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"I Got Lucky": Tiara Yachts Sovran 4000 IPS
Boat Name: I Got Lucky
Boat Type: Power - Cruiser
Manufacturer: Tiara Yachts
Model: 4000 Sovran ISP Feet: 40 Year: 2006
Primary use: Cruising
Cockpit: Multi-level cockpit.
- Upper area, with hard-top and full safety-glass surround has 1+1 helm seat and 'L' shaped sofa that can seat 4.
- Lower area has 'U' shaped sofa that can seat 6. Upper cockpit is noisier than the lower cockpit but you can still hold a conversation at full power.
- Great visibility all round, though a small cross bar in the center window is sometimes right on the horizon.
Cabin: Large cabin with two berths, convertible sofa and fully equipped galley. Two heads, including separate shower stall in master head. Finished in teak.
Construction: Excellent construction. the more I poke around, the more impressed I become.
Handling: Very well. Turns on a dime and very responsive to throttle.
Handles 3-4' swell and chop as if it didn't exist. Also handles much larger chop - I've bashed through 6-8' leaving the inlet - much better than I can!
Engine: Very responsive.
Throttle response is enough to throw passengers off their feet if unwarned.
Close-quarter handling is tricky and there's a trick that needs to be demonstrated and practiced. "Spinning" is not very effective, the boat catches a beam wind easily and the bow thruster can't catch a bow that's caught the wind. So trying traditional maneuvering skills can get you into trouble.
Boater's LIFE Comments:
We discussed the close-quarter handling and "spinning" issue with an expert in the industry familiar with Tiara Yachts and the Sovran 40 specifically. Seems she does respond a little differently. Here is what we were told:
"The boat can be handled like a traditional inboard, but the response is just a little slower. Not bad, just a little slower than a traditional diesel inboard. It is still much better than a twin gas inboard.
However, if you turn the wheel one way or the other, you can speed up the rotation tremendously and make the boat more responsive than a traditional twin inboard diesel. This, however, takes time to learn and should be practiced before attempting in a high wind or high current situation.
The bow thruster works like it is supposed to. I have run the 40 on four separate occasions and spent about 6 hours on board. The boat runs so much quieter than a traditional boat that from the cockpit all you can hear is the water and wind.
Handling at slow speed in forward is much better than a traditional inboard. Rotating the boat is the only real difference. After an hour on board I was rotating the boat at very high speeds without increasing the speed above idle and just using the wheel to increase or decrease the speed of rotation."
Additional Comments from Owner:
Absolutely. THIS is the trick. At two engine idle forward, speed is 3.6 knots and the boat will still turn on a dime. Use just one engine and trolling speed is down to 1.5 knots and she still turns with aclarity. Thanks to the factors above, there's not much tendency for pulling left or right when only using one engine.
When maneuvering the boat around a slip, you still use the wheel. The thing to keep in mind is when you turn the wheel to port (say), then engines turn to starboard. Like a forklift truck, you're steering the back of the boat. Especially tricky to remember when going backwards! But once you get it, you sure look good!
Once you "get it", it really does handle beautifully. My problem was nobody I was learning from had experienced the boat and "got it", so I was getting poor advice. Advice that would work great on a regular boat just didn't work on the 4000. Especially when things get out of shape! I'm sure this problem will get smaller and smaller as more hulls get out there and more experience is learned. As the first hull on the west coast, I've been a bit of a trailblazer!
I did learn one other superb trick when it comes to docking. If you're side-tieing, for example at a fuel dock, this is what you do:
Bring the boat in at a 30 degree angle (or thereabouts) to the dock, nosing the bow in a close as you can, just a little (say 10') bit forward of where you want to be. Engines in neutral.
Turn the wheel hard into the dock to full lock. So if you're docking on the starboard side, turn the wheel hard to the right. Engines in reverse.
Use the bow thruster to keep the bow into the dock (as necessary) as the stern is sucked into the dock. That simple! I've successfully docked with the wind hard on my beam, blowing off the dock using this technique.
I'm experimenting with just using the dockside engine in reverse.
This reduces the backwards motion, allowing you to put the bow much closer to the final position you want, and the natural torque effect keeps the bow in place against the dock. The only downside is that the whole maneuver takes a little longer at puts you more at mercy to the winds and current.
Volvo Penta IPS Drives
General: I'm going on day trips and the occasional weekend cruise. Still enjoying being out on the water, so no special activities.
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Owner's Review of a brand new model from Tiara complete with the Volvo IPS drives.