Malibu vs. Tige

burrows540 · Newbie Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 12

Ok so i am in the process of buying a new boat. I have brought it down to either a tige 21 i or a malibu wakesetter. I am going to be buying the boat new. I just would like to here some real imput from people who have these boats, not a bunch of dealer propaganda.
I have heard that the merc cruiser in the tige is not as good and reliable as the idmar engine in the malibu, Anyone had experience with them? Also is tiges taps system really that great or will i stilll need to sack up my boat?
Just tell me what you think of the boats

thanks for the input.

ohsix · Posted: Jan 25, 2003 7:48 pm Post subject:

burrows540 · Newbie Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 12

I am thinking about the tige 21i and the malibu wakesetter, the plain wakesetter, which is d-drive. Anyone else?
thanks for the help

burrows

Sean_Brinston · Posted: Jan 25, 2003 8:02 pm Post subject:

I like the layout and design of the malibus, and the wake is huge, i just gotta keep saving my pennies so i can get one! Crying or Very sad

skobi1 · Addict Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 639 City: eugene, or

Ive never riden behind a tige or a d-drive wakesetter, but i do own a 2000 wakesetter vlx. i have no complaints about the boat whatsoever. the quality and craftsmanship are topnotch. i chose this boat over others 1. the price was right 2. both times the hyperlite crew has come to town for demo days (i got to ride with parks) they had this boat, so i had ridden in it twice and knew that i liked it. hope this helps. i really dont think you can go wrong either way.

BillJ · Posted: Jan 26, 2003 12:26 am Post subject:

I have a 2002 Tige 20v (pic in profile) with 240 hours on it - no problems. The motor is solid, as I expected. The boat is well made with no rattles or other problems. TAPS works well to shape the wake, however I still add about 800# of ballast to increase the wake size. I'm really happy with the size and shape of the wake for boarding. For slalom the wake is marginal but then I don't ski so I don't care.

One reason that I chose Tige is the reputation of the dealer (Tige Watersports in Corona CA). They have been excellent, very friendly and helpful. Most service is done same day as long as I drop it off by 9am. Having a solid dealer to count on was a big factor for me.

Coach_Mike · Newbie Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 10 City: Chicago Area

We have a 2002 Malibu Suscape 23LSV which we use for both wakeboarding and slalom. Looked at the Tige also as there are dealers for both very close to us (as well as Mastercraft at the time we bought). Bang for the buck IMO the Malibu was the obvious choice. Very pleased with the decision so far. Very Happy

jim Bogden · Outlaw Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 178 City: Sandy, UT

If you are getting an 03 you can get the PCM engine in the Tige instead of mercruiser, I havent had any problems with my mercruiser but I have heard plenty of horror stories.

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

In would have to say Malibu all the way hands down the wedge and size of this boat layout makes it an easy chaoice for me.. Very Happy

burrows540 · Newbie Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 12

I am new at this and was wondering, is pcm the same as indmar? If not what boats use pcm, and what is there reputation?

thanks

wakeborder5 · Soul Rider Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 279 City: Commerce

The tige 21i has a much better interior than the wakesetter hands down, it has stadium seating which is awesome. The wakesetter was cramped and i felt had a smaller interior and wasn't as nice.

jim Bogden · Outlaw Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 178 City: Sandy, UT

no its not the same as indmar, PCM is used in Nautiques, not sure who else. Excellent quality.

burrows540 · Newbie Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 12

Are pcm's easy to service or are they another small companie with limited parts supply?

burrows540 · Newbie Joined: 25 Jan 2003 Posts: 12

billj,

How is your tiges power, just wondering how it is out of the hole and just general power. I ask because i know the tiges are about 1,000 pounds heavier than the malibus.

thanks

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

I hope your comfy on that nicer ineterior and vinyl while the guy in the malibu is blowing up off a perfect wake behind his wakesetter..Its comes down to getting the best boat and then the best boat with the best wake..It is Called WAKEboarding and i havent seen a tige yet with a better wake then a nicely weighted malibu with the wedge down..I own a supra so this is unbiased br0..IMO as well as a lot of others i know..Tiges a nice boat but not my choice..

BillJ · Posted: Jan 26, 2003 5:34 pm Post subject:

I have the 350 Mag MPI motor with 315 horsepower - plenty for me. Since I'll be running more ballast this year, probably about 1200#, I plan to put a new prop on it. My dealer is recommending a 13x11.5 vs the stock 13x13. Just to get a little better holeshot. I'll lose about 3mph on the top end, but since it was about 43 - 45 it doesn't matter at all.

With no ballast and just a couple of people the boat was very quick out of the hole and had plenty of top end speed.

Shawn Madison · Posted: Jan 26, 2003 7:07 pm Post subject:

I seriously considered all models of Tige' for about 3 years and test drove almost everyone weighted/taps/sacs/etc. I will tell you that the only decent wake I saw was one loaded down with fat sacs in the boat. The wake on every one was washed out at the avg. riding area. You had to reel the line in about 20 feet to get a clean peak.

I ended up going with a wakesetter. The wake blew my mind the first test drive without the wedge down or any fat sacs. You add some people/a couple coolers of refreshments/MLS/wedge it rocks. I just wasn't ready to spend $40K+ for a boat and have to buy $500 worth of fat sacs to make it a wakeboarding boat.

Just my .02!

jim Bogden · Outlaw Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 178 City: Sandy, UT

my friend rides at 80 feet on mine and its not washed out, yes you need ballast in a Tige if you want a huge wake. Make sure you get an acme prop, they rock.

Blabelmooch · Outlaw Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 212 City: San Diego

You need ballast in any boat. Fully sacked out, the Tige wakes are bif and firm. If he is buying new, the wash part is out of the picture because they did away with it. Go test drive then make the decision. They will have different wakes so see which one suits your style.

BillJ · Posted: Jan 26, 2003 9:19 pm Post subject:

Tige has made HUGE improvements in their wake in the last 2 years. Everyone I know that's rode behind the new 22v says the wake is incredible - good size stock with great shape, and huge with some weight in the boat.

I've drive a couple of Malibu's with the wedge down and didn't care for the way it handled at low speed. The wake was okay, definitely decent shape, but not big enough with just the wedge. The guys I know that own Malibus all weight their boats to get a decent sized wake. But then so does my friend with his 2002 X-Star...

Cheb75 · Outlaw Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 154 City: Dallas

Malibu....

B-rad · Posted: Jan 27, 2003 6:39 am Post subject:

Tige has redone the hull and added ballast for 03. That being said there are not that many people out there that can say they have been behind the new boat. I have ridden behind both boats and I would say if you are just looking for a big wake, the malibu was the choice. I feel the Tige is made better, along with certain features like the 10K+10 warranty, I do not feel you can go wrong. I also feel with the addition of the ballast, new hull, and having taps is very helpfull. Malibu makes great boats, so does Tige. My preference is Tige. I think you will be happy with either, but I would go for an 03 with the ballast and new hull.

Boardbrat · Posted: Jan 27, 2003 10:52 am Post subject:

I own a mlibu sportster and I love it. The only problem we have evr had was ad river mistake and he took out the prop pretty bad at the Malubu Regatta. The only complaint I have is that the Malibu Sales People and Dealer in Ventura totall suck. Its a long story but once you purchase the boat, they could care less about you after that. Especialy when you are stuck at THEIR regatta with no boat and no one will even help you out or give you a pull, not even a beer was offered. Anyways good luck. I know someone with a Tige and I must say It LOOKS great. hOw they run I have no clue.

King of the Tigers · Posted: Jan 27, 2003 11:47 am Post subject:

Just get a Nautique! j/k I've never been behind a Malibu but the Tiges I've ridden behind all had mushy wakes. Oh and the PCM is used by Nautiques and is basically a GMC/Chevy engine. They're great because parts are readily available, dirt cheap, and they're completely reliable. I have over 600 hours on mine with no big problems. I've even overheated the thing until it almost died on its own. New impeller, and she ran like nothing had happened.

Shawn Madison · Posted: Jan 27, 2003 12:36 pm Post subject:

Good Post B-rad!

Bo Coppinger · Posted: Jan 27, 2003 12:38 pm Post subject:

Go with the Malibu, my friend has one he has been really happy with it.

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

ahh i thought PCM was Ford.I know Indmar is Chevey for sure but PCM i thought was a ford type block..???????

mcfatty · Addict Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 725 City: Cookeville

Wakesetter! Besides all the other good things said above you can get the whole boat green, orange, black or combinations only limited to your imagination.

jim Bogden · Outlaw Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 178 City: Sandy, UT

this is just a guess but i think a few years ago the pcm was a ford block but they switched to chevy. we all know ford is just a F-ed up rebuilt dodge Razz

j/k!

base · Outlaw Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 208

ohsix · Posted: Jan 27, 2003 8:51 pm Post subject:

GulfCoastRider · Guest

I am the President of a Wakeboard Club/Team in Florida. We purchase a new boat every year because of excessive use. We have owned many boats, and I have ridden behind many and have a pretty extensive knowledge of most popular ski boat manufacturers. Currently, We have a 2003 Malibu Wakesetter VLX with the titan tower and MLS rear and mid ballast and wedge. The boat has 110hrs on it as of now and we have not had any problems. I can tell you from my stand-point and on the behalf of about 50 other wakeboarders, this boat is an excellent choice when buying a wakeboard boat. We have been more pleased with it than any other boat to this date (we haven't really looked too much at the new X-star though). One word of advice is if you are considering a wakesetter, go with the V-drive rather than the direct drive-it is a world of difference and for the extra cash it is worth it. Our intermediate riders use the wedge and ballasts when riding. For our advanced riders, we add a 250lb sac in each rear compartment next to the ballast tanks, a 500 lb sack on top of the ski locker, and depending on the amount of people, another 500 lb sack right behind the other 500lb sac. I can assure you that the wake is nothing short of excellent. The only complaint I have with malibu as of right now is they do lack some attention to detail when it comes to certain aspects of the interior. Examples are carpeting, upholstery, and sound system setup. If you have any more questions, feel free to email me or message me or reply to this post. If you are in Florida I can refer you out dealer probably. He was awesome working with. I also Attached a picture of our boat. Very Happy

surf bum · Newbie Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 7 City: Eugene, OR

the malibu is the only way to go big man Cool

. the shop,the boat,the wake, the boat to have dud. Razz

just go and take alunch from a malibu and you will sell,feel,and rush it for your self. all dealers will take you out for a pull.

wake2wake · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 311 City: Lexington

I have been pulled by tige and malibu in some of are local tournaments, and i will say i like them both, but i feel the malibu had a better shaped wake, effortless tricks, but the tige had a bigger wake, (do to weight). they are both classy ride and i'm sure you'll enjoy either one man!!
peace
(malibu)

wake2wake · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 311 City: Lexington

It's how you set the boat that will make it a good or bad boat,!!! At one of are tournaments, we had all most 3000 pounds in a x-9, WOW, it was un believeable, every boat will need it's own little tweeking if you know what i mean!!