Tiara Sport 38 LS
Social Networking: Expanded bow seating, raised dock access, and luxurious appointments…the Tiara Sport 38 LS connects guests to the water.
Getting comfortable requires little effort and even less time aboard the new Tiara Sport 38 LS whether you go fore, aft or down below in the air-conditioned cabin. The boat screams performance machine with new outboard motors. But make no mistake, it is still the luxurious Tiara of builds past. From teak flooring and plush upholstery, it’s obvious the 38 LS is all about luxury, style, and comfort.
In other words, this is a Tiara through and through. In every way, the Sport 38 LS complements the Tiara Yachts line that offers boats up to 53 feet.
“We were looking for a win-win-win with this design,” explains Andrew Bartlett, Tiara Sport director of design. The 38 LS has a raised platform to the port of the center console, providing enough volume for or a two-person berth. While you can’t walk entirely around the exterior, the port-side platform allows you to get on and off raised docks.
The Tiara Sport 38 LS is not a fishing boat. So, no grumbling from anglers about a center console where you can’t walk all the way around. It’s a dayboat that puts passenger comfort at a premium as well as offering a generous nod toward performance.
Power Forward
The 38 LS is powered by three Yamaha 350-horsepower outboard engines. That’s enough power to propel the boat to a top speed of 55.6 mph. Back it down to 34.8 mph and you can safely cruise for 253 miles with a full tank of 331 gallons—with 10 percent of the fuel held in reserve. The triple Yamaha engines are controlled by the Yamaha Helm Master system, which utilizes joystick control for easy maneuvering at low speeds and around the docks.
“We are shifting our focus to day boating; the 38 LS is for people to have fun and connect to the water,” said Bartlett. “Our smallest boat is the 31 Coronet, which is powered by twin diesels and is more of a boutique boat. The Tiara Sport 38 LS is helping us become relevant in the 30- to 40-foot category.”
Innovation is found throughout the 38 LS, a big reason why it won a 2018 Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show Innovation Award. One example is the rotating U-lounge in the aft cockpit. The big, comfy sitting station includes a U-shaped couch and folding teak table on a platform that rotates 180 degrees that dramatically changes the layout of the boat. In the forward facing position, the seatbacks are against the transom. Rotate the lounge 180 degrees and the view is aft toward the water.
An elevated lounge looks over the outboard engines. A table lowers to seat height and a fill-in cushion converts the lounge into a huge sunpad. “It rotates easily and then is engaged in the lock position using a simple mechanical latch,” Bartlett reveals. “Once the latch is disengaged, the seat rotates easily back to the secured, latched position. You gain three feet of cockpit space when the seat is rotated.”
Tiara also put an emphasis on engineering and maintenance: a large mechanical space lies beneath the teak deck and contains the generator and other systems with enough room designed to fit a Seakeeper gyro stabilizer.
Yacht Amenities
Forward of the rotating U-lounge is a mid-cockpit outdoor galley that includes a freshwater sink, barbecue, refrigerator, and Corian countertops. The galley features a fit and finish reminiscent of a Tiara Yacht with its thick countertop, high gloss teak cabinetry, and hardware. In addition, the stitching and upholstery used throughout are high-grade—again the Tiara legacy shows through.
A full-beam hardtop covers the helm and expansive, high-tech dash with twin Garmin 7616 multi-function display screens. Guests enjoy deluxe seating from bow to stern with comfortable armrests and a wide choice of vibrant accent colors.
“Our goal was to elevate the status of the helm beyond what you would traditionally see in a center console,” says Gabe Rose, senior product designer for Tiara Sport. “We added stainless steel and teak to the dash, but everything is watertight. The tried-and-true switches are robust.”
The driver’s steering wheel is on the centerline. A Yamaha Helm Master joystick is to the left and the throttles and shifters to the right in an advantageous position. Thanks to a power middle seat that can raise or lower, the captain can sit or stand. The two outside bolsters on the Tiara Sport 38 LS have a step bar that locks while underway.
The foredeck is accessible from the starboard side and features a full U-shaped lounge that rivals any day boat in the market. It doesn’t rotate but does convert to a sunpad. There’s easy access to the anchor (that snugs up to the bow) and power windlass as well as a freshwater washdown connection and receptacles to mount a custom shade on sunny days.
Style Seeker
To port of the helm console is the sliding cabin entry door. The sliding door, a carryover from Tiara’s Yacht line, provides civilized access to the luxuriously air-conditioned cabin. The cabin features a double berth, an enclosed private head, and a flat-screen TV. There are also lots of storage spaces as well as access to the distribution panel.
“We use real wood veneer at Tiara, and this is teak and beechwood,” says Jeremy Sturgeon, who is responsible for all the interior design at Tiara. “You will also see here we have full RGB (red-green-blue) lighting. You can control it with an app on your phone. Just put your finger on a color wheel and basically choose any color you want—there are RGB lights hidden all over this boat. It really lights up at night and is exciting to see with music playing and lights changing.”
Comfort, luxurious appointments, mood-setting lighting, an overnight for two, all in under 40-feet LOA? If this is what the first model looks like in Tiara’s new line, then we can’t wait to see what else they have in store.
By Doug Thompson, Southern Boating May 2018
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 38’ 1”
Beam: 12’ 6”
Draft (motors up): 2’ 4”
Draft (motors down): 3’ 6”
Weight (dry): 18,600 lbs.; (tested): 22,376 lbs
Fuel/Water: 331/50 gals.
Power: 3x Yamaha 350-hp outboard engines
Cruise/Top Speed: 34.8/55.6 mph
Range @ cruise: 253 nm
MSRP: Call for price
CONTACT
Tiara Yachts
725 East 40th Street
Holland, MI 49423
(616) 392-7163
