The New 24 Ve'

[TeamAllen]

Dan,

I don't agree with how Tom handled your test drive and I can't speek for him. He could of stayed to meet you and your girlfriend and let you know what was up.

The other person on the test drive probably wanted to buy that exact boat they were test driving. If I were the one buying that boat I woudn't want anyone else in it, after I knew I was going to buy it. I would think Tom will make it up to you. It sounds like you had a good relationship prior. Maybe he relied on that a little too much.

Good luck with your decision, I'm interested to see how it turns out.

[Zacky]

This is the worst thing about territorial sales. Do you think that salesman would have pulled that crap if he knew you could have gone to another Tige dealership in your city? Not a chance. In my opinion, these dealerships get too comfortable knowing they are the only show in town. If that happened at a Chevy dealership, what would you have done? Probably drive right to the other Chevy dealership. Unfortunately, in the boating world, 9 times out of 10 we do not have that luxury...

[tigecanuck]

Dan made some good observations on his Malibu ride and it is too bad to hear that the Tige demo did not go as promised. However if that dealer has served you well through the ownership of your current boat it would be fair to cut them some slack while at the same time make them earn your business. Zacky's Chevy dealer analogy would hold water if there were as many boat buyers out there as there are car buyers. Few people on these boards realize just how small the market for this class of boat really is.

As for some of the "strengths" of the 247, take a good look at how the hull of that boat is assembled versus the Tige and figure out where good boatbuilding ends and where good marketing takes over. If Tige left out a bunch of hand-laid fiberglass from the top deck like Malibu there would be plenty of room for more cupholders. Every time I see a boat with seat cushions (no matter how plush) sitting on carpet covered boxes screwed to the floor, it screams cheap boat at me. Lift the seat cushions on a five year old Tige 21v and find easy to clean fiberglass structure still keeping that hull together (with primary bond fiberglass not some sort of glue). Lift the the seat cushions on a five year old VLX and see how matted and grungy the carpet is on and around those boxes and if the hardware that holds them in place is intact and still keeping the original shape of the base. I am sure that other brands of boats feel solid and quiet when they are new but after a few hundred hours of use, things loosen up more on a boat built with less hand layed glass, less primary bonding and less structure in the stringer system of the hull. Hit the side of that 247 with your fist and then do the same to the Tige. Every time I do that I have more faith in my Tige and understand why Tige offers a Lifetime Replacement Warranty and other boat builders do not. I am basing these observations off of my 2001 21v that has over 500 hours of use mostly as a wakeboard lesson boat. In that time the TAPS system has worked flawlessly while the manual wedge breakage and damage stories go on and on. Who out there wants to be the owner of the first year of the power wedge system? How much does it cost extra and how long is the warranty on that system?

I had a chance to do a proper demo on a 22ve in October (Havasu and Parker area) when I put 55 hours on one over two and one half weeks. Where other boat companies would have changed the top deck only on a current hull, the running surface alterations and propshaft angle change on the new ve made that boat the most solid running, smooth riding v-drive I have ever been in. This tells me that Tige is commited to building better boats all around, not just repackaging something like Mastercraft has done with the vintage Prostar 205 (now know as the X1) or adding more bells whistles, and billet aluminum parts.

Sorry for the length of this but given that this is tigeowners.com, the malibu posts were getting to me.

[wrangler]

On this we can agree!!!

All the reasons you stated plus alot more are exactly why we plopped down the cash to order a new 24Ve. After doing a head to head demo in the Malibu and the Tige and after demo'ed the MB B52 and the Air Natique, we were just more and more impressed with the overall package that Tige has put together... Either Wake Havasu or John Andrews said it...but there is no comparison on the ride and rough water feel. Great post...

[Wake Havasu]

Re: On this we can agree!!!

Originally posted by wrangler
Either Wake Havasu or John Andrews said it...but there is no comparison on the ride and rough water feel. Great post...

Maybe it was me.

You'll find you could care less about the billet cup holders as they drag to raise your boat back up!

[NICKYPOO]

The lay up on Tiges is why I went out to find the one I wanted. They are built like an offshore race boat. Built to take a beating. You can get hung out in some nasty stuff in northern Nevada and having a boat built this strong, at the most critical of times in a boats life, is my main concern. Cup holders don't work all that well at the bottom of the lake or at the fiberglass shop.

[wrangler]

Nickypoo...I got to see a hole saw core from the bottom of a 24V at the local dealer when they were adding something for the owner. It's pretty impressive to see the cross section and how substantial it is on the bottom of that boat... I'm with you...I like the strength, the safety aspect and the solid feel. I'm not bashing the other builders out there...we looked at some very nice boats...but everything said and done, we made the right choice in my opinion...

[rushin]

I have seen them built at the factory and they are built like a tank. Very impressive.

[wrangler]

All the more reason that we are all in the same boat....get it...all in the same boat... Ok...maybe not...

[rushin]

wrangler- That's funny!!!

[NICKYPOO]

Ohhh, that's rich. Thanks dude, I needed that.

[Wake Havasu]

Originally posted by wrangler
All the more reason that we are all in the same boat....get it...all in the same boat... Ok...maybe not...

Wrangler, they log IPs here.

I am certain the internet humor divison within the dept of homeland security is enroute to your home!

Your joke was way overboard.

[Dan]

Thanks for the additional info on construction, materials, and layup. I will be sure to consider ALL aspects(including cupholders )of both boats.

I still haven't had my Tige demo yet, hoping to do it this month. I also plan on driving the Malibu again, hopefully the same day so I can get the quick back to back comparison. Pray for chop!

[Dan]

Tigecanuck---

As a current Tige owner myself, I can appreciate your frustration with the Malibu posts. However, IMO, the Malibu is very similar to the Tige and both cater to the same market. I am doing what every potential buyer should do, his homework. How do you know that Tige builds a great boat without something to compare it to? Without Malibu, M/C and other boat manufactures improving their product, Tige could just rest on it's laurels and we would not have such kick a$$ boats like we do now.

[NICKYPOO]

Your joke was way overboard.

Ha, ha. I get it overboard. All in the same boat. Overboard. Yes? No? It was funny to me.

Shopping for a boat is half the fun. It was the most homework I had done since school. I could have majored in it by the time I was done. When I was done there was only one boat I wanted and I got it. So do your homework and get what YOU want. Whether a puff ball or a wave crusher, it's your call. From what I found Tige builds a puffy wave crusher. Malibu is more of a super puffy wave goer over. They by far and away have the best interior and I think Tige should really look close at their lay out (start with the helm). However, Tige still gets my vote for the simple reason that they have it where it really counts, in the boat itself. $.02