Caribbean Tiara

When you sit behind the sports helm of the Caribbean Tiara bowrider, it's not hard to imagine a beautiful, sunny windless day at somewhere like Loch Sport on the Gippsland Lakes... or anywhere in the Whitsundays.

The gulls are circling and the kids hanging from the bow are squealing with glee. There are another two or three bouncing around on kneeboards behind and the wife's big, straw hat keeps getting blown off... All's well with the world.

GOOD KARMA
The Tiara is that sort of boat. It is one of the 'new generation' of boats coming out of the Caribbean moulds - sleeker, with softer sterns, more creature comforts and smoother, moulded interiors. It is finished very well indeed. Perhaps the quality of the fabrics is not quite to benchmark US standards, but it's getting there.

Basically, the Tiara is based on a Cougar runabout with the front deck scooped out. Same hull, but a very different deck. Certainly, the stepped stern design makes the boat very user-friendly. Boarding platforms are either side of the outboard well, but the boat lacks a fold-down ladder.

The fuel filler is high in the outboard well, but still accessible, and there's a gunwale storage bin with hinged lid on the starboard side. Cleats either side are recessed.

A very comfortable, padded full-width benchseat with armrests on each coaming would accommodate three to four people. The seat squab covers a large gear locker, which (at around 130cm wide) is too short to store skis 'square' but they will fit on an angle. There is plenty of room, though, for kneeboards and wakeboards, etc.

The squab lifts out to get at the bilge, battery, etc. And that's a bit of a nightmare, because you have to almost crawl through the gear locker. Still, you would hope that won't be necessary.

Grabrails are moulded into both gunwales, with ample vinyl-covered padding on the coamings. A rather attractive deep-blue marine carpet covers the floor and footrest wells in front of passenger and driver. The passenger-side front seat is a back-to-back design, while the driver's is a comfortable high-backed lounge chair (almost on a pedestal). A forward-facing similar seat for the passenger is optional.

A longitudinal storage locker in the centre of the cockpit is deep and wide, although the hatch is not full width. It's too small to store skis, but would accommodate a lot of wet gear.

TOP ARRANGEMENT
Good instrumentation is right in front of the skipper (ie: hour, volt, speedo, battery, engine, rev counter, trim and fuel gauges). Directly in front of the helm is a compass and above that are Honda battery and engine management system warning lights set between the gauges. On the left of the helm is a radio/CD player, with twin waterproof speakers in the walkway between the cockpit and the bow section. The switch panel is on the right. Steering is hydraulic.

The Tiara's front passenger has a grabrail on the left coaming as well as a good, deep glovebox with a hinged lid. This could also be used as a drinks cooler because it drains overboard. A five-piece screen with curved corners is practical as well as giving the boat racy lines. It has a centre opening panel to allow walk-through access to the bowrider deck forward. A low split bowrail gives something to hang on to as well as provide easy access to the very large anchor well and typically large Caribbean anchor-carrying bowsprit. A bimini top keeps the sun off.

The bow section seats are fully-padded, with comfortable backrests and large storage bins underneath. Non-skiddecking is in all the right places.

SKIING IS BELIEVING
Top speed registered was 65kmh at 5600rpm on the new Honda 130 which is fed from a 144lt rear-mounted fueltank. This should be ample fuel for a day's fun with plenty to spare - especially with the economical four-stroke Honda out back. Cruising speed was 50kmh at 4200rpm.

Those figures are subject to some variation due to the newness of the boat and some set-up challenges which made things less than perfect, however the Honda drove the boat very well. MY Marine had fitted transom wedges between the transom and engine to tuck the engine in more, with the aim of achieving more lift from the hole for skiing. This seemed to work fairly well given the oft-quoted (but sometimes overplayed) difficulty four-stroke engines have with initial acceleration.

EASY RIDER
On a light chop on Port Phillip Bay, the Tiara rode well with a minimum of spray coming into the bow area - just enough to keep things interesting for the kids!

Manoeuvrability was impressive and despite some tight turning under full throttle, at no stage did the prop let go. The hydraulic steering was firm, without being heavy - a good balance really.

While the boat was fitted with ski hooks, I was surprised to note there was no provision to mount a skipole or wakeboard pole, although it would be feasible to drill a sufficiently large hole through the centre of the transom to slip a pole through and bolt it to the floor.

The whole package was mounted on an optional Dunbier wide-track 1813 TM dual-axle, drive-on, multi-roller trailer with override brakes. Unfortunately, the boat did not self-centre while driving on at the calm Patterson River ramps. So we had to back off, stand in the centre of the boat and try again!