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High Speed Handling
Tiara Sovran 4000 IPS: Awesome and Different
The 4000 is an Awesome Running Boat. It is Different.
The IPS system makes a dramatic change in the handling characteristics of a boat, especially when comparing the same size boat with standard inboard propulsion.
We got up on plane quickly and smoothly. Tiara provides trim tabs on the boat. I saw no need for them. We didn't use tabs and there was very little bow rise.
High speed handling of the boat is more like carving the the water. Much better than a traditional inboard. It leans over in a turn, but it leans over in a manner that you are “seated into” your seat and don't notice it, unless you look out the side window. Even in a very tight and sharp but fully controlled 90-degree turn, you remain perpendicular to your seat. Level with the boat, not the horizon. It’s a function of both the drives and the hull design. The drives act as rudders; and as the hull has no keel, it leans over.
If the boat ran flat into a hard turn, it would most likely skid out. The hull is designed to lean into a turn so if feels very stable. Similar to carving a turn on a down hill ski. Very fast and very efficient. It’s not an odd lean and you do not even notice it, but you can see it.
Full-length running strakes and the elimination of a keel define the 4000’s new IPS-friendly hull. Compared to the response one would expect from an inboard boat, the combination of the IPS drive system and Tiara's new hull makes a very, very agile boat.
IPS is much quieter than a traditional inboard. The engines are further aft… even sitting in the transom… you can’t hear the engines. You can talk at normal room levels to someone sitting next to you. All you hear is water and air moving past you. Exhaust smell and gases are virtually nonexistent.
From my point of view, that is a blessing … an odd sensation. It's more like you are in a really fast sailboat with no motor sensation.
Volvo IPS Drives on a Tiara Sovran 4000
I’ve seen the drives out of the water. As you can see above, they are definitely beefy and bigger than you might think. They give you a feeling of power and real feeling of security.
If you put both drives straight ahead, you can use it like a traditional inboard but it is a little slower to react when close quarter maneuvering than a traditional diesel inboard. But better than a gas boat (gas boats do not have the torque or the rpm).
Slow Speed Handling ... Maneuverability Testing
Tiara's Sovran 4000 - At the Dock
After having spent six or seven hours behind the wheel of that 400, I can say unquestionably that she handles like a dream. I spent a lot of time playing at low speed offshore away from other boats and docks. My objective was to see what I could do with it if you turn the wheel in different directions and how she maneuvers. This proved very interesting ...
If you put one engine in forward and one in reverse just at idle, she will actually have some propulsion edging her forward. And when you begin to turn the wheel, she responds very well ... at idle! Seems the underwater exhaust provides propulsion. Power is not wasted on this boat!
If you turn into a rotation, your turn will speed up tremendously. An odd feeling when you are not touching any throttle. If you turn it out of a rotation or against the direction she is moving, you can actually stop the rotation. You can spin the boat on itself by putting one drive in forward and the other in reverse. If you turn the wheel, you can rotate much faster. You can actually stop a rotation by turning the wheel. The center of the spin is the center of the boat.
You just have to play with it and get used to it to see exactly what it does. It doesn't take long to learn it. The boat has a very slight forward motion while the engines are in neutral and you have total control without using the bow thrusters.
Turning the wheel one way or the other actually makes 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. I'd practice away from the dock as well. It's not scary but feels odd the first time. Once you get used to it, handling at slow speed in forward is actually much better than a traditional inboard.
Having run the 4000 on four separate occasions and spent about 6 hours on board, I was always amazed how the boat runs so much quieter than a traditional boat. From the cockpit all you can hear is the water and wind. Nice, very nice indeed.
The Rotating Difference
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. What I learned was that IPS gives a boat the advantages of both a stern drive and an inboard propulsion when maneuvering in tight quarters.
Another benefit is that if you loose an engine or a propeller or anything that might cause you to come in on one engine, you can still dock the boat. You can actually steer the boat on one engine which is very different than a traditional inboard.
I’ve lost engines offshore and have had to come through a channel. Try docking a boat with a strong current and on one engine. That is not fun! The IPS drive will actually allow you to steer against it and you can get the boat to go straight relatively easy even with one motor. You can even back up straight with only one motor. Something you can not do with a traditional inboard at all. Hopefully, you never have to do so, but it will work. And, it should make you feel more secure knowing that it will.
Tiara's Sovran 4000 - Pretty from all angles.
My Advice ...
If you're thinking about making a purchase, don't wait any longer to order your own 4000 Sovran equipped with Volvo's newest drive system, the Volvo IPS.
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