Best Crossover Boat?

[Donnieb]

20i

Hi FIC. Thanks for the info. I'm trying to see if Tige has any V-Drives that are certified (not direct drives). That's what made me think the SV 211 is such a special boat (since it's a V-Drive). Do you know if any of their V-Drives are certified?

Thanks.
Don

[dogbert]

A couple of guys I know that ride a lot are saying that the 22Ve has a better slalom wake than the 22i.

[FIC]

I dont believe any of the Tiges V drives is certified however ,the unique feature of Tige boats is there hull is the same v drive or direct so if the i performance is good I think you will find the V to be equal , I personally found them to perform the same , I have run the slalunm at 22 off 31mph with no problem. Dom@ Fortes Inboard Connection.

[Moki]

Originally posted by Donnieb
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the feedback. Keep it coming



Hi Moki! This is one option I'm looking at -- putting a diamond cut hull on the Wakesetter. Malibu has a diamond cut hull that is brand new for 07, and it's supposed to be better than the one they use on their tournament certified Response LXi ski boat. How does your neighbor like his boat?

Donnie B,
He really likes it, he likes it so much that he wishes he could buy the local dealership!

[Donnieb]

I'm getting a lot of feedback on other forums that the quality of a Tige isn't quite up to a Malibu, CC or MC. Thoughts on that?

Thanks.
Donnieb

[Tanner]

What forum are you looking at, and what boat do those people that are telling you that own? Remember that anyone who owns a boat is gonna say they have the best brand. Then you have the people that don't own a boat, but their dad's cousin's, friend's, uncle owns Brand X and says Brand Y is crap b/c his is the best. So take what you hear on forums w/ a HUGE grain of salt. Sticking w/ talking to owners and get their positives and their negatives. Then compare those. If they say there are no negatives, then disregard EVERYTHING they've told you b/c there's not a boat out there that the owner wouldn't change at least one thing.

All three are great boats, and everyone has their preference. Some say that the Malibu's fit and finish is the best out there, I didn't think it was all that great personally. I actually preferred the Tige's. As for the CC, well, no doubt about it, great boat. I still chose the Tige after a rough water comparison... not to mention I HATEEEEE their layouts and their freeboard sucks. The Mastercrafts, well another great boat... just wasn't for me. I hated their pod guages. I know I know, something trivial, but if I was gonna spend another 15-20K more over the Tige I better love every inch of the boat. Test drive all of them, in rough water if you can. That will help you decide. There's a reason why Tige has a 98% closing ratio on the water .... and yes I was one of those 98%

Here's is something that speaks alot to me though... I borrowed this from our gallery here, but find another boat w/ any point this thick! And yes it is a good thing.

[Moki]

Originally posted by Donnieb
I'm getting a lot of feedback on other forums that the quality of a Tige isn't quite up to a Malibu, CC or MC. Thoughts on that?

Thanks.
Donnieb

I honestly think that is a line that they tell themselves because they paid so much more for their boats.

[Donnieb]

Does anyone know how many wakeboard/ski boats Tige sells each year? How many Malibu sells? Nautique? Mastercraft?

Thanks.
DonnieB

[Tanner]

Donnie should that really be a factor when your dealing w/ the large companies that have been around for a while and have a proven track record?

Bu sells the most, then Mastercraft, then not sure how things fall from there.

[FIC]

They sell more Ford Taurus's then Mercedes , would you rather drive a Taurus or a Mercedes. Dom@ Fortes Inboard Connection

[mtnsmith]

With the numbers of being sold, a big factor of that has been Tige's ability to supply. Until recently they just did not have the production facility to keep up with the huge numbers of the other three. If you consider that Tige only has something like 80 dealers world wide, I'd say those dealers are doing a pretty darn good job getting the product out there. I can say that the solid feel on the water of the Tige beats all others. A few layout things like the seats not being hinged and the ski pylon not retracting are as stated before, trivial. The on the fly adjustability with the TAPS system really set in on my test drive and that made us one of the 98% to be closed after a test drive, we really weren't even looking for a boat but my dealers willingness to simply "drop the boat in" and let me even board behind it sold us. The boat we traded in was only 1 year old, a sea ray so it was not even comparable for wakeboarding. If rough water is in your future definitely run the boats in rough water or make your own rough water to go through. Don't let them have the ballast full when trying to sell you on the smooth ride since you won't be cruising with the ballast full. That will always make the boat ride a little smoother as you pound through some chop.

[Moki]

Originally posted by FIC
They sell more Ford Taurus's then Mercedes , would you rather drive a Taurus or a Mercedes. Dom@ Fortes Inboard Connection

Very good point!

[laketime]

the reason mc and bu can sell for so much more is becouse people who have more money than they know what to do with are going to buy the most expensive boat they can without doing research. there's a fam in my neighberhood that bought a spanky new x-star at our boat show. it was a total impolse buy. they have used it twice this whole year and only tubed and they can somehow say they have the best boat cuz they payed the most yet they dont even know what they have. price is a status thing. not saying i wouldnt take that x-star cuz i would. but dont buy somthing becouse you just can. buy it for your needs.

[Donnieb]

Originally posted by Tanner


Here's is something that speaks alot to me though... I borrowed this from our gallery here, but find another boat w/ any point this thick! And yes it is a good thing.

Hi Tanner. Quick question...is the thickness really a good thing? Obviously it makes the hull stronger, but it also makes the Tige much heavier. The pros are that a Tige can kick up a bigger wakeboard wake without ballasts and will likely work better in rough water. The cons...it will likely create a larger ski wake, right? Or does the TAPs system really take care of the wake?

Thanks.
Donnieb

[dogbert]

Originally posted by Donnieb
Hi Tanner. Quick question...is the thickness really a good thing? Obviously it makes the hull stronger, but it also makes the Tige much heavier. The pros are that a Tige can kick up a bigger wakeboard wake without ballasts and will likely work better in rough water. The cons...it will likely create a larger ski wake, right? Or does the TAPs system really take care of the wake?

Thanks.
Donnieb

If you want the best ski wake, get a 19' or less tournament ski boat or an older Tige FSLM Comp (pretty much the same thing).

Otherwise, the Tige hull construction is always a good thing. Aside from the weight, it's also not going to fall apart or flex like less well constructed boats. I like the fact that most everything on my Tige is over-engineered.

Rough water handling is also a function of hull design. The convex V hull of my boat is like a huge rocker that works with TAPS to adjust wake shape and ride.