Nautique 226 vs. Tige 24V

[talltigeguy]

A friend of mine recently finished his search for a new boat. He has ridden in mine about 5 times. I hooked him up with my dealer who made him a very good offer. He seemed to be leaning toward the 24V, but then he purchased a Nautique 226. This morning we went out together. Here is my seriously biased, one-sided opinion:

1. The room doesn't even compare. I have room for all of my stuff and then some. He has room for 1 or 2 wakeboards and some life vests. I can carry my surfboard, kneeboard, 2 tubes, a 15 foot water weenie, 3-4 wakeboards - all concealed. When I put wakeboards in the racks, I've got more.

2. His seats are short. My knees hit the dashboard. Most people wouldn't notice. When I sit in my boat, it's not much different than lounging on my couch at home.

3. The tower is short (relatively speaking) - about 6 feet 2 or so. The bimini was not on, but is going to be one that makes my back stiff when I stand under it.

4. He has the PCM 330Hp engine. It was underpowered with full ballast and 5 men in the boat. Maybe my prop is pitched different, but my ability to reach wakeboard speeds is superior.

5. He paid significantly more than I did.

6. The wake was nice. My wake looked a lot bigger when I put just a single 550 pounder in the front. He commented that he expected the wake to be a bit bigger. We did have some trouble with wash on the wake, but I think it is mostly a ballast and people positioning issue. He did throw the highest backroll off of the double up I have ever seen.

7. His interior vinyl is a nice cream color, not white. It won't get hot like in my boat.

8. The nautique is just a little quieter, nothing a good stereo can't overcome

9. He's got a problem with the engine where it seems to cut out after an hour or so on the water. New boats sometimes have issues, but nonetheless it is disturbing.

[Wake Havasu]

Thanks for the review!

Ski Natique is definitely one of the boats in the running for our dollars.

[poohpotta]

I think the Ski Natique is a much better boat, even given some of the negatives you've listed.

[ghollow]

I test drove several used Nautiques before I bought my Tige. The Nautique is a very solid boat. It does not shake or vibrate when slamming through white caps. It is trimmed out much nicer than any other towboat. It is much narrower and does not have near the room inside that a Tige does. They do not have TAPS. I do not like the way the stern narrows up on tyhem either. A they cost $10,000 to $15,000 more than the same length Tige.
I also test drove several Mastercrafts. I can not figure out why anyone would buy a Mastercraft over a Tige. They are flimzy(?), crowded, and cost more than a Tige.
Supras and Moombas are not even worth talking about.
I did a lot of research and for the money, Tige is the best deal out there.
The only down side to Tige that I have found so far is dealer support and service.

[dogbert]

Sounds like they haven't changed critical items on the Nautique since I looked at them in '99. The legroom is a showstopper for me (I'm 6'7") and since I do the majority of the driving, you can guess the rest. Room is also a big issue, my family tends to overpack

As for quality, I've had no trouble and my dealer is great (Ski Dock).

[Bog]

I sold both and would take the 24V over the 226 any day! Dont get me wrong nautiques quality cant be beat but the 226 is such a poor design

[NICKYPOO]

"OLD" BOAT COMPARISON

A good friend of mine recently sold is '01 Air Nautique 21' direct drive. While he had it we spent a lot of time out with both boats. Mine being a '00 22i you would think they would be fairly similar right? Not even. That thing was tiny, mine is huge.The seats were small and hard, mine are big and cushy. Foget about sitting in the bow unless you a preschooler, I'm 6' and can stretch my legs out completely from fore to aft in mine. The helm? Forget about it. With my seat all the way back and my legs stretched out completely, I'm 10" from touching the "bulkhead" (something that has not been accomplished by anyone in the industry since, including Tige). There was next to zero storage in his, mine is not phenominal but ample. Wake performance was a bit better with his ballast system full and before I got a couple of sacks, but the wake was very narrow. With a sack in the trunk and one in the bow I now have similar size but a lot wider table which I like better. I'm getting to old to be landing in the flats all the time. The ride in mine was far superior in rough water. His would beat the fillings out of your head if you got caught out in some bad weather. All of our friends are always telling me how much nicer it was to ride in the Tige, and when your out all day, that might be the most compelling argument between the two. Don't get me wrong, they're good boats, I've just always had the opinion that the Nautweeks are small boats for small people.

[bacdoc]

This summer my wife has been taking wakeboard lessons at a local lake where they run two new Nautiques. She has commented on more than one occasion how much more she likes our 24V. The roominess cant be beat and TAPS is a total plus.

BOG- Hope that things are going well for you, we miss you down at the dealership. You were the one that first introduced me to Tige and it has been an awesome summer thanks to you.

[Bog]

Thanks Ted, I am glad to hear you love your boat. Tell Mike and Jason "hi"! If you ever need a third let me know