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The 3900's designers aimed not only to keep the outdoorsy feel but also to protect everyone onboard from the elements; to accomplish this delicate balance they focused on using lots of clear acrylic to boost natural lighting. The windshield has a single centerline mullion and two unobtrusive outboard mullions, leaving sightlines to each side clear. Above it are two small opening ports that did a fine job of cooling the helm area while underway (a 32,000-Btu helm-area air conditioner is an option).
One thing that surprised me was the aforementioned lack of hull-side ports: our boat's saloon, head, and stateroom had fully 'glassed walls. Below-deck windows are optional—Hull No. 2 has them in all the aforementioned locations—but the natural illumination was plentiful enough due to a wide companionway, a 22"x201⁄2" deck hatch in the saloon, and a 781⁄2"x171⁄2" flush-deck window with an integrated emergency hatch in the stateroom. All come with shades and screens (see "Companionway Doors" this story) for added protection. However, the latches—both the magnetic ones topside and the plastic ones on the cabinetry below—seemed insufficient: The magnetic ones popped open when we hit a big wave and I had a difficult time latching them. I prefer to see sturdier elbow-style catches. I also found no emergency fuel shutoff; the only way to cut fuel flow between the tank and Racors is to twist four ball valves in the lazarrette. And finally the stateroom pocket door and shower door both rattled underway.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
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Tiara Yachts/Fores Johnson |
The author tests our the Stidd helm seat |
Yet our sea trial on Lake Michigan reinforced my feeling that fine products continue to be built on U.S. soil. Our 3900 glided over the one- to three-foot chop without a single hard landing. Her acceleration was exceptional, reaching 30 mph less than 15 seconds after I flattened the throttles, and although her trim angle hit eight degrees as she passed through 2250 rpm, I suspect that was exacerbated by the empty water and 222-gallon secondary fuel tank, both forward. I set the engines back to 2250 rpm to test my theory, and the 3900 stayed on plane. With go-big-or-go-home zeal, I cut a hard turn to port. She promptly and smoothly healed into the turn, making tight two to three boat-length circles—impressive cornering at 27 mph in the chop.
My boat did not have the optional 8-hp bow thruster, but as it turned out, it wasn't necessary. At slow speeds the response of the Cummins electronic controls was immediate yet smooth, and precise enough that a single bump moved her gently a foot or two each time.
After the test I took a slow drive through Holland, Michigan, Tiara's home base. Besides Tiara, Holland's home to furniture makers, metal fabricators, and car-dashboard craftsman. Holland's even got the world's biggest pickle factory. But the city is about more than manufacturing; its Rockwellian downtown, with sweet shops and pizza parlors, is reminiscent of an Andy Hardy film, a modern reflection of the classic blue-collar suburban dream. And the 3900 is part of that American tradition; she's a boat the workers are proud of—fun to drive, smartly engineered, and comfortable. She may be built in the heartland, but she's ready for the sea.
For more information on Tiara Yachts, including contact information, click here.
SPOTLIGHT ON: Companionway Doors
Keeping the 3900's open feel was important to Tiara. That's one of the reasons it opted for a translucent pocket-style hatch in the companionway. But what happens when you want to let the breeze circulate through the boat but don't want mosquitoes and the like to bother you? Well, Tiara added another hatch on a track behind the first one, and this covering is inset with mesh to keep dusk's flying pests at bay. There's also a privacy screen that you can slide into place when it's time for bed.
The pocket style of the hatch takes up less space then a conventional saloon-style doors. It's made in-house at Tiara's plant out of 1⁄2"-thick acrylic plastic that should hold up through years of use.—G.R.
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This article originally appeared in the December 2008
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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