Help me choose my new boat

Hey guys, i've been searching for a new boat for a while now and am set to look at a few next week around Christmas. Seeing that it is the dead of winter and our lakes are frozen solid, test drives are going to be a no go. Considering that i'm looking for some opinions on a few boats.

I'll be checking out a 06 Tige 22ve, 07 Avalanche, 05 Sunscape 21lsv with the wakesetter pkg, and possibly a 08 Z1 but its another 9 hr drive farther. Any input on these boats before i drive a few hours to check them out? Looking for something that will surf good yet have a good wakeboard wake. After reading for the last few weeks i'm leaning towards the Tige 22ve. Think i'm headed in the right direction?

Knowing I will get bashed, I'll throw my input out there anyway.
First being said, never ridden a tige, but I hear and they appear to be decent boats for the right price I wouldn't be opposed to one.

This is where I will be bashed, my buddy has an 08 Malibu vlx, I am less than impressed tbh. Wake plate functions incorrectly, ballasts malfunction, fit and finish is not imo commanding of the price, no removable carpet. To me, after riding around in his the last couple summers, don't think if own a Malibu.

I am a fan of centurion, have never really heard many complaints from their boats. Finish is nice, surf well, and seem to be an all around pretty decent boat.

I've had a 99 MC prostar 205, an 06 Tige 20i, and currently a Calabria Team V.

I absolutely loved my Tige and only sold it to get a bigger boat. I was about to pull the trigger on an 06 24ve but the Calabria popped up and I couldn't pass up the deal. I really like the walk way on the ve's, the towers are rock solid, and they ride well in rough water. The only thing I didn't like about the Tige was the fact that the fuel injected marine power engine wasn't compatable with perfect pass. Your stuck with Tige speed set which is rpm based. If it's carb'd your able to add PP. Mine was carb'd so I was able ro use PP.

Zero complaints about my Tige. Check out tigeowners.com for some great info.

1: Do you have a dealer close to you than can service what ever brand you do end up with?

2: How big is your crew?

3: Lake or River or Both? Some boats seem to do better in choppy water than others.

4: Don't exclude older models of the ones you are looking at. Hone in on the years that the hull changed or a feature set was improved. Some of the boats have similar hull's over a 3-6 year period and if electronics and gadgets are not important can save you money with an older model without them.

5: Look at every boat you can get your hands on. Sit in every one of them, decide what works for you and what does not. Some people I know won't buy certain brands based on where the drink cooler is located.

Dealers for all the brands are 3-4 hours away. I live in the middle of nowhere. I'm not that concerned though. I was a mechanic once upon a time so i can fix if i need to. My father in law repairs fiberglass and gelcoat for a living so he's also a big help. My crew can be as small as me and my wife and son or as many as 10. Usually its 4-6 people. We boat exclusively on lakes.

It seems like the Tige would be a good fit for me but i know the 06's are the least desirable of them. 07 and up had some good changes. I did find a 08 22ve but its just outside my price range and they wont move on the price.

The 05 sunscape 21 seems like it may be a good fit as well. Its essentially a wakesetter vlx but with the "diamond hull" so it should be a decent wakeboard and surf boat. Its also priced the lowest by quite a bit. That goes a long ways to adding more ballast. I know the 05's were the first year of the new style and the last year before drive by wire. That appeals to me. Less electronic junk to deal with. Plus i've always loves the way they look.

My last boat was a 1999 Mastercraft 205. It was a great wakeboard boat with some ballast added but surfing left alot to be desired. It did ok but we had to add 2000+ pounds of ballast and it got pretty sketchy, especially with kids in it.

Originally Posted by Jmorlan

Knowing I will get bashed, I'll throw my input out there anyway.
First being said, never ridden a tige, but I hear and they appear to be decent boats for the right price I wouldn't be opposed to one.

This is where I will be bashed, my buddy has an 08 Malibu vlx, I am less than impressed tbh. Wake plate functions incorrectly, ballasts malfunction, fit and finish is not imo commanding of the price, no removable carpet. To me, after riding around in his the last couple summers, don't think if own a Malibu.

I am a fan of centurion, have never really heard many complaints from their boats. Finish is nice, surf well, and seem to be an all around pretty decent boat.

From what i hear, 08 was a bum year for Malibu.

Centurion is the best surf boat there and will also have a great wakeboard wake.

IMO, avy or the bu.

Good luck on your search. The only problem i've heard about the 06 22 VE is the speed set is hard to use. We have friends at the lake with a 06 24 ve and they haven't had any trouble with theirs,but others have.So it's a toss up. I owned a 22ve and loved it. It was a 07 and it currently has over 600 hours on it trouble free.I now have a RZ2 and it's very reliable also.The Z1 also makes a good wave but the 08 is much smaller inside than the 22VE. The new Z1 is much bigger inside than the older ones.Centurions also make a good surf wave so they would be worth considering too. Good Luck.