Need advice on 20V or 22Ve vs Malibu and Sanger

[purepet]

Our typical outing will be four adults, four kids and a 70 lb chocolate lab. We plan to use the boat for wakeboarding, wakesurfing and tubing. We have no plans to become competition wakeboarders. We want a boat that handles incredibly well and will turn on a dime. My wife and kids want a boat that will ride comfortably in choppy water conditions.
For our situation, would you recommend the 20V or 22Ve? My goal is to go as small as possible without sacrificing comfort and storage.

I have narrowed my search to the Tige, Malibu and Sanger. Have any of you tested the Malibu and Sanger in the 20 to 22 ft range? How does it compare to the Tige 20V and 22Ve? The Sanger and Tige are about the same price while the Malibu is about $1 to 2K more with similar options and size of boat. I look forward to your advice as I narrow my search and begin a test ride.

All of the dealers are telling me that I will get the best price if I buy before the end of the year. They claim that they will raise their minimum prices after Jan 1st. Do you agree that this is typically the case? If yes, I will buy now even though I will not be using the boat much until winter is over.

This will be my first boat purchase. My kids are finally enjoying going out on our friend’s boats.

Thanks,
Future Boat Owner

[chpthril]

Based on your post, I'd say you dont currently own a boat.

All of the Tiges are going to ride more comfortable, handle chop better that any of the others of the same size. Tiges are typically heavier and have a deeper free board ( deeper floor, higher sides) and this adds to the comfort and safety of a Tige. When you sit in a Tige, it is a more natural position, when you sit in some of the others, your knees are above your hips and, to me, becomes uncomfortable after awhile.

Talk about versatility, these boats do it all.....and do it all very well. The wakeboard wakes are great, and get better with weight. The surf wakes are phenomenal. Before anyone tells you you cant pull tubes, don't listen you can, with no problems. Felling like spending the day on the water cruising, go ahead, you wont come off the water feeling beat up like some of the competition.

Tige has a 3yr bow to stern warranty. 3yrs on the MP engine. Lifetime on hull.

Now that I've sold you on Tige, pick the one that fits your family best. My go with the 22Ve know and you wont come down with twofootidis for at least a few years. Both have great storage, just more room to sit 8 peeps and a dog in a 22Ve. Same engine options are available (go with the 340hp), Most other options are available on all models. Oh ya, did you think to look at the new Z1

Bottom line, my wife was sold after she rode in a Tige, cant beat the comfort Water test all that you are interested in and choose the one that fits you the best. Good luck.

[Ks]

Hi Purepet,

Welcome to Tigeowners.

I was pretty much in your shoes last year when I entered the Tournament boat world. I looked at a lot of different boats and decided on the 22VE boat over all the others. It simply fit my family's needs ( very similar to yours) and I can tell you, we have not looked back! No regret!

I really suggest putting the sales pitches in the back of your mind and go with your gut feeling. Some dealers choose to promote their product by bad mouthing there competition. So go to as many test drives as you can and you will see what suites you personally.

For me it was the ride and handling of the Tige line of boats compared to the others, ( the others to me, somehow just sounded hollow, when hitting waves or going through chop) The Tige is solid and it sounds solid! safety was the big thing for us, combined with the awesome sports car handling the 22VE had. The taps is great for a variety of sports. You very might well want the ballast in the future ( we all seem to gravitate towards it ) as it makes a awesome boat a even better boat for surfing or boarding if that is the direction your family goes. I like having it as a option, you don't need it to start but can always add it later if you need to.

Storage is great, lots of room. The 22VE has the extra small storage spaces on the transom, to me this is a + because it gives you a place for small items that you will use regularly and might need access to quickly.

The 20V is very popular, but then again so is the 22VE.

Have fun and I hope this helps.

Take care and happy boating.

[talltigeguy]

The interior room and the higher freeboard are better by far on the Tige. The rough water ride is better as well. The 22Ve is a spectacular boat for all of your needs. Obviously I am tall, and found having my knees around my ears in those other boats to be a major downside. The malibu has a little higher freeboard, but not as good as the Tige for keeping the dog and little ones inside the boat where they belong.

Dealer is important. They just want to catch you while you are hot and while they are not selling any boats. In February, they will tell you the same thing for boat show prices, then in the spring you better get in before the number of orders increase, then in the summer you better get in before the next model year price increase..........................To be honest, I don't know when the best deal is, because it is every time you try to buy a boat according to the salesperson. My gut feeling is that I am seeing some of the lowest prices of the year right now. I think the dealer that is going to offer the best support is very important, because if you have any problems with your expensive toy, you will need service, and most of us do at some point or another.

Chpthrl,
how do you suggest he hook up his tubes on a 22Ve?

[chpthril]

.

Chpthrl,
how do you suggest he hook up his tubes on a 22Ve?

Pylon, baby all day long.

[wakeOC07]

new boat owner,
i just recently purchased a 07' 20v. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! Ive been in centurions, new nautiques, malibus, my 20v rides the best. handles the chop with out one rattle! my dealer has been nothing but a huge help (tige watersports, corona ca) with the millions of questions ive asked, along with this website! it seems to me that when i bought my tige, i not only bought a well built and thought out piece of machinery, i got another family!!!!!! HONESTLY, as far as im concerned, the best puchase ive ever made!!!!
good luck,
wake!

[Big Wave]

We bought our first wake boat (24ve) in July and love it. We upgraded from an 18' IO and were planning on a 22ve. after talking to people and looking at a ton of boats, we decided that we may not need or want the extra 2 feet now, but it could be nice later. We were right, it turned out to be nice now.
We boat on Lake Mead which can get rough at times. With the wife, 2 boys, 4 freinds and our 80 lb black lab, the boat handles the chop vary well and always feels stable and secure.
When it comes to buying a boat, always go with the larger of the sizes you are considering. Most boat buying regret comes from "I wish I had gone a little bigger"
Test drive all you can and don't let anyone rush your decision.
Good luck

[yllw20]

go w/the 22 with 8 peeps on a norm and a dog the 20 wont be big enough to be comfortable. I suggest you ride them all....and pick the one that suits you and your family the best.....ps when you test drive make sure you have your normal crew...probably minus the dog as dont think a dealer would let you. and your gear. see where it will all go and how you can move around w/8 in the boat.
good luck and hope you are part of the family soon.

[bk3104]

I think you'll find any 20' boat crowded with 8 people on board, especially when switching riders etc. And the dog will take up significant space somewhere. Our 80lb golden takes over the bow area while moving and wants to jump in and "rescue" the boarders when we stop.

As everyone else has said you won't beat the Tige for rough water ride. I tested the 22VE, 24 VE, MC X30 and Nautique 226 before deciding. Tige flexibility (we board, ski, and tube) along with fuel economy and handling were key decision factors along with a dealer I had previous experience with.

VE transom makes getting in and out of gear very easy and the storage compartments come in very handy for ropes, gloves, boot goop etc.

I agree with Tall ... if the dealer has the boat you want then time of year doesn't seem to impact price that much. From what I have seen there are not many "incentives" to dealers on wake boats vs IO's around boat shows. You will get a better price on a leftover 07.

Drive all the ones you are serious about and decide. Make sure you get all them in rough water and do some higher speed tight turning. Then go with what your happy with.

Good luck

[laserfish]

Like all the guys have said, the rough water ride is like no other. When we test drove, the sanger and moomba guys wouldn't even go out, said it was too rough. The Tige guy said come on, you won't get a better rough water ride. He was right, and we pulled it home that day. Handles like a sports car too. Throws the best unweighted wake you will find, and pulls tubes great. Drive them all, I know which you will buy.

[Razzman]

I'll give you a bit of insight on the Sanger V215 21.5". I've spent a lot of time in my buddies over the last two years to include driving the boat many, many times. They are very well made boats and handle extemely well for a V-drive. In fact they were called "the V-drive that handles like a Direct Drive" by Waterski Magazine. The Merc Black Scorpion 330 hp motor is the only way to go with the Sanger.

Having a DD boat myself i can attest to that as the V215 is a blast to drive and smooth as glass in all the conditions i've been in with it. I've never been in a Tigé 22ve so i can't give you a comparison, i'll leave that to the guys that have them.

I don't know where you live but here in mid California an extremely well equipped Tigé 22ve goes for about $60K while the same in the Sanger V215 is around $50K, Sangers new V237 can be had for around $60K and it's an honest 23" and enormous. Hope that helps you out a bit, whichever you choose you can't go wrong as they are both very well made boats. Drive 'em all, you'll know when you've found the right one for you. Good luck

[maximus2003]

Purepet,
I might as well throw my two cents in as I did the same comparison as you are doing, a couple of months ago. I was comparing the 20V, BU VTX, & the Naut 211 because I needed a 20 footer in order to store it in my garage. If garage storage is not an issue for you then your options are endless interms of size of boat. I also stayed in the 20 foot class because we ski and wanted a boat that could still give us a great ski wake but then could also amp up to a wakeboard wake when we were boarding. As far as rough water ride goes, you cannot compare tige to BU. It's like comparing riding over train tracks in a 4x4 truck with 33" tires to riding over train tracks in a pair of rollerblades. The tige wins hands down. And as everyone has said, the way you sit down inside a tige makes it much safer. The Nautique dealer made our decision easier, by never bringing in a boat to test drive, so we quickly tossed them aside. I really liked the VTX. The finishing is awesome, the bling factor is great on them, but in the end, here in Canada the price difference between an '08 VTX and an '08 20V with basically the same options(minus the obvious differences ie, taps vs. wedge) was about 16K. So the saving alone on the tige was huge. Then there was the dealer factor. Our local tige dealer made a huge difference to me. With my tige it was, "here is the boat with everything you want in it to get it to the lake right now and here is the price". With Bu it was, "here is the boat hull, now lets start adding a trailer, paint job, tower, speakers, cruise, pop-up cleats, swim grid and so on. Needless to say the price flys up fast. With the BU dealer, it was, "hey if you don't like the price, someone else will buy it!" Well that boat is still at his dealership four months later. Whatever you decide, for a 1st boat, you won't go wrong with any tow boat. Just drive them all and decide what suits you best. Best of Luck!

[purepet]

Thanks everyone for your replys. You have been very helpful. It was interesting to note that the Malibu and Nautique dealers quickly dismissed the Tige as good competition. The Tige dealer warned me about this and suggested that I poll this forum for their feedback. The Sanger dealer seems to be more like the Tige dealer. Thanks to your inputs, I have narrowed my search to the 22Ve and the Sanger. I will schedule a test drive on both of these boats.

I belong to a similar owners group with my motorhome which has been very helpful. I can already see that the Tige owners group will be a big benefit by providing a wealth of knowledge.

Regards,
Purepet

[R&T Babich]

I have narrowed my search to the 22Ve and the Sanger. I will schedule a test drive on both of these boats.

We went thru the decision process last year. We had an 18' I/O and our friends had bought a new '04 21' Malibu Wakesetter. We usually have 7-10 (3 kids - 11, 12 & 14 and friends) in the boat and were looking for something used in the 2000-2002 range. We checked out an '02 Sanger V210, but didn't even drive it, the freeboard was too low. Took the Malibu factory tour. Looked at several 21' BUs and Tiges and ended buying a 2000 21V. Can't imagine getting a smaller one. Impressions of the '04 BU vs our 21V - overall layout, drivetrain & handling are similar, the Tige rides smoother in rough water, the BU upholstery/carpet are better quality. Equipment storage is great - we keep all the ropes, 2 wakeboards, 2 kneeboards, 3 sets of double skis, 1 single ski and 2 large tubes in the lockers. Length for storage wasn't an issue. I do all my own repairs so dealer access wasn't an issue. Both of us have added Perfect Pass and we agree - don't go out without it.
Good luck with the test drives and let us know what you get.

[ragboy]

Thanks everyone for your replys. You have been very helpful. It was interesting to note that the Malibu and Nautique dealers quickly dismissed the Tige as good competition. The Tige dealer warned me about this and suggested that I poll this forum for their feedback. The Sanger dealer seems to be more like the Tige dealer. Thanks to your inputs, I have narrowed my search to the 22Ve and the Sanger. I will schedule a test drive on both of these boats.

I belong to a similar owners group with my motorhome which has been very helpful. I can already see that the Tige owners group will be a big benefit by providing a wealth of knowledge.

Regards,
Purepet

My brother and a close friend, that I boat with all the time have Sangers. They are good boats, but if you plan on doing ANY surfing, get the Ve, hands down. If you don't surf, most likely, you WILL once you try it. Do not underestimate how dissapointed you will feel if you get a boat, that doesn't do well surfing. The sanger has a very low freeboard, and tuff to get a decent surf wake. On my friends, when he weights it down to get a decent wake, water actually rolls over the vinyl on his rear sun deck on the listed side. The 22Ve will be worth the extra money, and you will love the versatility and fuel economy of the Tige. Wakeboard, Skiing, Surfing, I truly don't think there is another boat that can do all 3 as well, and still give you 6 gallons per hour of fuel economy.