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 Robert "Bob" Slikkers made a presentation to the attendees, recognizing individuals that recently purchased boats and talking about Tiara Yachts' future.
It was more like a family reunion than a boat rendezvous with individuals trading banter back and forth with the company president like old family members. Truly warm and refreshing. A company that is personal and friendly with a one to one relationship with its customers is a rare thing these days.
He shared thoughts of Tiara’s direction as well as solicited suggestions for improvement. Not only did he listen, but he responded to them personally. This could have been a stockholders meeting at a highly successful company if it were not for the warmth shared between the owners and the builder. To me, it seemed as if they were old friends.
Bob mentioned that "... the Sovran 4000 was highly successful, the most successful launch in Tiara Yachts' history. The Miami boat show alone broke all previous records with 16 boats already shipped at the time of the rendezvous."
The 3900 Convertible history was discussed which was very interesting. Perfection was the driving force behind it and they totally redesigned the hull after testing the prototype to make one of the best performing and riding sport fishing boats in the market.
There are few builders that would scrap their hull prototype molds in favor of making a boat better than their competitors rather than just its match. That’s one of the things that makes a good boat company, excellent.
You can read more about this in our Review of The 3900 Convertible. Find out how she handles in rough water as well.
Tiara Yachts had been absent from this marketplace for a while and their first venture back is truly a winner. It is truly awesome. I for one look forward to additional boats in this line.
 With tongue in cheek, Bob mentioned the company's secret marketing technique to keeping current owner's in the family and coming back for more. "One of the things that helps us a lot, is that when we design new boats , ... you guys buy them."... there was a roar of laughter from the crowd. Bob's response "...that seems to work every time, and I thank you for that. It also makes our planning a whole lot easier."
Tiara Yachts first boats were Opens and helped establish the Express Concept. They acknowledged the cruising segment with the Sovran In keeping with Tiara and Coronet. And, Open remains dual duty with an optional fishing package.
Currently, there is a 3600, 4000, 4400 and 5200 in the Sovran line. Possible additions were discussed.
Editors Note: One thing you have to know is that Tiara measures their boat from inside the bow pulpit to the transom and does not include the tumblehome or swim platforms, so you get more for your money and they should be cost compared to larger boats of their competition. You need to keep this in mind when comparing a Tiara's value to another boat.
The Coronet series is Tiara Yachts' day boat. At the moment it has only one entry. Given the activity Boater's LIFE sees in this area, it would not surprise us to see the line expand.
The fourth segment is the convertible market. Tiara has just launched the new 39 which is a mid-size boat among convertibles. It will not surprise us to see Tiara in the convertible fishing market with greater strength given their design success with the new 39. And, she is a winner.
Bob invited everyone to visit their plant at any time... "We are getting more efficient at our plant and making great improvements there. Just tie up at our docks and we'd love to show you around. A lot of (our) people are very proud of what we do, our employees are a fine group of people and we like to think that we make the finest boat we can. We are not perfect, but we are trying to get there. And, we'd love to share that experience with you."
On the Success of IPS ...
Bob Slikkers... "The IPS has brought to us a whole different way of looking at propulsion systems. The efficiency that you get out of them and the weight savings they provide. If you take a look at the 4000 you can see the space savings we were able to get out of the boat. The space wasn't there with traditional drives. It makes sense to have more boats like that."
"Volvo is planning on a bigger series IPS with more horsepower. We can only develop two or three new boats a year and it costs millions of dollars to do it. Developing a boat specifically for one engine is a commitment for any boat manufacturer. "
On the Importance of Engine Manufacturers ...
"Engine manufacturers are our most critical supplier because the engine is so critical to the boat. Everything is a challenge. We can deliver great customer service but if the engine goes down, you (the boater) stop boating. Our relationship with our customers requires that we can get someone on it and get it going fast. They are very important to us"
Commitment to the Industry ...
"Back when the luxury tax hurt the industry, we never questioned if the industry would survive but when is it coming back. We thought it would. And, we spent every dollar and nickel we could on new product development to come out of the period on a run. And the same thing since 911. During the subsequent slowdown, we kept all of our people. For it's our belief in the long term strength of our industry that people are going to keep boating and we plan to be there for them."
On Interior Design ...
Bob Slikkers ... "The use of an interior (a boat's interior) in the designer's mind does not always happen in real life. Storage is always a big issue. There are many choices and trade offs. So is flexibility and providing (customers with) options. We recently went through a motor home plant. They move them through the shop and deliver one every thirty minutes with a choice of five different interiors. The question is… "How do they do that?' Provide that much flexibility and delivery quality in that process. We are trying to do more with options."
"On design, we mock up the boats and actually sit on it. Stand up on it. On the mock up - to evaluate it. Everything but live on it inside the shop. I'd like to see our helms become lower. Sleeker while having all the electronics you need. It's only one of the many options we are considering."
A Thank You to the local Dealer Sponsors ...
Bob Slikkers speaking to the dealers in the audience as well as to boat owners themselves ... "Dealers are extremely important to us. It is a strange thing ... we interact a lot with our actual customers and we like it that way. Yet, we expect our dealers to do most of the work in taking care of you. Tiara has an excellent dealer network. No one has more experience than they do and we consider ourselves blessed."
The arrival of the dessert table brought all speeches to an end. | 
