tige pre2002 wt slalom wake

[Tsumi]

Currently looking to get a 97-98 Tige Pre 2002 WT to replace our Gekko GTR-22. The Gekko just takes water over the bow way too easily: two people sitting in front causes it to take water over the bow just from decelerating and it constantly takes water over the back from deceleration as well. Since we also Air Chair in the afternoon when the water gets rougher, having the TAPS system should help smooth out the rough water ride, but my main concern is the slalom wake. How is the slalom wake on these boats, and how do they compare to a Response LX with the Diamond hull? The reason why I'm looking at the Pre 2002 is because it has the walk-thru open bow, as we didn't really like the climb-over design of the GTR-22, and the LX is a climb-over design. I know Water Ski mag gave the Pre 2002 glowing reviews, but there's no direct comparison between the Response LX and the 2002.

Also, what about the 99-2001 21i?

Thanks in advance!

[Ruger761]

Even 2002 WT and the 21i can take water over the bow if you have too much weight in the bow or hit your wake wrong picking up your rider. And its not that hard to do it. Far as the slalom wake goes get above 30 and they are pretty flat depending on how much weight you have in the boat. Cant help you on the Response wake though. TAPs isnt really there to smooth out rough water, its more of a wake shaper.

[Tsumi]

If you have ever seen the Gekko design, the bow literally sits ~4 inches above the water with no one in front. I realize that any boat can take water over the front in the right conditions, but taking water over the front while decelerating in perfectly smooth conditions simply due to two 140 lbs adults in the front is plain ridiculous. Not to mention the constant taking water over the rear if you're not careful during deceleration.

Raising the TAPS to allow it to sit deeper in the water in Air Chair speeds (18-26 MPH) should reduce some of the bounces, no? I'm not looking for a deep-V ride or a semi-V ride of the newer Tiges, as they're mostly out of my budget range anyways. Speaking of newer Tiges... there is an 05 Tige 20i that's been sitting on CL for a while, they're currently down to $18,500. Problem is there's no ski pylon. I know the 20i won't match the Response LX in terms of wake, but for the right price I would consider it, as it's probably not any worse than the Gekko wake. What would you say is a good price for it? They claim the interior is only 2 years old.

[Ruger761]

Only time I've seen a Gekko was out of the water.

Haven't ever rode a Air Chair so can't seek on how rough water does on it but I can't board on rough water too hard on knees. Taps will increase and decrease size of wake basically by adjusting how the bow rides in the water. Taps down (ski mode) pushes the bow down, decreasing size of wake. Taps up (wakeboard mode) lets the bow come up more increasing size of wake. That's why I say it's more of a wake shaper. Far as slalom wake most d-drives will be better than a v-drive.

Price all depends on condition, hrs, and location. An 05 listed for $18 sounds like it has issues or just a really motivated seller in my opinion

[jslayde1]

Tsumi,

I have a 2000 22i you might be interested in. PM sent.

[Joeprunc]

I own a 1995 2000 SLM Comp (much like the 2002) and regularly ski behind a 2006 Reponse LX barefoot edition. The owner of the Respone had a 1997 2002 Tige, a 2001 20i Tige and now is RLX.

I'll go thru your questions:
Tiges have the same low bow, and low freeboard. You will take water over the bow if you are not careful (I've never been in a Gekko so i can't exactly compare). Since we have a closed bow we don't have an additional 300-400 lbs in the bow that you could with an open bow. We never have issues taking water over the bow when slowing down, I'm sure with people up front this could be a concern. I do take water over the back when a slammed wakeboard boat, yacht, or wake surfer rolls by in close proximity and I can't maneuver the boat around in time.

The RLX sits much higher, but with one or two people up front the bow gets dangerously low to taking on water at idle speeds. So I'd assume you would have similar issue with bow dunking, but not as bad as the gekko or Tige.

The ski wake. What do you ski: rope length, and speed, open water or course. I'm a 15' offer learning the course, and I love the Tige wake better than the RLX, I would actually put it up near the quality of a S/N196 (but the Tige has a bit of a rooster tail at 22'). People tell me that the barefoot edition RLX wake for skiing sux, so I may not be comparing apples. The RLX wake is square and very flat between the two wakes. The Tige has a more gradual wake with it being the tallest right behind the boat. The RLX wake seems to be quite firmer than the Tige wake, and more abrupt. The RLX also has a much larger gas tank (35 gallons I think), so with a full tank of gas, that wake is a bit brutal in my eyes. The Tige tank is only (22 or 23 gal). I've heard the RLX wake is amazing, but I'm not impressed with the barefoot edition RLX wake, there is a scarpa plate on the back which I think we can adjust to make the ski wake a bit better, but since its not my boat we haven't done any experimenting. If you are running short lines, -35' or less, in the course the spray from the Tige becomes an issue (I'm not skiing at these lengths, but some of the guys in the club mention it).

The Tige handles much more like a Ferrari, where the RLX still handles good, but I feel like there is a lot more body roll in the RLX when turning hard. The RLX tracks thru the course much much better than the Tige with someone skiing -35'. We don't have a TAPS system, so I'm not sure if it would help rough water rides, but the RLX is much much better in rough water, you can also get a wedge to make a larger wake for foiling.

The RLX seems smaller inside than the Tige (probably because I don't have a ski locker like the RLX). I love my boat, but my next boat will be an RLXI 2003-2006.

The owner of the RLX comments constantly how he wishes he kept his Tige 2002, but he traded it in with 1800 hours on the motor. I'm not sure why he mentions that, maybe its because of the payments on his new boat, maybe its the memories, or maybe its he likes the ski wake better on the Tige. The had a 20i and hated the ski wake, he only had that boat for a few years before getting the RLX. He is now looking for an RLXI because he likes the walk thru front bow, and less crammed captains area.

[Tsumi]

Thanks for your input!

I'm an open water slalom skiier, starting at 34 mph 15 off. So I'm nowhere near professional levels, as I was actually skiing behind a I/O on a combo ski until ~1.5 years ago. It wasn't until we met a real slalom skiier that we were told we were doing it wrong, lol. My mom also longline double skis at 34 mph, so a good longline wake would be a major plus as well.

It's interesting you say spray is an issue at 35 off, the guys at water ski mag say that there is virtually no spray into 41 off.

The guys over on the Malibu forum say that the Scarpa Suppression Plate only makes the wake a little bit harder. Perhaps you can ask your friend to try it out without the SSP?

At this point, I'm mostly debating between waiting for a 97-98 Tige Pre 2002 and a 99-2000 Malibu Response LX, as these are the only boats that pop up that are within our budget (trying to keep it under $12k) and suit our needs for an open bow. I would prefer the walk-thru of the 2002, but we could deal with the climb-over for the LX.

I wish I could afford a Response LXI, or even the new TXIs.

[Joeprunc]

There are four Response LX boats in our club, everyone loves them (I haven't skied behind them, but have ridden in them). If I had to get one of the two boats, I would not hesitate to go either way. I don't like the interior of the older Responses, I think it was 1999 that they changed it up and kept thru at least 2006 (so your 1999-2000 is great for the RLX, because it has the new interior, but older gel coat).

With an open bow you aren't going to really want anymore than one person up front, these boat ride low and will take water over if you aren't careful. If you ski the winter or colder days, the LX would be my option as keeping the cabin warm keeps the driver (my wife) happy. Not sure if the Tige has a wind screen or one could be made.

Start looking at boats without the full intention of purchasing. Just to see what you get for your price point, sometimes pictures are very deceptive. The more you look at the more you will be confident at the boat you finally bring home. My first priority in getting a boat would be finding a boat & trailer that has been well taken care of, one that has EFI, one that has perfect pass. And upgraded ACME or OJ brass prop would be a big bonus too. With the older Tiges they had wood stringers and floors (completely fiberglassed and sealed), but if a boat was neglected by the owner there could be issues with the wood. My boat is nearing 20 years old and looks beautiful, and no issues with soft spots anywhere.

Can't comment on the long line wake. But if she is double skiing and she is use to an I/O any DD boat will be leaps and bounds better. Not sure about the spray comment, that's just what I've heard, I have a long way to go before I'm at that point. It may be more of a visual issue, not physically getting hit by the spray. I don't want to bother my friend to remove the Scarpa plate, he likes to barefoot every now and again, so I'd rather not screw with it.

One other thing, not that it matters but Tige didn't get AWSA Approval until 2001, the Response LX has been approved since 1996.

[Joeprunc]

And here is what the wake of the Tige looks like at 34 mph @ -15'
IMG_7908.jpg

[Tsumi]

Thanks for your response!

Yeah, I am definitely taking my time with this, as our Gekko is still a good ski boat, with the 330 Mercruiser Black Scorpion engine. Just looking for something that is better, that's all.

I've got a long ways to go as well, I'm only at 15 off and haven't truly skied a course yet, just open water skiing. Tulloch Lake (where I ski at) does not have any ski courses.

I heard the reason why Tiges (at least the 1996 and later models) didn't get AWSA certification was because part of the certification at the time required a static hull, and TAPS made it a non-static hull.

[Jackson]

I'm a little late to this discussion, but I have a 1999 2200i and water ski on the orange loop at 22' off @ 32mph. And I agree with everyone else here, TAPs only shapes the wake. The wake behind my boat looks exactly like the picture above and I cross over right at the point the wake lines make the "X". My buddy skied a Centurion for years and loves skiing behind my boat.

As far as the bow, I have an open bow, and yes, in rough water, easy to swamp it. Sometimes I do it on purpose for the kids. Other times, I turn too hard to pick up my skiier and swamp over my own wake. You get used to it, but I would certainly say, my boat does best in early morning smooth water. It's not an afternoon, choppy water type of boat.

[Tsumi]

Isn't Tige's claim to fame with TAPS is that it can adjust both size and shape?

I know it's easy to swamp the front bow when not being careful. Heck, my friend's dad did it in his Maristar 210 with two people sitting in the bow when he turned around to pick up the skiier. I do try to avoid doing power turns, but even just idling over my own wakes will cause water to come over the bow on the Gekko. And as I've said before, the most ridiculous thing is water coming over the back during sudden deceleration and water coming over the front with two people sitting in front during deceleration, even in mirror water.