Anyone own a Tige 20V?

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

I'm considering the purchase of a 20V Tige demo with 35 hours of engine time on a Merc 315 MPI. It is well equipped with many bells and whistles for a price of $34,000. I've never had the opportunity to ride on a 20V, so I'd appreciate any input from the community on the ride and comfort of the boat say compared to a 21i or 22V ( I'm considering a new 21i ).

Also, does anyone know of a good Tige service center close to Knoxville, besides the Nashville dealer?

billm · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 476 City: TX

Beware Merc only has a one year factory warranty as opposed to other motors 3 year and they have been know to have a few problems and wont be there to back you..Buy a new tige if thats what you want and order it with a GM or PCM if they are available...

renster · Newbie Joined: 06 Mar 2003 Posts: 31 City: Asheboro

I've had a 2002 20V for 2 seasons. It has been a great boat as we have put 160 trouble free hours on it so far. The wake is not bad with TAPS alone, however, if you want a Pro sized wake you will need to add ballast. I talked to a factory rep at the boat show and he said you can get tournament level wakes by running 350 lbs in each rear storage compartment and 250 lbs in the bow.

The build quality is excellent with the only minor negative being the Metcraft tower. I have no real complaints with anything else on the boat and would definitely recommend the boat. There are several good quality boats out there and I would definitely put tige up near the top!

BillJ · Posted: Mar 05, 2004 9:23 pm Post subject:

I also have a 2002 20v but I have about 450 hours on it Shocked

already. The boat is really solid, handles the double ups without any problem. I don't have a metcraft tower so that's not an issue. As with all boats, you'll need to add some weight to really get a decent sized wake. I'm now running 2 500# sacks in the lockers and 350# up front and the wake is nice and big with very good form.

The 21i might be a better choice if you slalom ski. The 20v wake is just okay for slalom skiing if you're serious.

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

I'm just starting out with my first wakeboard boat so I thought the 20V for $34K was a good deal. THe TIge dealer in my area is asking over $40K for a well equipped 21i ( no cruise though )

BillJ · Posted: Mar 06, 2004 12:02 pm Post subject:

It's a very good boat, and for that price a good bargain too. It also puts out a great wakesurfing wake.

If you're concerned about the engine, just buy the extended warranty. I think you can extend it 5 years and then it's not much of an issue. I like the new GM Vortec units you can get but mine has the Merc and it's been fine.

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

Thanks everyone!

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

On a down note, the demo 20V is at another dealer 7 hours away and my local dealer is being wishy-washy about servicing anything new, used or otherwise that wasn't purchased through their dealership. I do have a local Merc dealer willing to service the motor, but will I have many problems beside mechanical with a Tige? Will ANdrew at Tige help out with getting service on the boat?

BillJ · Posted: Mar 06, 2004 5:08 pm Post subject:

If the local dealer isn't willing to service it then I'd look at a different brand with a good dealer. One of the reasons that I bought a Tige is because of the reputation of the dealer and their service has been excellent. A bad dealer can make owning a boat a nightmare.

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

Its sad because I really like the dealership, but their not the best salespeople in the world. I'm the one making the payments and I'm going to get the best deal I can. I understand buying a new boat from another dealer, but a used or demo boat? I was even told by the dealer if I bought a used Tige off eBay with under a 100 hours they'd service it on a case-by-case basis! However Andrew at Tige said that they are required to service the boat in a timely fashion, and to give him a call if this isn't the case. I just find it hard that a Tige dealer would want to give up any future business and a potential sale by being A) So much higher then the Malibu/Mastercraft dealer and B) being so stand-offish about servicing a used Tige not purchased through their dealership.

Ruune · Posted: Mar 07, 2004 11:20 am Post subject:

By all means, go for it. the magic number with the Tigé warranty on a demo is 40 hours- if it has more than that, the engine warranty isnt valid.

http://www.tigeowners.com/downloads/Warranty_Transfer_2004.pdf

second page, under "exclusions."

Buy the boat before 40... trust me, they want to sell the demo before that because they'll have to mark down the price significantly if they cant sell it w/ a warranty.

Besides, 34k for a 20v is a great deal!

As far as the dealer, tell them you bought it off of someone... not from another dealer.

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

I found a local Merc dealer to do the service, my dealer is giving me a hard time even if I do buy a boat from an individual. I'll just have to get Andrew at Tige customer service involved.

Ruune · Posted: Mar 07, 2004 12:09 pm Post subject:

I would. Thats inexcusable for dealer to do that. luckily mercruiser has a large dealer network of its own. What dealer is this?

NorCalStud686 · Posted: Mar 07, 2004 12:22 pm Post subject:

I used to have a Tige', and we (my family) had pretty muich no problems in the a little less than a year we had it. i think the TAPS system really makes it nice too.

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

They post on this board often, and they already called because they seen this post. At least their listening! There a great dealer, except for this load of garbage and their pricing. It's almost like they're begging me to buy a Malibu! I'll keep mum for now on the dealer. I really like the Tige, but I can get so much more boat from the Malibu dealer for less money.

jmarshall · Outlaw Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 123 City: Nashville

Heck, The Mastercraft dealer is cheaper on his ProStar 197 Wakeboard edition!