Engine for 22i?

[firemangr82b1]

Im looking at purchasing an '05 Tige 22i, anyone have any recommendations/or advice as to what size engine to get??

[jeffro]

i got to test drive a 2005 22v with the GM Vortec 340 HP motor...

it had plenty of power, even when weighted it pulled out of the hole as if the weight wasn't there (compared to the Merc 315 hp).

now i know the 22v had synchrotec (gear reduction), but that 340 HP GM motor was strong, and i'm sure would be plenty in a 22i. (i've driven 22v, 22i, and currently own a 21i with the 315hp).

[firemangr82b1]

22i engine

Thanks, I will try the 340hp if I can get a test drive at a dealership, L

[mmartin]

I have a '04 22I with the larger engine. We weight it down with 1600 lbs. of ballast and usaully have at least 6 people on-board. I could not imagine getting out of the hole with the 315hp Merc. The larger motor is worth the money.

[firemangr82b1]

Thanks, mmartin thats exactly what I wanted to know, im assuming you have the 340hp?

[jeffro]

but, just to show you how powerful the 315 is...

i have a 21i that we add about 1500-2000 lbs of ballast in, it planes without a problem...(sure it takes a little longer than without ballast, but when weighted properly and using taps, it's realy not an issue).

just fyi.

but, more power is ALWAYS good.

[firemangr82b1]

RE: 21i

How do you like your 21i? I have two young kids and want to teach them both H2O skiing and wake boarding and possibly the new surfing stuff. Were looking for an all around boat that does it all, thats why I like the 22i, seems it might give us a lot of both sports and im an avid skiier, but would also like to learn the wake boarding stuff (liitle easier on the old body). Does the 22i sound like the "all" around boat for us? I like the width of the boat and the seating design and also its a little deeper for the kids safety. Ive skiied behind Master crafts, centurions and a few natiques, which are nice, but wanted something that was kind of an all around boat, with some safety features for the kids...Let me know what you think, Thanks L

[Tige22ityper]

I have a 22i with the 315 Merc. Fantastic fmily boat! My kids are 2 and 5 and the seating is great! We slalom, board and surf with it. When it is just the me and the guys on the lake, I throw anywhere from 700 to 1300 lbs of ballast in it, and it pulls just fine. Out of the hole might be a little slow with 1300 lbs, but not to where I really care. If the 340hp is available, I would take it, but I would also consider the price it costs above the 315.

Unless you are really going to carry tons of weight in the boat most of the time, I would not be sure it is worth the extra money. Even without the ballast the 22i has a great boarding wake. In my case, 80% of the time I am out with the family, and we don't weight the boat down. Just my .02

[Steve France]

I had a 2001 22i with a 315hp motor. Never a problem with not having enough power. I test drove a 2005 340hp 22i limited addition a month ago and it has plenty of power. If you are looking for a new or used 22i Ski Hut in Nashville has two. My old 2001 and a new 2005 can be seen at skihut.com under new and used boats. Lee at Ski Hut could offer additional advice. You will be very pleased with the 22i...........Seating is great for watching the kids.....and the "old guys" too!

[firemangr82b1]

Thanks Steve, I appreciate the info, am going to try to demo a few with different size engines to see what I like, thanks again for your info, L

[Flying Tiger]

I have the 22iR with the 315 HP.
The fuel burn is excellent, sounds teriffic.

I'd like more power because ya feel it when ya have a boat full of people, especially 200 lb boys with their girlfriends. and a wakeboarder in tow.

Most Tige' dealers are very good about test drives.
The So Cal dealer the test drives are more like instructional demos,, and ya really learn a lot.
I did.

[Paul Robertson]

315 Merc = Big No!

From my perspective the 315 Merc is a great engine - when it works.

This may be isolated because this is normally a tried & true small block, but my 20i has had to be towed, to the trailer, at least four times. Twice for fuel injector related, once ignition and once for PTO problems.

The last was the real kicker, make sure your warranty papres are in order if you're dealing with Mercury Marine. The boat is a 20i and has never seen ballast, (converted slalom skier & Luv boarding, but just not that good). When the tranny let go my dealer had trouble with Mercury. I'm off the water for almost 6 weeks, (that won't seem like a lot to you Texas folks, but in Canada that's almost the gawl dang summer).

Mercury tries to claim user abuse and rebuilds the tranny. Now I have tranny fluid all over my bilge and a sick feeling that I've only deferred footing the bill for a new tranny. Rest assured the boat has been properly maintained and driven.

Moral: If you can get the extra grunt of the 340 and not have to cope with Merc' --- Go for it!!!!

[firemangr82b1]

Thanks for the heads up, I was leaning towards the 340hp engine anyway, but appreciate everyones experience, (good or bad) before I buy one, Thanks L

[Paublo]

I had a 2001 21i with the 315 hp Merc and now have a 2004 22V with the 335 hp Marine Power. I never had any major problems with the Merc but am aware of many who have. There can always be a problem, it is how it gets taken care of that makes the difference. In this area Mercruiser has to be the worst out there.

Marine Power is a smaller company that seems to be very service orientated. I had a question about replacing a couple of engines on a houseboat and my dealer picked up the phone and talked to the president of Marine Power. He was accessible, helpful, and willing to go the extra mile for a customer. We ended up going another route, but will consider them again in the future.

If you really look closely at the difference in the motors, there is very little. Every block comes the same from GM. Merc, Indmar, PCM, MP may paint and put a little different trim (exhaust manifold, water pump, etc.) on their motor. Much of the electronics- computers are shared between mfgrs. I heard that one of the bigger reasons for Tige offering other motors was that Merc wouldn't raise their hp ratings. Merc was being conservative while every year Indmar would leave the hp rating to Malibu- which raised the hp by 5, three years in a row without making any change beside the sticker on the motor. Don't get caught believing all the numbers you read. For example, what did Marine Power do from 2004 to 2005 to raise the hp from 335 to 340?

I had a choice this last time and tried the Marine Power. So far it has been flawless. If PCM wasn't such a premium, I would have tried that. I would just stay away from Merc. I have never heard anyone say that they were helpful, responded quickly, or liked dealing with them.

[firemangr82b1]

Thank You!!, I had also heard some not so good stuff about Merc. But this is my first Comp Boat purchase and need all the advice I can get.

Now the Vortec 335hp 5.7L MPI is no relation to Merc. right? There not using Merc blocks with GM parts or visa versa are they? In other words their not one and the same are they?

I do have a great mechanic that races boats and his primary preferrence of engines to work on are GM and GM products.

When you refer to Marine Power I'm assuming those are the GM Vortec MPI engines they are offering?

And how are the Indmar engines? I've seen them in a few comp boats, but don't know much about them, good or bad? One dealer told me they were great, and Mercs were crap, but I wasn't wild about him because he also was bashing other boat makers and their products, which I thought was tacky, so I didn't know what to believe in him, and certainly wouldn't have bought anything from him based on his demeanor, he also sold Indmars, go figure!

The PCM's, stands for? ( Personal Craft Marine? ) Im assuming? Now are they the top shelf engines? How much more costly are they? Does Tige offer them?
Sorry for all the questions, Ive been skiing and around boats since I was 10, but never purchased one, so im a novice when it comes to putting a boat together, I just want to make sure I know what im getting and understand whats best, especially because of the price of these boats, I want to cover all bases, if you know what i mean.

Thanks for your help and information, I greatly appreciate it......L