Malibu vs. Tige

[robert theisen]

I've surfed behind a Malibu 247 and my RZ2 as well as my old 22VE. I think the Malibu's are fine but the Tige's have more push.You can still surf fine behind the Malibu though.Like said above demo both and see which you prefer.

[mls6722]

you came to the right place for an unbiased opinion.

I love my 22Ve.

[talltigeguy]

I think the only problem with demoing is that many dealers are not going to weight the boat like a private party would.

Ragboy seems to have gotten great waves out of his RZ2, 24Ve, and Z3. I think the edge goes to Tige in the wakesurfing department.

Having said that, I am plenty happy with the surf wave on my Malibu 247 with a 1400 pound sack. There is this oddball on the malibu owner's forum who refers to himself in the 3rd person who puts 3500 pounds in his boat and the wave is ginormous. His name is Stanley Wheelhouse. You can see lots of his wave at www.Slayshtank.com.

Attached is a pic that often is posted on the internet from Wheelhouse's wave.

As far as buckling with a minor bump on the dock, I just don't hear about that on the Malibu forums, so it really seems to be a non-issue. I have drilled 3 ports on the side of my Malibu and 2 underneath. The underside of my Malibu is the same thickness as my 05 Tige. The ports on the side were just a little thinner, I think, but it is so close that I think it is a non-issue. I think that is part of what adds to the rock solid feeling most Tiges have.

Dealer support is very important. Don't forget to factor that in when something is wrong from the factory. I troll this and the Malibu site often and both have occasional serious issues where the factory pulled a real boner. I will admit that I saw it less on the MC site, but I don't go there much these days.

[dingleberry]

I will admit that I saw it less on the MC site, but I don't go there much these days.

C'mon tall - I think that one reason fewer posts critical of the company are on the MC site is because they sure seem to remove a lot of threads that are critical of the company (ummm - Cash Rewards, anyone?).

Anyway...back to the OP...

Really, you should try all boats you are considering, with people that actually know how to properly weight them. Maybe that is the dealer. Or perhaps you can go for a ride with an owner in the area. Just thinkin' out loud here.

[Moki]

Depends on who you ask and which Malibu and Tige you are comparing. I would take the two that you are interested in and demo them both on same day, if possible, and the same lake. If you were to demo one in Utah lake and another in a deeper lake there could be a big difference.

How did you know that Utah Lake is so shallow? It is true, my wake is always better in deeper water.

I have surfed behind a Bu, and it was a very small wake, it had factory ballast and one extra sac. The Air Nautique's have awesome surf and wakeboard wake.

[Moki]

I think the only problem with demoing is that many dealers are not going to weight the boat like a private party would.

Ragboy seems to have gotten great waves out of his RZ2, 24Ve, and Z3. I think the edge goes to Tige in the wakesurfing department.

Having said that, I am plenty happy with the surf wave on my Malibu 247 with a 1400 pound sack. There is this oddball on the malibu owner's forum who refers to himself in the 3rd person who puts 3500 pounds in his boat and the wave is ginormous. His name is Stanley Wheelhouse. You can see lots of his wave at www.Slayshtank.com.

Attached is a pic that often is posted on the internet from Wheelhouse's wave.

As far as buckling with a minor bump on the dock, I just don't hear about that on the Malibu forums, so it really seems to be a non-issue. I have drilled 3 ports on the side of my Malibu and 2 underneath. The underside of my Malibu is the same thickness as my 05 Tige. The ports on the side were just a little thinner, I think, but it is so close that I think it is a non-issue. I think that is part of what adds to the rock solid feeling most Tiges have.

Dealer support is very important. Don't forget to factor that in when something is wrong from the factory. I troll this and the Malibu site often and both have occasional serious issues where the factory pulled a real boner. I will admit that I saw it less on the MC site, but I don't go there much these days.

That wake is huge! I agree with the Dealer factor. Ever since Taylor dropped Tige, there has been a new dealer every year here in Northern Utah. I really like the Z3, but I hope there is a good dealer when it comes time to get a new boat.

[NICKYPOO]

I think the only problem with demoing is that many dealers are not going to weight the boat like a private party would.

Ragboy seems to have gotten great waves out of his RZ2, 24Ve, and Z3. I think the edge goes to Tige in the wakesurfing department.

Having said that, I am plenty happy with the surf wave on my Malibu 247 with a 1400 pound sack. There is this oddball on the malibu owner's forum who refers to himself in the 3rd person who puts 3500 pounds in his boat and the wave is ginormous. His name is Stanley Wheelhouse. You can see lots of his wave at www.Slayshtank.com.

Attached is a pic that often is posted on the internet from Wheelhouse's wave.

As far as buckling with a minor bump on the dock, I just don't hear about that on the Malibu forums, so it really seems to be a non-issue. I have drilled 3 ports on the side of my Malibu and 2 underneath. The underside of my Malibu is the same thickness as my 05 Tige. The ports on the side were just a little thinner, I think, but it is so close that I think it is a non-issue. I think that is part of what adds to the rock solid feeling most Tiges have.

Dealer support is very important. Don't forget to factor that in when something is wrong from the factory. I troll this and the Malibu site often and both have occasional serious issues where the factory pulled a real boner. I will admit that I saw it less on the MC site, but I don't go there much these days.

Certainly meant no offence. You know I respect you. What I saw from my previous boss's boat, freaked me out. You couldn't tell anything was wrong at first glance but you could push on the spot where it hit and it disturbingly easily flexed in a good 3-4 inches and was completely separated from from the deck at the rubrail. It was seriously shocking. I couldn't believe how thin it felt. This was in '08 or so, well before the 247 was ever built so maybe they have addressed that situation.

[lancehon]

you came to the right place for an unbiased opinion.

I love my 22Ve.

X2

[skippabcool]

How did you know that Utah Lake is so shallow? It is true, my wake is always better in deeper water.

I have surfed behind a Bu, and it was a very small wake, it had factory ballast and one extra sac. The Air Nautique's have awesome surf and wakeboard wake.

I am from Cache Valley. I test drove my boat in Utah Lake. My buddy got a SANTE this spring and we test drove it in Utah Lake. His SANTE is a '06 and the wakeboard wake is awesome but he is still trying to get a surf wave like mine. With factory ballast and fat sacs it is still not there. It was kind of funny we took a bunch of teenagers out a month ago and they were split up between his boat and mine. They all wanted to surf after lunch. They were all lined up on the dock and he went to get them and only one got in with him. They all wanted to surf my wave.

[skippabcool]

That wake is huge! I agree with the Dealer factor. Ever since Taylor dropped Tige, there has been a new dealer every year here in Northern Utah. I really like the Z3, but I hope there is a good dealer when it comes time to get a new boat.

The current dealer is going on two plus years aren't they? The Z3 that the Utah dealer has looks pretty sweet, from the pics.

My boat came from and was serviced at Taylors. I got permission from the previous owner to get the service records from them. After going through the boat and the service records I would not take a boat to them.

[Fire_medic]

I haven't seen one in person but was told by someone that the 22V is better than the 22Ve.

Just curious how much weight do you run?

So far I've been using 1000 lbs but I have an 1100 lbs fly high sac on the way I'll be out today I'll try and remember to bring the camera and get some pics to post on here stay tuned....

[ddmracing05]

my 2100v surf wake is AWESOME. My ole neighbor who actually gets a custom built Malibu every year still comes out on my old 99 2100v just for the surf wake...

[OldeBoy]

my 2100v surf wake is AWESOME. My ole neighbor who actually gets a custom built Malibu every year still comes out on my old 99 2100v just for the surf wake...

If you don't mind me asking what is your weight/speed/Taps setup like?

We typically run 2 400# bags in the back and maybe one 400# on the passenger floor (one side or the other) depending on number of people. 10.5-11mph, Taps 3-5

Our port side is much better then our starboard side. It's a nice wave but doesn't seem as large as some pictured here.

I'll have to see if I can find some pics.

[NICKYPOO]

I am from Cache Valley. I test drove my boat in Utah Lake. My buddy got a SANTE this spring and we test drove it in Utah Lake. His SANTE is a '06 and the wakeboard wake is awesome but he is still trying to get a surf wave like mine. With factory ballast and fat sacs it is still not there. It was kind of funny we took a bunch of teenagers out a month ago and they were split up between his boat and mine. They all wanted to surf after lunch. They were all lined up on the dock and he went to get them and only one got in with him. They all wanted to surf my wave.

I had the same basic thing happen to me up at Shasta this year except the other boat was a Malibu 21Xti. Even the owner of the Malibu said our surf wake was far superior to his.

I think the moral of the story on this thread is that you can get a Malibu to surf if you spend the time and the money on the right boat and setup. However, just about any Tige you buy will be easy to surf all day long, even a funky old D-Drive.

I would like to add that my favorite wakeboard wakes are, by far and away, Malibu.

[Sugar]

My RZR has a great wave with only one rear sack filled and taps at 3. Have not surfed other boats, but is pretty easy this way