Correct Craft 206, Tige 21i , Supra Launch ???

I am all about correct craft but I may buy something else. after getting some input from you all I went and looked at the supra and the tige.

I really liked the fit and finish on Tige 21i rider. There are 2 things about the Tige that have me thinking the 102" beam and the wood stringers. I want to be able to ski the course now and then will this boat work. the wood is it going to work well all the other boats in the class are not using wood. why does tige think wood is good? does the tige 21i fit as an all around wakeboard, ski boat, family boat it has the room and i really like the way it is laid out. Anyone out there have one or know any reasons not to get a tige. I had my heart set on a correct craft 206 but know I am about to buy a tige. Please let me know what you all think.

Is $41,480 out the door a good deal on a 2004 tige 21i rider? with tower, basic stereo CD with remote, depth finder, air water temp, 350 GM Vortec 335hp motor, TAPS, tandem trailer, spare tire, boat cover, bimini top.

This is the same price out the door my correct craft dealer will sell me a 206 with no extras and a 275 hp motor.

Is the supra the way to go. I liked the fit and finish better on the tige over the supra. the correct craft also has great fit and finish. I know the correct craft handles great and skis very well lacks big time for wakeboarding. I have not driven or skied behind the supra or the tige. I ready to just go for the tige. I really was impressed by the boat as far as the show room. will it live up to it's potentail on the water?????

I am ready to drop the deposit tomorrow. am I crazy!

All comments and opinion needed

thanks

Yes you are crazy, test drive before dropping anything!

First of all, do some searching on this board and most if not all of your questions will be answered. "Which boat is the best?" This question gets asked once a day on this board.

Second- Test drive each boat with your family and see how you like it. Can y'all all fit into it with gear, extra friends, dog, etc? Where you store your gear? They all look good in the showroom, but try it in a real live setting. This will also help you answer the third most important question.

Third- Will the dealer deliver after the sale? Are they honest, reputable, timely? Any of the boats you mentioned are top quality. No one has ever had an issue with wood in a Tige, ever.

Lastly- a check list.
1. Can you afford it? Only a few more months an you'll have an expensive yard ornament.
2. Can you tow it?
3. Where will you store it? extra possible expense.
4. After you buy the boat, you need the gear. If you are starting from scratch plan on spending at least $2,000 just for boards, lines, jackets, tubes, skis, etc.
5. Can you afford to maintain it? Winterizing, repairs are costly.
6. Are you a boat owner? Some are, some aren't. No matter what, things break and go wrong. You need to be able to fix many items on your own or your boat will spend way too much time at the dealer. If you enjoy flushing $100 bills down the toilet, then you'll nake a great boat owner.

Hope this helps.

i just bought a 03 supra launch ss & love it!! i looked at the other boats but went with supra. the dealer here in knoxville has an excellent reputation. i'm not too crazy about tige, but nautiques are awesome. i couldnt justify the price personally. the supra is an incredible boat and will come just about fully loaded for the price you are looking at. test drive one & see what u think. also --skiers choice ( supra manufacturer) has an awesome rep also, just do a search on supra here on ww and you'll see. good luck with your decision!!

tige drives and rides horrible. If I am not mistaken, it stiull has rotary steeering -not rack and pinion. The wood is nothing but a nightmare waiting to happen. 5 year bumper to bumper on CC. There is a 2001 air with tower, ballast and 310hp. 125 hrs in michigan. let me know if you want more info. Or look at the 216. Do yourself a favor and don't buy a Tige

I am not new to boating just coming back.

You all have me gun shy on the Tige. I really liked the boat. Do not know how it performs on the water. Some of you say it is no good. Is correct Craft the why to go! Go with what you know they say and I know correct craft

I don't know about the other Boat's But IMO the CC is going to be better, The Thing I don't like about the 206 is No SKI locker? It's a Direct Drive boat and If you like to Ski where are you going to keep the Ski's plus they put the Battery where the ski locker used to be and it barley big enough to install a 2nd battery it's not a big deal but somthing that would make me buy a 216 over a 206 in a second. Everyones going to tell you the same thing "Dirve all 3" the leader will be aparent to YOU. I guess thats all that matters
I think BRUCE had the best Advice

DJL,

You are not just mistaken, you are sorely mistaken. Not sure if you have actually driven a 21i but as you are not far from Las Vegas, I am cordially inviting you to come on up and let us take you out in one.

I have no dilusions about "converting" you into a Tige' advocate, I only want to allow you the opportunity to base your future remarks regarding Tige' on sound experience rather than second and third hand mis-information.

Matt

Matt thanks for the offer but I am not interested in Tige at all. Two of the biggest things that I don't like is that the boat doesn't have a lot of hole shot. The PCM tranny provides alot more get up and go. I also don't like how the whole boat feels like it is tipping when you turn it. Not a big fan of wood or merc engines either. Not trying to put you down but I am just not a fan of Tige. Thanks for the invitation though!

i think the tige issue has been beat to a bloody pulp by now. Dont the 03 tiges have a life or 10k warranty or something? if the wood ever rots theyll fix it and give you 10k...i may be mistaken but i believe that was posted on the site a while ago by brett thurley. Ive never had experience w/ a dd tige, but i love my tige. i have had a few problems but the only one that was a problem with the boat and not caused by me or the dealer messing something up was the fan belt tearing within the first 3 months of ownership. There is no problem at all with holeshot in the 23v w/ the 315hp merc, so i cant imagine a problem in the 21i w/ the 335...

My buddy has a 206, this is a nice boat but very cramped, we always throw skiis and vests etc in a big pile behind the drivers seat. Always a mess. The trunk storage is tiny especially if you have a ballast tank there. Look at the air 216 or Mastercraft X-9. Both versatile DD boats That also throw a Great Wakeboard wake.

I'd go with the supra, I don;t have much Experience with the TIge but can say the the Launch DD will have better storage, more room, better wakes(wakeboarding) and Comparable wakes(ski), even a cheaper price tag then the CC. you should be able to get a Launch out the door for $35k right now. I love correct craft but a 206 is just not a good option(IMO) for your needs.

The new tiges all throw great wakes with weight in the new hulls. The Taps will work great for shaping the wake for skiing or wakeboarding. And the 21i is very roomy with its 102 inch beam.

I might be mistakin but I thought the 2004 Tige's won't have wood stringers. Not that I would be worried if they did. We have a 2003 22I and are very happy with it, we have 65 hours on it and not one problem. Fit and finish is first class, with the convex hull and the taps it throws a respectable unweighted wake, and it sounds like you might be doing some skiing, if you are with the taps up it performs pretty good for skiing too. I just ordered some letsgoride fat sacs so I will update you later this week on the weighted wake. We are putting 500# in the bow, and two 350# sacs in the two back lockers, I can't wait!

The extra room was a pretty good factor for us in our initial decision, the 102 inch beam is nice, lot's of room.

Since you mention skiing the course, I would be very careful about a 102" beam. Many courses will not even allow a boat with a beam that wide. I believe Tige' advertises that their boat is a narrower width at the water line, but is wider above the water line for more room. If that is true, it could still work but if you have ever driven the course you know it is much harder and more stressful the wider a boat gets. If you will have a very experienced driver, you might be OK, but if not, get a narrower boat if the course is something you want to do.

Everybody has opinions on boats, so I'll throw out mine. I like Tige's layout and styling too, but when I drove them I found them noisy and not as solid as some others. I have nothing else against them, just didn't find them as smooth and quiet as the others. I loved the Nautique but once I imagined all my gear in there for a weekend, there was no way it would work. Plus even my old 67" ski wouldn't fit in the rear locker. I own the Supra Sunsport (same as Launch SS), so obviously I like my own boat! It skis great and wakeboards very well, and has gobs of storage, so in my mind it is the right boat for me now.

Have you looked at Malibu? I think Malibu has the best ski wake out of all the boats, although for that you have a few trade-offs (like it rides a little rougher than the Supra or Nautique).

Summary? If you love the Tige', buy it, but only after a skiing and driving demo. Also do the same with the Supra and a Malibu DD. It will all come clear at that point!

Yeah you might want to check with whatever course your going to run, but I have driven our 22I through a slalom course before and it was tight but not a big deal. You just had to pay attention. We weren't pulling a skier, just passing through though.

DJL,

Have you ever even been in a Tige?

"tige drives and rides horrible." Compared to what, a 30' Cobalt?

"If I am not mistaken, it stiull has rotary steeering -not rack and pinion." Well, you are mistaken, they made that switch 4 years ago.

"The wood is nothing but a nightmare waiting to happen." 1) If so, then why has there never been a warranty claim (either in a Tige' or to manufacturer of the wood), not one 2) If there ever were an issue, you get a new boat and $10k - doesn't sound like a nightmare to me? 3)'04 Tiges are all-composite - wood free.

"Two of the biggest things that I don't like is that the boat doesn't have a lot of hole shot." Compared to what? Look at WaterSki Mag test times on 0-30 acceleration:
Nautique 206 w/ 330 hp - 5.0 seconds
Nautique 206 w/ 275 hp - 5.6 seconds
Tige 21i w/ 340 hp - 5.3 seconds
The 21i has 10 more hp, but is almost 2' longer, 11" wider, almost 800 lbs heavier and is only 3 tenths of a second slower!

"The PCM tranny provides alot more get up and go." PCM is an option on Tige', if he were to prefer that.

"I also don't like how the whole boat feels like it is tipping when you turn it." It is much more of a v-hull than your Nautique, so it will bank more in turns.

"Not a big fan of wood or merc engines either." The boat he is looking at does NOT have a Mercruiser motor in it. So, non-issue.

Maybe you should take Matt up on his offer.

Kirk,
Just plop the money down on a 216, you will be VERY happy

Nick, well said!

Nick, I couldn't have said it better myself! Kirk, DO NOT get cold feet with what is being said about the Tige. I have owned 2 and have been 100% satisfied with them. It should be obvious that the people ripping on Tige in this thread do not know what they are talking about. Get accurate info, test drive the boats, and make a decision. I also think you can get a little better deal on that 21i. I got a 2002 22i Type R for $38k out the door in Sept. 2001. with pretty much the same options.

I have spent a lot of time in a 21i and it is a great boat. When you weigh it down, it puts out a very nice wake for wakeboarding. Good luck!

By now you may have made your decision, but I will weigh in anyway. I have the 20i, the baby brother, and I LOVE IT!!!. The price you quoted, tho' seems a bit high. I got my out the door for about $32K (tax, et.al, but now tower, everything else the same as what you have)), and as I recall the 21i was $3500 more base. Add a tower for $2000 and tax on the differential, and you should be out the door for under $40K, say somewhere in the $37-$38k area. I REALLY liked the 21i (loved the room and storage, and the skybox seating was pretty cool), but I was stretching it to get what I got.

Good luck. The good news is that chances are whatever you do end up with will be a good boat, they are all pretty darn good.

Tige' makes a great boat. Of all the boats I have been in I think it drives and handles far better than anything out there. There are other things that I like about other manufactures, but Tige' overall drives the best IMO. Take all the facts that Nick has said to heart. A friend of mine has a 97 Tige' and it's a great boat. He has never had any issues with it having wood stringers. Look at Fountian, they have wood stringers and I don't see a lot of people bitching about them. It's just BS advertising that people buy into w/o actually witnessing any inncidents. I think you'll be VERY happy with the Tige'

Hey Kirk,

I am in the same "boat" as you. I have looked at all the boats and like the tige the best. I am about to buy a 2003 21i limited. It has perfect pass, transom remote, upgraded stereo, 315 hp, cover, bimini top, and taps for the same price. I have driven a supra and looked at the sans but really like the tige. I am just worried about the wake. I have no problem with the wood, actually I hope it rots in about 3 years so I can get a new one. I am supposed to go sign the papers friday morning. I talked to the dealer today and he said I could ride behind it friday morning before I sign.

So after all that I am to my question for the current tige owners. What kind of weight are you putting in these boats to get the nice wake?

The wake is great on that boat. Try to get at least 500 in front and 500 to 1000 pounds in the back and it will produce an excellent wake. I had the 22IR and had 2 500 pound sacs in back about 3/4 full, and a 500 pound sac in front. It is important to distribute the weight evenly in the boat. It will wash out if you put everything in the back.

I am a bu owner, and have ridden behind quite a few brands of boats from the old days to the current. If price were no object I would go CC, BU, Supra tied with MC. I am speaking overall boating lines, take it for what it's worth. No matter what, I would drive any boat you seriously considering.

Is it true that Tige was born out of a ski centurion mold and that the bow is low and takes on water in rough conditions. I was told that a Tige 21i was in tow behind a house boat and took on so much water from having such a low bow that the boat rolled over in the water?

Why are there so many people out there saying negative things about Tige.

Most Boat dealers I visited that carry other brands have something negative to say about Tige when I ask about any of the other brands they do not bash them they just say that they are good but drive our boat and you will see for your self whats better.

Why do they pick on Tige

Any feedback out there

I am really trying to get a grip on what to buy?????????

Or is someone trying to get me to buy their brand?

Kirk, I have noticed that boat owners are very loyal. I have also experienced the same with boat dealers. I want someone to sell me their boat not bash another boat to make their's look better. I believe that the supra nose is much lower than the tige's. I have driven both boats in the rough water and IMO the tige took the rough water better.

The Tige nose was low in the past, but the model you are looking at is a new hull. I have not been in that model, but I can say the 2003 22V nose is a good bit out of the water.

Why do people on Tige? They are newer than the big 3, not as proven. They use a different material (wood) to build their boats (non issue in 2004). Their older boats were not well received, but they have worked hard at gaining consumer confidence. These new hulls and towers I believe show their commitment to building better boats.

I can say that my boss was recently looking for a boat, so I took him to several dealerships, including where I got my Tige. I did not push him in any direction, since I wanted the decision to be his, but I did tell him the pros and cons that I knew of each boat. He has pretty well settled in on the Tige because it works best for him.

I agree with all your comments, Kirk as far as sinking behind a house boat, you can sink just about any boat when in tow behind a house boat. It happens all the time out at Lake Mead and Powell. I saw a brand new SAN underwater after a hellish wind storm at Mead, and it happened during the couples honeymoon! Until you have been out in one it's hard to understand how easy it is to sink a boat while towing it in one of those monsoon storms. Most veterans head for a cove when they see the dark clouds approaching.

Yeah but it's a huge turnoff when dealers bash other dealers boats, they should learn a lesson from the comments on this post. I did run into the same thing, and I will say the only dealership that did not bash the competition was Tige' Watersports.

I had the Ski centurion dealership bashing everybody, how he could sell me a V-Drive for the price of a Tige' or Malibu DD, and it has no wood in it, which of course is going to rot the second you touch water blah blah blah. Again Tige' has never had one warranty claim from a wood stringer. Oh and the Tige' is too heavy, he never got into the reason that weight is a bad thing, in my mind it is a good thing, it get's me that much closer to a great weighted wake, just that they are to heavy. They ride harsh in rough water.....in my opinion on this statement it was now obvious to me that he was full of it and didn't really know his competition. With the Taps I can bring the bow up and it's great in rough water.

I ran into some of the same bashing at few other local dealers, but not to the extent of the Ski Centurion one. If you rely on bashing the competion to sell something, you are a terible sales person, that is the easy way, and usually backfires.

Ultimitely we went with the Tige' 22I, I am partial to Direct Drives, and to me the 22I is the best one out there. I love the seating configuration, 9 behind the windshield with all but the driver being able to confortably watch the rider. Tons of storage, Taps makes it very versatile, and with added balast, you can get the wake very close to a San or MC. So it comes down to what your wants and needs are. It's always a trade off, you will never get everything in one package. So get the boat that offers what is most important to you, all the major brands are top quality, so don't let others opinions on quality, sway your decision.

You're getting a lot of great advice on here. Tige' has known about the water over the bow issue for a long time and I had heard that these new models were fixing that. Of course a lot of the problems with that are with the driver. Keith is right that Supra's bow can take water too sometimes. However for both Supra and Tige' that sleek bow gives them the look that a lot of people like. Even if you did eat a wave or two, it is no big deal--that is what the bilge is for!

Tige' has been bashed on here a lot, and most of it is probably unfair. There are a few vocal people that have had some problems, and there were a few Tige's that had major problems. It does seem like the company takes cares of issues promptly and obviously they have a great warranty. The wood is a non-issue from a quality stand-point, in my opinion.

You are probably getting close to the analysis-paralysis stage by just thinking about it. Get out and ski behind the boats, and especially take that Tige' through a slalom course to make sure you can make that drive.

Kirk,

Tige's tie to Ski Centurion happened like this. Charlie Pidgeon (owner of Tige) had been in the industry for a long time. I believe it went basically like this. He started out as a rep for Centurion in TX and worked his way up to Nat'l Sales Mgr. He left Centurion to become VP of MasterCraft. He left MC and became a part owner in Malibu. At some point in there he even did consulting for Supra. He decided he could build a better boat and had new ideas, so he started his Tige. He supposedly took a few ideas he liked from each brand and combined them to create his boat. He felt like the Centurion was the best slalom wake at the time, so his boats hull was very, very similar to theirs. But when he released his boat, it won a couple of awards and was considered better than even the Centurion he used as a model. Now, for the first 4 years of the company, Tige's were built in the same factory as Centurion (Fineline Industries), but they were not associated at all, completely different companies, with different people working on them. I think there are about 5 different brands built in the Fineline Industries plant today (including Supreme and Calabria I think), but for some reason, you never hear people say they are the same as Centurion. Tige' moved their entire plant to Texas in '95.

The old boats did have a low nose. I guess it was kind of the California styling that a lot of companies did, plus low profile was fine when most boats were used on small private lakes. But all of their boats have been completely redisigned starting in '99 to be much deeper and dryer. Tige's are the deepest boats on the market today, so for someone to tell you that they are low and will take water, they are about 4 years behind. Plus, because Tige's are deeper than anybody else, that must mean that their boat would take on water even easier than the Tige'. Actually, I think they discontinued the old 21i w/ the low nose in 2001, replacing it in '02 with the deeper version.

As far as bashing, when you run out of good things to say about your own product, talk bad about the competition. I must say, if a dealer actually runs out of good things to say about his own boat and is reduced to trash talking, what does it say about 1) his product, 2) his quality as a sales person 3) his ethics as a sales person 4) combine the first 3 and what does that say about his business & 5) combine the first 4 and what will the quality of your service be after he gets your money?

I think that the reason you will find a lot of dealers only bashing Tige is because they are the only ones doing things different. Every inboard is basically built the same with similar materials (procedures vary), but they are basically the same, but tige was the only (major) company to use different materials/procedures. Every companies hull technology is basically the same different designs and concepts, but technology is basically the same, but Tige' is the only one useing different technology with the convex hull and taps. I think it comes down to the fact that if MasterCraft bashes Malibu and they are selling to an educated buyer, they buyer will say wait a minute, but your boat is basically identical in construction and technology, then your boat must be just as bad. But since Tige is the only one doing things very different, they are an easy target for the others to gang up on.

But that's just my personal opion as to the reasons.

I've been behind the 21i with the new hull and it has the best wake I've ever seen on a direct drive (along with the 22i). When we rode we had 2000 pounds of extra weight (people and ballast) and the wake was as good as many v-drives I've been behind. I would test drive them all with extra weight and make the choice for yourself.

I am lucky in the fact that I have the oppurtunity to drive several different brands of boats and all that we have mentioned are quality boats.

In general the direct drives handle better than v drives. The v drives have more room and storage than the DD.

I agree with most all of Nick's last post. But I believe that the Calabria is probably the deepest boat on the market.

Tige's steering does seem a little tighter (stiffer) than the others but not really an issue.

Buy what works best for you. Definately test drive before you buy.

On some models, you're probably right Greg.

I would say that the Calabria Cal-Air is deeper than the Tige' 20i, but I would say that the Tige' 22v is deeper than the Cal-Air Pro-V.

Does anyone own or have any comments about the malibu sunsetter LXI and 21 XTI

I am going to look at the Malibu's in the morning and set up a test drive