Pictures of the Tige RZ2

Here are some pictures of the new Tige RZ2. Enjoy!

looks good, is this like a tige function? I see a few pre-2003 2100i s representing! haha

KJ how do you embed the pics? I tried the search and found nothing about it.

Coach,

Hit the upload attachment under the Action section when you post.

Nice! Helluva lot better looking than the B-52 Bobcat.

Nice looking boat!

It looks like an event that the SKIDock is hosting... Nice photos...

Is it me or is the angle on the back seat a little steep, 90 degrees or something. I'm sure that will improve the posture of the riders...I like the boat but liked it better the first time I saw it at the mastercraft dealer I hope it's going to cost a heck of a lot less than the MC.

I think that they are quoting $62,900.

Saw this boat on Lake Austin last weekend, looks good in person. Hate to bring this up again, but did anyone get any pics of the wake? ;)

I saw this boat up close at my dealer last week and it is sweeeeet!!!!. The pictures don't do it justice (esp my pix) The freeboard has a ton of great styling you can really see. My pictures suck , poor lighting, limited room, and my terrible ablity to shoot a decent photo. Overall I try to let you see the storage and room in this boat.

talltigeguy-
That price ($62,900) is from my dealer here in So Cal. They package their boat up a bit differently. They run an Alpine HU and 4 Alpine Componet speakers, Xplosion Tower and Bimini, Cover, SS Package, 340 HP Engine, Table, Bow Filler Cushion, Dual Batteries (I think), Board Racks, Extreme Trailer, Wind Screen, SS rub rail. For a comparison they had the 2006 24 Ve price at $59K and the 22 Ve at $55K with the same options. I would assume both the 22Ve and 24Ve price increase for 2007 is going to be around 5%. Making the 22Ve price out at $57500 and the 24 Ve pricing at about $61950. As figured the new boat is going to get a bigger price tag thrown on at about $5400 more then the 22Ve. Don't quote me on any price but the price of the RZ2 the rest are just an educated guess on 2007 mark ups.

that swim platform looks pretty cheesy. almost like an afterthought

Coach, take your damn sandals off in the boat!!!

At least that's what I'd say if you were in my boat.

i kinda like it... minus the rear...

I like the boat. Typical clean Tige lines. I like the rear of the boat, but also don't like the looks of the platform. I also think the lights in the bow look kind of goofy...but perhaps they will be functional around the dock without lighting the whole inside of the boat.

Coach did you order one yet ? if so what color combination . All black would be slick .

Tommy-
My sandles were off. That was not me in that photo I was taking the pics.. That is my buddy (MasterCraft owner) he was taking it out on Tige for designing a nicer pickle fork.

Coach, LMAO, nice.

I love the looks of the boat, but that swim platform has not grown on me one bit, in fact I like it less now that I have seen it a few times. Just say no to Fiberglass, Teak rules.

I agree, how bad would it be if that boat were done in all black like Zacks M/C??

Sean

Where is the perfect pass or speed control unit located? I'm sure it has something to do with that LCD display but i don't see any controls for it.

Here you go Bird!

While this is hands down a million times better looking than the Tomcat I have to disagree with most of you and give this boat a thumbs down. I like Tige's lines and their towers don't really bother me. I also am not a huge fan of the picklefork look on any boat but I think MC pulls it off a hundred times better than Tige. The Tige looks very slab sided and I don't see any nice lines on the entire exterior. Somehow MC avoided this problem while the Tige looks like it was designed in the 80s. The swim platform looks really bad, like it was someone's first DIY project.

But I do like the dash!

I have to admit that although I own a Tige, and want to stand up and defend them to the end, I agree with Josh a bit. The boat does have that 'slab sided' look. I wonder how much the paint/decal work has to do with that though. I do not like the 'arrow' type graphics, doesn't help with any flowing lines. Weird.

I do LOVE the pickle though, disagree with Josh on that part, but respect his opinion. Also, I like the Tige tower, HATE the MB tower. I would LOVE to see the boat in either all black or all white, and see how the lines look that way.

I do like the interior, love the dash, like the weird mesh seat. Oh, I cant afford any of it, soo thats where I stand.

Sean

OH, and by now I now absolutely HATE that swim platform!! What were they thinking? Good Lord.

Sean

I think the MB tower on the Tomcat is awesome, I mean super RAD! And from a buddy who checked out the one at Discovery Park, its sturdy as hell.

You guys were saying that you didnt like the sides of the rz2, I totally agree with what your saying, but with 7 gelcoat sections, I think after some more get shot out of the factory, ones with more diverse color scemes will help it. Now that will cost alot in gelcoat options, but it will be well worth it, I though the photo shoot boat looked alot better than these two. Just wait, in another week, i'll have a black and lime green one behind my new truck. I sure do hope it pops alot better than these two though. And you can count on pics of the boat and the wake.

Looks like everyone is trying to go withthe pickle fork look...if everyone goes to this its gonna date all the older boat 06 and back lol

Where is the ARM REST? No where to put your arm?
Did they forget that...or did they forget to COPY that to?

There is an arm rest.

Nice work Coach. Way to put an obvious bozo in his place. And BTW, the arm rest is extremely comfortable.

i just got back from the tige dealer meeting and rode all day behind the new RZ2. we had no weight and only 4 people in the boat and in a 6 foot private lake. the wake was still sick. it had a really nice shaped and hard wake. i back this boat all the way. no pic really doesn't give it justice. people say tige just copied master craft but i admit we may have but we sure did perfect the hole pickle nose idea. anyone else rode behind one yet

Ryan-
What is word on the Z Tower and the possible upcharge? I really want to know about this one. I have a guy who coaches for me that ownes 3 machine shops and his estimate for the billet piece was not very expencive (that is using the hardest Al)

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quote:

people say tige just copied master craft but i admit we may have but we sure did perfect the hole pickle nose idea.

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1st of all it's whole not hole and
did you want to enlighten me how did they perfect it and why did they go with the pointy things like an MC,they could have just made the front flat or round but instead they went with pickle fork???hmmm sounds and looks more like a copy then perfecting anything.

Great looking boat nevertheless and glad they did!(copy it that is) j/k

TJKswap791= F-in idiot

They put wrap around seating in, I wonder who they copied that from. Oh, they put an engine in it, well they copied that too. Hey TJK why dont you built a boat that is 100% original, ya right, then shut the hell up. This boat is gonna kill X-2 and X-star sales all year, so quit hatin.
And after the photo of the circled speed set, how could you miss the arm rest, uhhhh, look before you speak, then you won't look so dumb and ignorant on the message board.

Ben, Ben, Ben,

I see the hate pouring from ya. I see you own a Tige and I am sure that TJK is not personally attacking you. I have to admit that the armrest looks a little small and could be overlooked. And though you may think that this boat will kill in sales (I am sure it will do well) It will by no means be the best selling boat. Especially (here's what's really gonna get you upset) from a 14 year old company, with an overpriced boat. You could just buy the ACTUAL X-star for that kind of money.

Looking at the photo of someone sitting in it (the sandals were mentioned) it looks like it has a narrow beam.

I'm not going to say anything bad about the boat because there is no sense in doing that. I think its cool that you have options on a pickle fork boat now. Who cares who copied who, at least they are diversifying the market.

So is the boat really skinny, or are the pictures mis-leading?

I am sure this argument will eventually die. I am sure there must of been some arguments about which truck maker first came up with the full 4 door concept. Honestly I don't care who did it first, it is who is doing it and expanding upon the idea.

As for being overpriced here is the price comparison I got on both boats. RZ2 $62900 (no tower speakers or amp) with every basic option 340HP engine, alpine stereo and speakers, etc. X-star fully loaded with tower speakers and lights with the amp $70K. My guess the price difference apples to apples is $5-6K. Both boats are very nice but I think serve difference purposes. Some will not like this comparison but I see the Tige as better all around boat great for the family and can handle rough water better. The X-Star is for hard core riders and sacrifices ride quality for wake quality. Similar looks, much different applications. If you do add ballast to the Tige then the price difference drops to about $3K difference. Either way you go you will get a very nice boat, to me ride quality is more important than wake quality, and saving some money to do a custom stereo is nice as well.

Coach,

I would say that you are probably right about the family v/s wake orientation of these two boats. But I think that when identically equipped, the two boats are near the same price. The RZ2 when loaded down w/ tower speakers, ballast, perfect pass, lights, etc, will come in right around an X-star that is equipped the same plus or minus a thousand.

Coach its just a thicker tower than the regular e-series tower the new billet would cost a little more but not much and the main upcharge is the thicker tower. i'm not sure how thick it is but it looked like i was probably about 3 inches thick. it looks really good on the RZ2 and it's a whole lot stronger.

Big ed, what most people don't know about the RZ2 is that tige has been working on that boat since before mc had their pickle nose out. the owner of tige charlie pigin wasn't happy with what his people came up with till now so its just which ever way you look at it. they both had a great idea.

Ryan-
Thanks for the info, rumor mill is hearing a $2K upcharge that would be ridiculous. A few hundred, ok I can deal with that a few thousand no way.

Either way,it doesn't really matter since it's been 4 years.....you never did answer,how did they perfect it???

Marcus-
The beam is 102" and it is a wide boat. The guy in the picture is 6'6" so it might seem a bit tighter because of the length of his legs.

Big Ed-
No Water over the nose.

Did you ever try to sack out the RZ2???I think it is a little to early for that statement not saying anything but there is no boat that is sack out that the bow is not gonna take water over the nose if you are not careful.....I didn't think that the X-star takes water over the nose if not sacked out???could be wrong and I'm sure I will be corrected if that is the case.

Marcus it has the same beam the past tige's have a 102 inch beam just as wide as most inboard boats but wider than most other inboard boats. ben i like the way you think

Big Ed i don't mean to make it sound like i'm getting at you about this but tige wasn't about to drop all the money they had spent on developing that boat just because mc beat them to the punch. the way that they perfected it is that tige is using a new resin that the resin company went to the factory and took records of how long it took to build their boats. then they blended a special blend of resin just for tige boats. which means less stress cracks and better looking jelcoat. mc and just about all other inboard boats use the same old resin which means all the other boats still have to deal with those nasty stress cracks. just look at the boat in person its has really nice looking lines that you can't see in the photo's. it handles like no other boat. when i rode behind it we didn't sack it out but for not having any sacks in it, it was a good wake. i'm sure when i get mine in with the ballast and put a couple people in it, it will compete with any other top of the line boat out there with no problem.

And still take water over the nose.LOL


Sorry,couldn't resist

HA big ed you would like to think it does can you please tell me exactly how many times you've drove the RZ2

Any questions you guys have please feel free to PM me. I am Tige's West Coast Sales Rep. I have ridden and driven the boat a handful of times. We had 10 people in it, and no water came over the bow, and we were trying to dump it. Performance is exceptional, it turns hard left AND right!!! People who have driven comparable boats will appreciate this. The cruise control system has been upgraded to what could be the best system out there. It can be set 'on the fly' (like your vehicle's cruise) or it can be set before pulling the rider up.

Coach- the new tower will be minimum $2000 dollars more. I know it is a lot, but it looks great. manufacturing has told me that the tube, joint sections, new mounts (feet), and billet section all contribute to that.

New Kaiser Medallion Gauges, all servo driven, using a CANBUS system. New 2 wire harness replaces old style 9 pin cannon plug. Throttle by wire. Three digital readouts plus analog gauges. New vinyl that is AMAZING. New Foam. Dual gas fills. Polished stainless windshield. 14 person capacity. Rear activity center. Aggressive looking transom. New optional vision air seat. New ballast system available- like Ryan said, it is all hidden behind the transom, and a new sac available in the bow. New redesigned ice chest on the starboard side. More aggressive prop shaft angle. All this and we still use VIRGIN proboard!

The price difference between the Xstar and the RZ2 is about $8000 dollars or more, comprably equipped.

I know there are a lot of haters out there, but we are winning them over one at time, test ride by test ride.

I apologize if i have spelled anything wrong in this post in advance, since everyone seems so critical about this....

aaron b

Nice Joe, overall I like the boat. Only gripe, when is Tige gonna change there throttle knob? Looks cheap and plastic, reminds me of an I/O throttle knob. Tell that to the higher ups for me, thanks.....

Joe,

What is VIRGIN proboard?

tjk sucks.

Virgin proboard is what we use to back our upholstery. In 'laymen's' terms it is the plastic stuff boat manufacturer's use instead of wood these days. Virgin board is more expensive and retains more of the qualities that wood possesses. By this i mean warping and retaining it's original size and shape. Mastercraft uses a recycled board which saves them money. It works fine, but in intense heat it will bend before the virgin stuff will. Have you ever seen the bottom of a mastercraft cushion? They are nicely finished off with a fabric with the words "mastercraft" printed on it....well it is mainly to cover up the recycled board....the recycled stuff doesnt look purdy! (pretty).

This obviusly isnt a huge deal, but it is an interesting difference.

On a side note TTG- We had our grand opening for our new factory this last week, me and 1000 of Charlie Pigeon's (owner of Tige Boats) closest friends. The whole factory was cleared out, to make rooms for food, spirits, bands, red carpet, etc...it was a blast. This new factory was a long project to complete, much hard work and countless hours went into the development and commitment to build a better, bigger, more efficient factory.

i was at the grand opening party on saturday night and just want to let everyone know the new factory is the most well put together factories in the boating industry. you will definatly see the impact the new factory will make in the tige products to come.

Joe-
Too Bad on the tower price, because it looks great but I know someone is making some money on the deal. There is noway there is $2000 more in material and design from the C Tower (I think that is what they call it) to the Z Tower. Tige should find a way to lower this cost and make the Z tower more accessable to everyone who buys their boat.

On another note Joe, great post. I was at Tige Watersports the other day and saw a RZ2 with a capacity sticker listed for 15 or 2450 lbs. I know everywhere else it was 14. This boat didn't have a tower on it yet would that make the difference?

Hi Coach. Those guys at Tige Watersports are great. Ask Chris or Tom the next time you see them about our 'airsoft' gun war. Regarding the capacity sticker, i am not certain. I can find out though. It would make sense, or at least you could argue that the tower added at least that much weight. I havnt seen a new capacity sticker yet, i have only been told what it can carry. None the less, 15 or 14 people....that is more than is comfy in the boat but it is nice to know that it has the capability. (the very first RZ2 that we built went to the lake with the sales staff and we had 14 people on it...it did very well considering......)

Ryan is right about the new factory....here is an interesting statistic....Most boat factories that are fairly modern run about 200 ppm of styrene in the air where boats are being laminated (the less styrene in the air the more coherent the lamination guys are!). Tige had their filtration system done by a popular company (Freez) and has the lowest ppm (35ppm) ever measured in a boat factory....So many new advances were made when we built this factory, it is only going to help make our product even better....i cant wait for what the future has in store for us.

Anybody that gets to visit the new factory will understand that Tige is a boat company that is not going to go away.

For you boat construction trivia buffs, virgin pro board is grey and I am told that the recycled stuff is black.



Here is the Kaiser Medallion Gauges wiring versus the standard method of in installation



The RZ2 boat has a whole lot more to it than just a picklefork bow. Drive one asap.

My RZ2.

ok i take back wat i said.. just saw it perform.. and YUK!!! didnt like it at all.... that just my opinion

kinda screams mc xstar wannabe...

DOES anyone know when they are getting the right trailer for the RZ2 look at all the pics.

Good looking boat

It is probably just me, but I think that Tige has kinda lost their mind. I like Tige products and I think that they make a great boat, but why are these things priced like they are mastercrafts or nautiques? By that I don't mean quality wise, but I thought Tige was building a high quality boat at competitive pricing. My dealer is quoting in the $70's for a new RZ2! That is up in Nautique 236/X-star range. That quote was loaded up w/ all options, but still.

I am also still baffled by Tige's claim that they don't need ballast or (dangerous drag hardware) as their site says. If this is the case, why do they offer ballast as an option? I am confused by thier marketing and trying to figure out who they are marketing their boats to.

If I am going to buy a boat that compares to mastercraft and nautique, why not just buy a mastercraft or nautique. These companies are not only a dozen years old like Tige, they are well established reputable companies (not that Tige is not reputable) who have stood behind their products for decades.

I believe that their should be a solid $10K difference between this boat and an X-star. The X-star is a PROVEN world class boat, with a large following, and has the backing of a well established company. I think that if the RZ2 reaches the legendary status of the X-star, then that would maybe warrent the price of one. But for now, why not price it significantly lower, and let the customers decide if it is truly worthy of a larger pricetag?

Clarke

I wondered how long it would take someone to notice the wrong trailer. Some of us got boats before the trailer companies got the proper pattern. The correct one arrived from Extreme today.

Ryan,

Sorry to hear that this boat does not do it for you. We watched Tino Santori stomp three consecutive heelside nines in a double up contest last friday (pulled by boat pictured above). He thought it was okay....

http://www.prowakeinvitational.com/results.htm

This boat is a whole bunch more than a wannabe, but don't even consider my opinion as worth anything. Just go drive and ride one.

Mike,

Valid points, however consider which of the boat companies you have mentioned are currently under the same management that they were a decade ago (like Tige has). Other companies have names and history that carry weight but that still did not stop another upstart boat company, Malibu (est. 1982?) from moving up the chain in a hurry. I can understand long term brand loyalty but is it really the largest measure of quality and satisfaction to a boat buyer? Having seen the new factory in Texas, I think there is sufficient backing there to prove to a boat buyer that Tige will be around for a while.

Step outside of your role as an extremely educated wakeboard boat enthusiast and think like you are marketing a boat line. Is it easier to take buyers from established towboat companies like those you mentioned or from inboard/outboard boat producers? The level that almost everyone on these boards rides at requires stock ballast and more in almost any boat (or so I believe from reading) but the average i/o owner (and family) may not place as much importance on world class wake size as the true wakeboarding enthusiast. Malibu brought the wedge to market and judging by how many boats they sell it has helped them in this regard. Tige is doing the same with TAPS but just like Malibu, offers ballast too. Point is, there are way more potential towboat buyers in the i/o pool and they often do not understand or want ballast (IMHO). At the end of the day, what is wrong with a hull design that when properly weighted can still have wake shape changed on the fly?

You are right in that if the price of the RZ2 is too high, customers will not buy it. Time will tell.

I hope this does not inflame anyone as it was not intended to do so. There are a number of great towboat companies pushing each other to build better products every year, and the boat buying consumer benefits. The RZ may push mc to build a boat even more legendary than the current one.

o dont get me wrong.. the wake was slammin good.. i just didnt like how it looked.. im only one person...but thats wat people said about the xstar when it came out..

JK,

Great points. I think that if Tige is trying to convert I/O boat owners that are interested in Wakeboard performance boats, then TAPs is going to work great for them. Ballast in our sport is a must for any boat in my opinion. I can't think of a single hardcore wakeboat that doesn't benifit from ballast. With that said, I do love the ability of TAPS to control wake shape, and rampiness.

With that said, I have toured the new factory. I live about 90 minutes from abilene and owned a Tige last year. The new factory is impressive and is much better than the old cookie factory they previously occupied.

I thought your points on Malibu were very good. I don't know figures, but I would venture to guess that Malibu probably has the largest inboard market share, just by the shear numbers I see around. I personally belive this is not because they are great wakeboats (which they certainly are) but because there engineers have thought outside the box, and have made some simply beautiful boats. The Illusion X towers and the roominess of even their smaller boats have most likely contributed to this. On the same page, their pricing is very competitive. Take their VLX for example. The VLX at 21 feet is about the same size as a SANTE 210. When the current VLX was released, the 210 was already one of the most well known wakeboats in the industry. But customers bought the VLX in mass. I think it was becuase it was priced roughly at the same price, but offered a few more things. It was much larger inside, threw a wake as good or better than the 210 (flame away if you have to) and had the illusion X-tower which not only looked good, but was super sturdy.

With that said, I don't see what Tige is bringing to the table compared to other companies that really sets them off like Malibu. This is not a flame, I am just not seeing what the key selling features are. A Tige 22VE for example is a great boat. But for the price I can have a VLX which is about the same size, throws as good or better wake, is visually different (not necessarily better looking), and would come with ballast standard.

I guess what I am really wondering is what makes Tige that different? What benifit do they offer the community, and why should people spend large amounts of money on their products? TAPS and the Convex V is a great system, but traditional hull boats like the 210/X-series/VLX all throw some of the greatest wakes in the business, some on hulls designed for water skiing.

I do think the one thing that makes Tige different is hard to market, and that is the super sturdy, thick hull designs. Unless someone actually goes out and drives one in rough water, it is hard to appreciate to a "shopping around" customer on a showroom floor.

In my opinion Tige can really do one of two things.

1st: they can go in a totally different direction than all other companies..like MB, Session, Epic and have a niche that people either love or hate. This route is probably the least likely for that company considering their volume of sales. MB makes some of the nicest boats around, with some of the greatest wakes around, but are only selling 300-400 boats a year. They have a small market share and the company is fine with that. They build quality boats for their customers, who appreciate the small numbers and endless capabilty to customize their boats at the factory level.

2nd: They can make similarly equipped boats to Malibu, Nautique, Mastercraft and price them about the same. Here is where they seem to be headed. If this is the case, then compitition will be stiff and the company must make a product that is different, functional and desireable.

With all that said, I am imagining that all this is just something that I am missing. Tige has just opened a new factory with the capability to make up to 13 to 15 boats a day or more. I am sure that they have done thier homework and know somewhat who they are marketing to and what the market will bear for thier products.

We have a 22 ve and the rz2 is almost the same thing I will say they do have the most storage is them the wake is sick and the t.a.p.s. only helps to make it perfect to how you ride.I do agree that the price is up there but when we got ours we did test the malibu and supra and it hands down was much better IMO. The others had some nice things we liked but the tige had all around what we were looking for. They are a solid boat and do handle the ruff water with very well but you would never know that without testing one.

As many of you on here know, I've never been much of a Tige fan, but I actually kind of like this boat. I agree with most that the deck is horrible, and like most Tige's, I think the interior is pretty bland, but I think they are moving in the right direction and this is the first Tige that I would even think about taking a second look at. No way I would pay $70k for it though.

I do agree that Tige needs some help in their marketing department. I remember all the years they were telling us that wood in boats was good for us, before changing to fiberglass, and then telling us the exact opposite!

(Message edited by kstateskier on September 06, 2006)

They use Penske Extreme Composite, not fiberglass.

Ponyh8r, what options did you price out at 70K? That seems very high, from what I've seen.

But the reasoning they used for wood was it made a heavier boat, thus less ballast was needed. I assume the PEC is a lot lighter than wood??

Depends on what your salesman told you, but I would have to disagree. That might have been a side effect, but not their main intention.
Yes, the penske is light weight.

The argument I always heard for wood had nothing to do with ballast. Something about the characterisics of wood creating a better ride. I don't think the wood was much heavier, anyway. I think that they got tired of arguing over wood, or the Penske stuff is cheaper or both. My first Tige was with wood stringers.

I did not see an appreciable difference in the listed weight when they switched to Penske.

(Message edited by talltigeguy on September 06, 2006)

That price was pretty much loaded. Tower speakers, subwoofer, upgrade interior speakers, Perfect pass, ballast tanks, swivel board racks, etc.

The options did not include a shower or heater....pretty much everything else. I said 70's, but it was more like 69,999. I have seen loaded X-stars for around $70 as well. I personally believe that the two boats are near enough the same price to be competitors, however, I still think that the Tige should weigh in around $60-63.

We had a Tige ski-boat before we changed over to wake-boarding. When it was time to shop for a wake-board boat (in 2002) the 20V had just come out. We looked at it, tested it and liked it. We also looked and tested a SAN TE and X-Star (now X1).
We had them all priced and the Tige came at around the same price as the X-Star, without ballast. Trade-in included, we came out cheaper with the X-Star than the 20V.

Nothing would keep me from bying a Tige again. They built great boats and we had a perfect dealer in Austin.

Except for the new Epic and MB, standard ballast is not nearly enough for serious wakeboarding. So that is no point.

That's MSRP they're quoting you... I looked at the x-star @ the boat show and MSRP on that was 100K, and the x-2 was over 76K.

I think you can realistically get into that price range on the Tige.

Check this boatshow deal on the x2

When Tige switched to Penske composite construction, the boat actually gained close to a hundred pounds due to the use of more resin in the stringer construction.

Matt,

I can't believe that you can take time away from your golf game, hang gliding, and keeping talltigeguy happy (and saying nice things about you) to grace us with a post! Welcome back.

I am the easiest guy in the world to keep happy. I bought my 05 without even having seen one yet, next time I am at least making him do a test drive!