This Dual-Purpose Cruising and Fishing Boat Boasts Quality Construction and Finish.

In 1968 my roommate bought a brand–new SS170V model Slickcraft runabout. I can still picture it today, sitting there with its huge 6–cylinder, 100–horsepower Mercury outboard engine next to my 14–foot Sea Sprite with a 40–horsepower Johnson. I must admit I was impressed and envious of my friend's new boat. At the time, I supposed the name Slickcraft had been chosen to emphasize the boat's sharp, clean lines and glossy, unblemished finish. It wasn't until later, when I learned the company was founded and owned by Leon Slikkers, that I put two and two together and made proper sense of the name. Even at this early point in my career, it was clear Slickcraft had set the benchmark for quality of construction and finish of fiberglass boats, both literally and figuratively outshining the competition.

Slikkers sold Slickcraft in the early 1970s and founded S–2 Yachts Incorporated, the parent company of Tiara Yachts. Early on, S–2 Yachts was known more for its sailboats than for its powerboats, but in 1977, the company introduced its first Tiara Yachts model, the 2500. Tiara now offer models to 58 feet and continues to build some of the best–constructed and finest–finished fishing boats and family cruisers. The Tiara 2900 was introduced in 1994 and production continued through the 2007 model year.

The Tiara 2900 was marketed as a dual–purpose cruising and fishing boat; however, with its large open cockpit and limited cabin space, I think the design tends to favor the fisherman a slight bit more than the cruiser. The style of the 2900 is what is commonly referred to as an open bridge deck or express cruiser. It features cabin accommodations forward. The bridge or helm is positioned over the engines, and an after cockpit affords space for fishing, entertaining or relaxing. The bridge and cockpit are "open," with the exception of canvas tops and enclosures that are supported by collapsible frames.

The sheer of the 2900 is reversed, meaning that if you draw a straight line from the bow to the stern, the edge along the sheer rises above the straight edge rather than falling below it. Functionally, this provides more space in the center of the boat, where the accommodations and machinery are located. Freeboard forward is quite low and the cabin trunk rather high, which tends to give the boat a bit of a top–heavy appearance. To my eye, these features–most prominent when the boat is viewed in profile at eye level–are not aesthetically pleasing. Fortunately, boats are most often viewed from something of an oblique angle and seldom directly at eye level.

The hull of the Tiara 2900 is constructed with a gelcoated surface, with a layer of fiberglass mat and vinylester resin to prevent osmotic blistering. The bottom is laid up with a solid fiberglass laminate. The hull sides and decks utilize a balsa wood core between fiberglass laminates for weight reduction and stiffness. Deck and hull are joined with adhesive and stainless steel screws.

My practical side tells me that adhesives used today are strong enough to hold this boat together even if all the screws were to be removed. But, my traditional side would still like to see nuts, bolts and washers used to secure the hull to the deck joint on a boat of this quality.

To their credit, the builders have used bulkheads that are watertight between the hull and cabin soles to divide the boat into three separate compartments. No doubt this adds an extra measure of security and survivability should any compartment suffer damage.

Transverse and longitudinal stiffeners and motor mounts are constructed of laminated plywood encased in fiberglass. Drain holes allow water to drain from the compartments formed by these installations and are my one concern in regard to the method of construction. Because the holes are not sealed to prevent water from getting into the plywood, even a small amount of water can quickly damage and weaken the system. I strongly recommend sealing any holes. The cost to have this done should be under $1,000 and is money well spent if it avoids a serious structural problem in the future.

The Tiara 2900's cockpit is over 6 feet long, nearly 10 feet wide and 29 inches deep, providing plenty of space for anglers. The bridge deck is raised approximately 6 inches from the cockpit deck and features two back seats as standard equipment with the helm on the starboard side. Several optional seating configurations were offered, including a curved port–side companion seat, a wet bar and icemaker behind the helm seat and a fold–out lounge seat at the after end of the cockpit.

The helm is very well laid out, with plenty of room for added equipment. The console is hinged at the base and opens to allow access for service and installation of equipment.

To make it easier to get in and out of the 29–inch–deep cockpit, there are steps molded into the liner along both sides of the cockpit. Side decks are wide enough for secure footing, and a welded stainless steel rail extends around the foredeck and along the side decks, nearly to the cockpit. The rail is 28 inches high at the bow and 26 inches along the side decks back to the windshield. This is well above the knee height of the average adult and offers a secure feeling and a convenient handhold not commonly found on other boats.

The side, cockpit and forward decks all have a deep, diamond–patterned, molded non–skid surface that provides secure footing. Ten–inch stainless steel mooring cleats forward, midship and aft are securely fastened with stainless steel bolts.

One of the more sportfisherman–like features of the 2900 is a starboard transom door for landing that big rockfish in the cockpit. The door is well constructed and opens inboard, as it should; but the truth is, this is an expensive feature that I would guess is seldom used by most owners. I would have preferred the builder to offer this as an option and to have included a few more useful features for fisherman such as fish boxes, a saltwater wash–down pump and rod holders as standard.

The standard model lacks a live–bait well, fish storage boxes or even rod holders. Live–bait wells are available from any number of after–market providers at a cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, and the serious fisherman may also want to consider the addition of outriggers.

The Tiara 2900 is almost evenly divided between cabin space and open cockpit. A fisherman will likely consider the accommodations downright luxurious, while a cruiser will find them a little short on privacy. This probably means it's just about right for its dual–purpose intent.

A single cabin with a berth forward is set at an angle slightly off centerline. The dinette, which also converts to a berth, is along the starboard side. Berth length for both is adequate, but with a width of only 44 inches at the narrowest point, they're a bit tight for two adults. Along the port side, a small galley is fitted with a single–burner stove, microwave oven, stainless steel sink and a front–loading AC/DC refrigerator mounted under the galley counter. The head, with its manual toilet and 20–gallon waste holding tank, is located aft along the port side. There is also a hot– and cold–water shower, a 30–gallon freshwater tank and an additional 6–gallon water heater. The water capacity is relatively modest, as is common for this size boat.

The Tiara 2900 makes excellent use of a limited amount of space. A small hanging locker fits between the galley and forward berth, and there is ample storage space below seats and berths. There should be no difficulty for weekend and short cruising for two or weekends for four if privacy is not a concern.

The entire bridge deck of the Tiara 2900 can be raised hydraulically to reveal the engine compartment below. Since the opening is only about 20 inches wide, it can be a bit of a tight squeeze, But once inside, there is enough room to get around the sides of both engines for service.

Until the 2004 model year, the standard engine installation was the 250–horsepower, freshwater–cooled Crusader gasoline engine. There was also an optional 225–horsepower GM diesel. With the introduction of the 1995 model year, larger 320–horsepower Crusader gas engines were offered as an option; and beginning with the 1998 model year, the GM diesel option was replaced by a 250–horsepower Cummins.

With the standard engines, the Tiara 2900 will cruise at about 20 knots, with a top speed of about 28 knots. Larger gas engines will add about 4 knots to those figures. I haven't had a chance to operate a boat with the diesel engine option, but I would expect it to cruise at about the same speed as that reached by the larger gas engines, albeit with a little less top–end performance.

For coastal fishermen, who often run 60 miles or more on their offshore fishing trips, the 200–gallon fuel capacity of the Tiara 2900 is on the short side. By comparison the Luhrs 290 and Grady White 300 both have 300–gallon fuel capacity, and the Black Fin 29 and Black Watch 30 have about a 250–gallon capacity each. At cruising speed and allowing for a 10–percent fuel reserve, the range is about 250 miles with gas engines. Put the pedal to the metal, and the range drops to well below 200 miles. Tiara did not offer optional increased capacity, and adding extra tanks is not a practical solution.

The Tiara 2900 has 19–degree deadrise at the transom, which makes for a smooth ride and good handling. Hydraulic steering is standard. The boats I have operated require nearly six turns of the wheel from hard over in one direction to hard over in the other, and I feel the steering is a little sluggish. Freeboard forward is low, which can result in a wet ride, particularly in short choppy seas. Hydraulic trim tabs are standard equipment, as are electric windshield wipers, both of which you are likely to make good use of from time to time.

As with his Slickcraft models of the 1960s, Leon Slikkers continued to set benchmarks for high–quality construction and finish with the Tiara 2900. There is, however, a price to be paid for an upscale boat built to this higher level of quality. If your only interest is fishing, there are likely less–expensive alternatives that will do the job quite nicely. But if you're looking for a boat to do a little fishing, a little entertaining in style and an occasional short cruise, the extra cost of the Tiara 2900 is money well spent.

Jack Hornor, NA is the principal surveyor and senior designer for the Annapolis-based Marine Survey & Design Co. Hornor writes for BoatU.S. Magazine and other marine publications.

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