First look: 2021 Tidal Flare 24 Enclosed

When a Melbourne-based owner offered boatsales.com.au a sneak peek before his new pride and joy headed for South Australia, we jumped at the opportunity.

Tidal Marine & Co. has produced a sprinkling of Flare 24 models in various configurations, with the first boat rolling off the Lansdale-based production line in 2019.

Those dialled into Australia's offshore trailer boat network will be aware that the emerging brand has fast developed a cult following despite the tyranny of distance and isolation.

The enclosed wheelhouse Flare 24 is purpose-built for offshore game fishing, made to tackle the waters from Port Stephens to Port Lincoln. It is an imposing trailer boat option for those anglers chasing the bite in all seasons, and weather.  

The Flare 24 hull is based on the Savage Ranger 24 (built between 1972 to early '80s) that sat idle for a number of years before the moulds were revived with care, calculatingly modified and modernised at Tidal by builder Nick Davys.

The Flare 24's bow has a pronounced Carolina flare scaled to a trailer boat profile. Its 58-degree forefoot and variable deadrise that transitions to 21 degrees results in the hull leaping effortlessly out of the hole.

Davys said he set out to build a high-quality yet affordable trailerable sports fisher that could be used for family outings, were easy to maintain and was different to anything else built in Australia.

"These gracious hulls with their flowing sheer lines and flared bows and high freeboard can take on any angry ocean," Davys said.

"This is where my inspiration for the Tidal Flare 24 came from.” 

The Flare 24 sits proud both on the trailer and at rest on the water and has a distinctive depth from the waterline to the foredeck.

The Enclosed cabin configuration we're looking at is an evolved design from the first Express 24 model launched by the brand.   

This one’s owner routinely round-trips more than 200 nautical miles off the SA coast chasing kingfish and tuna, traversing coastal passages with wind against tide and large swell.

Its owner specified a "no fuss" fishing boat with a practical layout, with the same brief applied to the aesthetics.

He's ended up with an all-white hull and top deck, presenting a classic and crisp profile, with matching white twin 200hp Suzuki APX four-stroke outboard engines powering it.

The Flare 24's block of white is broken up by subtle black gunnels, and large black cabin window inserts.

The entire package sits on a custom Savage tri-axle trailer.

The Flare 24's magic is in the efficiency of the hull – even though it weighs 3300kg wet, it doesn’t need excessive horsepower.

In this configuration, the twin 200hp Suzukis produce 46 knots with upside forecasted with some further prop testing.

A 540-litre fuel capacity equals or surpasses most other trailer boats of a similar size, and provides a range of more than 400 nautical miles.

Uniquely, this Flare 24 feels much larger underway when at the helm and rides favourably dry and smooth to boot, no surprise due to the flared bow of its adopted hull.     

On first impressions, this hull’s modern construction, its flared bow, the more evolved hull that sits under it and its potential on-water performance suggest it will rattle the cage in its segment.

We look forward to a detailed review of the Tidal Flare 24 early in 2022 – stay tuned!

Supplied by: Tidal Marine and Co.