Blog

Granfort 370 GTX vs. Tiara 34 LS This guide is for buyers cross-shopping a 37-foot sport cruiser against one of the most iconic names in American luxury day yachting. Tiara has built its reputation over 50 years in Holland, Michigan — that heritage is real and it shows in the boat. The question this guide answers isn’t whether Tiara builds a beautiful yacht. It’s whether that heritage is worth roughly $150,000–$260,000 more than a comparably equipped Granfort, tested on the exact same twin 400 HP Mercury Verado power. See the verdict Compare specs $439,900 Granfort starting price  $546,800 Granfort fully loaded  51.1 mph Granfort top speed · factory sea trial  10 yr Structural warranty · hull + deck  ABYC + U.S. Coast Guard · certified, published   Reader framing This guide is for buyers who want to know what Tiara’s name actually costs them. Tiara Yachts is one of the oldest privately held, family-owned boat builders in America — founded in 1974 by Leon Slikkers in Holland, Michigan, still run by the Slikkers family, and turning out roughly 150 handcrafted yachts a year across its entire lineup. The 34 LS carries that heritage: a walk-around dayboat with an outdoor galley, a convertible sunpad, and the unmistakable Tiara hull shape. None of that is in dispute. What buyers rarely get to see clearly is the price. Tiara doesn’t publish an MSRP — every listing says “contact us for pricing” or “call for sale price.” Real asking prices on the market run from roughly $549,995 to $698,996, averaging close to $686,000. A fully loaded Granfort 370 GTX, by comparison, tops out at a published $546,800 — cheaper than the lowest Tiara 34 LS currently listed. “Both boats were tested on the exact same engines — twin 400 HP Mercury Verado. That’s what makes this comparison unusually fair.” If your priority is a 50-year American heritage nameplate and you don’t mind calling a dealer to find out what it costs, the Tiara deserves a serious look — it’s a genuinely well-built boat. If your priority is knowing the price up front, a wider beam, and a published warranty backing the boat you’re buying, the Granfort becomes very hard to ignore.   Buyer education first Before comparing features, understand what you are actually comparing. This is not simply Granfort versus Tiara. It is a transparently priced sport cruiser versus a heritage luxury dayboat sold through dealer inquiry. The Tiara 34 LS is built around open-air, walk-around social day boating: a bow that’s fully accessible around the windshield, an outdoor galley module, a convertible sunpad, and a below-deck berth and head for an occasional overnight. It’s a beautifully finished boat from a manufacturer with fifty years of continuous, family-run production in Holland, Michigan — that’s a real and legitimate selling point that shows in the fit and finish. The Granfort 370 GTX is built around a different value proposition: a wider 11’6″ beam, an enclosed dry head, a social cockpit, a published 10-year structural warranty, ABYC/USCG-certified construction, and — critically — a price you can find on the internet without calling anyone. Tiara’s own dealer listings openly acknowledge the gap: real 34 LS asking prices cluster between $549,995 and $698,996, while Granfort’s fully loaded price is published at $546,800. Simple decision frame: Choose the Tiara if a 50-year American heritage nameplate and its resale recognition are worth a six-figure premium to you. Choose the Granfort if you want a wider-beam sport cruiser with nearly identical dry weight, a published warranty, and a transparent price that undercuts even the cheapest Tiara 34 LS on the market today. 370 GTX Tiara 34LS Where each boat wins Fifty years of heritage. One published price tag. Two very different ownership arguments. Tiara earns its reputation honestly. That’s exactly why the price gap matters — it’s not a quality gap, it’s a brand-premium gap. Granfort 370 GTX Lower published price. Wider beam. Warranty in writing. The transparent-value argument. Granfort wins on everything a buyer can verify before ever calling a dealer: a beam that’s 6 inches wider, a written 10-year structural warranty, and a fully loaded price that’s still cheaper than Tiara’s cheapest current listing. 11’6″ beam vs 11’0″ Tiara 10-year structural warranty · hull + deck, published $439,900–$546,800 published price range 13,613 lb dry hull — nearly identical to Tiara’s 13,600 lb Tiara 34 LS More speed. More heritage. A name buyers already trust. The American heritage argument. Tiara is strong exactly where a 50-year family-owned Michigan builder should be strong: iconic hull design, meticulous fit and finish, and — on identical twin-400 Verado power — a genuinely faster, more fuel-efficient top end than the Granfort. 57.9 mph tested · same twin 400 HP Verado power as Granfort 0.89 mpg at wide-open throttle — beats Granfort’s 0.69 mpg 50 years family-owned, Holland, Michigan production Iconic hull — Tiara’s signature silhouette, recognized dockside Published performance data Same engines, same horsepower — so the hulls do the talking. Both boats were tested on twin 400 HP Mercury Verado V10 outboards, which makes this an unusually clean comparison. Granfort’s numbers come from its factory sea-trial report for hull #FK370GTX-67. Tiara’s numbers come from a certified performance test of the 34 LS dated October 13, 2022 — GPS-measured, freshwater, calm sea state. Granfort 370 GTX Factory Sea Trial · Hull #67 Test date / conditions 7-person, 80% fuel load Engines 2 × 400 HP Mercury Verado V10 Boat weight, no engines 13,613 lb Top speed @ 6,410 RPM 51.1 mph Fuel capacity 222 gal Fuel burn @ WOT 74.0 GPH Efficiency @ WOT 0.69 mpg Best-economy range 209 mi @ 33.8 mph Tiara 34 LS Certified Test · Oct 13, 2022 Test date / conditions 85°F air, calm seas, freshwater Engines 2 × 400 HP Mercury Verado V10 Boat weight, dry 13,600 lb Top speed @ 6,350 RPM 57.9 mph Fuel capacity 200 gal Fuel burn @ WOT 65.2 GPH Efficiency @ WOT 0.89 mpg Best-economy range 439 mi @ 4.4 mph RPM GRANFORT MPH · GPH TIARA MPH · GPH 2,000 9.1 mph · 10.1 GPH 10.1 mph · 9.5