They are a brutal but honest bunch!

better safe than ...........

I've owned one. Still have the Mercury motor, trolling motor, and batteries from that old P.O.S. boat. Hull wasn't worth squat. Basically stripped everything I wanted off of it and sold a trailer with a hull on it. Floor was bad, transom was bad.

Spanky helped me make lemonade out of the whole deal and got me into a much better, and safer hull. (Thanks again Spanky!!!)

My point is this: If the motor, trailer, batteries, trolling motor, etc . . . are all good, then the value might be $2800 as a project boat. Don't go out on the water though until you have it checked out by someone that knows what there doing.

Or . . . . . . . wear your kill switch and PFD!!! That boat has a very good chance of coming apart just because of the brand name.

Just a warning that is no joke, you may end up with a Mercury in your lap!!!

My 2 cents, from a previous 89 TideCraft owner.
J

Looks like you are making the right decision......RUN..
Tidecraft Wildfire was my first boat a number of years ago. Headed down the lake and noticed water shooting upwards into the boat. The water was coming between the motor and the transom. Stopped and noticed the motor was leaning backwards and was just about FALLING off the boat...

Get you a cajun or a skeeter or a champion if you want a tough boat.

You made the right call. Don't look back.

They were a decent regional boat in their day. I think they were pretty much just sold in the Tenn, KY, GA. Miss. area. That said, any boat that is that old needs to be looked at by a pro. I would suggest you take the boat to North Texas Fiberglass for a free once over before you buy. If the owner doesn't want you to do it, then run away from the deal as fast as you can.

Decent? They were a pile of #@&*. You need to be real careful of any used boat but the 80s were particularly bad. Even some of the better brands today (the ones that survived) put out some junk back then. Talks to a fiberglass repair person that was in business in the 80s and they can tell you straight which hulls to stay away from. Tidecarft is just one of many on the list.

I have also came across a Tidecraft boat for sale that appeared to be a good deal except for one thing. The guy selling it says it is a 2002 year model with a 2001 mercury 200hp. The problem is that I cannot find a single Tidecraft made after 2001. Is this guy completely full of it about the year of the boat?
Any and all help would be appreciated. I was actually thinking about buying it.

You can easily see what year it is by looking at the serial number stamped into the right side of the transom. The last 2 digits should represent the year.

Of course, being a Tidecraft, it may not still have a transom.

Friend of mine had one and I could read the TX numbers from the inside of the boat when I was getting a rod out of the rodbox.

RUN Forest RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!