Like or dislike the 2012 ice chest locations?

[bigskymudflaps]

The new z3, rz2, rz4, and rzr have the cooler in the bow. In each of these boats you can no longer put your feet on your floor if your are sitting in the bow. It looks like on the rz2 and z3 have the cooler is in the walkway and the front "bow filler" cushion area is now probably filled with a ballast bag. The rzr and rz4 have the cooler where the bow filler cushion used to go.....

Anyone like or dislike this? Seems like a big difference from the traditional bow design.

[robert theisen]

I have a 2011 so i don't have to choose.But if i was buying a new boat it probably wouldn't be a deal breaker.I could get used to it.

[dingleberry]

We have found that we keep the bow filler cushion in all the time, with a soft-sided cooler under it in the walkway. So the new placement actually reflects how we use our boat. Plus, the other big benefit of removing it from under the side seating is that it allows the leg of a surf sac to extend further forward so you can get more ballast under the seat on that side.

[bigskymudflaps]

I agree that many people use the bow for storage and or keep the filler cushion in. For me, it's a deal changer. Deal breaker, doubt it. However, I use my boat a bit differently than most. I keep my boat in a wetslip in front of our cabin in montana. We use the boat for recreation (an hour or two per session), but we also use it for transportation of people to go across the lake to where many park their vehicles. We also go on boat rides after dinner. From the cabin to the lake, it's dirt, most have shoes on. If there is one rule in the boat about dirt, it's no shoes on the seats.

We've only had our rz2 for one year, I'll have to see how we really use the bow. I checked out the new z3's at the boat show and was surprised to see the bow filled with cushions. As a young family (children are 2 and 4), we are just getting into the wake sports, just bought the cabin, etc. If all went well, I was planning on upgrading the boat in a year or so. I'm excited to see the new z3's in action. Having sacked out my rz2, the z3 with the extra freeboard, less list, and a longer / better wave potential is very appealing. For me, it's function first, everything else last. I'd drive a boat shaped like the Wienermobile while sitting in lawn chairs if it threw a shoulder high wave.

At least in the z3, it looks like front is being used for much needed ballast. In another thread Ragboy commented on how they are running 1000lbs!!! up front. Assuming the z3 needs the weight up front to throw the sweet waves I've seen, I'd say the entire front has to be a water bag.

As for the rz2, don't know. I believe the answer regarding whether it needs the extra weight up front would be more mixed. If I remember right, Ragboy only ran front ballast on the surf side (most of the time). He put out a video where he made a "long wave" by putting an extra 400lbs on the surf side up front. In my boat, I have a bag under each seat in front. There isn't a ton of room under the seats, if I let the bags slide aft a bit, they fill more being under the larger storage lockers.

For me, it seems like the z3 needs the bow ballast, rz2, not so much. The others, rz4, rzr, I have no idea. Being a change in functionality or usability, I'm a bit surprised tige doesn't offer the cooler up front as an option. The sales pitch could be functionality, but there isn't a choice if I want a z3, rz2, rz4, or rzr. The 22ve and 24ve still have the cutout in the bow for people's feet, more traditional, etc.

Excited things are changing in the sport, new surf boats, new designs, new technology.

[Ewok]

I prefer no bow filler cushion too, I too wish it was optional but my 09 is open and I plan to keep my boat for a while so I'll wait and see how long that built in cooler lasts.

[spenchey2]

I believe the z3 is a different situation from the rest. It has the normal bow filler cushion and then the one in part of the walk way. I really dislike that.

As for as the bow filler cushion being permanently in place for the rz's, etc. I don't hate it but I don't love it either. If I got to pick i'd rather have it removable though. To much traffic through the bow that gets dirty quick.

[rensink]

cool feature although never have used the cooler on the boat anyway so dislike for me also takes away from being able to add a fat sac up under the walk way seat when needed and or just being able to walk through to the bow.

I do also think the z3 is in a whole different ball game then the rz's.

[Allan Kendall]

The cooler is an option on the R20 and we dig it. Wish there was a better place for an anchor.

[IDBoating]

Initially, I left the bow cushion out of our 24Ve. I too figured the footroom was important, etc. Eventually I put the cushion in - and it never came out again. Suddenly the entire front area was one big padded play area. Kids loved it and used it FAR more with the cushion in place. Meanwhile, the area under the cushion transformed itself into a storage area for damp PFD's and wetsuits, because the floor dries out faster than the lockers. Now, that surface area is doing double duty - the top is for people, and the bottom is for gear. We pulled the carpet out of the bow area too, again to improve drying.

Personally, I would be OK with no cooler at all. Since we have waterfront property we don't need to store drinks on the boat. But given that we have one, I think its location opposite the driver is perfect. The storage space under both side seats is almost equal so fat sacs can be huge and symmetrical, and the bow is available as a walkway, a playpen, a wet gear storage area, or some combination of the above.

Just my $0.02.

[Timmy!]

We had to leave our bow cushion out for a few months because the plastic board snapped in half and we really missed it because we shove or soft sided cooler under it. I like the new location of the cooler but only because that's where we already put ours to begin with. We've never used the built in cooler as a cooler, it's always been used as the trash can and our drinks go in the soft sided cooler so that we can bring drinks off and on the boat with ease.

[Duncan]

We have found that we keep the bow filler cushion in all the time, with a soft-sided cooler under it in the walkway. So the new placement actually reflects how we use our boat. Plus, the other big benefit of removing it from under the side seating is that it allows the leg of a surf sac to extend further forward so you can get more ballast under the seat on that side.

We also have the filler cushion in all the time with a soft side cooler underneath. I like being able to fill the cooler and lift it in and out. I guarantee more fits in the soft side cooler vs. the Z3 walk through cooler (from what I saw in person at the boat show). For the RZ2, I do not want to fill more bow ballast than what fits in the pair of W701s I have up there, so increased ballast space is a moot point.

That said, from early reports, the Z3 likes a lot of weight on both sides so there seems to be more benefit for the arrangement on that boat.

[Bruizza]

I love the placement of the cooler in the 2012 RZ2. It was a big selling point for us.

[ragboy]

Having and demoing several tige boats from 2007 on, I have seen it in several places. I would first say that have always preferred an open walkthrough bow, but having the 2012 RZ4 for a few months and then the 2012 Z3 now and a VERY active family...

For form and function I would say the RZ2/RZ4 placement is the best. Its basically the same as before but like it always has a bow cushion. If you surfed and used your boat like we did, the previous locations were a pain. The one in our 2007 Ve under passenger seat meant someone was always getting up. The one in the 2010 RZ2 behind the driver meant someone USUALLY had to get up, and it ruins sack location for goofy wake for surfing. Under the bow cushion is just the best spot, IMHO, unless maybe under the floor in the middle of the boat or something, like I think that new G23 has.

As far as the Z3 it has the area filled in through the walkthrough, and its less of a walkthrough, but all the boats that we have had that DON'T have this, you really see how the boat rotates and torques and how sometimes the windshield may not close right, etc. This area filled in just makes that part of the boat, SUPER solid. You will probably see what I mean on a test drive through some serious chop.

So there are compromises, but I think at this point, its best up front, and I think I would stick to the added strength of the of the Z3 bow. The kids love it that way.

[Surf406]

my thought

its been said before but il say it again, i personally dont like the cooler in the front of the rz2 just for the sake of walking across it and also ive been looking for the earlier model rz2 instead of brand new just for that reason my vote is nay nay on the walk through cushion-cooler

[mls6722]

its been said before but il say it again, i personally dont like the cooler in the front of the rz2 just for the sake of walking across it and also ive been looking for the earlier model rz2 instead of brand new just for that reason my vote is nay nay on the walk through cushion-cooler

When I first looked at V-drive boats, I almost instantly disliked every model with the middle of the bow filled in. After having the 22Ve for one summer, I must say that the cooler located under the observer seat cushion is truly a pain. There is always someone sitting there.

I have removed the under seat cooler and placed my batteries there. I will carry on coolers and use the walk thru or under the helm to store them.