Drawing Board: Tiara Sport 43 LE
Tiara Sport 43 LE
Launching the sistership to the popular 43 LS, the Michigan builder continues to innovate atop a proven hull.
Tiara turned heads around … and around … and around at the 2017 Ft. Lauderdale boat show thanks to a first-of-its-kind 360-degree rotating cockpit seating on their 38 LS. Able to shift from watching the open water ahead or swimming children astern with a simple swivel, it was one of those, “Why hasn’t anyone else thought of this?” moments.
Not one to rest on their laurels, Tiara continues to bring innovation to the sport-boat market, especially aboard their newest offering, the 43 LE. Sistership to the 43 LS I was lucky enough to cruise aboard last summer, the newcomer brings a fold-down gunwale and next-generation seating options to the mix.
Fold-down gunwales, of course, are becoming more and more commonplace in the sport boat market, a trend that Tiara’s New Product Development Manager Andrew Bartlett has been keeping a close eye on. “We wanted to add a layer to the transformational cockpit,” says Bartlett. “We wanted to provide seating that was safe while underway and then transforms to a more social arrangement at rest. Providing that transformational cockpit, that’s our advantage. You really get two boats in one.”
Their now-famous swiveling cockpit seating previously locked into place when facing forward or aft. Now there is a third option that allows guests to better enjoy the vistas from the lowered gunwale. That’s not where the party tricks end however: There is also a nice-sized table that can be placed into the seating module that keeps snacks and drinks within arm’s reach. La-Z-Boy-style leg rests allow you to kick your feet up and soak up a sunset in what appears to be the epitome of comfort. It’s the stuff daydreams are made of (don’t ask how I know).
Another nice seating touch is that the double helm and companion seating forward also swivel to face the amidships galley and the party aft.
Tiara Sport 43 LE
Below deck, the 43 boasts two true full-size staterooms—one forward and another amidships—that offer a queen berth and a full-size settee to port, thus allowing a fifth guest to overnight comfortably. A separate shower in the head will also lend itself to extended close-proximity living.
Performance for the 43 LE comes via options from Mercury, Yamaha or Seven Marine.
The original plan for this new model was for it to be launched this summer and hit the boat-show circuit this fall. I assumed the global pandemic would have caused unforeseen delays, but I assumed wrong.
“We’ve maintained our release date by working through the pandemic,” assures Bartlett. “We stayed on track by quickly getting people safely working from home. It’s important to us; our product development team worked from home for five to six weeks. We kept the pedal down.”
There’s a lot to like about this new offering, but I keep coming back to the thoughtfulness of the cockpit seating. Feet up, drink nearby, surrounded by friends and family and soaking up a watery vista. That’s something I think we could all use more of.
