Tiara 3900 Sovran - Reinterpretting the Express Cruiser for Offshore Cruising
The Tiara 3900 Sovran offers a fresh interpretation of the ubiquitous express cruiser design with an eye towards upscale offshore cruising without a sacrifice in cockpit capacity or comfort. We had the chance to tour a 3900 while exhibiting our EarthNC Marine Charts for Google Earth at the Sandestin Baytowne Wharf Boatfest. Read on for our full review and be sure to visit our extensive photo album.
With hardtop and solid glass windshield and side enclosures, the Tiara has a distinctive dockside look. Large, flat side decks with well placed hand-rails make boarding easy. The aft cockpit provides ample seating for up to 6 adults as well as access to the large swim platform and transom trunk. The forward cockpit doesn’t skimp either with a portside L - settee and professional helm station. The helm controls reflect the standard with the Volvo IPS system with dual throttles and the joystick dock steering system.
Cabin
Down below, this 40′ really shines as an example of open-cabin design. Open-cabin designs aren’t for everyone, but if your cruising tends toward soloing, entertaining, or having children aboard we feel the Tiara 3900 has a layout worth considering. Entering via the hardwood stairs, the mid-cabin features the galley to starboard with large, flat working surfaces. To port is the dinette settee. The master stateroom is forward and has solid, sliding doors for privacy. Aft and to starboard is the entertainment area with large facing couches and big screen TV. The headroom here is a bit short, but we liked it none the less as it provides a feeling of 2 gathering areas without reverting to small doors or hallways. This area doubles as the aft cabin is easily a full queen in size.
Further setting the floorplan apart from the standard express cruiser, Tiara chose to place the head in the port, aft area of the cabin rather than forward. This gives the mid and forward cabin full advantage of the 13′11″ beam. If you typically cruise with 2 couples aboard, you may prefer a boat with dual heads, but if you can do with one, the Tiara’s is luxurious by small boat standards. The aft placement allows room for a fully separate shower stall which importantly does not include the toilet itself - making keeping clean and cleanup a lot easier.
While our Regal 2760 more than fits the bill for us now, you never really stop looking at the next move up. In terms of express cruisers, we’re most impressed with the Regal 3860 (which also offers an open cabin plan) and now the Tiara 3900. Our choice will depend in major part on whether we continue mainly coastal and ICW boating or start to venture offshore to the Bahamas or other destinations. A move to in-water storage also prompts thoughtful consideration of the IPS system which is not available on the Regal.
Don’t forget to visit our Sovran 3900 photo album for many more pictures.
