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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Tuffy Boats Esox Mag by Recon.
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Posts: 1829
| So will the Tuffy brand be gone now and the models under Recon? |
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| Recon does not yet have the Esox on their website but found it on Badger Marine FB page. Apparently, it is a 2026 model. Really a great looking boat. Layout, storage, etc. |
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Posts: 598
Location: deephaven mn | i would think Recon would continue to promote their brand and grow it versus taking on the hassle of repromoting Tuffy
must have been a pretty low number to take this on. lets take a poll would you rather own a Recon or a Tuffy? |
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Posts: 1356
Location: E. Tenn | I'm sure the folks at Recon gave it a lot of thought, and "Tuffy Esox Magnum by Recon" seems to be the way to go. The Tuffy brand has a small but loyal following, Recon has its customer base too, so everyone's covered.
I like the name.. |
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| miket55 - 11/17/2025 8:18 AM
I'm sure the folks at Recon gave it a lot of thought, and "Tuffy Esox Magnum by Recon" seems to be the way to go. The Tuffy brand has a small but loyal following, Recon has its customer base too, so everyone's covered.
I like the name..
If this was a decade ago, I would agree that they might want to keep Tuffy in the name. But I think that time has passed and the important thing is the model, Esox Magnum. Recon has established their own brand and reputation. I don't think they gain anything by tagging Tuffy on a model. |
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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | North of 8 - 11/17/2025 12:20 PM
miket55 - 11/17/2025 8:18 AM
I'm sure the folks at Recon gave it a lot of thought, and "Tuffy Esox Magnum by Recon" seems to be the way to go. The Tuffy brand has a small but loyal following, Recon has its customer base too, so everyone's covered.
I like the name..
If this was a decade ago, I would agree that they might want to keep Tuffy in the name. But I think that time has passed and the important thing is the model, Esox Magnum. Recon has established their own brand and reputation. I don't think they gain anything by tagging Tuffy on a model.
It's 'Tuffy Boats by Recon'.
There are a surprising number of Tuffy owners who would disagree. The Esox Mag was the flagship for popularity replacing the Marauder, and that's why it was built first. At this time Recon is looking over tooling and reworking same to decide which other models may be produced. From the 80s until a few years ago, Tuffy has been a small portion of much larger companies. It's been over 30 years since the number produced was beyond Recon's capacity. It was marketing that made Tuffy look bigger. I worked for them from 1976 through several owners, to when Scot bought and trashed the company. It wasn't quality overall that got him, it was the lack of consistent customer service and the inability to build enough product. I worked for Tuffy for over 40 years, and figured when Scot bought it that was the end. Now OFM manages Recon's social. One never knows... |
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| Thanks for the perspective Steve. My thoughts were that after the issues with Tuffy brand under its last owner, the value in the Tuffy name would be diminished, as opposed to the actual models, in particular the Esox Mag. But, it is a long term brand name it would be nice if it survives. |
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Posts: 7126
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | I personally thing that the name Tuffy will still resonate with at least Midwestern fisherpeople.
BUT. yes I believe Recon will have to work hard to re-establish the Tuffy name after the disaster that was the last ownership group.
HOWEVER, those that have knowledge to the mess that Tuffy has been know whom to place the blame on and with him out of the picture, hopefully folks see that Tuffy is now in much better/capable/honest hands. |
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Posts: 1829
| You have Steve seem to have a gigantic dislike for previous ownership. |
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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Brian Hoffies - 11/18/2025 7:21 PM
You have Steve seem to have a gigantic dislike for previous ownership.
No 'dislike' at all. Some folks are hardwired so they can work on a daily basis with customers (especially unhappy ones), and some are not. The brand couldn't be in better hands now.
There was another owner between him and Recon, and we talked quite a bit. Nice guy and did the right thing, too. |
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| Good point Steve. Good customer service is not everyone's cup of tea. I had to call Boss yesterday because of an issue putting my plow on. Got a very nice lady, who immediately guessed what the issue was. I felt like a moron as soon as she suggested the solution, but she just laughed and said lots of people forget this simple step. Don't know if that is true, but made my dumb self feel better. |
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Posts: 598
Location: deephaven mn | Tuffy boats selling point was they were quite a bit cheaper. They were ok on samller bodies of water. Engineering was not there strong suit.They were narrow and didn't stop water from coming over sides and getting you wet when driving in the earlier models. They did get better. Recon will most likely address this. |
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Posts: 1829
| I'd like to take a plant tour sometime of a place that builds boats. Does Recon offer tours? |
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Posts: 969
| Recon building Tuffy's is a great thing. They will be better than they ever were.
I owned many Tuffy boats over a 30-year period and got my first Recon in 2024
it is the best boat I've ever had.
John the owner of Recon does a great job with everything he builds, craftsmanship and attention to detail is a step above any other boat I've been in. Really good guy to work with.
I Was happy to hear the news of Recon building Tuffy's
Jeff Hanson
madisonmuskyguide.com |
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Posts: 7126
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | Brian Hoffies - 11/18/2025 7:21 PM
You have Steve seem to have a gigantic dislike for previous ownership.
I'll be honest, I do.
Calls went unanswered.
Promises were never kept.
Was sold the wrong trailer for a boat and then was told "no, it's the right one", then when a leaf spring exploded (becuase the boat was toooooo big for the trailer) there was no effort to help fix the mistake.
At point I figured the company was not interested in their customers and then just spent far more money than I should have to get my #*#* right.
Yeah, I dislike the guy. Probably a really good dude outside of this world, but as someone I was hoping to work with on boat stuff, he was less than a zero. |
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| Slamr - 12/2/2025 11:20 AM
Brian Hoffies - 11/18/2025 7:21 PM
You have Steve seem to have a gigantic dislike for previous ownership.
I'll be honest, I do.
Calls went unanswered.
Promises were never kept.
Was sold the wrong trailer for a boat and then was told "no, it's the right one", then when a leaf spring exploded (becuase the boat was toooooo big for the trailer ) there was no effort to help fix the mistake.
At point I figured the company was not interested in their customers and then just spent far more money than I should have to get my #*#* right.
Yeah, I dislike the guy. Probably a really good dude outside of this world, but as someone I was hoping to work with on boat stuff, he was less than a zero.
Yep, that would tend to tick a guy off. You would think dealer would know what trailer for what boat, that is pretty basic. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I was surprised when they said they were going to make a deep v model seems like it would conflict with what they already have. Hopefully they make all of the low profile boats. |
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Posts: 7126
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | ToddM - 12/3/2025 8:20 AM
I was surprised when they said they were going to make a deep v model seems like it would conflict with what they already have. Hopefully they make all of the low profile boats.
Does Recon make a 17'er?
Did Tuffy make a 1760?
Does Recon make a low profile boat?
Tuffy made a bunch of low profile boats.
I highly doubt Recon will put boats in the market that compete with their own line. Probably a better guess to say that Recon will take on Tuffy models that add to their overall offering of shapes and sizes. |
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Posts: 311
Location: Not where I want to be! | I had a 1980 Marauder and a 1993 esox ltd. Both were really good muskie platforms for medium to small lakes. My biggest complaint was there was NO truely dry storage. I hope that Recon will address that. The market could use a low profile boat. |
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Posts: 7126
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | wavridr - 12/16/2025 10:55 AM
I had a 1980 Marauder and a 1993 esox ltd. Both were really good muskie platforms for medium to small lakes. My biggest complaint was there was NO truely dry storage. I hope that Recon will address that. The market could use a low profile boat.
Not to shill for a company I don't represent nor do I run their boat but....the HOPE I have is that Recon, who is known for boats with great fit and finish, will bring this to the Tuffy line. I have a zillion comparments in my Tuffy and only two (the livewell and the cooler, hilariously) have ever actually been waterproof. |
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Posts: 20281
Location: oswego, il | I thought i read they were going to make the 1760. They should definitely make the full line of low profile boats. |
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Location: Hayward WI | I asked Recon about the 1760 and was told that the mold re-tooling is estimated to be done with the first boats produced mid summer 2026. |
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| That's interesting. I am too old to get a new boat but if I was 20 years younger, I would be checking out that 1760. Always thought they looked good. |
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Posts: 7126
Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | North of 8 - 12/23/2025 8:46 AM
That's interesting. I am too old to get a new boat but if I was 20 years younger, I would be checking out that 1760. Always thought they looked good.
buy my used one (well broken in) then I'll buy new 
Everyone's happy. |
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| Thanks for the suggestion but I'll just keep my older 18' Pro V tiller, upgrading the kicker so I can troll more and cast less. I still can cast for 4 or 5 hours but not all day anymore. More mental than physical. |
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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Just a side note: Look at the first post of the thread if you need an answer about the Esox Mag. I'm leaning on one. Beautiful work, too. |
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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | kap - 11/22/2025 7:42 AM
Tuffy boats selling point was they were quite a bit cheaper. They were ok on samller bodies of water. Engineering was not there strong suit.They were narrow and didn't stop water from coming over sides and getting you wet when driving in the earlier models. They did get better. Recon will most likely address this.
Tuffy started building boats in '76. It was a tri-hull, which of course was narrow and wet riding in big water, it was designed for the smaller waters of WI and IL. The Marauder (also Esox LTD) was not wet if the driver understood trim until in really rough stuff, then again a mismatch. The 160 and 1800 were way better, but still not big water crushers. Those hulls were designed by Associated Marine Design ( and I loved them for my water). The introduction of the true V hulls capped off the Tuffy line. I owned all the V models from the 1700 to the 2100, and none were any wetter than comparable deep Vs; in other words they ran pretty dry even in big water. I really liked the 1760.
Recon is planning to eventually produce a complete line of Tuffy Boats--By Recon.
By the way, Fiberdome Inc., the company that produced Tuffy, had an incredibly talented engineer, designing crazy stuff as complicated as the front clip for a couple of military trucks, which was some cool stuff. He created the Esox Mag, still Tuffy's best seller. The 1700 was a southern Il company that went bust, the 1760 same, 1890 a Fisher hull, and 2100 Ron's work. |
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Posts: 598
Location: deephaven mn | i would agree the 2100 was a pretty good hull. in my experience with the friends i know that ran the smaller boats were sure glad they went to Rangers and Skeeters and noticed a huge difference on Leech lake and Mille Lacs where we fish. |
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Posts: 1295
Location: Stevens Point, Wi. | sworrall - 12/30/2025 8:26 PM
Love my 2001 1700. It has served me well for the past 24 years. Dry, comfortable ride even in 3 footers on Green Bay. Unfortunately old age is catching up with me and I might have to sell this spring. Getting too hard to get boat out of garage by myself.
kap - 11/22/2025 7:42 AM
Tuffy boats selling point was they were quite a bit cheaper. They were ok on samller bodies of water. Engineering was not there strong suit.They were narrow and didn't stop water from coming over sides and getting you wet when driving in the earlier models. They did get better. Recon will most likely address this.
Tuffy started building boats in '76. It was a tri-hull, which of course was narrow and wet riding in big water, it was designed for the smaller waters of WI and IL. The Marauder (also Esox LTD ) was not wet if the driver understood trim until in really rough stuff, then again a mismatch. The 160 and 1800 were way better, but still not big water crushers. Those hulls were designed by Associated Marine Design ( and I loved them for my water ). The introduction of the true V hulls capped off the Tuffy line. I owned all the V models from the 1700 to the 2100, and none were any wetter than comparable deep Vs; in other words they ran pretty dry even in big water. I really liked the 1760.
Recon is planning to eventually produce a complete line of Tuffy Boats--By Recon.
By the way, Fiberdome Inc., the company that produced Tuffy, had an incredibly talented engineer, designing crazy stuff as complicated as the front clip for a couple of military trucks, which was some cool stuff. He created the Esox Mag, still Tuffy's best seller. The 1700 was a southern Il company that went bust, the 1760 same, 1890 a Fisher hull, and 2100 Ron's work.  |
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Posts: 239
| I believe I owned the 1st Esox Magnum sold out of the Tuffy factory. It was an outstanding fishing boat for any Wisconsin lake, and serviceable on Lake of the Woods at The Northwest Angle.
I am trying to remember the man who was Tuffy's manager back in the early 1990s. His first name was Darryl, and his last name began with the letter W. He always provided great service. When he left Tuffy, I went to Ranger boats. I never saw much difference between those brands. Darryl and Tuffy were better at customer service and there were fewer issues with the boats. |
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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Abu7000 - 1/1/2026 3:22 PM
I believe I owned the 1st Esox Magnum sold out of the Tuffy factory. It was an outstanding fishing boat for any Wisconsin lake, and serviceable on Lake of the Woods at The Northwest Angle.
I am trying to remember the man who was Tuffy's manager back in the early 1990s. His first name was Darryl, and his last name began with the letter W. He always provided great service. When he left Tuffy, I went to Ranger boats. I never saw much difference between those brands. Darryl and Tuffy were better at customer service and there were fewer issues with the boats.
Weihert. Great guy. |
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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | kap - 1/1/2026 8:32 AM
i would agree the 2100 was a pretty good hull. in my experience with the friends i know that ran the smaller boats were sure glad they went to Rangers and Skeeters and noticed a huge difference on Leech lake and Mille Lacs where we fish.
The 1700 and 2100 had very similar models to a couple from Skeeter. I worked for Skeeter for a couple of years. Parsons and Kavajecz were as responsible for the Skeeter V models as anyone. |
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| Saw a FB post from Recon with regard to the new Esox magnum. Comment was that it was not yet on their website. Steve, sounds like they could use some help. |
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| For those wanting to take a look at the new Esox Magnum, saw on FB that Recon will have one at the Muskie show in Watersmeet, MI and then later at the Wausau show. They said they could not exhibit at the Milwaukee show, because they had not gone to the Chicago show. In addition to the Esox Mag, they will have a 2085 Tiller on display.
I am thinking about going to the Watersmeet show, just as close as the Wausau show for me. Not in the market for new boat but plan on checking out that big tiller. |
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Location: Des Moines IA | Interesting .......... |
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Posts: 598
Location: deephaven mn | Parsons and Kavajez were with Tracker and then went to Nitro never seen them in Skeeters |
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Posts: 32967
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Kap:
However, the relationship would end when the company wouldn’t sponsor Kavajecz, which Dallman later admitted was the biggest mistake he ever made. Skeeter would then replace Yar-Craft as the boat of choice for Parsons. “It’s ironic that Jack helped me personally with the Mercury sponsorship, and ultimately Mercury helped both Keith and I with our introduction to Skeeter Boats. Mercury has been our longest lasting sponsor, and biggest supporter through good years and bad years, and for that I’m truly grateful. It also taught me a lesson in how a sponsorship works, both the angler has to work hard to help the sponsor with product design and sales, and the company has to acknowledge that hard work of the angler. It’s a two way street and the ultimate task is to find sponsorships that work like that.”
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They ran Skeeters for sure, starting with a 17' deep V from the Yar Craft hull, and influenced them to hire me as the upper Midwest sales rep when Tuffy went out of business. By the way, the new Tuffy V models were influenced by Fisher Boats (1890) and Skeeter (1700 and 1990, then 2100)
Also, I was on the ground in front of the stage before any other photographers/
reporters, (eventually, Walleye Central had Juls out there for a lot of events)and took dozens of images and videos of them in the boats and on the stage. I also worked with them and Toyota running the Toyota Trucks Walleye Anglers Rewards, prize money for tournament anglers for 3rd to 1st place finishes in major walleye events. My original Tundra, provided for us as part of our compensation package, is parked out in the back lot; my grandson bought it from me, and it still runs like a top. As far as my repping job, I worked for Tuffy, Patriot, Skeeter, and the precursor to Recon Boats. Oddly, I was working with Recon when they bought Tuffy Boats, so right back where I started. |
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| Interesting about Mercury. When I lived in Fond du Lac, the Chief of Staff for Mercury spoke to my Kiwanis group a couple times. Right before he retired about 15 years ago, he mentioned how they actually lost money on their high horsepower tiller motors, because of low demand. But, he said their fishing partners liked them and those partners were very important and that as long as they wanted the big tillers, they would make them. |
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Posts: 1829
| I'll doubt theres much difference in Mercs cost to produce a tiller and a steering motor. I might be wrong though. |
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| Brian Hoffies - 5/20/2026 7:30 PM
I'll doubt theres much difference in Mercs cost to produce a tiller and a steering motor. I might be wrong though.
Well, he was the number three guy in the company and he said they lost money on big tiller. Lot of cost is in design,engineering, etc. And at the time, the high horsepower tillers had not been out for that long |
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