2003 Tuffy 1760

I posted in general discusion the boat I am looking at and there were some concerns brought up by other posters. I tried to look up info but found nothing. What do you, the actual owners and users of these boats think? From the looks of the lower unit of the motor and underside of the hull the boat appears to have never been kept in water for extended periods of time…I don’t know if that addresses any deterioration concerns. I stomped around the deck and pounded the hull and the boat seems solid as a rock. thanks in advance.

I bought a used 1990 Tuffy and re-powered that. Don’t worry about the transom. Tilt the motor and stand on the lower unit and bounce a bit. If you don’t see any flex of the transom it’s still solid. If that is the original motor and you saw the computer printout that stated only 88 hours I would have zero concerns about the hull.

In my opinion they are a very good boat. We don’t see many here in Minnesota because they have very few dealers here. The only thing I don’t like about Tuffy is their name. Somehow Tuffy doesn’t sound like a boat name. That and the graphics I don’t like.

The ’99 1760sc I purchased new is still rock solid.I splash it 75-100 times a year and never baby it.I,ve experienced no hull or transom issues.The only negative I see is the livewell pump location.They’re a pain to get to but that’s partially do to the fact that I moved the T/M batteries to the back to provide more tackle storage at the deck.There’s a lot of storage in this boat without sacrificing floor space.
As others have stated,the ride is outstanding!I was at a on Lake Winnebago when my Tuffy was new.It was it’s first voyage on big water.Another fishermen approached me and commented about my Tuffy.He said he had the same hull and asked what my old boat was.I answered.He then said”This will be hard for you to believe.If you get hurt or wet in this boat you’re going too slow!” It was hard to believe but he was right.

Except for changes in storage, were there any changes in build? Were the 03s built with Tuffy’s composit materials? And lastly what is the composit material, is there any wood used? I hate to sound anal, but this is a big investment. This particular boat looks fantastic for any age, and if there were any defects they would have to be well hidden.

There is some wood in the boat.I believe the transom is solid wood not plywood.The splashwell is plywood sealed with a tuffcoat type of material.The deck to the sides of the splashwell is glass.The carpeted cover over the pump/battery access is plywood as is the back-side of the front T/M compartment.These are not parts out the hull.I did redo the rear cover but not the front.It was a cheap and easy fix.I think the stringers are wood sealed with glass but I’m not sure.The floor is a glass composite.The storage hatches are aluminium.I believe this info is correct but a call to Tuffy will verify.I could be wrong on the transom.It might be a composite.
Wood is not always a bad think in a boat.The type of wood and how it’s sealed makes a huge difference.My Tuffy is still as solid as the day I bought it.It is usually covered but never garaged.Before the Tuffy I own a Lund Pro-V.It was 5 years old when I replace the floor,7 years old when I replace transom.Prior to the Pro-V I owned a Lund Pro Angler.It was 5 years old when I sold it with a rotten floor and cabinets(not sure about the transom).The wood in the Tuffy has outlasted the wood in two Lunds and still shows no sign of deterioration.