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**JLG** · 05-08-2015, 02:58 PM

If you find a showroom boat you like then buy it, otherwise ordering is the way to go as you can spec to your liking and dealer will give you an order sheet. To me building was fun as it involved my wife and family in the designing of it. From there you aren't locked in as you along with dealer can spec out and add/delete options to get it to where you want. Fully loaded can add as much as 10K or more depending on dealer.

Spend time looking for a good dealer within reasonable driving range. I drive 6 hours for my dealer when I have closer ones but he treats me good and is priced right, meaning he doesn't go for the one time kill like most do. The trade should work like you said above where you give your boat when yours is ready or at least that's the way mine went. That's negotiable also. Build time is around 2 weeks from order date but might be more with the season upon us. Tige like most boat MFGs don't release a set MSRP as dealers can range widely by as much as 20K+- for the same boat. Shop around and be educated on new pricing as it will save you thousands!!
16 models will go into production in July usually so 15s can still be ordered.

Again find the boat you want first then start negotiating trade. To me I have done both and the last boat the dealer shot me a trade price the first time I was happy with and didn't even have to argue it. Another reason I like to trade to dealers is that here in Kansas we pay sales tax of 8.55% on the boat for the difference so if I were to sell outright I'd have to ask that much more to be worth it. Making my used that much more and less appealing to buyers. Plan on getting scammed several times or bothered by scammers if selling privately also.

Demos are a must and yes the dealer will and should take you out on request as many times as needed on any new model to put your mind to ease. No deposit is needed as tige requires their dealers to demo the showroom boats. You don't buy a car before driving it so I wouldn't buy a boat either. Now on that I had a dealer that I asked several times for a demo and couldn't get a demo so that was a huge turnoff for me, and hints the reason I drive 6 hours to a dealer who give me his time.

A new ordered Z3 will run from the 85-100k range and some dealers are asking and getting more so again shop around. Long winded but hope it helps and others will chime in as this is just my opinion and experience. Post up your area and ppl on here can point you to good dealers. Good luck and post what you end up with as I think you will regret not buying Tige

**dilpickle** · 05-08-2015, 04:30 PM

1. If you find something siting on the floor that fits your needs, you can usually get a better deal-especially if you happen to find a "leftover"-basically a new boat, that is not the current model year. If I would have ordered my current boat, I wouldn't have spent as much on the stereo setup, but I still would've spent more for the boat going the order route.
2. You should be able to get the price down 15-20% below MSRP depending on the dealer.
3. You will get more for your boat selling privately, but that will take time & effort. How much is your time worth to you?
4. You should be able to demo any boat you are seriously considering. I have dealt with dealers that would take me out on a similar boat (MC X10 when I was looking @ X25), one dealer that would only demo the boat I was looking at with financing in place & ready to sign papers when we got back to dealership after demo, the dealer I bought from actually took us out on a customer's boat since he didn't have a Z3 in his shop & there was no pressure, super easy to deal with. We ended up buying our Z1 as a leftover from them because they were so easy to deal with.

I firmly believe the dealer makes all the difference in the world. If I ever decide to upgrade or replace my current boat, I will be going to WWS again-I wouldn't bother shopping anywhere else.

**cpropes2005** · 05-08-2015, 07:27 PM

Thanks guys. Well I went and visited the Malibu/Axis dealer at lunch and looked at a couple of T23’s they had in stock. I am not going to lie I was pretty impressed with the boat. It is huge inside and has a lot of nice features. My biggest worry with the Axis is that the 350hp isn’t going to be enough for that big of a boat when loaded down. I would also prefer a trim tab instead of the wedge but obviously that isn’t an option on an axis. The sales guy said they order all of them with the 350 and with the “torque prop” they don’t have any issues with that motor.

As far as first impressions on the dealer goes it was really nice. A lot more Malibus sitting around than Axis but the facility is basically brand new and the sales guy was super friendly. They normally do all of their demos on the private ski lake that is on site but he didn’t blink an eye when I said I would prefer if they pulled it out to my home lake about 30 minutes away so I can see how it handles rough water since that is a big issue for me. So far so good but it sounds like the true test of a dealer comes after the sale. Anybody have any experience with the service side of SMG Wake on the north side of Houston?

The other dealer I am hopefully going to see this weekend is Rinkers Marine which carries Supra and Moomba. It’s a little further drive but still manageable at just over an hour. Any experiences with them?

I know this is a Tige forum and I have loved my 22V but I just can’t bring myself to up the budget to 85+ to get into a Z3. Texas Tige is a solid dealership and it is right down the street for me so they would be my top choice if price wasn’t an issue.

**robert theisen** · 05-08-2015, 08:48 PM

As far as off the showroom floor as mentioned above previous model years can yield an awesome deal. You mention Axis and Moomba. They don't compete with Tige, Malibu and Supra do. You would be stepping down in fit and finish as well as standard options and innovations. MSRP will be more negotiable on Malibu,Supra and Tige percentage wise than it will be on Axis and Moomba. That's not to say that the Axis or Moomba won't cost less in the end. Only you won't get as high a percentage off. As far as the trade in I have always sold my boats myself. If your boat is in good running condition I would sell it yourself. The catch is the buyer getting financing because of the year of the boat. With that being said I would price it in between retail and what the dealer is actually giving you. Actual cash value. The way to find that out is to make your best deal without the dealer knowing you have a trade-in. Then bring up you decided to trade or what if I trade my boat in. Best scenario is to say your friend has a 2003 22V so your familiar with that boat. Then say your friend happens to be your wife.lol All dealer should gladly demo their boats at your lake if that's what you prefer. The only thing I would caution you on is if a dealer is new to inboard boats. They can be difficult to deal with because of their lack of knowledge with issues common to inboards. Whereas a dealer who has been in business for many years has had sufficient time to adjust to the differences. If you explore older stock (leftovers) you may find a Z3 for much closer to the Axis or Moomba price except it will have many more features. What do you plan to do most in your new boat and what's your normal crew?

**Dandy** · 05-08-2015, 09:43 PM

Based on the brands you are looking at, you really need to compare build quality as mentioned above. I do disagree with Robert that Malibu does not compare to the quality build of Tige (keep in mind I am not a Tige owner, just a boat fan). One thing about Tiges build that it much nicer than Malibu and Moomba for sure - most likely Axis and not sure about Supra is that the top deck of the Tige build is a molded piece, including the seat bases, which really helps with the structure of the boat and aids in minimizing flex. The Malibus and Moomba use bolt/screw in seat bases which in my opinion are flimsy and cheapen the boat. Get in the boats, lift the seat and try to flex the seat bases and you will see what I mean. When I look at things, I evaluate VALUE not just price. If budget permits, is it worth more to get better quality up front? I say yes. If you plan to keep the boat for several years a better built boat now will hold up better and should sell better down the road.

As mentioned, dealer support is important. If you are like many of us, your season is short. You need a dealer that wants to get you back on the water ASAP. This means that they need to have a good parts inventory so that if something should happen, they don't have days or weeks waiting on your parts.

Is ordering a new boat great, yes it is. It can be a blast picking out colors and designs, however with all the options it can also get to be frustrating. We did order our Tige in and got it our way - our next boat, the dealer had on the lot - was a 2014 just as the 15s came out and we love it just as much, even though it has options we wouldn't have ordered we still got a better price than a lesser equipped 15. Waiting until the 16s start rolling out might be a great time to find a hold over 15 Tige in your range. Maybe you can arrange to purchase the dealers demo - has a few hours on it - bugs worked out and still full warranty.

Regarding the Demo, a good dealer will get you on the water...even offer it up before you ask. Take them up on it. Demo Demo Demo.

Good luck in your search and have fun with it.

**robert theisen** · 05-09-2015, 03:19 AM

Dandy I may not have worded that sentence clearly. I meant Tige ,Malibu and Supra are on one level and Axis and Moomba aren't at the same level. Malibu is actually my second favorite boat. Sorry for any confusion.

**cpropes2005** · 05-11-2015, 01:12 PM

Well I demod the axis over the weekend and I was pretty impressed. Didnt have the front plug and play bag for the demo so ballast setup was 450lb tanks and 750lb sac in each locker plus the 600 lb center tank for a total of 3000 lbs. Surf wake was better than my 22V but probably still needed to be dialed in a little bit but the wakeboard wake was awesome. I haven't ridden very many modern boats but the wake was by far the best I have ever ridden behind. It was a lot of fun even though it was super windy with horrible chop everywhere. I was also impressed with power. I think they changed the gear ratio for 2015 with the 350 and it felt like it had tons of power. I had him pull me up on a slalom ski with the ballast full to simulate a boat full of people and it popped me out of the water easily so I dont think power will be an issue. I also really liked the cabin configuration, it is huge behind the windshield with very deep seats and gunnels which is a big deal for me since we have small kids and so do all of the people we normally go out with. Wife also really liked the chilax seating.

On the negative side I really don't like the windshield. It just feels really small. I knew having the sides open would be something to get used to but it also feels really short. Granted I am 6'7" but sitting in the driver seat my head would stick half way over the windshield without having the bolster up. We also got sprayed a couple of times which I really don't like but the wind was blowing probably close to 20mph so I cant hold that against it too much. The other thing I didn't like was that it didn't ride quite as nice in the big chop as my 22V. Probably not a deal breaker but the tiges just come down off the waves a little softer with less slap since they have a deeper V.

I also went and sat in the Mojo and have a demo setup for this Sat. I like the styling of the Mojo better but I will have to wait and see how it compares on the water and on price. The axis is in inventory but I didnt care for the two Mojos they had in stock so that would be a custom order.

ScreenHunter_1265 May. 11 07.46.jpg

**cpropes2005** · 05-11-2015, 01:20 PM

I am also going to stop by and talk to the guys at the Tige dealer and see if they have anything that could get close to my budget. I know they have a couple of leftover 2014 RZ2's that might get close but I am not sure I want to go that route. I would be giving up a significant amount of space compared to the other two I am looking at and the surf system issue is big deal for me. I have no doubt that the Tiges will put out a better wave but I really value the convenience of an evenly weighted boat more than having the perfect wave. The 2014 would also have Tiges older tech with the fixed VX and not the AVX. I am also not sure I want all of the touchscreen tech. I know it would be nice but I feel like the classic switches in the mojo and axis might cause me less headaches in the long run since I hope to keep this boat for a long time. The interiors on the Moomba and Axis are way better than any boat I have ever owned but I cant argue that they are not in the same league as Tige when it comes to fit and finish. The interiors on the new Tiges are some of the nicest I have ever seen and are definitely a step above the two boats I am looking at.

**Smcqueen** · 05-12-2015, 02:19 AM

The guys at Texas Tige are great. If nothing else, just talk to them. I have the fixed VX on my 2014 Z3 and I am perfectly happy with what I have. With wake 9 bags it makes a huge wave. I love the interior and always get great comments from friend and total strangers.

**chpthril** · 05-12-2015, 02:48 AM

Can you get a significantly better deal by buying off the showroom floor?

I would fully expect that there would be some discounting on z floor model. How deep, is going to depend on factors like time of year and how long the boat has been on the dealer's floor plan.

Is it even possible to get a 2015 built this year and what would be an average turnaround time?

Length of build time is likely not an issue, but getting a build slot might be. Factory can only build so many in a year, so all the slot may be spoken for. Your dealer can give you more on that. He may have a slot for a floor boat he could move to your order, etc.

3. Trade in? If the numbers make sense I will be trading in my 2003 22V. Anyone with any experience trading in a somewhat older boat like this? Did you get a decent trade in value for it or was the dealer not really interested in taking your boat on trade?

Trading in a boat is not unlike trading in a car. The trade value shown on paper can be a reflection of the discount or lack there of, in order to get the desired bottom line. But, unlike a franchise car dealer where the new and used depts are separate, boat dealer sales books are likely one dept.

4. Demos: What is typical for demos? Do you typically have to put some type of deposit down or will they be agreeable to demos if I appear to be a serious buyer?

Will they toss you the keys with a "tanks full have fun", no unless they know you well, but if the dealer is hesitant to provide a realistic demo, like with ballast and let you get a pull, find a new dealer.

**Dandy** · 05-12-2015, 02:52 PM

I found this information on another boat forum. A couple of the brands and even boat you are considering are listed. Not sure if this has any value to you or not - thought I would share in the event it is helpful.

New for 2015 we measured the length of all of the boat waves at Southern Surfest. We were very surprised how varied the results were. Thank you to Shawn Wright of Brigade Wakesurfing for being the official measurement person! To qualify the results, they were taken on the same lake, in the same area, same group of people and using the same method during each round. Both the regular and goofy sides were measured and if the boat had a wake adjusting system we measured the mellow setting and the steep settings. We also had the driver keep the same speed setting when the surfers were out on the water so they couldn't manipulate the results (many wanted to speed up!!). From this we took the longest wave measured. Only one boat had a a large variation so we are noting it on our results (and the MasterCraft X20 was not measured due to schedule goof up).
1. 2015 Nautique G23: 23' 8"
2. 2015 Supreme S226: 23' 4"
3. 2015 Centurion FS33: 21' 4"
4. 2015 Axis A24: 20' 6"
5. 2015 MasterCraft X23 Goofy Side: 19' 8"
6. 2015 Supra SE550: 18' 1"
7. 2015 Malibu 23 LSV: 17' 8"
8. 2015 Moomba Mojo (w auto flow): 17' 3"
8. 2015 Tige Z1 (w AVX): 17' 3"
9. 2015 MasterCraft X23 Regular Side: 16' 8"

**Booms** · 05-12-2015, 03:52 PM

Originally posted by Dandy View Post

I found this information on another boat forum. A couple of the brands and even boat you are considering are listed. Not sure if this has any value to you or not - thought I would share in the event it is helpful.

New for 2015 we measured the length of all of the boat waves at Southern Surfest. We were very surprised how varied the results were. Thank you to Shawn Wright of Brigade Wakesurfing for being the official measurement person! To qualify the results, they were taken on the same lake, in the same area, same group of people and using the same method during each round. Both the regular and goofy sides were measured and if the boat had a wake adjusting system we measured the mellow setting and the steep settings. We also had the driver keep the same speed setting when the surfers were out on the water so they couldn't manipulate the results (many wanted to speed up!!). From this we took the longest wave measured. Only one boat had a a large variation so we are noting it on our results (and the MasterCraft X20 was not measured due to schedule goof up).
1. 2015 Nautique G23: 23' 8"
2. 2015 Supreme S226: 23' 4"
3. 2015 Centurion FS33: 21' 4"
4. 2015 Axis A24: 20' 6"
5. 2015 MasterCraft X23 Goofy Side: 19' 8"
6. 2015 Supra SE550: 18' 1"
7. 2015 Malibu 23 LSV: 17' 8"
8. 2015 Moomba Mojo (w auto flow): 17' 3"
8. 2015 Tige Z1 (w AVX): 17' 3"
9. 2015 MasterCraft X23 Regular Side: 16' 8"

Dandy - I was at that event. I can tell you first hand that no-one liked the Supreme or X20 bump. The centurion was nice but heavily listed. Our favorite bumps were the G23, X23 and our favorite wave was the Z1. We thought the longest bump was behind the Axis as we were further away from the boat then any other.
Most of the boats except for the Z1 and the X23 had thousands of pounds over stock. The G23 had at least 1,100lbs over stock; the Supra was close to 2,500 lbs over stock. From what I heard the same website is going to post the boats individual setup and ballast over stock. That will tell the overall story. I wish they would also state that the Z1 did not have to fill up fuel multiple times through out the day like the others did.

**Z3CO23** · 05-12-2015, 08:52 PM

Originally posted by Booms View Post

Dandy - I was at that event. I can tell you first hand that no-one liked the Supreme or X20 bump. The centurion was nice but heavily listed. Our favorite bumps were the G23, X23 and our favorite wave was the Z1. We thought the longest bump was behind the Axis as we were further away from the boat then any other.
Most of the boats except for the Z1 and the X23 had thousands of pounds over stock. The G23 had at least 1,100lbs over stock; the Supra was close to 2,500 lbs over stock. From what I heard the same website is going to post the boats individual setup and ballast over stock. That will tell the overall story. I wish they would also state that the Z1 did not have to fill up fuel multiple times through out the day like the others did.

The event coordinators posted the overall ratings of all the boats based on attendee reviews on Facebook. They claim that every category that was rated was figured into the final number and the Z1 was rated toward the bottom of all boats. This just shows you, boats are just like any other product. There's tons of bias based on brand and personal preference. All these boats are great...... just depends on what makes ya warm and fuzzy.

**boardman74** · 05-12-2015, 10:06 PM

^^I don't doubt that at all. Having ran new Tige's for 3 seasons and worked at the dealership I can tell you without a doubt the Z1 is my least favorite hull in the line up. Don't care for it at all. Judging from the lack of 2014 sales on them and the fact that almost all the 2013's sold were either sold or traded by their owners(none for new Z1's) I don't think I'm the only one.

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