My 2004 Tige Upholstery Is Junk!

I am the original owner of a 2004 22V. I have had few problems with the boat for the most part but this year my seats are all coming apart where they are stitched. I clean the seats regularly with babes seat soap and have never used anything harsh on them. The boat is always covered and is stored in our heated shop in the winter. Whats the deal, has this happened to anyone else?? It is going to cost quite a bit to replace and Im not too happy about is considering the fact that it is only 4 years old.

Has Tige changed their material does anyone know??

The time has come to get a new boat ordered and I was leaning towards an RZ2 but im having second thought about staying in the Tige family now..

The boat only has 174 hours on it and my usual crew is 3-7 people and none of them are overweight so the seats have been in no way abused...

Sorry for the long post, Im just venting here..

I'd send some pics to Tige and let them know you're thinking of a new boat and the seats coming apart isn't acceptable. See what they say. They should still look new if you're taking care of them after only 4 years.

Tige has changed the vinyl several times since 2004. The new vinyl is very nice, definitely nicer than what you and I have.

My 2005 with 300 hours is looking just fine.

I don't think being overweight will necessarily abuse the seats. I worry more about the crap people spill on them and the way you air them out after each trip. Also, do they step all over them with their shoes.

The biggest problem is the sun can be brutal, you said it goes to the shop in the winter, but what about the summer?

They may not have been using UV protectant thread back then. It's an easy way to cut costs on a boat. I would try to find out for sure if they are using them currently prior to purchasing a new boat. Also, I would contact them with this problem and see if they offer any help or insight.

In the summer the boat is stored on my covered lift and has never been left out without the cover on. Also there are no shoes allowed in my boat so that cant be the problem.. I will be contacting Tige as soon as I get some pictures..

I have a 2006 Tige 24Ve and a 2007 Tige RZ2. I can definitely tell the difference between the vinyl between the years. The 2009 line is a much thicker vinyl compared to the 2006 to 2008 line.

Tige has done a ton of revamping of the seats from the year that you purchased your boat. I have not had any issues other than small tears from that were done by humans.

my 1999 is still good

Not only has the vinyl and stitching been upgraded, but the interior lay out on the Ve and Rz boats have been designed to limit the amount of abuse on the vinyl. In 06, Tige introduced their walk-thru transom and a hard-backed, carpeted, corner cushions for stepping in and out of the boat.

Well unfortunatley I experienced the same thing on my 2003 Mastercraft X30. The boat was always kept in the garage and covered and never left out in the sun and the vinyl is ripping at the stitching. It started to come apart about three years ago and despite my please with Mastercraft to replace the vinyl they turned their heads.

Everything else on the boat has been great and the boat still runs like a dream. Next year we are upgrading to a new boat and despite our liking of the X45 and X35, we will probably be looking at Malibu because of this issue. Its just sad that the vinyl fell apart so quickly.

There are vinyl problems with all Manufacturer's boats. The problems are usually due to a poor introduction to the customer of their new boat. The vinyls used in boats have a CUTICLE, like a plants leafs. If unrecommended cleaners are used on the vinyl, that cuticle will be damaged or removed. That is when the SUN takes over and the UV rays do damage to the vinyl and stitching. One of the most important items we here at Texas Tige cover with our new Tige owner's is what is recommended and NOT recommended for cleaning the boat's interior. This is the one item we are not in control of after the boat leaves the parking lot. Always double check with your dealer on proper cleaning products.

I've been in an 06, 07, 08, 09 Tige...they have definately started to catch up with respect to the vinyl ( and padding) used in the big 3. As early as 06, the vinyl used in combination with the padding was laughable IMO, for the money your spending.

I had an 01 X30 that did the same thing. I did get an 06 Xstar and so far its looking good.
I did use the babes boat seat stuff and it seemed to dry it out more. I stopped using it and went to something else.

I've got the exact same boat and in the first 3 years all my skins on seat bottoms got replaced by Tige. On the last few I had to do the install, but no big deal. You are probably out of warrantee, but you can always ask- maybe you can get them to share the cost.