2022 Tidal Flare 24 review

Way over in Western Australia is a small boat maker punching well above its weight.

Tidal Marine & Co, based in Lansdale in suburban Perth, has specialised in purpose-built offshore game fishing boats. In 2019, it produced the first Tidal Flare 24, a 7.4-metre deep-vee boat available with runabout, sports or enclosed cockpits featuring a distinctive Carolina flare around the bow.

The Tidal Flare 24, based on the 1980s-era Savage Ranger 24, has had its hull teased and modernised to make it much stronger, providing a deep forefoot and a high, classically styled sheer line tapering towards the stern.

Such is its presence that even while parked up in the rigging area preparing for our test, the boat was besieged with onlookers.

The boat is designed to be built as a blank canvas for its owners to customise to exactly what they want, similar to what this owner has done.

The Tidal Flare 24 is available as either a hull or as a complete boat, motor and trailer package.

The cleanskin hull is available for $92,000 for owners who want to build their own boat from the trailer up, or from $164,000 with a single 300hp outboard engine, trailer and basic rigging.

Our test boat, named Marauder by its owner, was built on this platform to include a 16-inch Simrad EVO3S sounder and chartplotter with a PM275/LHW transducer; heavy-duty Lenco trim tabs; a Lowrance VHF radio with AIS; Fusion audio system; Lone Star Gx3 anchor combo kit; Flexiteek marine flooring; Relaxn Cruiser high-back seats and rod holders, a transom station featuring aft steering and binnacle, an ACR Olas man overboard cut-out system; a 60-litre icebox; Plaztec custom rigging and tackle station; a fresh and saltwater deck wash; a 300hp Mercury Verado V8 outboard engine; and a tri-axle Savage Pro Series 4.0-tonne alloy trailer.

The replacement price for this boat is around $197,000, although its owner is yet to fit outriggers and an automatic windscreen pressure wash system.

The Tidal Flare 24 is built using hand-laid fibreglass, high-end stitched cloth, vinyl ester resins combined with either Thermo-Lite board or Divinycell foam core.

The new hull is very different to the old one on which it was based. The freeboard is much higher, raised 200mm and incorporating a new, flowing sheer line to provide deep sides.

Beneath the water, the hull now uses a modified running surface with a three-stage V-pad running down the keel to the stern. Tidal Marine says this has improved hole shot efficiency as the boat rises onto the plane and delivers a high cruising speed even with a big load onboard.

The bow features an aggressive 58-degree entry, transitioning to a 21-degree deadrise aft.

The owner of this particular boat, who will use it for game fishing, has equipped it with a transom helm station.

The first thing you notice with the Tidal Marine 24 is its freeboard, which can easily be summed up with a single word – exceptional. Internally, it measures 800mm amidships and 770mm aft, giving the Tidal Marine 24 a deep cockpit that even US trailerable offshore boat brands will struggle to match or better.

The boat sits tall and proud on its trailer.

The gunnel topsides are a generous 260mm wide – enough to sit on comfortably and with a subtle raised outer edge – and built strong enough to install premium deck hardware such as Lee’s heavy-duty rod holders without the need to make any modifications.

The overall profile of our test boat is amplified by the absence of stainless steel around the bow – there are no bow rails to draw the eye up, which visually enhances the long, sleek lines of the Tidal Flare 24.

Forward, a lockable cabin door in the centre of the console leads to a set of bunks for two people, with pocketed shelves and plenty of storage in reserve for dry bags – or a toilet if needed. A small hatch provides airflow and natural light, and rod storage is built into the cabin roof.

The enclosed helm, well protected beneath the hardtop, is roomy and light-filled, with large tempered glass panel windows that offer good all-around visibility and make a feature of the profile.

The owner of this Tidal Flare 24 has opted for a large roof-mounted hatch over the top of the helm that helps with ventilation, but also offers a higher vantage point while driving. That’s not to say the enclosed helm lacks standing headroom; there’s enough height inside for someone almost 2.0 metres tall.

Behind the helm, shaped stainless steel rails line the trailing edge of the extended hardtop, while overhead, LED lights provide illumination.

A key aspect of the Tidal Flare 24 is the buyers’ ability to work with the builder to fabricate their own fitout. This owner has opted for a set of heavy-duty Relaxn Cruiser seats with a 60-litre insulated icebox recessed into the port side, and a set of lockable Plaztek drawers with a day shelf to starboard.

The simple console in front of the skipper’s Relaxn Cruiser high-back seat has ample room to mount up to a 22-inch multifunction touchscreen, or an array of smaller screens. Deep storage pockets are recessed into the gunnels beside the skipper’s and first mate’s chairs.

The first mate’s chair faces a glove box framed with a stainless steel grab rail above.

The rotating seats are fixed to fabricated seat boxes with functional storage built into them for securing terminal tackle.

The cockpit of the Tidal Flare 24 takes advantage of both the 2.45-metre beam and 7.9-metre length overall to create a large, useable aft cockpit large enough for four people to fish comfortably.

Key to the design is the cockpit’s depth, with the internal freeboard measuring 800mm amidships and 770mm aft – big numbers for a trailer boat.

Beneath you, light brown-coloured Flexiteek synthetic flooring replaces real teak but adds UV resistance and maintenance-free longevity.

Something that is unusual about our test boat is a transom-mounted concealed helm station that fills the space usually fitted with a live bait tank – the owner plans to add one later. The remote helm station, fitted to suit the owner's personal fishing requirement and quite rare on a trailerable boat, uses the 300hp Mercury V8’s fly-by-wire shift and throttle controls, as well as a drop-in steering wheel that can be stowed when not in use. It will also come in handy when maneuvering the boat.

The stern corners house battery lockers that are raised above the floor for ease of access, and to protect them from extremities.

Above it is a bait board large enough to provide for prepping and rigging baits, and a transom door to port provides access to both the outboard engine pod and the water.

A deckwash hose that can use either salt- or freshwater is tucked away out of sight.

The Tidal Flare 24 also has easy access to a generous bilge, as well as pumps and switch controls accessed via another recessed latch opening.

Any water taken on is diverted via recessed drainage cavities built into the floor and pumped out via the bilge.

Deep side pockets also have stainless steel rod racks that can store up to four rods a side vertically, and multiple mooring cleats.

A large hatch built into the floor opens to reveal a 280-litre kill pen that, when not stuffed with fish, can store buckets or accessories to clear up deck space.

As a nice touch, internal spaces are finished in dawn blue Flowcoat in a nod to the Todal Marine 24’s Savage heritage.

The Tidal Flare 24’s builder, Nick Davys, says Tidal Marine & Co has made the Savage Ranger 24’s hull its own

“What sets this boat apart from our competitors is the stability due to variable deadrise hull and ability to run on a big single engine, returning good figures, option to customise internals and an overall simplicity,” he says.

The builder’s vision resonated with John Joubert, the owner of our test boat, “I wanted something different but with pedigree,” he says. “It had to be a monohull, and a single engine for economic reasons in a number of ways – fuel, service and running costs, weight and fishability.”

The 300hp Mercury Verado, fitted to a jacking plate, is set up perfectly. Completing hard banking turns at 30 knots, and despite my attempts, the hull didn’t misbehave or show any signs it might with minimal signs of cavitation.

Power from the V8 is super-responsive, and the Tidal Flare 24’s hull lifts effortlessly.

Conditions were relatively calm as we spun the rig through its paces inside The Rip, the notorious strip of water at the mouth of Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, to record the performance data with minimal swell and some wind against tide.

The test boat, aptly named Marauder, is based out of Point Lonsdale about a nautical mile from the infamous passage.

A standard day is likely to see the Tidal Flare 24 tackle treacherous ebb tides with the confused swell rolling in from Bass Strait as its owner heads out to chase kingfish and tuna.

Short, sharp pressure waves brought on by tidal movement with unpredictable steep holes appearing making life that bit edgier – a perfect scenario for a test. Conditions were favourable with the rip working yet reasonably safe, yet bad enough to quickly expose an underperforming craft’s flaws.

The driving position is just behind the hull’s widest section

At 30 knots, picking a line to quarter into a head sea, the Tidal Flare 24 rides as soft as any hull of comparable size I’ve experienced but remains amazingly dry as it slices through the water and skips over waves with no fuss.

At times I braced in anticipation of the dreaded reverberation through the body as we hit a wave, but nothing eventuated, conjuring a sense of being in a larger hull.

At times it felt like we were cruising at 20 knots but a check of the gauges showed we were spinning at 30.

We trimmed in all the way coming back in a following sea, but the hull showed no signs of burying its nose in a hole and broaching.

The hull is insatiably forgiving, allowing you to take a hand off the helm even while moving along at up to 30 knots, and still track true. The overall balance and sea-keeping ability of the hull means it is so easy to drive that you’ll spend less time adjusting the trim tabs.

The hull’s design means that it does not need a lot of horsepower to get moving. Holeshot performance is good, and the torque provided by the 300hp Mercury Verado V8 outboard engine throughout the engine’s power range was excellent, pushing more than seven metres and 3.0 tonnes of boat across the wetted surface with ease.

Performance

Maximum range based on 95% reserve for 540L fuel tank: 359nm @ 4000rpm

The Tidal Flare 24 is a boat that will handle challenging offshore conditions incredibly well.

It is adept when driven hard and at high speed, with soft landings evoking total confidence in its hull’s behaviour.

The hull’s design efficiency is well suited to a single big outboard engine, returning unequalled performance and fuel economy. Buyers can opt for twin engines if more weight on the transom is needed, but my hunch is the advantages will be marginal.

If you want a genuine offshore beast built to fish and capable of handling big ocean conditions, you can take this one to the bank. I may have stepped off it with a bit of a boat crush.

Priced from: $92,000 (hull only) or $164,000 as a boat, motor, trailer package with 300hp outboard engine and basic rigging.

Price as tested: $197,000 including 300hp Mercury Verado V8 four-stroke outboard engine; Savage Alloy Series 4.0-tonne tri-axle 4 trailer; 16-inch Simrad EVO3S sounder/chartplotter with PM275/LHW transducer; heavy-duty Lenco trim tabs; Lowrance VHF radio with AIS; Fusion audio system; Lone Star Gx3 combo anchor kit; Flexiteek marine flooring; Relaxn Cruiser high back seats and rod holders; transom station with aft steering and drive-by-wire binnacle; ARC Olas man overboard cut-out system; 60-litre icebox; Plaztec custom rigging and tackle station; and fresh/saltwater deckwash system.

Boat built by: Tidal Marine & Co