rz2 vs. z3

[Surf406]

well im stuck on a delema, my wife wants a z3 and im pulling for the rz2. i think the rz is the sickest boat around i love everything about it iv wakeboared with one and also surfed the punishing wave it produces. im gonna to the same options on either boat i personally love the rz style the most but on the flipside i havnt got much time with a z3 yet iv been checking on tige owners daily reading up on everything and pics to, i definatly love the gelcoat options on the z3 more not a fan of the z3 walkthrough cooler the rz isnt as bad do to the fact it doesnt come towards the driver as far.so any advice would be greatly appreciated.what do you guys think?

[konajay]

Personally, I'd go for the Z3. I haven't had the pleasure to ride in one yet, but I've heard a lot of good things, especially regarding the surf wake. I'm currently trying to help talk my buddy's wife into letting him trade his 24V for one! I think either way you'll be one happy boater!

[robert theisen]

I don't understand your question? The 2012 RZ2 and Z3 both have bow coolers.The RZ2 has a side walk thru with a removable cushion and the Z3 has the middle walk thru with a flip over pad.

[neildorin]

well im stuck on a delema, my wife wants a z3 and im pulling for the rz2. i think the rz is the sickest boat around i love everything about it iv wakeboared with one and also surfed the punishing wave it produces. im gonna to the same options on either boat i personally love the rz style the most but on the flipside i havnt got much time with a z3 yet iv been checking on tige owners daily reading up on everything and pics to, i definatly love the gelcoat options on the z3 more not a fan of the z3 walkthrough cooler the rz isnt as bad do to the fact it doesnt come towards the driver as far.so any advice would be greatly appreciated.what do you guys think?

****DISCLAIMER: I'm biased since we own a Z3****

The RZ2 is a great boat, but it's based on an earlier hull design. The Z3 is the first boat that Tige REALLY put a ton more time into R&D on the hull to make the best wake possible for wakeboarding and wakesurfing.

From having ridden the wakeboard wake, even in really cold water, it's clear that the Z3 is a VAST improvement over any boat they've made previously. The wake shape is just so much better.

I get that people seem to like the picklefork look, but I for one can't stand it. I'll take a traditional bow any day. The Z3 also has at least as much space in the bow as the RZ2.

Plus, if you go with the Pro Ballast, plus the extra weight of the Z3 (4650 lbs dry) you're already in a better position to have a better wake...

That's just my

[ragboy]

I just posted a bunch of great pics in the thread for the Bomb Pop, check them out, I will just put 3 here:


GOPR3075 by wake9, on Flickr


GOPR3076 by wake9, on Flickr


GOPR2784 by wake9, on Flickr

We loved the RZ2, but in every area, I would pick the Z3. There is one issue, that I never thought would make a difference to me, but the Z3 doesn't list over much and you can see in those pics, how far off the water it still is. RJ was in the supreme the other day and the Z3 rollers came along and he said it felt like they were gonna flip. The RZ2 isn't as bad as that, but when you start surfing in the Z3 you won't like going back to a boat that requires a lot of list. I hope Tige engineers all boats like this in the future.

Anyway, don't take my word for it, fly down here and come surf with us for a day or 2, we do it all the time, hosting 2 families this weekend, one from Oregon, the other from Texas. Its a lot of money to spend and we are not salesman, you can drive and surf and just hang out and enjoy Lake Oroville with us. You will buy one if you do, so beware. ;-)

I think it looks Damn sexy on the water, also. This is FULLY weighted, look at the rub rail.



Here are a couple of pics of one at the West Coast Open, these colors made me drool.

[Surf406]

holy crap u guys are a bad inflence on me for sure im def gonna have to talk to the wife and get ahold of ragboy for sure, i really like the fact that i wouldnt have to sack the z3 out to get the great wave now i have to go look again at the dealer thanks again for the continued help everyone, im thinking an all white would be classy to mach the all white duramax i just bought its def hard to go that route when all the lines on the z3 all awesome and the color combos are off the hook.

[ragboy]

I wouldn't even get the custom sacs on the Z3 right away, stock is amazing, best of any boat I have seen yet. We have upgraded our sacs for more weight, but they are not huge like in the RZ2. First, the Z3 is deeper so you get some extra weight there, but on the Z3, our sacs only go to the edge of the side seat storage. So if you open the side seat storage, the sac ends right there, you still have that storage. If there is no one in the boat, we can fill up a 440 in that space and its still under the seat, even with no body in the boat but a driver and an observer, you don't need sacs on the seat. The Z3 can do this because the weight is needed all over, it doesn't list way over. So where the RZ2 would have 1100 lbs in the corner and 400 up front for 1500 lbs and a heavy list, the Z3 has 8-9 degrees of list only and 1800 lbs with the pro stock system from the factory.

If you come out here, you will see what I mean. I know most of my shots are on the goofy side, but here is a great shot from Saturday, doing some testing on the regular side. Notice again, how far the rub rail is from the water, and this probably close to 3000 lbs.


IMG_6789 by wake9, on Flickr

Thomas rode this out, I have this in sequence and in video, the boat has a LOT of push.


IMG_7857 by wake9, on Flickr

[robert theisen]

The RZ2 has a excellent surf wake with just the stock weight in the surf side rear.It also has a excellent wakeboard wake weighted or unweighted.I have surfed behind a Z3 and it was also good.I'll have to wait to compare the wakeboard wake.As for looks i prefer the RZ2,it does have a wider front to the bow which allows for side to side room if three people are up front.

[Kight & Christine]

[QUOTE=neildorin;616575]****DISCLAIMER: I'm biased since we own a Z3****

The Z3 is the first boat that Tige REALLY put a ton more time into R&D on the hull to make the best wake possible for wakeboarding and wakesurfing.
Ha Really

[2thdoc01]

all white is sweet......

[Clax]

I think it boils down to a matter of preference, not necessarily performance. I have a hard time believing that Tige put a "ton more" of R&D into the Z3 hull, over an above the hull of the RZ series. The fundamental shape and configuration of the hull isn't significantly different. Saying that Tige put a "ton more" of R&D into the Z3 would be the equivalent of saying that Tige and Centurion designed their hulls years ago for maximum surf wake. Fact is, this happened by accident, and that is not a poke at either company. Trying to determine which is better, the Z3 or the RZ2, is like trying to determine which surfboard is "best".

[Bruizza]

We own an RZ2 and I love everything about the boat. Wakeboard wake is phenomenal. We had an Axis A22 before the Tige and as everyone knows the A22 is a wakeboarding BEAST. I have not been disappointed in even the tiniest way coming from that wake to the Tige wake. One of the big criteria for my Fiance' was she wanted to get into surfing more. That brought us to the Tige. I never really cared much about surfing. Boy has that changed since we got the Tige. I never knew how much fun it could be when you had a great wave. You really can't go wrong with either boat. I would try and demo both and see which works best for you.

Disclaimer if the Fiance would have let me go with a 23' boat we would have gotten the Z3 hands down.

[onlyinboards]

No pics but this weekend we took the Z3 out with only about 300 extra in pop bags and 6 adults and the surf wave was fantastic. So much push. We had a 200 lb guy surfing with a 50 lb kid on an Inland surfer sweet spot easily.

It was too choppy to wakeboard but i got her up on to wakeboarding speed with ballast full and the 300 and lead and it looks amazing. The Z3 has won me over. But i have to sell it.... so you can buy mine if you want

[onlyinboards]

And I'd also like to say that I love the walk through cooler. It's very well insulated and out of the way. The built in garbage can is also a huge plus.

[Ewok]

I have an RZ2 and I love it. I don't have a house on a lake yet so I keep my RZ2 in my garage and trailer it around. I've seen a Z3 in person lined up next to an RZ2 and the Z3 is a bit bigger. I couldn't tow it with my 4runer and I might not get it to fit in my garage as easily as the RZ2. I just finished up a nice ballast upgrade to my RZ2 and I couldn't be happier with the wake. Of course I'm not a pro, not even close, but it is a great wake for my family and friends.

All that being said, your going to want to water test both and think about where and how you are going to use it. The smaller boat will be easier to trailer and find a place to store it, but if you'll be using it on big water you'll want the bigger boat. Either way you really can't go wrong, good luck and congrats on having this dilemma.