Boat Test: 2023 Tiara EX 60

Overview

Wanting to create a new flagship for its fleet, someone at Tiara obviously said, “Go big or go home.” And thus was born the largest and most luxurious Tiara ever built: an inboard IPS-powered yacht that, at 60 feet, 3 inches, is the queen of the fleet by a full 10 feet. Tiara also created a new EX line, which I can only assume stands for excellent or exceptional. 

The EX 60 is simply brilliant in many ways, allowing owners to tailor the layout to fit their needs. To create this newest crown jewel required combining the superb quality in construction and finish that Tiara is known for with a satisfying level of performance—in this case, 46 mph.  

I found the interior serene and surprising. It features a full-beam master amidships (you can walk around both sides of the centerline berth) and an equally spacious VIP forward, each en suite. A guest cabin with slide-together berths shares the VIP head. 

But the appeal of the EX 60 is the flow of the main deck from the windshield to the hydraulic swim platform. This is a yacht for enjoying the outdoors, with oversize folding doors in the salon and a power window to embrace the aft deck. Here, Tiara offers several seating modules to tailor the cockpit for every need. Our test boat had the aft lounge and breakfast bar, creating an alfresco dining area with a folding table, a galley with a grill, sink and fridge, and an aft-facing bar with stools. Perfect for relaxing on anchor, the cockpit also expands like an origami butterfly thanks to hinged sides that stretch the beam to more than 20 feet.  

Power for the Tiara EX 60 consists of twin 1,000 hp Volvo Penta D13 turbo diesels. These inline-six 12.8-liter engines connect by jack shafts to IPS pod drives. 

It was everything you’d expect. When hammered down, we hit 30 mph in just 17 seconds and topped out at 46 mph. At a mile-eating 29 mph, we were sipping fuel at 52 gph (besting 0.5 mpg is great economy for a boat this size), and joystick maneuvering takes the white knuckles out of tough docking situations.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin 1,000 hp Volvo D13 turbo diesels linked by a jack shaft to IPS pods
• Drive/Prop: IPS/Volvo Q6 nibral contra-rotating prop sets 3- and 4- blade
• Gear Ratio: 1.88:1 Fuel Load: 700 gal. Water on Board: 25 gal. Crew Weight: 1,000 lb.

High Points

• Shhh! Just 69 decibels at cruise and only 72 decibels flat-out, making conversation easy.
• Elegant decor by Mary Flores. Plus, Tiara’s design team created carved wood headboards in the staterooms and jewellike welds on rails and other metalwork throughout the boat.
• Seakeeper 9 gyro kept the EX 60 rock-solid, and Volvo Interceptor trim flaps had the boat running flat, even during hard acceleration.

Low Points

• A two-burner cooktop on a 60-footer (not counting the cockpit grill) hints strongly at dining ashore.
• Deck has a lot of ups and downs: Step up to the helm level, up to the dinette, down two steps to the cockpit seating, and down two steps to the swim platform. Sure-footed guests are welcome.

Toughest Competitor

Sixty-footers without a flybridge aren’t common, but the Sunseeker Evo 60 ($2.4 million) or the Princess V60 ($2.6 million) are similar, although missing the fold-down cockpit sides and flexible cockpit layouts.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation