the wheel of a 5800 Sovran, be sure to open the large sunroof, drop the expansive starboard window, and carve yourself a tight right-hander, throttles wide open. The blue water blurs by, seemingly close enough to touch, sending pure exhilaration coursing through your veins.
A seasoned vet? Not quite, but that's how Walsh referred to me after five minutes of maneuvering near a buoy in Macatawa with the joystick. IPS drives really make it that easy. Literally anyone can look like a pro with this system, which takes the angst out of docking in tight or windy conditions.
Back at the dock Pike went through all the features of the yacht after docking her stern-first with the joystick. A testament to the buzz the boat's already created, Walsh informed us that, as of test time, Tiara had already taken 17 orders for the 5800.
So, you wanna test a boat? Conjure up your best story, and take a crack at persuading the PMY editors. If you in fact win, you can expect to get the royal treatment. I did—from the accommodating folks at Tiara and PMY along with Jeremy Frechette and Greg Higle, our two onboard photographers. Many thanks to all for this fantastic adventure.
And oh, one last thing...Capt. Bill, you can be my wingman anytime!
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This article originally appeared in the November 2007
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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