Tiara Yachts 48 LE

Since 1974, Holland, Michigan-based Tiara Yachts has been building some of the finest vessels on the market with a focus on quality, performance and comfort.

Scheduled to take a test ride on the brand-new 2024 Tiara Yachts 48 LE, I took a very short cruise from my boat to the Tiara Yachts corporate facility a few blocks away. With nearly perfect temperatures, sunny skies and a light breeze, it was pretty clear that I was in for a nice ride.

A little backstory

When outboard engines suddenly reappeared as a desirable option for boaters with interests outside of fishing, the increased demand drove engine manufacturers to quickly innovate in a space that had often lagged far behind the field. However, some noisy, smelly beast hanging off the transom was no longer a viable solution.

While several manufacturers offered new engine designs, Tiara introduced the LX, LS and LE models, all designed specifically for outboard power and offered exclusively with Mercury Marine engines.

Tiara’s outboard-powered models start with the sporty 34 LX before climbing through the LS lines to reach the newest addition to the fleet: The 48 LE, or Luxury Express.

With the introduction of the 48 LE, all of the reasons why an outboard-powered luxury cruiser works well have never been more obvious.

At the dock

Approaching from the side, it’s almost easier to compare the 48 LE to Tiara’s C49 Coupe than to the boat’s smaller siblings. The Tiara family connection is obvious, although the rounded roof line could be called decidedly more coupe-ish.

However, any ideas that this might be the newest Coupe series model are quickly changed at the transom. The 48 LE was specifically designed to perfectly match its only engine option: Triple Mercury Marine 600 V12 Verado outboard engines providing 1,800 hp.

The first time you experience the V12 600s in person, your initial reaction will be to stick your fingers in your ears when anyone announces they’ll soon roar to life. But “roar” is more of a figure of speech. At idle, the engines are so quiet it can be hard to tell they’re running without glancing at the tachs. These 1,300-pound monsters are a perfect match to the 48 LE’s refinement and style.

Moving and mingling

Onboard, it’s easy to see how Tiara Yachts took advantage of the design differences between outboard and inboard powerplants and where they worked to eliminate any shortcomings.

Some of the biggest complaints created by outboard power are reduced visibility and deck space at the transom, and smaller swim platforms.

The 48 LE solves this by featuring a generous amount of usable deck space aft for boarding from the dock or the water. The boat also includes other boarding options, such as the side boarding door and step pads on the gunnels.

Stepping forward, the 48 LE provides plenty of room to mingle or move to any of Tiara’s thoughtfully designed social zones easily. This is also where one of Tiara’s best features perfectly complements one of the boating industry’s best new innovations.

Hit the controls for the portside terrace and the 48 LE gains a healthy amount of floor space. Touch another button and the rotating lounge spins effortlessly to face seated guests to the side, or aft, or wherever they desire.

The list of the 48 LE’s standard options is impressive, but also nicely done. Instead of throwing a bunch of useless features together and claiming things like snaps or fiberglass add value, the 48 LE includes a long list of truly useful options that most buyers would order anyway.

Just a few of the standard features include an 11Kw diesel generator, Glendinning and Cablemaster dockside power management, twin 16-inch Garmin touchscreens, a 5Kw Lewmar bow thruster, a Makefast power sunshade, an anchor windlass, an electric grill, and Fusion and JL Audio components.

And so much more.

Forward motion

The aft galley includes an induction cooktop, a microwave, two refrigerated drawers to starboard, and a third drawer to port for freezer space. One of the boat’s best features can also be found here.

Touch a button and the pane of glass furthest to starboard retracts to make the galley feel even more open and accessible. Although that simple feature could have just as easily been left out, that open-air changes the entire galley dynamic. Once again, nicely done.

Electrically adjustable helm seating makes it easy to get comfortable, while the portside dinette seating can also convert to add more passenger space. The entire dinette can also be converted into additional sleeping quarters if needed.

Below, the main stateroom is well-lit, beautifully appointed and includes a roomy ensuite head. However, the midship guest stateroom steals the show and it would be easy to reverse the roles. Also well-lit by large hullside windows, the guest quarters provide surprising headroom, lounge seating and two single beds that easily convert into an island queen. You know what I’m going to say.

Moving out

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day to test drive the Tiara Yachts 48 LE. The downside is a calm day doesn’t allow for a good impression of the vessel’s ride in rough conditions. However, we were able to make some sharp turns and ran across our own wake once or twice.

But even forced to work in such adverse conditions, we still managed to run the boat up to full throttle, hitting a top speed of 51 mph at about 6450 RPM before pulling back to about 4500 RPM and a comfortable 42 mph cruise.

Even at full throttle, engine noise from the 600-hp V12s is managed enough that everyone in the salon can have a normal conversation.

The boat rides beautifully with good planing speed, limited bow rise, and no skipping or cavitation in a tight turn. The Tiara Yachts 48 LE is one more terrific addition to the company’s already impressive fleet.

Nicely done, Tiara! Nicely done.