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2005 Tuff Tuff 21 Photos
2005 Tuff Tuff 21 Test Details
| Category | Performance Boat |
| Length | 20ft 8in / 6.10 m |
| Dealers | Contact Tuff Boats Dealers |
| Buyers Guides | Search For Tuff Boats Buyers Guides |
| Boats For Sale | Search For Tuff Boats For Sale |
2005 Tuff Tuff 21 Description
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While big, brawny offshore boats make sense for large bodies of water, most performance boaters in Canada find themselves in cottage country. If you happen to show up in Muskoka with a 35-foot, needle-nosed, openexhaust snorting "Cigar" boat (as nonperformance people sometimes call them), don't expect the welcome wagon.
You may not win over friends in a smaller speedboat either, but at least with stock outboard power, the ride is quieter and you likely won't draw as much attention to yourself. That said, Tuff Marine's Tuff 21 certainly caught my eye.
First, if your dream is to own a comfortable high performance V-bottom that will run 80 mph-plus with an out-of-the-box stock 225-hp engine clamped to the transom, consider a Tuff 21. Secondly, if you want to hit the century mark with a stock high-performance 300-hp outboard motor, place your order now.
Built by former Canadian offshore ace Mark Weigl in Cambridge, Ont., Tuff 21s are bred from the original Challenger mold, developed decades ago.The deck,windscreen and transom were modified for a more geometric look and to make it stronger.To make them lighter and more rigid, Weigl vacuum bags their hulls. He also uses premium vinylester and 5/8"balsa core in construction.
Fit and finish are remarkable. Tuff has engaged fibreglass expert John Spaeth to lay up his hulls and tend to the gelcoat.Weigl then finishes, assembles and rigs the boat to the same high standards he set for himself while racing boats.
For our report, the Mercury 300- hp Pro Max powered hull was tested because it had a more contemporary look, with its integral fibreglass windscreen and moulded rear cockpit cowl which covered the area aft of the bucket seats.
Beyond the high performance monster gauges, including a Pro- Comp Marine GPS analog speedometer, a racing wheel, foot throttle and foot trim buttons, there was little else to focus on except the water and the wind.
With a six-inch stainless steel setback bracket and engine height trim, the motor can be raised or lowered on the transom. A CMC power dial was installed which you can set at an appropriate percentage of lift to eliminate the constant guesswork with engine height.We commenced our test with the motor completely down on the transom.
Together with Tuff 21 owner and career helicopter pilot Ted Gep, I put the so-called hammer down.Turning a 24" pitch Trophy propeller, the Tuff 21 planed in three seconds and hit 50 mph in under nine seconds.That's just the beginning.
At 60 mph or 4,500 rpm, the boat feels like a walk in the park.At 70 mph, the boat feels "free" and I have to start "driving." As performance V-bottoms do, the Tuff 21 wanted to walk slightly from chine to chine between 70 and 80 mph, but I could steer through it using gentle corrections.
In the end,we hit 94 mph at 6,800 rpm, the engine sitting flat on its transom bracket.To be expected, deceleration had to be gradual at this speed.
This is no toy for beginners. Unfortunately, we ran short on twostroke engine oil so we called it a day before the engine could be raised higher. I was recently sent a photo of the Tuff 's GPS speedometer when the boat was running its best;the 100-mph mark has been cracked.
This boat loves rough water and turns precisely at high speed. Mark Weigl summed it up best."It's a passion of the heart . . . as good as I can build it."We agree.
2005 Tuff Tuff 21 Test Specifications
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Test boat engine: Mercury Pro Max 300X, 3,032 cc (185 cid), 300 hp V-6 two-stroke gasoline outboard, mounted on a CMC Powerlift and pushing a 24" pitch Trophy, stainless steel prop.
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