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View Full Version : Going to look at a 2006 29' Tiara Open



pipnit
12-17-2013, 09:44 AM
I'm keeping the 2+3, forever but it's time I start looking for another boat. I'm interested in a good sized dayboat for Lake Michigan. Something I can take a number of people out, something we can shoot over to Chicago in, go perching and maybe some overnights here and there with my small family of three.
A friend of a friend has a 2006 2900 Open Classic for sale. I caught him the day he was going to send the brokerage papers over so that was good timing. The boat is supposed to be a real cream puff. The current owner is a persnickety sailer type that wanted a power boat. To me, this is a good thing. The boat was bought new in 2008 and has 240 hours on the 6.0 motors. It's pretty loaded up with the exception of a generator. It has the factory hard top, radar and gps, installed at the factory and the more traditional 2+2 seating on both the helm and passanger side.
The only problem with the boat is the fridge is dead. He's asking 100k. Any thoughts from you guys?

Thanks!

BUIZILLA
12-17-2013, 03:48 PM
thats a helluva boat, barely trailerable though.... a good friend of mine has the same boat, and he repowered his with a pair of Duramax diesels

duckhunter
12-17-2013, 09:52 PM
I love the 29-33' Tiaras and the 31 flybridge in particular is my "ultimate" TN River dayboat or weekender. Diesels would be the bomb, but in this size boat gassers wouldn't scare me a bit. Crawl around in the bilge and look at the rigging that you wouldn't normally see. Bet it's immaculate. Tiara really does things right.

What drives on the boat? Straight inboards, v drives, other? Electronics? Radar would be an awesome option on the Lakes, as it can get a little froggy... A genset would be nice but not a show-stopper on a 29. Inverter powered A/C? Since you're up north that's not as big of a deal as it is down south. Pretty much mandatory down here to be able to overnight in the summer. I wouldn't sweat the fridge on a six figure boat personally, but all the little stuff adds up so maybe a good negotiating tool.

I'm a small boat guy for now, but for something that big, with that many systems, for that much money, I would get a professional survey.

Pictures wouldn't hurt!

pipnit
12-17-2013, 10:09 PM
Thanks for your thoughts guys.

As far as trailering it, she'll stay in the big lake for as long as I keep her. The way I look at it is, I can always sell it and it IS trailerable on a lowboy.
I'm going to check her out with my family on Thursday, I'll post pics. I'm pretty sure this is the boat for us at this point in our lives. I'm going to get a survey for sure and you're right not to penny pinch on the #. My buddy pulled comps for all freshwater 29's over the past 8 years and the price appears to be in line. I'm excited to check it out!
DH, she comes equipped with the factory Nav option. Radar, GPS, etc.


Do you think it would look funny if I pulled the 2+3 behind as a dinghy if we ever take her up North? :)

duckhunter
12-17-2013, 10:55 PM
Do you think it would look funny if I pulled the 2+3 behind as a dinghy if we ever take her up North? :)

Sounds like the perfect dinghy to me! Congrats, hope the survey and everything turn out great. If you pick it up it will be a long winter plotting and buying stuff for the new boat!

BUIZILLA
12-18-2013, 07:00 AM
my buddy tows his T2900 diesel with a Chevy 2500 CC Duramax non dually, it sits in his side yard... wide load though..

if he was going to list it with a broker at 100k then you KNOW he has 10-15% room to knock off, right off the bat..

you can't get hurt in the mid-low 80's

I have another customer that took a 90's model 3100 open and repowered from 225hp TAMD41A Volvo's to 315 Yanmar's and added a Northen Lights 8kw genny..

duckhunter
12-18-2013, 11:18 AM
I have another customer that took a 90's model 3100 open and repowered from 225hp TAMD41A Volvo's to 315 Yanmar's and added a Northen Lights 8kw genny..

Bet she's a fricken' hot rod with the 315s! Did he have to use bigger shafts & struts or just drop in with new wheels?

pipnit
12-20-2013, 10:14 AM
look like I'm getting a Tiara!

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duckhunter
12-20-2013, 10:26 AM
Congrats! She's beautiful! :propeller:

dsparis
12-20-2013, 10:29 AM
Congratulations, great boat. A neighbor on our canal (salt) had one. The hardware, cushions, everything was top quality. I hope you like to fish because that boat loves too.

Craig S
12-20-2013, 10:48 AM
geez that boat looks clean!

CHACHI
12-20-2013, 12:14 PM
geez that boat looks clean!

+1

Ken

Ghost
12-20-2013, 12:29 PM
Looks fantastic, congrats!

duckhunter
12-20-2013, 05:15 PM
How cool will it be to anchor the Tiara in a cove for the weekend and bomb around in the 18? Sounds absolutely perfect to me.

The cabin is a HUGE bonus for the kids. I suspect it will greatly extend the amount of time you can spend on the water.

Just Say N20
12-20-2013, 08:03 PM
You have done well. You will also appreciate the quality of that boat. I kept my mouth shut prior to this point, wanting other people to chime in with their personal experiences.

I worked at Tiara for three years, and saw first hand the build quality of those boats. Even places people never see are over the top. And for some reason, I'm thinking the 6.0 engine was the high output SBC option. They do very thorough performance evaluations of their boats, and I think the 6.0 performed almost as well as the big blocks, but was appreciably more efficient.

pipnit
12-21-2013, 08:30 AM
Hey guys,

Thanks for the words of assurance, advice and words of wisdom. N20, that's neat that you worked there for a while. I agree, the fit and finish on their boats is really nice. Before I clung to Tiara, I was checking out all the other brands, Searay, Chapparel, even formula and without trying to offend anyone, they just seemed "plastic." Heck, even the inside of the lazerettes are gel coated!
For my small family, this boat is going to be just perfect! You're right in saying that this purchase will greatly increase my water time. I love my 2+3 but living on Lake Michigan means not every day is a donzi day. Now almost everyday WILL be a boating day.
The current owner did step up to the plate and is replacing the fridge and putting in four new batteries since they're the originals. I did pay his asking price which I still think is fair when I had a broker friend of mine pull comps. I didn't want to split hairs and lose her.
So, right now she's over at a heated facility in Chicago. After the survey, the money gets handed over and I'm going to have her oil and trans fluid changed, detail her out, buff the top side a little (slightest chalking) and have her turn key for the season.
I am PUMPED! :)

Just Say N20
12-21-2013, 12:52 PM
http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?ID=47

JimG
12-23-2013, 09:18 AM
Nobody builds like Tiara! Awesome boats... congrats!

pipnit
12-24-2013, 07:31 AM
http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?ID=47

Awesome info, thanks for passing that along. Do you have a membership on boattests? If not, mind sharing where you found that info?
I wouldn't take the 2+3 up to your neck of the woods but I'll surely be up there on the Tiara. WOuld be fun to meet up.

BUIZILLA
12-24-2013, 07:35 AM
the 6.0/375(?) is a really good, and simple engine (just look at the raw water pump setup) it's a shame the Mfg didn't advertise and compare it better

pipnit
12-24-2013, 08:42 AM
the 6.0/375(?) is a really good, and simple engine (just look at the raw water pump setup) it's a shame the Mfg didn't advertise and compare it better

Thanks again Buiz and others for the good feedback. I'm over the moon excited. I've honsetly been running the thing in my dreams at night all week long.
I was a little confused by this review, still am really: http://www.boattest.com/boats/boat_video.aspx?ID=47
"You’ll cruise comfortably at 30.2 mph; but when it’s time to impress your friends, push the throttles forward for a top end of 35.8 mph."

Then below that:
"Top speed for the Tiara 2900 Open Classic is 39.9 mph (64.2 kph), burning 56.2 gallons per hour (gph) or 212.72 liters per hour (lph)."

I am excited though. There really isn't much to do except I'm going to have someone change the oil for the motors and transmissions.
What is the best product for a slightly chaulked topside? I ran my hand across the top of the transom and got a little chaulking on the hand. The hull and sides are glassy smooth.

Aqua Buff?

Ed Donnelly
12-24-2013, 10:06 AM
What a super Christmas gift for the whole family
Your soon to be adopted son Teddy

pipnit
12-27-2013, 02:11 PM
Survey scheduled for January 6th!

pipnit
02-14-2014, 11:23 AM
I was very impressed with the surveyor I got to do the job. His name is Mel Surdel and he is a retired naval architect with over 3,000 inspections under his belt and not one failure. He went over it with a fine tooth comb, including using thermal imaging for the hull. He said it is rock solid and used terms like "better than most" and "exceptionally clean." He said I can't go wrong with the boat at this price or almost any price for that matter. I am holding around 5% back until we run the engines and inspect them. The title is in my hand, and she's mine. Now I just need to go pay 7% taxes to the man and get my insurance! I'm pumped!

Just Say N20
02-14-2014, 11:55 AM
Great news! I would be very surprised if it doesn't run kissing 40 mph with those engines.

I think you will really like that boat. Come on spring!

scippy
03-10-2014, 11:59 PM
Today I climbed aboard a 35' Tiara with twin caterpillar engines.............. my friend Eric paid 85K it's 2000 model year.
He's 6' 4" and can stand upright in the salon............Earlier someone mentioned the build quailty and it's very obvious!

pipnit
04-26-2014, 08:09 AM
So the boat has been detailed, top sides buffed, waxed etc. That said, it's still in dry dock. I finally went down to pay the piper his 7% on the excise tax. Ouch... I found a nice woman in Chicago (where the boat currently is) who has been doing hand painted signs for a long time. I had her do the name with black paint and gold leaf, I think it turned out great! It is nice that the boot stripe of the boat just happens to be black and gold too so I think it's really going to look sharp in the water. These week is all balled up for me so I'm hoping to go get it the following week. It should be a fun ride, goingt through the rivers and channels on the south side of Chicago. I have to go through two locks which is going to be a new experience for me so I've enlisted the help of some seasoned captains. Can't wait to splash this girl!

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Greg Guimond
04-26-2014, 08:27 AM
Man, that lettering job is fit for a King. Very nice!

BUIZILLA
04-26-2014, 08:49 AM
beautiful shine,,,, i'm insanely jealous

Ghost
04-26-2014, 08:59 AM
Looks fantastic! (If you want to have some fun in the locks, give a passenger a life jacket he doesn't like.)

pipnit
05-11-2014, 11:46 AM
So, I finally got the chance to bring "Happy Dance" back from Chicago. The trip was fun, going through the south branch of the Chicago river, through downtown and out to the lake through the lock. The south side of the trip was like traveling through the bowels of the city. Going through the sky scrapers downtown was neat! A different perspective for sure. It was also very busy, lots of tour boats, working barges, and a couple bonafide flotillas of sail boats who were waiting for the bridge lifts. The boat ran great up the river and across the lake. I have some learning to do with the navigational tools and just getting familiar with the boat but I'm in love! The only thing that didn't work properly was the depth guage, that's intigrated with teh gps / radar. Hopefully it's just a connection of something simple.

Some pics:

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Home Sweet Home
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Ghost
05-11-2014, 01:02 PM
Congrats, love it! Great pics, too.

One thought on the depth, if that sort of setup is new to you. My Simrad gps chartplotter has a depth transducer probably similar to yours. I find that if I sit for a good while in very shallow water (as I imagine you did just getting onto the boat for this first trip), sometimes it just sits stuck on 2 or 3 feet and doesn't update anymore. Power cycling the Simrad unit on the dash always fixes it. Just a possible thing to try if that's what it did.

duckhunter
05-11-2014, 02:21 PM
Awesome! Looks like you had perfect weather for the maiden voyage! It must have been a LONG winter waiting to get her home. Love those Tiaras - great boats. :party:

pipnit
05-11-2014, 10:44 PM
Had a fun time taking the family out for the first time. Then I cleaned and cleaned. Lots of black marks in the cockpit from street shoes. :mad: All cleaned up now! :yes:

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