Thoughts on 2000 Tige' 21V

MHill · Newbie Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Posts: 4

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/4/2/74836642.htm

Anyone here have or riden behind this year and model?

The Drake · Newbie Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 City: B.C. Interior

Looks like a sweet machine!!!!

I got it & love it. I put a new tower on it though. The stock 2000 tower lacks function and rattles a bit......keep retightening the allen bolts....they will loosen over time.

Weighting the boat correctly creates an amazing wake....steap but solid when you hit it.
Riding the boat with just the Taps is pretty good also.
Taps is great with no weight on board...or for rough water cruisin'.
.......but the more weight you put on board, the less taps you will use.

All tige wide beam boats are great for surfin too.
Keep an eye on the vinyl interior......I had it all redone last winter....especially at the seams!!!!
Watch for gel coat cracks at tower mounts.....cosmetic only though...

Resale on these babies are holdin high where I'm from...but then again...al V-drives do.

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

I was going to start my own thread about the 21V but will just ask my questions here. I too was looking into a Tige 2001 21v. Here are my questions:

How is the build quality compared to other boats? I am talking about the hull, stringers, gel coat, etc...

I have herd things about spray pockets with this boat. How bad are they?

I test drove a new 20V and it did great in rough water. Can I expect the same from the 21v?

How does this boats ConvexV and TAPS compare to the new Tige models?

I also had questions about the interior and tower but they were already answered.

Erik · Posted: Aug 17, 2004 5:41 am Post subject:

Ok - ducking from the flame war and bottles people might throw at me for this - but this is my honest experience with the Tige...I have heard about, and seen first hand some reliability problems with the Mercruiser powerplant that Tige uses. However I can say that the initial quality and livability of the boat is very, very nice. And huge. The boat is gorgeous looking. Mechanically, I do not know that they are rock solid. I spent quite a bit of time on one a few years ago. The boat was nice but the owner sold it recently.

I have only been around that ONE tige so please take it with a grain of salt.

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

Erik,

What kind of problems did you see with the Mercuiser engine?

Erik · Posted: Aug 17, 2004 6:29 am Post subject:

My friends boat had a lot of electrical issues in general. He went through a bunch of bad distributor timing chips (each covered by warranty) and his taps system broke several times in that same summer also. Again, the pumps that power the taps system were covered under warranty but it was still unfortunate.

Again, the boat was awesome looking and I'm sure his problems were "unusual". However it did solidify my thinking that something like taps is a system that would royally stink to have to fix once the boat is out of warranty. My thinking lately has been toward less moving parts = less to fix if I plan to keep the boat for more than 5-10 years.

ps. The Drake did you really have to reupholster the whole boat? It was a 99 or 00 model year and you just reupholstered it? I may have misread...

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

How does Tige's 2100v fit into the lineup? How do they compare to the 21v?

The Drake · Newbie Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 City: B.C. Interior

WU343, I think the 2100V & 21V are one in the same....just limited vs riders. (decal package & minor interior differences)

Erik, I had all the seat cushions that are removeable in the rear lounge area (6 in total) redone, plus the ones up front (3). They were splitting where the seam was sewn to give that buldge look. Only five of the cushions were splitting but I had them all re-done anyway & Tige' & my dealer paid for it!...even though they weren't obligated....since it wasn't a material flaw (ie 5yrs on vinyl) but rather on the craftmanship of the vinyl (1year). My dealer really went to bat for me on it and won....as a result....II'll be a loyal customer in the future. (I've also already bought three boats from them)

NEVER have had a single problem with my mercruiser. Runs great!!!! Fan of the merc.

Gel Coat is holdin up well except where tower mounts - gel cracks - but I think that's pretty normal.

Spray pocket....well....I got them & they don't pose me any problems. Weighting the boat correctly is the key. Overloading is not neccesary. Tige's are pretty heavy boats when kept stock....and I think that's why they initially have a pretty decent wake to start with.

Taps is great in rough water...for raising the bow..
...as for wakeboarding....because I usually add a bit of weight I run the Taps around 2 depending on boat speed and water conditions. I only run Taps on the higher setting when wakeboarding without any additional ballast.

20V vs 21V - I've never riden behind the 20V but The beam is wider on the 21V. 96" vs 100".....it's only four inches....but some like it that wide.

There are some really cool looking fox editions that come up on ebay once in a while that look pretty sweet. Does Tige still do Fox editions??

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

Erik · Posted: Aug 17, 2004 4:25 pm Post subject:

The Drake · Newbie Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 City: B.C. Interior

Erik,
Anyone who claims that Taps alone gives world class wake's is a liar.
My 21V, however, with Taps alone, has a better/bigger wake than my buddies Outback when it's weighted. But his outback is a pretty small boat compared to the 21V.

When I compare an unweighted Tige....I am comparing it to any "unweighted boat" period. Moomba, I/O, Maristar, Malibu.....from my experiences.

I have not once claimed that a Tige' unweighted with Taps is better than other boats with weight.

Your right...TIGE' advertises to much on their Taps technology. It doesn't make the wake alone that spectacular. But it does make it decent...not huge by any means....but decent.
I think they should advertise taps as more like a trimmimg tab/wake adjustment ... but buyers & sellers like to hear that "all a person needs is to dial in your wake."
It's True in a sense....but not enough....not enough for most who like to go as big as they can.

Like I stated earlier...I use taps in rough water to raise the bow...I barely use taps
when wakeboarding weighted....and don't use it at all when skiing or wakesurfing....
But someone else may use it more or less than me depending on their weight configuration.

Taps is a good option on Tige' boats....but not the only reason to buy one.

The fact is....the more weight....the more the boats sits evenly in the water....the bigger the indent it leaves in the water.
plain & simple.
By no means am I saying to put as much weight on board as you can...

Erik, how was the 20V weighted?
The 20V & the 21V have a different hull.
I usually weight my tige with about 1200lbs plus people...

wu343....
I will post some Pics of the gel coat cracks...next time
i go out I'll take pics.
.

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

What is the best wake I can expert out of a 21v? Is it possible to get a "world class" wake?

Erik · Posted: Aug 17, 2004 5:59 pm Post subject:

The Drake, thanks for clearing all of that up - awesome post!

wu343, yes I believe you can get a World Class wake out of it but like The Drake said, you'll need to ignore what the seller is saying about taps and weight your tige!

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

What about build quality? Is it comparable to a MC.

Blue22V · Soul Rider Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 290 City: Double Oak

wu343 - I bought one of the very first Tige's in '92. The boat was built solid, ran great for almost a thousand hours, and never broke down in 11 years. The boat was from a new company back then who had to prove themselves, and also did not build their own boat hulls. They contracted out to Fineline (mfg. of Centurian), then assembled the boats at a facility next to Fineline. This was a great slalom ski boat. Tige' then built it's own manufacturing plant in Texas and moved all operations there. The build quality and design weren't quite up to the standard of those first boats, as it does take a while for a newer company to get their processes and manufacturing up to speed. Sometime around 1999, the quality became MUCH better, and the designs evolved and became better with more dealer input. Since then I would put Tige's quality and boat designs up against all other manufacturer's. I have driven many hours in Mastercrafts, Nautique's and Malibus. I see slight differences in each boat, but overall they are all fairly similiar in execution, and quality. Each manufacturer has a list of items which seem to be shortcomings. Tige' has an issue with electrical issues more often than others. Mastercraft has had issues with upholstery. Nautique has had issues with Gelcoat and Malibu has had issues with the wedge attachment points. All of these are annoyances, which happen on a minority of their products. Keep in mind all of these issues are able to be repaired, and the manufacturers do whatever they can to fix these issues immediately and on future models. Don't let a few issues keep you from buying the boat you want, due to design, or cost. Buy a boat, enjoy it, and if you need to work on it to keep it running like a top, that will only give you peace of mind when having a great time on the lake. Find a good deal in your price range, and have a qualified mechanic check it out for you, and enjoy!

watsoc · Addict Joined: 23 Feb 2004 Posts: 574 City: Anthem

I have a friend that has a Tige 21V Riders Edition and when weighted properly it throws a great, world class wake. I would state that it is waist high when weighted correctly. The taps system to me just seems to change the shape of the wake. It is great because some like it rampy and some like it more vertical. It is nice because we could just adjust the taps to meet each rider's preference. He does have some issues with his interior but they seem to be minor. There are not any problems with his tower because he tightens the bolts every time because he keeps it in his garage. I really like this boat and it you can get one in the low 20s then I would definately take a look. Here is a pic of his wake with an empty gas tank and not weighted (the smallest the wake can be basically). Just the Taps system set to 5 and 4 people in the boat. It is twice as big when weighted w/ 1500 lbs. and a full tank of gas. I also love the room inside the boat and you can fit like 15 people in there if you want. I love this boat and I try to ride behind it whenever I am invited to go out. I hope this info helps.

ssrgeoff · Addict Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 582 City: So Cal

Its a very nice boat. You will enjoy it. The older hulls do have the spray pocket which can be fixed or properly dialed. Just check the searches.

The Drake · Newbie Joined: 12 Jun 2004 Posts: 32 City: B.C. Interior

wu343,
here's my gel coat cracks.
Pretty minor I think. But I'll keep an eye on it to see if they spread.

PS-the one dark line right by the tower base is a pencil mark.

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

Any else have something to say about the Tige 21v build quality?

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

I am still considering a Tige 21v. I really like the space, ability to handle rough water, and price. I also like the older X-stars and X10s but I would have to get an 01 for the three piece rear deck. I am trying to keep the price at $30k or less. A lot of people that I talk to don’t like the 21v because of various reasons. This is starting to rub off a little on me.

Here are my concerns with the 21v:

Merc engine has a bad reputation of electrical problems
The spray pockets in the hull have negative effects on the wake performance
Poorly manufactured upholstery (I hear about torn seats all the time)
Cheep tower that rattles (that can easily be replaced but its an extra $2k)
All the other dealers says that it drives like a bath tub (I did drive a new 20v and it was just okay compared to the VLX I drove)
The stringer system (I think they used wood in the 21v)

Unless someone can step up and tell me that these are not legitimate issues I am going to be staying away from Tige.

If I start down the MC path what are some things to watch out for? I like the X-star because of it wake performance but it does not have nearly as much room as the Tige and some of the non-ZeroFlex towers look like crap (ugly). The X10 is a great looking boat but the price is also greater and my friend who owns one said that we wished it had fins on the bottom ( I have also herd other people on this forum say that it drives like a pig)

Erik · Posted: Sep 29, 2004 7:41 am Post subject:

Sorry to tell you but the bigger boats (Prostar, Sport, SS, Sunsetter, etc) do tend to drive a bit bath-tubby. All of em.

But I believe that the listing you gave sums up the common complaints about Tige, included among them are a few I have witnessed.

The interior room on a Tige v-drive versus a Mastercraft V-drive can't be that different. I don't think you'd really suffer in the room department with any v-drive 20-22 foot boat. If you think you are suffering from room, come out with me and my gang in our closed bow 80's Ski Nautique 2001 Very Happy

.

Anyway, the older towers are indeed so ugly on the mastercrafts, but the MC's are such an excellent boat, that it is still worth considering. The older towers are god awful, they look like a metal claw or clamp on the side of the boat. But the boat itself, the mastercrafts, are incredible.

eldorett · Criminal Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 96 City: Massachusetts

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the TAPS system was designed to "fine tune" the wake rather than it being a size thing. In wakeboard mode, its actually in the up position if I remember correctly so its shouldn't really be doing anything that the hull shape isn't doing on its own. When well weighted, I will say that the 21v threw a very nice wake in my opinion and I enjoyed riding behind it. Erik and I are familiar with the same boat and it did have its share of electrical troubles but this may very well be a unique case rather than generalized to the whole brand. I can't say for certain on that. The weight of the interior vinyl and finish work weren't quite what I was expecting in a new wakeboard boat but my old CC uses some really durable stuff and even that split eventually so nothing lasts forever. The tower had some sway compared to others I've seen, as well. Still, if the price was right I haven't seen anything that would completely deter me from getting one. There's lots of storage room for ballast and the wake was very nice with lots of people (I think it seats 12 or something like that which is another plus).

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

One more thing that I like about the 21v is its appearance. I think its one of the coolest looking boats out there.

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

If you do have the Vinyl split open what kind of options do you have and how much $$$. Two boats that I have not driven yet are CC and MC. Everyone says that they feel much more solid through double ups then most boats. When I drove the 04 20v it went through heavy chop like a champ. I thought the boot felt very solid. How will the 21v compare? And what about the core on the 21v, how does that compare to other boats?

wu343 · Outlaw Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 193

No one else has anything to say about the 21v?

Talltigeguy · Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2004 Posts: 48 City: St. George

I owned a 2002 21V until this summer so I have a few thoughts:

I now own a 24V and believe Tige to be a great product.

The spray pockets are no big deal you simply weight it more to the front and the wake was always capable of helping some very good riders do any trick they wanted to. The limiting factor is rider skill with that boat, not the wake.

My 2002 had a different tower than 00 and 01. I understand the tower did rattle a bit, but as I understand it, it is solid and still fulfills its mission. Just noisy - good reason to get a louder stereo.

Isn't Merc the most commonly used engine in the world for boats?

Don't beleive what other dealers tell you - they are probably less reliable than posters on this board when talking about someone else's product.

Be careful of the upholstery, I've heard similar things. My upholstery was fine when I sold it, though.

I beleive there has never been a case of problems with the wood stringers. I think TIge got tired of defending it, and the composite is probably cheaper and just as good. I wouldn't let that deter you.

I agree with what's said above about the wake - unweighted it's better than any comparable unweighted boat. The fiberglass is thicker than most and weighs a solid 500-700 pounds more than MC, SAN or Malibu of the same size.

intotheflats · Posted: Oct 04, 2004 2:05 pm Post subject:

I rode behind a 2000 21v for a whole summer and loved every minute of it. The only problem I saw with the boat was the tower was a little weak but the dealer reinforced the tower for free since the guy bought it new and it was perfect after that. One of the nicest wakes I have ridden.

dschock · Outlaw Joined: 07 Apr 2004 Posts: 135 City: Bellevue

My boat is a '01 2100v limited and we just got it in the spring. So far it's been great. I hated the tower though, so the first thing I did was replace it with a Titan tower, which worked out great. I ordered it to fit the exact same footprint as the other tower, except for 2 small holes (one of which I used to run wires through for the tower speakers anyways).

I can't say that my opinion counts for much tho, because our boat prior was an old OB, so this boat is AMAZING to me.

HOWEVER... there were some tears at the seams in the vinyl when we got it, and over the summer they separated completely... the seat cushions are getting reupholstered right now.

For the price we got (including the money I put into it in tower, stereo, accessories, and upholstery) we could not have gotten a better boat for our needs.