Announcement

**Surf406** · 12-09-2011, 03:30 AM

personal thought

i totally agree with you on the rz2 im going to be down there this weekend to see that boat as well. im starting to really like the z3 as well but im with ya on the $ part of it. if it was my deal i would wait till the show comes get the absolutly best prices and interest rates and order the boat just the way you want and then put your own options in after you have the boat,your local dealer can save you bank when it comes to all the accessorys.

**Surf406** · 12-09-2011, 03:34 AM

adding somthing

i would go with the standard engine vs the upgrade for to reasons save money and tou can always just change the prop if you have to but the standard engine works just fine at our elevation

**brykerwoods** · 12-09-2011, 05:20 PM

Tough Call

I would suggest you are going to end up upgrading the ballast on both boats. I have a 2010 RZ2 with a Custom Fat Sac on the port side (see Mike's Liquid Audio for that bag). We bought our RZ2 because our slip only allows a 22' boat. I would have happily bought an RZ4 given the opportunity.

I have watched the videos of the Z3 surf wake along with the Wake9 Team's 24VE. Unless you are surfing professionally I think you are going to struggle to see the difference between the RZ2 wake and the Z3 wake (if weighted and driven correctly).

The thing that is appealing about the Z3 is that it seems to sit higher in the water. My wife drives me a lot and is not a big fan of the boat sitting as low as it does in the water when fully weighted. That said, the weight does not bother or concern me at all. Who is driving you, what kind of lake are you on, etc...? If it is a rougher lake then I might lean toward the Z3.

In the end...newer is almost always better. What is the price delta between the two? $20K? You are already talking about buying a $70K plus boat. Does $20K more really matter?

As for getting the colors you want...that is important. BUT...I would again suggest that whatever color you buy...you are going to live with it for 2-4 years. After that you can get the boat wrapped in whatever new color or scheme you want. Therefore, I was not as worried about the color.

As for engines...we have the 409. The 343 seems to operate at the same level (we live in Austin) but with more efficiency.

As for the trailer...I don't give a crap what the trailer looks like (our boat is in a lift on the water). I would never spend more for a 'nicer' trailer.

My two cents. Feel free to email me if you want to discuss the RZ2 in more detail.

Good luck. You can check out our ride at www.surfaustex.com.

**IDBoating** · 12-09-2011, 09:29 PM

I'm also considering the 343 vs the 409 on the Z3 to help me stay within budget but wonder if it will be enough for a 23' boat. Bill would switch out props for me to accomadate a better surfing experience but I wakeboard on occasion and wonder how the boat would do getting to 23, 24Mph

We have the 343 in our 24VE (read: large heavy boat) and it does great for wakesurfing AND wakeboarding at our elevation (~2500 MSL). It also does great for waterskiing at 30+ MPH. That is with a swap to the Acme 1235 prop. I'm very happy with the EX343. Will you be? There are two things to consider:

1) What is the elevation where you'll be using the boat? The higher you go, the more engine you want.

2) I've never in my life said "I wish this had a smaller engine." Car, truck, boat, ATV, jetski, whatever... you can always throttle back but you can't go past WOT. It's also not practical to "upgrade the engine later" so whatever you decide up front is what you'll live with forever. Choose accordingly.

Good luck, and report back - it's a wonderful "problem" deciding what new boat you want to buy!

**ecutter** · 12-09-2011, 09:50 PM

Thanks for the feed back.. The dealer has a new Z3 coming in next Friday to show in the January Boat show. It will give me a chance to see the boat in person and finally make a decision.
Either boat I know I will be very happy with. This will be my Third Tige.. Best boat I have owned for the money..

**Timmy!** · 12-09-2011, 10:02 PM

Tough call! I know he's been sitting on that RZ2 for almost a year now...he's probably ready to give you a heck of a deal on it! Personally, I love the docking lights and use them quite a bit out at my lake. As for the trailer...will he deal on getting you a standard trailer? Maybe he could swap that out to a 2012 RZ2 and you can buy a lesser trailer? As far as ballast, if you really are surfing that much, the factory ballast isn't going to be enough so you will need to upgrade anyway.

**IDBoating** · 12-10-2011, 05:27 AM

Originally posted by Timmy! View Post

Personally, I love the docking lights and use them quite a bit out at my lake.

Pardon the hijack, but: What exactly are these "docking lights"? I've seen reference to them and have a switch for the option on my dash but haven't been able to find any illustrations anywhere that say exactly where or what they are.

Thanks!

**dingleberry** · 12-10-2011, 06:04 AM

Originally posted by WABoating View Post

Pardon the hijack, but: What exactly are these "docking lights"? I've seen reference to them and have a switch for the option on my dash but haven't been able to find any illustrations anywhere that say exactly where or what they are.

Thanks!

You can see them here on the bow...

**Ewok** · 12-10-2011, 09:27 AM

Something else to consider is what will you be towing it with? The Z3 is 1 foot longer and the dry weight 500 lbs more, does length matter for where you will be storing it? You will be happy with either boat but I would wait until both boats are at the dealer so you can crawl around them and see which floor plans and features you like on them. I was dead set on getting a 24ve until I saw one next to an RZ2 and saw how the bow changeup gave me almost as much interior room but a smaller overall boat for easier trailering and storage.

As for ballast, my boat came with the basic system and I've got a box of goodies at my house courtesy of Chpthrill that I'm adding onto the plumbing from the basic system. Check out this thread for what I'm doing to my boat, it will end up with more ballast then the pro setup. The parts and shipping were well under 1k clams.

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16220

**robert theisen** · 12-10-2011, 01:40 PM

Originally posted by WABoating View Post

Pardon the hijack, but: What exactly are these "docking lights"? I've seen reference to them and have a switch for the option on my dash but haven't been able to find any illustrations anywhere that say exactly where or what they are.

Thanks!

Here's what they would look like on your boat WA.

Attached Files

**ecutter** · 12-10-2011, 04:21 PM

Originally posted by Ewok View Post

Something else to consider is what will you be towing it with? The Z3 is 1 foot longer and the dry weight 500 lbs more, does length matter for where you will be storing it? You will be happy with either boat but I would wait until both boats are at the dealer so you can crawl around them and see which floor plans and features you like on them. I was dead set on getting a 24ve until I saw one next to an RZ2 and saw how the bow changeup gave me almost as much interior room but a smaller overall boat for easier trailering and storage.

As for ballast, my boat came with the basic system and I've got a box of goodies at my house courtesy of Chpthrill that I'm adding onto the plumbing from the basic system. Check out this thread for what I'm doing to my boat, it will end up with more ballast then the pro setup. The parts and shipping were well under 1k clams.

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16220

Thanks Ewok, I have been following your threads... Love this forum. My wife thinks I'm cheating on her due to the amount of time I have been spending on the computer of late lol. I have a chevy with the 8.1L so no issue there. Just comes down to seeing the Z3 in person. Since the Z3 is a new model there's not much feed back yet. I wonder if the traditional bow design will be out dated several years down the road.. The pickle design sure has taken off and I like the style. My buddy thinks the pickle will be like the old tri hulls and will eventually die out. I dont think so!! I'm leaning towards the RZ2 right now but last week I was thinking more on getting the Z3... By next week it will be the Z3 again after I see her in person.. AHHHHH now you see why I posted this thread. I need serious help... but that has nothing to do with which boat to buy! lol

**IDBoating** · 12-10-2011, 04:27 PM

Originally posted by robert theisen View Post

Here's what they would look like on your boat WA.

Would they be considered redundant with the forward-directed "headlights" on my Alpha Z tower? I use those for nighttime docking.

I have seen those "shark eye" lights and wondered about retrofitting them on my boat. Not sure I do enough nighttime boating to justify it, though.

Thank you for the photos, they answered a long-standing question!

**chpthril** · 12-10-2011, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by WABoating View Post

Would they be considered redundant with the forward-directed "headlights" on my Alpha Z tower? I use those for nighttime docking.

I have seen those "shark eye" lights and wondered about retrofitting them on my boat. Not sure I do enough nighttime boating to justify it, though.

Thank you for the photos, they answered a long-standing question!

The Tige "Shark Eye" lights are the side mounted NAV lights not docking lights. The std NAV light asm is mounted on the nose of the bow.

**IDBoating** · 12-10-2011, 05:16 PM

Originally posted by chpthril View Post

The Tige "Shark Eye" lights are the side mounted NAV lights not docking lights. The std NAV light asm is mounted on the nose of the bow.

Not sure we're talking about the same things....

My 24Ve has colored nav lights that look a lot like these "docking lights", mounted below the rub rail on either side. There are no other color nav lights on the bow. This photo is a bit distant but shows my port nav light below the rub rail and above the bow roller:

There's a matching starboard light, and that's it.

Are you saying there's generally a different nav light set?

Announcement

Which Tige to Buy???

Which Tige to Buy???

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment