tige' 21i

I have never owned (I have owned 2 CCs and a malibu) or known anyone that has owned a tige but I looked at a 21i the other day and it seemed pretty nice. I am planning to demo the boat in the next week or so. Does anyone have thoughts on the brand or the model Thanks for the input. I am also going to look at the Air 216 and the Response lxi and sunsetter lxi.

If 2001 or earlier, run away from it.

The new 21i looks to be a good d drive, have heard good things about it. The pre 02 are not in the same league as Malibu, Mastercraft, Correct craft. If I were looking at D drives this would be on high on my list, I am not a fan of Malibu's interior layout and the air 216 is not very roomy either, Obviously both of these are excellent boats it just depends on your needs and how you will use it. I previously owned a tige and had no trouble with it, other than getting it to produce a clean wake.

My opinion (and that's all it is) is that the tige puts out a lame wake and once you take it out on the test drive you will not be impressed with its handling...especially after owning a couple nautiques. We had a '00 Centurion that we traded in for a nautique. It didn't impress me and from what i've recently been told by a trusted boat mechanic, the tige is coming out of the same factory as our centurion and is simply more luxurious but not even a better boat when it comes down to it. I DO however like the IDEA of the tapps system, but with that being my big plus about the tige it would only make sense to go to the malibu, with its wedge, and simply a better product in my opinion. However, i'm a nautique fan all the way! That's just my 28 cents worth !

That trusted boat mechanic told you a story.

The 21i throws a pretty good wake unweighted, and when weighted it throws an awesome wake. Since when is Tige coming out of the same factory as Centurion? I highly doubt that is true, you better tell the mechanic to check his facts.

Tige's where built in the Centurion plant. They went out on their own a few years ago. All of there boats where initially Centurion hulls with a different deck. They have made changes and come up with there own designs since they left Centurion.

Currently Fineline builds Centurion Gekko and Supreme

I thought there was similarities in the hulls on those two boats!

IF THERE IS A MASTERCRAFT DEALER NEAR BY YOU SHOULD CHECK THEM OUT BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING. THEY ARE BUILT BETTER THAN ANYTHING OUT THERE.

As a tige owner, in my opinion, the taps is the shiznit. it's so easy to adjust the attitude of the boat and the wake. I'm not into slamming other boats - I'm not qualified to do that, so take ot for what it's worth...

My parents own a 98' 21i, and love it, I own a CC and have skiied behind a malibu for years. From what I've seen, Tige' builds a quality boat, and there interiors are impressive. The TAPS system is great. The only thing I don't like about the boat is the height of the bow, unweighted, it is about 8" off the water. If all the weekend wally's are out, you have to be carefull not to fill the boat with water.

What bogus nonsense! Tige's have been produced in their own factory since 1996! Sure....they shared a portion of Fineline's facility before that.......but no Tige was even close to a Centurion! By the way........6 Tige's later that I've owned......the 21i will always hold a special place in my heart. Great boat all the way around.......even in the early years!

Joe it is great that you loved you Tige's They are producing a quality product
Which one's have you owned?
Just because they have a Centurion heritage is not a bad thing! It is just a fact. Even a causal observer can tell that the running surface of the 21I and the Current Centurion Sport bow rider are identical.

I talked to the dealer and he is quoting me $40,000 for a 21i limited, tandem axle trailer, tower, taps, upgraded radio, bimini....pretty much loaded. Like I said before, I have no history with these boats so does this sound about right? How does their resale compare to the big 3.

Joe I was not refering to the new 21I it is a new
hull.

gator that price does not seem out of line to me.
Resale depends on the area. You can get an idea on resale at http://www.nada.com

I was quoted $36,700. for a well equiped 21i at the last L.A. boat show. Was not on paper though and those numbers have a way of going up when put on paper.

Gator,

The 21i is a great boat. I have spent a lot of time in one and the wake is great. A little small for an advanced boarder when unweighted, but builds very nicely when weighted. Very symmetrical with a nice ramp. When loaded with 2k pounds, it is great. If you do any skiing, this is a perfect crossover boat.

Lots of room in that boat and the sky seating is a great option. I think $40k is an ok deal, but you might be able to get that down a few thousand...depending if that price includes tax.

As far as resale, you get a little more resale value with "the big 3," but you also pay less upfront with the Tige. I would rather save the money and keep it in the bank for a few years then spend it upfront and get it back a few years down the road. Just my opinion.

I am looking at new 2002I Riders. I have taken a demo on the new model and it was great. Has anyone had some experience with the 2002? Was it similar?

Brett,
This will be the family boat so we do alot of crossover activities. The biggest concern I have is with the weight of these boats and the relatively low horsepower as compared to other manufacturers is their enough power for me to long line barefoot.

gator

Dennis, the 2002 and 2003 21i are the same, 02 was the change to the new hull.

Gator, there will be plenty of HP for you to barefoot. You can get the Synchotech drive and make sure you get the Acme prop. You can always have Acme work on your prop for a much improved hole shot. We just had our prop repitched in our 22V and we run 2k pounds in it and it gets up in a hurry...better than my 22i direct drive with the same engine and a stock prop. We only have the 315 HP engine and it was a much better option than spending a few thousand more on an upgraded engine. With no weight in the boat, you should be fine. Then if feel the need to, get your prop adjusted and you will have all the power you need.

Kevin.......the older 21i's were not the same hull as the centurions. Charlie Pigeon bought a mold from centurion and "tweaked" it with spray pockets, and many other changes. No comparison.

By the way......that original hull that Tige started with was the 2000slm and 2002open.

Gator,
After you demo, compare price, quality, warranty and functionality of all those boats. Then just break it down into pros and cons........This should give you the most feasible conclusion? I would personally take the Tige and TAPS. Let us know what you come up with?????(after the demo).

Gator,

I own an '02 21I Type R. This is my first boat and I've been really impressed with it. I'll admit, I have no idea how it compares with any other boat because I didn't test drive any of the others. I wish I had just to compare, but too late now. It handles really well and cuts through chop like butter. The TAPS is a cool idea. We initially used it to control the wake height, but now that I've put some weight in it we use it to clean the wake up. Unweighted is ok, but weight is more fun. The only things I kinda don't like is the tower (I think the new ones are supposed to be much better) and the prop. Unweighted, the stock prop is fine. I'll be looking for something new pretty soon...maybe ACME? The tower flexes some so I hope the new towers are more stiff. The skybox seating in the back is way cool. Oh, and unweighted with TAPS all the way up, the wake is nice and flat for cruising around and skiing.

So to sum it all up, I don't think you'll be dissappointed. Very cool boat.

Oh, and I got the boat with Perfect Pass and bimini for $37K out the door! The dealer closed after that, so that's probably why I got a descent deal.

Joe

I trust the source of my information. The spray pockets are on the Sport BowRider this hull pre dates the Tige boat company. It should since it is the same hull that Tige started with

The tweaking that was done was the deck.

Your information and mine differ.
Not that any of this matters at all.