Worth it to upgrade?

Like nearly everyone with an older used boat, upgrading is always in the back of my head.

Current set-up:
1999 Tige 21v Wakeboard edition. She has about 650 hrs, and is immaculate. Original tower (has never given us an issue), bimini, upgraded prop, and Stargazer. Ballast is not plumbed, but otherwise, besides bells and whistles, she has everything we need. One of the biggest perks is she's paid for. Obviously, there is a lot more to it than just whether it's worth it or not, as I love not having a payment.

Thoughts?

Dude, this is like asking: "Do you like the color blue or red?" You're going to get at least 3-5 different types of answers, none of them right or wrong. It's your life - you get to chose.

I have a 2002 Sanger V210 in great condition with 870 hours on it. It's paid for and stored in my garage. As cool as it would be to have something newer with more bling, there is no new boat in my future. I'll easily have this one another 5-10 years or longer. The boat works for me just great and, other than maintenance & small upgrades, I like putting my money to work elsewhere. Contrast that with Chattwake who likes a fresh new boat every single year. How cool would that be?! That's where he focuses enough resources. To each his own.

If you find that you are using your boat more and more every year than it might be a better investment to upgrade otherwise keep using your existing boat if very few times or less and less every year. 80% of people would be happy and only can dream about having your boat.

If you want to give me your boat for free I say upgrade. Hell, I will even meet you half way to pick it up.

On a serious note only you can answer that. IS there really anything the newer boats can do that yours can't? Not really. Sure they might be bigger, fancier, etc but in all actuality your boat is a solid surf and wakeboard boat regardless of what a lot of wake snobs(No offense meant. I know a perfect wake is nice and important to some) think.

If it was me I would probably just spend a little extra money on yours plumbing in ballast and even though you said your tower is fine maybe throw a new one on it to give it a more modern appearance and have things like swivel racks. You then could also save some money in case you have to redo the interior or do some work on the engine.

Keep your boat. So nice not having a payment. It's certainly not going to depreciate much more and what the hell, it floats, runs, looks excellent! Change what you dont like as Brett said and enjoy!! No way I'd step up to a payment for 10-15 yrs. for so little to gain.

BTW very nice boat

Like above..that is a personal decision. I can tell you we really love our new boat, but I really don't like the payment, even though its fairly small for short term. For me there is something to be said about things that are paid off. Now if it gets to a point where its costing you alot in repairs and maintenance then thats another story. But since that doesn't seem to be the case, i say run it!!

Keep your boat.

You're not making payments, it's a v-drive, it has perfect pass, you know all of the maintenance reports, it's in great shape, you're comfortable with it...etc. If you ask me, that's the type of boat other people would love to upgrade to, not try to upgrade from. Unless of course you want to have a payment and sink some more $$ into some random necessity (they always need something). And all for what? Plumbed ballast and 2 extra square feet of seating/storage???

I agree with what these guys are saying...and can't you plumb in ballast then you got it all!

That thing is nice and clean...Looks great!

If you buy something new.....I would be happy to take a donation of your old rig
just saying.

Be happy you're in the position to make the choice. Happy choosing either way. That Tige looks nice!

I'm in the exact same boat - figuratively speaking. I've been let down at alot of boats I thought were upgrades. I would have had to spend money in every instance after the fact. Go kick some tires and you may come to the same conclusion.

What would you upgrade to? Some things I would say yes are worth it, others, probably not... I would probably keep it if it was doing what I wanted it to do...

If you just came in to a couple million bucks and were thinking "should I upgrade to a G23 and give my boat to Delta" then I would say, yes, upgrade

We have that same boat but a 2000 2100v limited. Its a great boat. However, the reason we want to upgrade is because the salt water is taking its toll on the trailer and metal components of the boat along with the vinyl stitching etc.

I would love to upgrade to am Axis A22, salt series!!! I feel that even though its called a base model boat today, it still has options the older tige never had. It's also more of a core wake boat, designed around functionality, simplicity, and the fact that it's not $80k+ like every other boat.

Fill your spray pockets and keep the boat!

If you are pretty happy with the boat, keep it and do some upgrades.

- No payment
- Looks to be in good shape; keep it that way and it won't depreciate...hell, it has appreciated over the last couple of years due to the rising costs of new boats
- Again, no boat payment

We bought our '01 Malibu cash and I've been adding goodies ever since (I don't even want to count the thousands of dollars in toys I just "needed" to have for it). There are so many toys you can add to it that will get the boat a fresh feel and make you love it all over again.

Is your tower on backwards?

Chris that is the style of that tower. It is facing the correct way.

DC. For the prices of boats these days it is easy for me to stay with my current boat for another 3 years. I really want a new Malibu LSV, 22 or 24 mxz, but I just don't have an extra 80K to 100K laying around, hell I don't even have an extra $100. laying around. I want a new wake board too this year, but that is not going to happen either. lol

The only way I am going to buy a new boat is if I win the Lotto.

Thanks for all the kind words about our baby, and opinions. I guess our anal-ness has paid off! I believe I'm going to keep her for a long time. I would love to pick up a VLX or something of the like, but as everyone said, the price of boats has gone nuts, and I can put that money towards other things.

I am going to look into tower options over the next couple years, just need to find something that fits the boat.

But like others, if I hit the lotto..........all bets are off!

Dude....that boat is sweet. You must be as anal as I am...lol! I say keep it and spend that money elsewhere. I bought an 06 Vride and it still looks new...get compliments every time out. It will be my
only inboard unless we hit the lottery. I will just take pleasure each year in the fact that it will be in
better shape than most other boats out there. And to be honest, it makes a wake way nicer than I will ever have the talent or skill (or cajones) to take advantage of....

I agree! We get compliments every time out as well. Last time through the campground it was like we were on parade - loved it. That's what a coat of spray wax and 2 wipe downs every time out of the water gets you! When she cost more than my car and truck combined - I have good reason to take care of her. Hoping some day a potential buyer will agree and give us more than the book says she's worth, but, I'm with you guys, it's going to be a while!

That's actually a nice classic looking boat with good colors. I'm sorry but the tower is fugly though. A newer styled black one that matched your windshield would look so good on your boat. In short, keep it. You'd be crazy to change.

My boats similar in that its older but does the job well (Sanger v210). We have just spent money on upgrades which have made it way more enjoyable. Same hull and kicks out a great wake so I'm happy.

Plumb in the ballast is all I can say. It made our boating so much more enjoyable

If it still does the job I don't see a reason to upgrade. I upgraded this year because my family out grew our closed bow direct drive. My kids wakeboard and are getting to the point that they wanted/needed ballast in the boat, we tried using sacs in the floor last summer and still only got a maginally reasonable wake plus the sacs took up so much floor space. If we had not been in that situation we would still be in our old boat. Sounds like your ride still does the job and it's payed for so unless you just get the gotta have a new one fever: if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I was asking myself this same question a few years ago. My boat's the same vintage as yours (99 xstar) and I had the new boat bug, primarily for a new wakesetter. But, although the wakesetter was undeniably a beautiful boat, the reality was that I could ride just as well behind my boat as I did behind it. So, I kept the xstar, used a small fraction of the money earmarked for the new wakesetter to install an automated ballast system, and now wonder how I ever got along without it. So, I say if you can ride to your maximum behind your old boat, keep it but do the ballast. It's sooo worth it. And, with all the support wakemakers provides, it's really easy to do.

Agreed - really need to do the ballast. I just hate putting holes through it, I know it's going to be fine, it just weirds me out a bit.

I totally get where you're coming from. I actually had my friend drill the first one. I just couldn't do it. I got through the next 3 just fine though . . . .

Dirwoody,
Nice looking ride.
I have almost the same boat. A 1999 Tige 2100 that is also in great condition. Mine is paid for as well. Every time I think I need a new boat, I run the numbers and go back to the same conclusion. Although my boat is older and doesnt have all the new the amenities, I find it hard to justify a huge boat payment. I am thinking of updating a few things instead...new tower, add perfect pass etc..
I plan on using my boat for years to come.

Heres my 2100v. same boat but in Socal, all the tige's were sent to Phat Tower in Riverside. The tower design after this was the best. It had all curved bars and used some thick material. Sadly, they went out of business.

I say keep it. No boat payment is a great feeling. I am surprised that the tower hasn't cracked since those are known for cracking.

I have a 2001 21 V- same thought- I was going to upgrade to a 2013 X 30 this year... I just can't swallow the $90K they want for it and mine runs really well. Original tower too and no problems. I upgraded the stereo this year and want to plumb in a ballast next- hard to complain about it when it runs great and it's paid for.

I recently upgraded from a 2001 X-9 to a 2008 X-Star. That was a different upgrade - DDrive to VDrive. It cost me $40K to do this upgrade. I just saved until I had the difference and still saved a ton by buying a used boat. Still no payment and 100x improvement in boats.

I love my 2001 21v and don't plan to upgrade for a while. It does everything I need it to and I usually get compliments too. A new tower and some updating will go along way.

Joey,

What tower is that? and were you able to use the same mounting holes? Looks pretty close. Reminds me of the older MB towers.

Originally Posted by will5150

Joey,

What tower is that? and were you able to use the same mounting holes? Looks pretty close. Reminds me of the older MB towers.

Its actually a wake air tower which was a common replacement for the metcraft tower at the time. They are no loger in business. It was already installed when I bought the boat. There aren't any other holes showing. I think a samson tower or more buget minded monster tower is what most guys are going with now. There are a few guys on the tige forum that have replaced thiers.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Good to know, I would love to put one of those on ours as a replacement

Get your current boat wrapped, it can totally change the look of the boat and plumb the ballast in and your good, new look, still no payment, and everyone will think you got a new boat! it's the best of both worlds!

Get your current boat wrapped, it can totally change the look of the boat and plumb the ballast in and your good, new look, still no payment, and everyone will think you got a new boat! it's the best of both worlds!

Solid advice right there. Maybe even upgrade the stereo/speakers?

I'd say keep it if it's doing everything you need.

I'm looking to replace my boat here in the next year or so but for these reasons.
1) My boat sits quite low in the water can can be unsafe really quickly where we have our summer house and the wind blows up or even a busy day at our local lake.
2) 5 in my boat is crowded so I can't take a lot of people. It becomes a boys trip....which isn't always bad .....but I also want to be able to take my wife, son, and others as well.
3) My boat is a DD and I would really like a VDrive for the space and make surfing easier for the other people as my current boat doesn't put up much of a wave.

Other than that I love my boat regardless of how old it may be.