Tige RZ4
 

I have a friend looking at new surf boats. He asked me about the RZ4 wave and I had no idea. Of course, I've heard all about the Z3.

Anyone with experience or advice on the RZ4 wave? He mostly wants to surf and has a large family.

Oh, and he's also looking at the Tige 24 Ve. How is the surf wave on that one?

RZ4 takes a little more weight then the z2 but the wave can be great! They should have pretty similar waves since the have a very similar hull. The 24ve has bigger lockers so you could fit more hidden weight in it. The Rz4 feels much bigger because of the pickle fork.

Well I have been lucky enough to spend some time on both of these boats.

As far as room for a family both are huge. Lots of space to store stuff with the RZ4 being incredibly plush with lockers and hiding spots everywhere. I really enjoyed the large interiors on both.

The wake to me was a bit tough on the RZ4. I am regular side and enjoy the surf style , my wife goofy and prefers to skim. The wake was steep and the first couple of times a bit intimidating when fully weighted down. I did come to enjoy it but it was steep and had a lot of push. My wife never felt comfortable behind the boat. It was always to steep for her to enjoy.

The 24ve, we both enjoyed. Both boats took a lot of weight! I don't remember the numbers but do recall thinking it was a lot. My wife loved the wake behind the Ve. I too enjoyed it. It seemed to be a bit more adjustable and more accommodating for both styles of riding.

My two cents
 

I have an RZ4, so of course I'm biased. The surf wave is great - ONCE I added additional ballast. It's a great family/party boat. If you want a boat you can have three families on (6 adults and a bunch of kids) or 4 or 5 couples or just a group of guys (who need some space), it can't be beat.

Ragboy has that one fully dialed in and used it for a few competitions. Throws a nice wave! All of the Tige's put out a nice wave with proper weighting.

The RZ4 wake is better than the 24Ve with a reasonable amount of weight. The 24Ve is smoother and longer but in order to get good push you have to slam it pretty good. The RZ4 has great push but the wake is not quite as smooth and a bit steeper, you would definitely want to ride it to make sure you like it. As far as the amount of weight, it may have been similar in the total number to the 24Ve, but not the same because it requires less list.

What I mean is that on the 24Ve almost every bit of weight needed to be concentrated in that rear corner, and only after a lot of weight in that rear corner could we put some up front without losing push. The RZ4 wanted less list and liked weight all over, so even though the amount of weight in the boat may have been similar, it felt much more reasonable and safe because there was maybe 12 degrees of list vs maybe 18-20 on the Ve and you could also let people sit around the boat without affecting the wake negatively. For fun surfing with friends and family, the RZ4 was incredible, it was so huge and roomy but its a bit of a trade off in the sense that the RZ2 is a pickle fork and made a bit better wake. I hope that all makes sense, the Z3 on the other hand can make that same steep wake with even more push, less list and then also adjust way down to make someone like Janelle (Rob's wife) happy. Janelle is more sensitive than most other riders, and I love using her to help me test setups and stuff.

Keep in mind, that 90% of families will probably be very happy with the surf wake behind an RZ4, there are a lot of wake snobs on this forum, including my whole family and those we ride with. Get a demo on a properly weighted one for the best answer.

Here is the review we did on the RZ4, hope it helps.

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I'm with you and your wive Rob. I love the ve wake!!! A friend just bought the 22ve and I feel right at home on that wake. It doesn't feel as steep as the others but with a surf sac the wake is big and has plenty of push. I have ridden several Tige wakes thanks to Ragboy's Polar Bear event and our local Tige dealer Prestige Water Sports different events. This summer I have been behind the RZ2, RZ3, RZ4 and my favorite 22ve. I would really like to try the RZ3 again when it is weighted properly. The one I surfed wasn't set up with extra ballast and it was really rough on the lake that day.
The RZ4 was too steep for me but maybe the taps setting could have been changed to make it a little more mellow. I normally ride a skim board and I noticed that when I changed to a surf style it was easier to ride the steeper wave.

you're too kind sue listing the 22ve as your favorite :)

I hope that prestige does another demo day to see the difference in the rz and z series vs the ve. I was told the 22ve is the same hull as the rz2 just with forks in the front.
I'm hoping that they get that banged up z3 back soon and host a surfday.

The 22Ve and the RZ2 do share the same hull but the interior layout is a little different. They put out very similar surf waves and wakeboard wakes but not identical. It could be due to the weight placement of the different interior or the pickle fork, not sure. Both put out a nice wave and are great boats but I would take the Z3! :D

With the addition of your custom surf sack it is one sweet wave Scott!!!
I can't wait until my new Jetty is finished so we can try it surf style too. I'm sure there will be a learning curve with the new riding style but it will be fun:D

Come on down Sue, I will give you a ride. Or this year's polar bear.

I would love to come back and surf with you and your family Robert! Do you have the dates for the Polar Bear yet? If I can't make the Polar Bear I will take you up on your gracious offer. Lake Orville was such a fun time. I remember when we first arrived and Amy was running around telling everyone how we were all a big family having a reunion. I have several of the pictures from that years Polar Bear hanging on my office wall.

The event will be on October 13th and 14th. We are waiting for a couple of details before taking registrations and stuff, but that is just a few days away. We are going to have more boats than we have ever had, and maybe mitch can tell you about all the boards. You are also welcome any time our schedules meet.