Community

Harbor History Museum auctioning a vintage TideRunner boat

Now’s your chance to own a piece of Gig Harbor history that just happens to double as a pretty good recreational fishing boat. 

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The Harbor History Museum is auctioning an 18-foot 1977 TideRunner Model 180. An anonymous donor, who bought the boat new in 1977, donated it to the history museum. 

It comes with a Johnson outboard motor that has been routinely serviced, as well as a trailer, cab pot, cover and a few fishing accessories. 

Bids start at $1,500 and are due Tuesday, July 15. 

Submit offers to Harbor History Museum Executive Director Stephanie Lile at [email protected] or in person at the museum. 

Harbor History Museum is auctioning an 18-foot 1977 TideRunner Model 180. Photo courtesy Harbor History Museum.

TideRunner history 

TideRunner was a Gig Harbor-based company that sold the boats originally designed by owner Al Bucholz in 1971. It manufactured and sold the boats to thousands of customers through 1998, developing a loyal following. 

“We tried to keep a very high level of customer satisfaction,” Jeff Bucholz, Al’s son, told Gig Harbor Now in a 2023 interview. “And they just performed nicely. They weren’t racing boats, but if you put a nice engine in one them, they could go fast enough.” 

TideRunner kept its operation small, building an average of about 50 boats a year, Jeff Bucholz said. For most of its time, the company operated from 8805 and 8809 North Harborview Drive in the Finholm District. 

Al Bucholz was also a talented architect, having designed the old Gig Harbor City Hall on Judson Street (now Timberland Bank) and the fire station on Kimball Drive. 

The cover of a brochure for Gig Harbor-made TideRunner boats. Photo courtesy Harbor History Museum