Crossed over to ATX, but it has not been the most enjoyable experience.

[oldwakedoc]

Sold my baby, 2000 21V rider Edition that I have owned since 2010. Sop many updates installed speed control, GPS guided automatic wake gates, full internal ballast system, and a wrap and new upholstery. Crazy COVID, put it up for sale and sold in in 3 days.

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tige - 2.jpeg

We decided to go with 2021 ATX 22 Type-S.

ATX - 1.jpeg


ATX - 2.jpeg

This purchase has not been as enjoyable as was hoped. We Bought it just before leaving for Tahoe for a week. Took the boat out for orientation with the salesman and surf system did not work. We were leaving the next day, the service department stole parts from a boat that had not been purchased and stated it was fixed. We picked it up and took it to Tahoe. On the lake, again the surf system did not work. Very nice boat to drive around but we were very upset not being able to surf. Also we were having intermittent issues with the starboard ballast pump. Returned the boat directly to the dealer on the way home.

SURF SYSTEM PROBLEM: In a couple days, they had discussed the issues with Tige and were told that Tige had changed suppliers for the relays to the actuators of the surf system and were having a high failure rate. They are changing back to the original manufacturer. I was told that these relays were on order but they replaced the faulty relays with the problematic relays in stock and the system was working again. They agreed to change out to the better relays when they come in.

BALLAST PUMP PROBLEM: Again, told that Tige changed companies and was having higher problems with these pumps and are going back to the previous manufacturer they were using. I was told that once they are in, dealer will install all new pumps.

Took the boat out briefly to confirm the surf system functioned. With only 2 people in the boat and full stock ballast: Goofy was ridable but very short, Reg: was like usual was much better. It differently needs more weight, especially forward for Goofy side.

1 week later: Get a call on Friday of Labor Day weekend that parts are in. I drive the boat to the dealer 1.75 hours away with hopes of having a dependable boat to use for the rest of the weekend. I get a call that all the pumps were replaced. I asked about the relays which I previously was told were in. They said the relays have not come in yet. I was pissed again, since I would not have taken it in for just the ballast pump replacements. I pick the boat up tomorrow.

[UNSTUCK]

I think if I ever order a new boat I will make the dealer put the first twenty hours on it before I take delivery. Or just stick with boats a year or two old with all kinks worked out.

[BrentB]

I think if I ever order a new boat I will make the dealer put the first twenty hours on it before I take delivery. Or just stick with boats a year or two old with all kinks worked out.

Haha. Agree. After reading this and other similar stories on the forum recently, I’m really happy I found a gently used boat with low hours last year rather than buying new. I’ve had a few minor issues with my boat, but nothing like what some others have described recently.

That being said, for every one person who has had problems with their brand new Tige/ATX this summer (and posted on this forum) there are likely dozens more who have had no problems (and therefore haven’t been heard from).

oldwakkedoc - sorry you’re having so many issues. Extremely frustrating when all you want to do is get out on the water and enjoy the new boat you just dropped a TON of cash on.

[oldwakedoc]

Thanks, I am wondering about the Lemon Law for boats and at what level would it qualify. All small stuff but large enough to limit the use and enjoyment of the boat as it's designed. They have been great with putting it to the front of service for these issues, which you would expect. It would be nice if they gave some compensation for the frustration and loss time. Trying to stay optimistic. Sounds strange but I'm missing the dependability of my old boat.

[cucv]

My buddy bought a $350k Chris Craft. They gave him a slip at the Marina for the 1st season and they wanted/included a technician to be on the boat for the first 40 running hours. It just wasn't the best setup for him as the marina is on a lake and he wanted the boat on his dock in front of his ocean front home and kinda odd having a tech with you and the family for the day. After 16 hours with a tech on board he was like what do I need to do to be done with this. With the amount of $ people are spending on new boats the concept is a good idea on a way to keep customers happy.
I am really interested how you feel about the upgrade to new after the issues are resolved. Stories like this make it easier to consider upgrades like GSA for my 22v.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

[sandm]

That being said, for every one person who has had problems with their brand new Tige/ATX this summer (and posted on this forum) there are likely dozens more who have had no problems (and therefore haven’t been heard from).

oldwakkedoc - sorry you’re having so many issues. Extremely frustrating when all you want to do is get out on the water and enjoy the new boat you just dropped a TON of cash on.

we just took possession of our 3rd tige. first one was new in '12 and no real issues with it. second was a low hour used boat in '18 and it was a WRECK. lots of issues that we never could figure out. our newest boat is an r23 we picked up 2 months ago. so far not a single issue. so there are those that do have good experiences.

that said, I feel for oldwake. buying a new whip and having issues out of the gate just plain suck.... but sure once the dealer gets the few small issues ironed out it'll be a great boat.

we have always used the break-in hours to find anything that might be wrong with the boat prior to actually using it as intended.

[oldwakedoc]

Good point about initial hours working out the problems, and poor expectations on my part. When they stated they fixed the problem and it tested fine in the service bay, you expect at least that issue will not be a problem. For it to hit us again on our 1 week vacation was a significant disappointment. Just makes me question what other issues are yet to be found and what corners Tige may have made to market this boat at this price point, and if I would have been better off staying with Tige's main boat line. Time will tell.

[UNSTUCK]

Sorry, but I must have missed what your “poor expectations” were. You bought a brand new boat and expected it to be perfect.
Why as boat owners do we give boat builders a pass all the time? People have given a million excuses from “its hand made” to “all builders have issues”. If we decide it’s ok then it doesn’t give them any motivation to improve.

[freeheel4life]

I think there is a lot more backlash as price has gone up Josh. Not going to go into stuff that will get me in trouble (and thats a rarity) but suffice to say, a manufacturer from TN is getting a MY21 built at a MY20 price to appease a very unhappy customer. This boat has had a ton more problems than OP(some Indmar, some boatmate, some manuf)


At the end of its the name in the side of the boat and thats all customer cares about. As oldwakedoc has said, its not his problem that vendors supplied bad parts. Its his vacation that got ruined.

All that being said, this is why after we have a boat in for service I recommend a quick trip to local lake before relying on the fact that boat works before a trip. Things can be great on the trailer. Much different in the water. Not trying to defend anyone and feel for you oldwakedoc. Cant help but wonder if you and Zackdogg are at the same dealer...

[IDBoating]

I would very gently like to say that it seems, um, "optimistic" to pick up a brand new boat and immediately take it on an extended vacation to a remote location. That's not to give the manufacturer a pass, just my view of reality. There are far too many threads on this and other manufacturer's forums complaining about infant mortality issues for me to not want to put 10? 20? hours on it first. Not to mention proper engine break-in.

[BrentB]

I’m sorry, but I think I have to side with oldwakedoc and UNSTUCK on this one. Why should the manufacturers not be held accountable for what seems to be dreadful quality control? Why should it be incumbent upon the buyer, who just dropped $100k+, to spend “10-20 hours” QC-ing their BRAND NEW boat before they can enjoy it.

Far more of us live several hours away from the nearest dealer than those who live less than an hour away, so if you have even one issue that cannot be addressed on your own you may be looking at a substantial amount of time without your $100k+ boat.

According to Tige’s website: “Once completed, every Tige goes through an extensive lake test to ensure flawless performance and quality.” I find this VERY hard to believe as it seems like many of these issues we’ve been hearing about should have been detected immediately. Am I to believe that oldewakedoc’s actuator relays and ballast pumps worked perfectly during this “extensive lake test” and then suddenly stopped working immediately after???

I admit I have zero experience in the boat building industry and my opinions here may be completely off-base. So please correct me if I’m wrong and convince me otherwise.

[IDBoating]

As I said, I'm not giving a pass to the manufacturers. Spend that kind of money and it should be perfect. I'm just being a pragmatist... we have a seemingly endless number of similar comments about every brand and model. Given that history I would be hesitant to presume "it will be different this time". I would want 10-20 hours on the boat for MY benefit, for MY peace of mind, heading into an extended remote vacation with a new piece of complex equipment no matter what promises they make.

[UNSTUCK]

According to Tige’s website: “Once completed, every Tige goes through an extensive lake test to ensure flawless performance and quality.”

This is awesome. I wonder how long it takes to do an "extensive lake test"? I see many advertisements for new boats that state either 0 or 1 hour on the clock. At the same time, how can they do an extensive test during the brake in period anyways? As I recall you're not supposed to even run the boat ballasted at surf or wake speeds for the first 10 hours?

[BrentB]

This is awesome. I wonder how long it takes to do an "extensive lake test"? I see many advertisements for new boats that state either 0 or 1 hour on the clock. At the same time, how can they do an extensive test during the brake in period anyways? As I recall you're not supposed to even run the boat ballasted at surf or wake speeds for the first 10 hours?

I wonder if the build team even knows the marketing team put that on the website. I know that’s how it typically works in my line of work (healthcare). The doctors, nurses, etc have no idea what kind of crap the marketing team is telling the general public until you see that crap on a billboard somewhere.

[Fabricator909]

Sorry, but I must have missed what your “poor expectations” were. You bought a brand new boat and expected it to be perfect.
Why as boat owners do we give boat builders a pass all the time? People have given a million excuses from “its hand made” to “all builders have issues”. If we decide it’s ok then it doesn’t give them any motivation to improve.

I completely agree with this. Every brand of boat owner is the same, I don't care whether it's Malibu, Nautique, etc. I'll stick with a 20 year old boat that works, and that I don't have to take to a dealer to get worked on because the touch screen stops working....