Tiara Yachts is a boat manufacturer based in

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River (formerly known locally as the Black River). ...

. Its models include both fishing and cruising

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

s ranging from 34–53 feet. The company is most famous for coining the term "open" to describe its Tiara 3100. Tiara had a sister company, known as Pursuit, that produces models from 24–42 feet with

outboard engine An outboard motor is a propulsion system for boats, consisting of a self-contained unit that includes engine, gearbox and propeller or jet drive, designed to be affixed to the outside of the transom. They are the most common motorised method ...

s. Pursuit Boats was acquired by

Malibu Boats Malibu Boats is an American manufacturer of recreational boats, founded in Merced, California in 1982, and currently headquartered in Loudon, Tennessee with additional production facilities in New South Wales, Australia. Malibu is "the world's lar ...

in 2018.

History of company

Tiara Yachts is known for building mid-sized luxury yachts. The company’s founder, Leon Slikkers, owned and operated another yacht building company before he founded his second company, S2 Yachts (parent company to Tiara). Even before that, Slikkers worked at Chris Craft. Slikkers' next move in his career was owning and operating Slickcraft, which focused on building motor-powered boats. In the late 1960s, many large public yacht companies were looking to buy smaller companies in the interest of drawing new stockholders and diversifying their stock. A company based in New York, called American Machine and Foundry (AMF), gained interest in Slickcraft. In the September of 1969, Slikkers sold the company, while still holding his position as President. After a few years with this new company, Slikkers left, claiming that they were not committed to the same level of excellence as he was. Slikkers then proceeded to leave AMF and Slickcraft behind to create a new company with his sons, which his family stills owns and operates today, S2 Yachts and all of its ‘child’ companies such as Tiara Yachts. On February 18, 1974, S2 Yachts was founded. Shortly after S2 Yachts was founded, Slikkers’ two older sons finished college and joined their father at the company. S2 began rolling sailboats off the lot almost right away, however, a few more years down the line Leon began to feel the same pressure as before. Fortunately for him, he had a larger company this time, more capital than before, and both his sons on his side. All these factors allowed S2 to gain momentum in the ever-competitive industry, still able to remain a private company. In 1976, Leon decided that it was time for another change of pace within the company. These changes lead to S2 Yachts building motor yachts. As a result of the high sales of this new line of yachts, it was decided to create a totally new division in the company that would focus on

motor yachts A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

only. Tiara Yachts was incorporated.
Tiara Yachts are manufactured in Tiara’s Holland Michigan plant. Tiara previously had a manufacturing plant in South Carolina but this was closed during the 2008-2009 US economic downturn and all manufacturing was returned to Holland Michigan.

Yachts offered by Tiara

Tiara Yachts currently offers five series of yachts, the Q Series, Tiara Series, Convertible Series, Flybridge Series, and Coupe Series. Previously, Tiara Yachts made the Sport, Open, Coronet, Express, Convertible, and Sovran series. The largest yacht Tiara made by length was the 52 Express at just over 62 feet in LOA (length over all). The largest by model name was the 58 Sovran. Neither is currently made. The smallest model made was the 2400 Sport.

Q Series

The Q Series is currently available in a single model, the Q 44. The Q Series is marketed as an "adventure yacht" for day boating.

Tiara Series

The Tiara Series is available in four models: 31, 36, 39, and 43. The Tiara Series is designed as an open coupe for day boating.Tiara Yachts Family. (n.d.). Tiara Yachts. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from www.tiarayachts.com/

Convertible

The Convertible Series is available in two models, the 39 Convertible and 48 Convertible. The Convertible Series is designed as a sport fishing and/or cruising yacht.

Flybridge

The Flybridge Series is available in two models, the F 44 and F 53. The Flybridge Series is the flybridge version of the Coupe Series.

Coupe

The Coupe Series is available in three models, the C 39, C 44, and C 53. The Coupe Series is designed as a cruising yacht.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.tiarayachts.com/ Companies based in Michigan