TIARA SPORT
43 LE
This beautifully built boat provides a sweet ride and a super-social layout.
BBoats sporting convertible cockpit arrangements have become all the rage. But the flipdown hull sides and swiveling, sliding seat modules aboard Tiara Sport’s 43 LE do more than just expand social and recreational opportunities. They combine with its racy, offshore hull form, gobs of outboard power, and a cabin chock full of amenities to make this boat as much a sport yacht as it is a dayboat. Dayboat functionality begins with the ability to deliver the advantages of speed and performance to your crew. Powered by triple Mercury Racing 450R outboards, the 43 LE blasts you and a dozen or more close friends to 60 mph, ensuring not only thrills, but also
that you get to where you want to go—and back—in a manageable time. I found it fun to run, and responsive whether cruising, transiting the swift current of Shinnecock Canal, or cutting just-for-fun S-turns out on the open water.
Of course, a great dayboat proves much more than just a water taxi. It also requires the flexibility to accommodate a large group, as well as smaller, intimate groups. Certainly, size helps provide the space for separate, dedicated social zones. On top of that, Tiara
Sport’s design team displayed ingenuity throughout the 43 LE. Two examples are the All Sport Module and the flip-down terrace in the cockpit.
Hit a button and the portside hull side lowers down, expanding the cockpit in size and delivering a bigger feel to the space. For practical purposes, it’s a great place from which to swim or dive. Aesthetically, it enhances both the view and the mood.
When you step aboard the 43 LE from the expansive swim
platform, what appears as a simple comfy aft lounge possesses a multitude of features, handles multiple functions and truly warrants the name All Sport Module. It hides stowage space within and serves the role of lazarette. A flat top above is perfect for serving a buffet. Open the lid to reveal a grill.
Now enter the cockpit—via either a port or starboard walkway—and check out the front side of the module. You’ll discover a pair of lounges, upholstered stylishly in luxurious but boat-tough fabric, and with chaise-style footrests. Flip down the middle armrest to reveal drink holders, or mount the glossy teak table and serve up snacks.
Now, say you want to face aft or 45 degrees toward the flipped-down portside terrace. The All Sport Module manually rotates into multiple positions and locks firmly in place. A sunshade extends aft, offering sun cover, and a pair of aft-facing lounges (stowage within) at the cockpit’s forward end complement the arrangement. Tiara provides ladders for the terrace, the swim platform and starboard-side boarding door. Besides the swimming potential, consider that there are multiple ways to get on and off the 43 LE.
The helm deck can be separated from or made part of the cockpit thanks to a unique, center-opening, sliding enclosure ($11,100) that’s not quite doors yet not quite clear canvas. This ingenious entry combines with a huge single-expanse windshield, sliding side windows, and a wide skylight overhead that opens in its center. The double-wide helm and companion seats rotate to face aft as desired. A TV flips down from overhead.
The helm itself is a lesson in an operating station done right. It tilts aft for service, a decadeslong hallmark for Tiara. I did not see its dark surface reflected in the windshield, and the hardtop’s brow further reduced glare. There’s ample handy stowage for phones, keys, lip balm and miscellaneous items, another Tiara hallmark. Placement of every item, from engine controls and accessory switches to the two large Garmin
An electric seacock, wired to the generator, closes when the genset is shut off to prevent hydrolocking it, should you run without turning it on.
multifunction displays, I deemed ergonomic.
The galley, as such, is up here too, where it serves best for entertaining, along with the grill in the cockpit. This consists of a sink, two drawer refrigerators, a Yeti cooler, pantry stowage and a 120-volt AC outlet.
Belowdecks, backlit paneling carries the fashionable embossed pattern of the topside seating upholstery into the teak and beechwood bedecked cabin. I found wide-plank flooring underfoot, with indirect lighting at ankle height, and a combination of upholstery and fiberglass overhead. The look is cool, interesting and modern. There are big hullside windows with privacy shades.
Aft, the private midcabin berth boasts a full-size mattress with decent sitting headroom. There’s standing headroom at the long settee, a hanging locker, and a light from a hull window with an opening porthole. The forward stateroom offers a queen pedestal berth and is privatized by a curtain. The hullside windows and an overhead hatch provide light and natural ventilation.
The head offers a separate shower stall, more solid teak flooring, a Vacu-Flush commode, an exhaust fan, and a lot of style.
Not too many boats boast this kind of performance, amenities and twin-cabin accommodations. But we’ll direct you to inspect Intrepid’s 438 Evolution, which can also be powered by triple Mercury Racing 450R outboards (starting around $900,000).
The Tiara Sport 43 LE rates as a mustsee for boaters seeking performance, weekending luxury and dayboating versatility.