Tiara Yachts will take another step to grow its next generation of modern yachts with the introduction in early August of the 44 Coupe.

The 44 will make its debut Aug. 11 at an event for the media and dealers at the Tiara Corporate Yachting Center in Holland, Mich., on the shores of Lake Macatawa — the same location the 50 Coupe was showcased for the first time last year.

The two coupes, with their modern lines and interior layouts, represent a major change from the more conservative-looking Tiaras of the past. The move was necessary to keep the brand vital, said Tom Slikkers, president of S2 Yachts, which owns both Tiara and Pursuit brands.

“I think we surprised a lot of people who maybe had written our brand off — maybe not verbally — but mentally and said, well, the Tiara brand — good company, good people, good product — but maybe a little too passé — like we were old school and haven’t stayed caught up,” Slikkers told me in a phone interview last week. “We surprised everyone when we came to the market with the 50 Coupe and I think there will be a similar response with the 44 Coupe. There will be a wider audience [for the 44] because we are appealing to a wider footprint of the market from a price standpoint. It is going to [be introduced] and they are going to say, ‘Wow.’ ”

A few customers have bought the 44 prior to the first boat being built, Slikkers said.

“We’ve had retail customers already say — just from renderings — that they’ve looked at a 50 and I like it, but the size of 44 is better for the family, so here’s the deposit,” Slikkers said.

Customers and dealers wanted a boat like the 50, but with two staterooms and two heads, Slikkers said. “The boat is in direct response to what [boaters] and dealers told us they were looking for,” he said.

Some Fast Facts:

• The 44 will hold 350 gallons of fuel and ride on a modified-vee hull with 18 degrees deadrise at the transom.

• The boat promises excellent visibility in all directions from the cockpit to the helm.

• An inline galley sits on the starboard side abaft the two-person helm chair and a large L-shaped settee with table is opposite.

• The cockpit arrangement includes two aft-facing seats in the forward corners and a stern seat flanked by port and starboard boarding doors.

• Below, the master stateroom is forward with its own private head and separate shower, with a guest stateroom with twin bunks aft of the companionway stairs. A second head with shower is also in the layout.

Specs
Tiara 44 Coupe
LOA: 45 feet, 6 inches
BEAM: 15 feet
DRAFT: 3 feet, 9 inches
POWER: Twin Volvo Penta IPS600s (435 hp)
SPEED: NA
PRICE: $903, 704
CONTACT: Tiara Yachts, Holland, Mich., (616) 392-7163, www.tiarayachts.com