Tige? Good or Bad boats

What's the feeling of this counsel on Tige Boats?
Looking at the RZ series along with the Ve series.

Just want to know if its a good brand and if you would play behind it.

i have a 2005 24v and i love it. great wake. great boat. no problems.enough said

Lets grab the popcorn and let the show begin!

Just a heads up.... by starting threads like this, you will have people hop on here and say look at "X" brand of boat, b/c that's what they have.

But to answer your question, I love my Tige!

i have only heard good things

Ya, you will find that a few will bash the brand because they don't know, don't like the style, or just because they want to start a fight.

I love my RZ2 and the 24Ve that I once owned. The new 2009 models are off the hook IMO.

Only peeps that talk bad about them are dealers (of other brands) and haters that don't know chit about what they're talking about.

Look at it as any other boat. If it was taken care of, it should be a good solid boat, as most boats are. Just spend some time out in it to make sure it meets YOUR needs. The best boat out there is the one that offers what you are looking for at the budget you want to be at. $.02

Tige are the best boats made. Extremely solid built.

We LOVE our 98 PRE2100wt and I agree the 09 models are off the hook!! Can't wait to upgrade ours!!

I will say its the best riding boat I have ever been in I would kill for an RZ2 and would not mind having a 22Ve. If its a great dealer all the better. Where are you located?

Don't own one, but ridden behind them a few times (and almost bought one) nice boats.

yeah I just priced out a 2009 how much difference is the ride vs an I/O? If I get one I would spend about 30% of the time boarding and the rest cruising and hanging out? I have only been on one inboard (99 maristar) I thought it road ok is there really a noticeable difference or is it just a cheesey sales pitch you hear

Murph,

We went from an I/O to a 22Ve and absolutely loved the ride and handling. I would put the ride as good or better then any comparable sized I/O, which would be a "24ft" I/O as most include the swim platform in the length, tow boats dont.

Peeps better recognize, TigeMike has a solid boat! Sales are good snacks? Hook it up. Is that Azure your old boat?

We just got a 99 21V and absolutely love it, wakeboard wake, surft wake, seating, everything is awesome. When you jump in from my buddy's 01 Xstar, it feels like you could put his boat inside ours, absolutely love it. The ride is great too compared to the old I/O

If properly weighted, the RZ2 will throw one very nice wake. The older swim platforms on the RZ2's have problems with cutting into the wake when surfing but Tige built a smaller platform to reduce this problem. However, if properly weighted with the older platform, the cutting isn't bad at all.

The 24Ve can also throw a huge arse wake. The swim platform can cut into the wake if you are listing too far. However, this boat is a beast and it's made to plow through water IMO.

Both E-series towers are okay. Takes a little time to put them up and take down but it's definitely easier than the Z-tower (not talking about the new Alpha Z tower. I haven't seen it in person nor have I been able to play around with it).

Personally, the 22 foot boats are all great boats in the Tige models. The maneuverability of them are better than the 24 footers but again, the 24 footers are made to plow through water. The 22 footers plow through the water also but are better at maneuvering.

TAPS2 and the Convex V hull work together to shape the wake. The TAPS's plate or similar device is being used by many tow boat manufacturers now and have been used in the past. The difference between Tige and the other boat manufacturers is that Tige using the Convex V hull along side the TAPS2 plate to shape the size and style of the wake.

The older models had the Mercruiser engines, then came Marine Power engines, and not PCM's are being placed in the boats. I have had the Marine Power engines in both boats. They are loud engines but nothing that a Fresh Air Exhaust System couldn't help out to reduce the amount of noise.

Hope that this helps with your decision. If you want more opinions, visit the Tige Owners Forum and ask some questions over there. www.tigeowners.com/forum

THANKS FOR THE HELP. MATT WHICH AZURE ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, BUT CHANCES ARE GOOD THAT IT IS ONE OF OURS. WE ARE GOING TO TRY AND CONTACT TIGE TO LET US SELL THEM, BUT WE JUST WANTED SOME GOOD INFO ON WHAT REAL RIDERS SAY ABOUT THE BOAT BEFORE WE JUMPED IN HEAD FIRST. WE LIKE WHAT WE SEE.

One of our company boats was the RZ2 below and it was a terrific boat. I wasn't the biggest fan of the upholstery compared to Malibu or Supra interiors, but all in all it was a great boat. I was a big fan of the speed control on this boat versus the perfect pass

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/files/picture_002_196.jpg

Owners like them, riders like them = +. Of course I don't know what the mark up is on the boats but I do own a business and a good reliable product at a fair mark up is good for everyone. Do you want a long term relationship are are you looking to make some fast cash. Lots of repos on the market from what I'm told.

Have you checked out WAKECRAFT? LOL


Just had to go there... Funny thin is I was waiting for the bashing etc on this thread, so I just had to read!

PS, Tige builds a fine boat..

I love my RZ2! It's been a very solid boat for the 2 years that I have owned it. Like any boat though, make sure you test drive EVERY boat that you are interested in and give them all a fair shake. Good luck!

We want to be the dealer in our area really create a place that people can come for their new boat. We have been in the boat business for over 30yrs so we are not new to it. We sold Calabria for awhile and are now selling the Epics, but they are a little more hardcore. We love them, but need something that applies to everyone. Again, thanks for all your input. You guys Rock!

I bought my Tige new 10yrs ago. It has over 1800 hrs on it and I have had no problems... I have had a couple of seats redone from 10 years of hard use, but other than that,it's been a fantastic boat. It's also nice not having a boat payment...
Tiges have gotten a bad rap from some people on here}, but you will not hear me complaining.

Tige/Teeegea

I think you will do well with either Tige boat model.

Sometimes I ride my brother's Tige 06' 24 V and I tend to do much better with his boat than my Malibu 23 LSV (Wakeboarding) and I land my inverts on his boat and not mine, for some reason.

I am not too fond on Tige's upholstery and other misc. stuff though.

With that said, you will do fine with either model, Tige is a good boat.

Good luck!

Tige is a terrible boat, they stole the picklefork from MC and the new tower looks like a broke back Illusion from Malibu.

There ya go Kevin

C'mon "jtnz"

That is irrelevant to the question.

have not met anyone that hates their Tige. It's all personal preference. I mean, not that theree snything wrong with that. (tige love that is)

Yes but the question still remains who did MC steal the pickle fork from ???????

Easy Jos, easy. No need to piss on everyone's cheerios. Please post a pick of your I/O.

Snacks -

From working with all the major boating brands my honest opinion is that Tige makes a solid boat, however, their wiring is really very poor and can be rather messy - this creates problems when something breaks or needs checking.

Construction is good, finishing details are good, the looks are good and the Mercruiser package is just fine (Though I hear they are now PCM??).

One side note, and I have no idea why this is, is that I always feel they age a little quicker than other boats... I think it may be the carpet more than anything - Seems to be a tad too think or to hold the dirt a little more than others and can begin to make the boat look older than it is quite quickly.

There's my 2 cents

Umm, hey brit, how long ago since you looked at a Tige? I know you are not bashing, just want to clear up a couple of points.

Tige has not run Mercs in years. They were using Marine Power for a number of years and are now using PCM for the 09's. Carpet and vinyl are on par with all the best.

Wire is well labeled and they come pre-wire for almost all the accessories, just plug-n-play almost if you want to add tower light, heater, shower, etc.

FYI, the upholstery is the same density as what Malibu uses today in their boats. This only applies to the 2009 models. $.02

I love my 22i, only complaint is it is to big.

TigeMike -Very fair to ask....

I actually haven't worked on a tige newer than 06 currently - so there could very well have been chance for improvements in the areas I stated.

I don't think the vinyl is any different to any others.. its certainly no poorer than the main competition... it is the carpets that always appear more down-trodden than the competition. This even goes back to boats in 2006 that were a year old... It's as if the carpet is too plush if that makes sense, so that once its gotten wet a few times it gets trampled down and looses its volume.

On the wiring side, every boat I've worked on has not impressed me - to the point that I've found better wiring on boats like bayliners, Maxums.. I just find them overly complicated with far more butt/crimp connectors than I'd like to see. The dash's at the back can also be very tough to work with when you want to access a n accessory switch or similar.

I agree they seem to label everything but once they cover it in that black plastic cable tidy stuff and tape it up.. the labels are hidden so you have to start cutting away at things to get anywhere. This was an issue about 2 weeks ago when I was working on a Switch V - The stereo turned on but no sound to the speakers... to track the wiring was a real pain, but eventually we discovered 3 speakers had blown and the wiring to the 4th had corroded badly as the backside of the speaker has been sitting in an area that had been collecting water (the space behind the cooler under the observer seat).

I'm absolutely not bashing - there's issues with all boats - none are perfect. And I'd run a Tige any day of the week... but as I felt it appropriate to offer constructive criticism I fired away my key niggles

Hope that clears it up

Tige's stereo wiring does suck... to many splices! I'll admit that. LOL

At least it used to! They may have fixed that, now that Tim is in the picture.

like most ski boat mfg Tige builds a decent boat. Here in Northern California there seems to be a bit of a problem with dealers going broke that sell them. not sure if it has something to do with the boat or just bad luck in choosing their dealer network

^^^ That has to do with the economy and the lack of water that is needed to boat.

The dealer was a great dealer in Sacramento. The owner just doesn't want the BS and has grown tired of losing money every year.

AMEN. WE FOCUS MORE ON SERVICE AND THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE BREAKING THEIR BOATS, THAT WE STAY PRETTY BUSY, BUT THE MARKET IS LOOKING UP IN UTAH.

Gary,

Those dealers going under, is Tige the only brand they sell? I doubt it as most dealers sell 3 to 4 or more brands so they can have a seat for every AZZ as we say. They are going under cause of the economy, no one is spending much.

The dealer that is going out of business here sells Sangers, Centurians (sp?), Monterey Boats, and Alumaweld to name a few. $.02

My bet is economy and water levels for NorCal.

No wakeboard boat is a bad boat.... learn to ride other wakes and you will be that much better

No wakeboard boat is a bad boat.... learn to ride other wakes and you will be that much better

and everyone stole the tower from CC. However if I am right the Illusion tower and the new tower from Tige which both are made by the same company CC gets no royalties. Good for Bu and Tige.

Tige's are good boats. Recently working on a 2006 22 Ve, my only complaints:

1) In the bow they bring the fiberglass to the floor to strengthen the seats. Good idea, except it fills up with water. The water (rainwater for me) has nowhere to go. (I didn't leave it out in the rain, previous owner did.) They need a couple of holes for the water to get into the bilge throughout the boat. They may have addressed this problem?

2) There was a strip of the floor behind the drivers seat that was uneven. I don't know if it was supposed to be like that or if the floor was warped. Regardless, it didnt' seem right.

Other than that, good solid boat, easy to work on!

(Message edited by lionel on May 29, 2009)

Lets look back at Tiges nor cal history
Tige boats of CA Rancho cordova/Disco bay 92-95 BK
Cope and mcphetere 95 -97 dropped the line 95-97
Barry paulsens boat center Rancho cordova/ Livermore 97-02 Dropped the line
San Ramon boats 03 dropped the line
Discovery motorsports Disco bay 04-05
Tri valley motors 06- current
Not saying Tige builds a bad boat just that their dealer network seems to always of had issues
Their current Sac dealer's (as is posted above) building has a sign on it that sez we quit
I agree with the statement all wakeboard boats are good but not all companys are equal

What does dealers not knowing how to run their business have to do w/ a manufacturer? Not like they're M/C and forcing dealers to take on speculative boats.

I'm not from Cali, so I know nothing about the dealerships there... but didn't Copes drop M/C recently? So whats that mean???? Nothing at all about their dealer network.

If you listed the dealer network for every brand, you'd prob. see the exact same thing.

Gary, But judging a company because a dealer can not stay in business isn't fair either. If that is what you are saying then Bu's are terrible, MC are terrible, and Nautiques are bad. All three manufactures with stores here in Sacramento are going out of business or out of business. However, we know that the three that I list are very nice boats.

I already have a repair/service shop lined up and Tige has already made arrangements for that. $.02

Wow, a civil discussion goin on on WW about Tige, I'm impressed. from what I've seen in cali is the tige dealers seem to be smaller family oriented businesses, not the big showy corporate types. (not that showy is bad) I like the big fancy storefronts and boats in a showroom glistening under the lights, the smell of new fiberglass, fresh carpet.........................Oh sorry what was I saying? almost went down and ordered a new RZ2! anyway, It seems Tige, the company, still has a very family oriented feel and I think that carries over to the dealers and definately to the boat owners. BTW I love everything about my 22ve'. Snacks I hope it works out for you, good luck.

I do truly think Tige and Supra, def. are two of the main companies who's owners still have a major say in the daily going on's. Which means ALOTTTTT in my book.

You still see that evident on this board even, as both owners occasionally get on here. Actually that's about the only two brands I see that from.

They def. maintain the family run company feeling though. Which is impressive as large as they are... Especially Skiers Choice.

BAD!! Stay away! The transoms fall off. They can chine lock and flip passengers out. They porpoise and won't ride level. The Tige speed control has been known to take over and you can't regain control. The TAPS will put the bow down so far you'll take 50 gallons of water over the bow. The factory is actually in Mexico run by illegals. The wake is so small you can't even board behind it. The upholstery is made of paper mache and will come apart the first time it gets wet. They copied MC and now Bu. They don't need ballasts, those are for ships! You should really consider looking at a WakeCraft!

^^^ hahahaha

LMFAO! What Delta said

Gary- what are you doing? Your post has nothing to do with the manufacturer of the boat- only a handful of dealerships and last I checked0 there was just as much changing around of other boats during this same period of time. Copes has strung along every manufacturer forever and totally screwed other dealers with ther BS promises of selling more boats in a market than was possible- Seattle for example. Gonnasons lost the Mastercraft line because of their BS tactics and then went to Supra- so I guess Mastercraft sucks too.. LOL!

we where going to buy an RZ2 and went another way. best interior and layout out of all the v drives we looked at.

I really appreciate all the info. Again it has been very helpful and I will keep you all informed on our final choice.
Deltadave we have looked at Wakecraft, but that doesn't really meet our needs right now. We have Epic, and that is a BAD A boat, but not all of our customers want that kind of boat, Wakecraft still only has the one boat they build I believe which is a cool boat, but we need options and price ranges for the normal family and the family that needs to spend a little cash. (I mean mortgage they new boat)
Thanks again to all of you. And yes we are that smaller family run marine.

Since you have EPIC now I would say Tige would be a nice compliment. I wouldnt try to order any to have in your showroom loaded up like the EPIC is. I would try out maybe a Z1 and some 22Ve's. Order them without ballast and a lot of the things beginners dont really need. All that can be added later or if they think its neccesary let them look at your Epics. Tige makes a nice boat, that being said I worked for a Tige Dealer last summer in NC, and although we tried about everything we could the dealer still has 4 of the 6 boats he ordered...

as for the quality comments above about carpet, etc, I will agree the carpet seems to be lacking a little. There are several things Tige changed this past year but, at the same time their price went up too, at least in NC at the boat show a RZ2 was the same price as a 23LSV and other compariable boats from the big guys. In our area Tige is going to have be priced better to get any sales because of their reputation. In some ways its tough trying to sell something to someone who had no idea what it really was.

Overall if you sell them, go after what Tige builds boats for, a family oriented do it all (decently) for a fair price boat.

It's a good boat, but if you're talking about retailing them I would say no for several reasons. The economy is terrible. I hear they are tough to sell in most areas (there are exceptions) unless there was already a dealer in your area selling 40-80 per year recently. I think a higher percentage of Tige dealers have closed. For 09 they have become pricey. Tige is kind of stuck between not being a price-point and not really having the ability to get the retail prices they want on their boats. I don't think you can make the margins you need to make. With all their dealers that have closed (and despite Tige's claims otherwise) they may not be able to produce enough boats to stay open. In that case, there is no warranty and that would make them tough to sell and kill the value. There are too many 07, 08 boats out there (including Tige) as repos that have flooded the market. IMO, you (and your customers) would do better with a line like Moomba if it's available or wait a couple of years until the economy is solid.

I own one.
I sell them.(along with another brand)
If your looking to take on another line i would highly recommend them.the company is great to work with.Always willing to listen to dealers .In the 5yrs I have been with them they have been getting better and better every year.

I love everything about mine except for my upholstery. Im not at all happy with that. We ordered the boat new back in 04, only has around 200 hours and my seats are all coming apart around the seams. All in all though the next boat will probably be another Tige.

We had an I/O last year (Colbat 250 w/ 8.1 - bravo III and SS waketower. We sure had fun with it, but........wanted more. Someone said "buy your second boat first". This is very true, or at least "try". Sold the Cobalt and bought an Tige RZ4 with 6.0L this January. There is good and bad in all the brands. I choose the Tige mostly because I have an Ace Tige mechanic in my back yard. I was considering a MC, but found it totally over priced and no local support. We considered the Malibu...but that's about it. If you plan to go up to Island's a lot, you'll appreciate an I/O. I miss that feature! The Tige burns a lot more fuel than the Cobalt simply because of the haul design. There is no comparison though, both hauls are made for different purposes.
Our boat is a "family boat", it purpose is to keep the boys busy and focused. We go out every Saturday and burn $75.00 in fuel plus another $60 in food. It's worth it! The only thing I dislike about the Tige is the factory bimini....so we're having a custom one made this week that gives us adequate shade. The other element I dislike about Tige is carpet under the seats. It stays wet! Do I like my Tige? Absolutely! No regrets. Do I like the Wetsounds audio system? Hell yes! You won't find a better quality anywhere.

Oooh sorry fellas not hating just it wouldn't be a Tige thread otherwise would it?

Seen some epic surf wakes produced by Tiges I wouldn't mind having a go at them.

Some Tige dealers are giving a free tattoo with a boat purchase....

Dealers of other brands hand out complimentary KY

Tige builds a good boat.

Is that the Tige that powerturns real good.

^^^ Why apparently it is

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/692416.html?1242665464

I have a very early production '06 24V with a 6.0 Marine Power motor.
Positives: Boat handles GREAT for it's size, rides well, TAPS is easy to change for different sports, wake is decent w/o ballast, boat is comfortable for passengers and build quality is good (My understanding is it is much better since a move to a new factory in the '06 model year??

negatives: interior as others have said, not layout, but quality of materials, wiring and rigging sub-par IMHO, overall build qualtiy and attention to detail not what I was accustomed to after owning custom sport boats.

In the end, would I buy another Tige`? Actually, no. My next boat will likely be a MC or a 'Bu. I would also look at a Natique, but I don't like the style.

Would you be happy with a Tige`? Absolutely. For the price, they are a great boat.

Obviously lots of owners are happy with them. IMO, adding Tige's not a good business decision. Especially right now.

John,

FYI, the material quality has changed DRASTICALLY since the 06 V's. Actually the materials used have changed, for the better 3 or 4 times since then. Getting progressively better every year. The Vinyl used is now the same grade of vinyl BU uses.

Dave,

I'm sure he has done his homework on his business plan. Just curious if you think adding any new line of boats is wise right now? If so, which one(s)?

I've ridden and been in a the 22ve numerous times. Like any other wake boat when properly weighted the boats has a great wake. It seems to like more weight in the back than other boats and is a little finicky. Fit and finish is ok. Handles rough water well. The only concern I had when looking at boats was resale value. This really doesn't seem like it matters as much now since the market sucks but still Tige's still seem to lose value faster than other brands.

Just an opinion..take it or leave it.

Overall Tige wouldn't be my first choice of line to pick up but no boat line would be right now in this economy. At all the dealers around here it seems like the people with the money are buying the flagship wakeboats from all the companies and the other boats are still sitting on the floor from last year.

I'm not sure he has done his homework. Lots of dealers just get pumped about a particular brand. Just because Tige owners like their boats does not translate into profit for a dealership or a good business decision. I'm not sure adding any boat line is a good idea at this time. If it were me, I would see about picking up a hand full of 08 Moombas repos if possible and ride the economy out. I think Tige makes a nice boat, especially now, but they have become very expensive and I'm not sure the market demand is there for their boats. Plus with all the repos and banks giving MC and other dealers huge discounts on 07 and 08 boats, I think it would be very tough to compete. Snacks' dealership needs to make a sound business decision and not just act on emotion.

So would you say that taking on MC, CC, or Malibu would be an equally bad choice?

IMO, taking on anything right now would be a bad choice unless your business is financially able to do something like this. Remember, boats are a luxury item and in today's economy, luxury items are the first to go.

WE HAVE DONE OUR HOMEWORK AND KNOW THAT IT IS GOING TO BE SLOW FOR THE FIRST YEAR OR TWO. TIGE HAS BEEN VERY GOOD SO FAR AND ARE NOT ASKING US TO BRING IN 20+ THIS YEAR, ONLY A FEW TO START. RZ2 Z1 AND 24Ve, these are the models that we are looking at. We are looking at how things are going to be hopefully in two to three years when things do pick up. Tige is one of the only boat lines avaible and it has a great name in Utah. We would love to sell Malibu but there is a great dealership here that already has them and I am pretty sure they wont hand them over, but we like what we've seen, and are willing to wait it out.

right now however is a great time to get on board because MFG's are looking at taking on dealers they would not have even considered 2 years ago. But mostly I agree with the dave's not a good time to add a new line especially an expensive one like tige

Good luck snacks, our local dealer only took a few and still has those few left right now and cant sell them.

I would say in our local economy I would agree that no boat line would be a great thing to add right now besides budget based boats. Maybe just some i/o's with towers?

Even at a few, you have to look at the inventory turn ratio of Tige. I think that is fairly slow. You also have to look at how many of their dealers have gone out of business. That does tell you something about how they may or may not sell. Even if you bought a handful, you might be paying on them for two years. The RZ2 and the 24Ve are both fairly high priced and I think people have lost of choices in that range. The Z1 is not the cheapest and many buyers may buy a Moomba or a used Bu at those prices. I still think you have to look hard at their high prices and their market demand. Buying a few might not be such a good deal for the future. You will do want you want, but that's my $.02

Could be wrong but sounds like maybe Dave gave this Tige thing a whirl and has some pretty good insight His thoughts are on the money

Pricing current Tige's, they're still 5-9K cheaper than a similarly equipped BU where I'm at.

Tige has had no more dealers go out of business than any other brand. So lets leave that one rest. Remember none of these dealers are solely Tige dealers. So maybe it was their other brands who dragged them down... Or MAYBE... just MAYBE it was just bad management.

Of the dealers here, I can show you the mastercraft dealer, nautique dealer, and BU dealer that all have 07' models on their lots! One even has an 06'!!!! What does that say about the brand?.... nothing at all! Just hard to sell a boat that's in the mid 50's and up when the banks aren't lending like they used to. Alot of people spending that much would rather order custom, than buy off the lot.

Utah, AZ, and cali are three of Tige's biggest states. I think you'll be fine there.

First off, I think Tige makes a very nice boat now. However, let's not confuse the fact that they make a nice boat or that owner's like them with the fact that it may not be a wise business decision right now.

I heard Tige cost as much as Bu wholesale. Either your Tige dealers are not making enough profit or the Bu dealers are making too much. If they're not making enough profit, then it's a problem. I think with their new high 09 prices the majority of Tige dealers are not able to make the type of profit they need to run a dealership. Like I said before, I think that's one of the problems with Tige from a business standpoint.

Not sure I agree with that one. Didn't Tige's AZ dealer just go out? And I hear their Sacramento dealer is closing or has closed and that the SoCal dealer is not doing well either. CA, AZ and UT are Tige's biggest states? Ouch! I don't care what manufacturer you are, if you're small and you lose dozens of dealers, you may not make it.

Exactly my point. There are lots of repos, 07, 08 and even 06 product out there being sold for cheap. Then there are the late model used boats that people are dumping. That is going to make it tough to sell 2010 Tiges and make a good profit, at least until all the old inventory clears out.

I wouldn't let emotion or "opportunity" influence my decision. If you look at the hard numbers with Tige, I don't think it's a good business decision. Don't assume you'll be fine or that you'll sell them in this market. If Snacks is convinced that Tige will work in his market, I would only buy maybe four and make sure they're the right colors and models. Believe me, Tige will always build more.

haha check this out. .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPMjkYzp5bU