1996 tige pre 22 wt purchase

[savage bowhunter]

Hi guys,
I am new to this forum due to never owning a tige before. My current boat is a 2001 Chris craft launch 22 which i have completely restored due to an engine fire.
Anyways I had a great time with that boat last season using it for skiing tubing and dare i even say surfing (not close to the boat). Well I am looking to move on to something more capable for surfing. I have found a 1996 tige pre 22 wt 560 hrs. with the 454 mpi and velvet drive transmission. I had the boat checked out by a local boat dealer and they said it was in very good condition for the age. They water tested it and said top speed was 45 mph. Compression came back between 136 and 145. No major issues other than a leaky shaft seal and missing exhaust flapper. I have no experience with this type of boat and any input would be great. I have owned a few sea ray cruisers with this engine and trans package and they seemed to work great in that application.
Thanks

[TeamAllen]

Congratulations and welcome to the site! 454 MPI? That thing is a beast of power.
Where are you located? What is all that discoloration on the bottom of the stern?

[savage bowhunter]

I am in minnesota. The boat is in North Carolina. I was told it was dirty from being in the water. The dealer that checked it out for me said it was clean and had no blistering.

[WakerideN]

damn good find. but I agree with teamAllen that motor is beast! great find! those minor things can be fixed and are not expensive. few hours working on the gel and it will clean right up. Welcome to the Site as well~!

[savage bowhunter]

Well... I made it back from North Carolina with a new "older" tige'. I suppose this make me legit to be on this forum. After careful inspection, I did notice some gelcoat cracking along the bottom half of the transom. I have seen this before on other boats I have owned and am wandering if that is common on older tige's. Transom feels solid with a percussion hammer. Pics to follow.

[Ruger761]

Congrats on your purchase and making it back home. I think you could see some cracking on an older boats the question comes down to how bad are the cracks and the location of the cracks. Not chamfering holes for the platform or a screw hole is a great place for cracks to start. My 97 doesnt have any cracks except by the observer seat base inside, but had a few gel coat chips on the underside of the hull that I patched up with some Spectrum Gel Coat Patch Paste in Tige white. Worked really well. The main thing is keeping water out of the glass/wood preventing any deeper damage than just small surface cracks. Im no body man, but takes some pics and see what the guys here say.

[NICKYPOO]

I was wondering when somebody was gonna buy that thing. That's a rare beast. I can't remember ever seeing a '96 big block V. Cool boat.

[Bakes5]

454 mpi is pretty cool. Let us know how many GPH fuel it uses. If my motor ever goes I am getting a 383 stroker. Watch your swim platform supports. Mine rusted and then failed so I had to get some new ones. Pain in the butt to find but EZ swap out. Get rid of the stainless steel prop pronto. Mine had one and the prior owner hit something with it. Couple tiny dents in the prop but bent up the prop shaft strut which was a total pain to replace. That staining is pretty common with southern boats left in. I left mine in the water pretty much all summer in WA state (taking it out every couple weeks to dry off) and it was still pristine....I left it in the water 5 days at lake of the ozarks 2-3 yrs ago and still have some stains that have not come out. Hard to tell if you have perfect pass but it is mandatory.

[chpthril]

Well... I made it back from North Carolina with a new "older" tige'. I suppose this make me legit to be on this forum. After careful inspection, I did notice some gelcoat cracking along the bottom half of the transom. I have seen this before on other boats I have owned and am wandering if that is common on older tige's. Transom feels solid with a percussion hammer. Pics to follow.

Congrats. Where in NC was this boat, I swear ive seen it or one similar local.

[savage bowhunter]

The boat was in Hickory NC. It was too dark to take pics tonight when i finally made it home from work but will tomorrow. In the few minutes i had , I noticed a loose belt for the raw water pump. With inches between the fuel tank and front of engine, that should be a fun project. Has anyone here replaced the packings before on this model. Looks like removing the back seat and bulkhead looks like the easiest way to access it. The one that is currently on the boat is white and plastic, not the traditional packings I have seen on larger inboard boats. I was thinking dripless would be the way to go.

[Bakes5]

Packing is EZ to replace. Just stand on your head and reach back. Getting the cotter pin back in is the hardest part. I think I ordered a Teflon one last time. Overall, super easy.