2016 Tige RZ2 vs used Malibu or nautique
 

Hey all over been looking for a boat all summer and finally found a couple boats I like and wanted to get some opinions. I mostly surf 50% , pull kids on tubes 25% and wakeboard 25% . I had an Axis A20 ordered and ready to go from local dealer thinking I needed a 20 ft. To fit my garage it wouldn't fit anyway so I started looking at bigger boats and what I found is that the axis feels extremely cheap.. Love the capability HATE the interior. I have narrowed it down to a 2016 Tige rz2 or waiting for the perfect used 23lsv or nautique 230. I like the new Tige warranty and love the look. We just don't have very many of them around and I wanted opinions on longevity. i grew up on Malibus and my brother just bought a g25 ,which is sick, but a little out of my range. Any thoughts would be helpful. I've driven all the Malibus and nautiques and the Tige dealer has been great over 1.5 hrs away and brining the boat to demo today.

23LSV all the way. It's a SUPER capable boat.

for surf tige all day... cleanest wake out there.

My brother came out of a 23 LSV to the G25 and he told me that he misses the way the 23 lsv handles. I guess my biggest concern there is buying used and waiting for the right deal.any experience with the RZ2 my local dealer here who i really like has nautique, and malibu(axis) he had nothing good to say about tige.

I love my 230. The thing just oozes quality everywhere and the surf wake is awesome. After being Nautique's flagship boat for years, the 230 flys under the radar now because of the G23, but I never feel like I'm settling for less at all. I honestly feel the 230 is the best value in the whole Nautique lineup.

The oozes quality makes all the sense to me Mark. I had never been in a Nautique till this year and the interior is sick. Also to get the same price as the tige I have to be looking at 11-12 model years. Just curious if you guys felt the long term resale value and "feel" of malibu or nautique was worth going back four years with no warranty.

Are you comparing a new Z3 to the 230 and 23 LSV?

I just sold my 2007 Tige RZ2 that I purchased new. It was a very reliable boat, made a sweet surf wave and had excellent resale value. Test drive and ride them all and make your decision off of that and not on people's opinions. How long has the dealer you are purchasing from been selling Tige's?

The 2016 RZ2 has TAPS-3 option for those that dont a listed boat and want to have wave transfer on the fly. Top shelf audio and Raptor 400 as base engine. Great riding and handling boat.

People love to bash Tige's on here so even though they are still great boats so ultimately you need to just go out and demo and see which one does the things you need/want the best. At the end of the day it doesn't sound like you could really go wrong with any of the boats you have noted.

No one has bashed Tiges on this thread.

I COULD start bashing Tige if you guys want me to. I spent a bunch of time in a Z3 and came away disliking it. The wakeboard wake sucked and the boat handled like crap.

Graydon,
I have a 07 236.. Which the 230 started out life being called a 236. The 236 had a higher pitch prop and labeled a crossover boat, which it is TERRIBLE at sking. I was highly considering a A22 3 years ago, but a buddy of mine bought a A22 and i just wasnt happy with the layout after being in it just one day. Also everything inside the boat screamed VERY cheap to me.

I bought my 236 used for couple thousand less than a new A22, but i have been in love with it ever since!! Ive put over 300hrs on it since i bought it and have had zero issues! She is about to turn over 600 this year. If you ever go to correctcraftfan.com my boat is the in the banner pictures.

The only down side to the wakeboard wake is when you have extra ballast on top of factory ballast. And if people are not setting evenly through out the whole boat it can wash the wake on one side.

My full ballast setup for wakeboarding is:

-roughly 550-600 both sides of the engine (1100-1200 LBS) the reason for variance is i have the fly high jumbo v drive surf sacs
-I fill belly and bow first before weighting the rears and get the top of the swim platform barely above the water.
- Factory belly tank full, which over flows into a arrow sack in the ski locker (combined 1050-1100 LBS)
- v sac under the bow seating (650 LBS)
- perfect pass set at 23.5 mph
- hydro gate up. (side note.... hydro gate my need to be down to help planing out faster depending on number of people.)

My surf setup is:
- starboard jumbo vdrive sac completely full (around 1000 LBS)
- belly completely full
- sac under the bow seats full
-perfect pass normally set at 10.5 mph\
-Hydro gate up

Ill try to get some wake pictures this weekend for you. But i havent been disappointed with my 230 purchase! She has been a super reliable boat and built like a tank!

I hit about a 400 LB log first time out this summer going 23mph :banghead: ... My tracking fins struck the log, the first one snapped in half, and the second one bent. I pulled the tracking fins off expecting stress cracks or something and absolutely NOTHING :D !! i was amazed! I dont think a Axis could take the hit she did and walk away unscathed!

Here is 2 pictures of my rig the first week of buying it!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Absolute BEAUTY right there man

Comparing the interior of that 2007 SAN to a brand new Axis A22 is laughable. That Nautiques interior quality is bananas & its an 07!

^^^Agreed and the walk through transom is solid gold.

You also get an extra foot of space in the cockpit comparred to the RZ2

I am driving the Tige tonight. I have driven the others listed and probably have the 23lsv at the top of my list. The thing about the Tige is I've spent hours and hours online and found very little as far as reviews and good videos on new 16 RZ2. I like to be different and really like the look of that tige. Our little stretch of river is loaded with malibus. When i was in the 20ft market i drove a vtx with the 400 raptor and it was so loud you couldn't carry on a conversation at cruising speed. Same motor in this RZ2 so that is something I will listening for. I want to love it. so I'm trying to go into it with a clear head and make the right decision. I do like that new Tige warranty too. I'll be sure to take some pics of the boat and report back.

That is SICK!! very nice man. And about the Axis I understand that the performance for the money is solid but my kids are still really young, my oldest is 9 and we are working on basics. It wasn't worth going cheaper and having to deal with that interior.

I second that. I could give a list of reasons myself but it will only bring out the Tige promo guys to tell you how great their free/discounted boats are.

Agreed here as well. I had a 236 for about 4 months and loved it.

Good point/story about hitting the log. My buddy hit a branch two years ago in his Malibu. It tore off his first fin as well, but ripped a hole in the hull. Almost sank his boat.

so here is the carnage pictures of the fins!! When we hit the log it hit HARD! the whole boat jumped up. I was super lucky that the log didn't wipe out my drive train!

MarkJ. Sorry, my bad....classic WW mistake. I forgot to mention generally on WW not just specifically this thread. Again, my mistake. I wasn't specific. I'll follow up with IMHO so it's not taken as a blanket statement including speaking for others or perceived to be fact.


Graydon, You can always try the http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/forum.php and ask others about their RZ2 opinions/experiences.

Thanks for all the comments on my rig.... Didnt mean to thread jack you Graydon.

But hope the Tige demo works out for you. Ive only checked them out at the dealer. My take away from them is that they are in the same realm as a axis, just really flashier than a Axis.


Also my buddy makes the canopies for Tige... If you go Tige... dont order the boat with factory Bimini... one of the models is only like 20 inches long lol

no worries nick on the thread. I love seeing sweet boats and reading about people who love them. That looks like a fairly hard hit Lol. glad she pulled through. I feel like you're right about the axis/Tige comparison, same realm but the Tige just a little nicer interior and has a few more bells and whistles and is only about 5 grand more then the A22. My first boat personally and I just want a great family cruiser that can perform when the boys want to go out. I know the quality of the top 3 brands is great and maybe I'm looking to much into the warranty aspect and having one brand new. I guess we'll see here in a few hours what we think. Thanks for all the input.

Get a tige, They are awesome all around boats that do everything pretty good, If thats the goal youll be happy and have a warranty to back you up.

I completely understand needing a good family cruiser! My gf and i decided to buy our 230 before we got married and kids coming along. We plan to keep this boat a long time. And the walk way to the transom was a huge selling point over a 210 for us.

But honestly, the wake that this boat throws is over my skill level. I love the G23s but i dont feel like ill ever need a wake that dang big lol. The 230 throws a big enough wake to get hurt! lol

Not that this helps the OP but Tige is coming out with a completely new canopy on the 2017's......

Any update on how the test drive went?

OP,

I have 175 hrs on my '15 Tige Z3. I have been overly impressed with it, Tige, and has been a great boat all around for our size crew that surfs all day. Ive been in the Taps 3 equipped boats and they are definitely rad too. I hope the dealer that sells them can make it right for you, but go with what fit your needs. Tige includes a lot of attention to detail when equipping out the interiors i.e.: Z Cline Chair, Tige Touch 2, Tivoli Steering wheel, Wet Sounds from factory, built in cooler, Decadence flooring if its still an option, etc. We have the Raptor 400 in ours and i would not call it "loud" by any means. Ive been very impressed and Tige will likely get my money again if they continue to keep up the good work. That 5 year, 555 hour warranty is awesome and is a good program to have behind you, hoping that you don't have to use it..

Good luck in your search and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

How did the test drive and ride go?

Purchased the RZ2
 

Hey so after looking at all the options we felt like the Tige was the way to go. The salesman brought the boat down with 20 mph winds so the drive wasn't the best but we found some calm water and got the wave looking pretty good. The raptor in this boat was way quieter then in the vtx. like half the volume which i thought was a little odd. I liked the interior of this boat and it felt right with the family. Looking forward to the novelty of having a new boat run its course with the kids so i can finally get behind this thing :)

Great choice!!!

Looks sick. Can't wait to read the review!

Wish i had the raptor motor! never been a ford vehicle fan, but would take a ford engine in my boats all day! Glad to hear you found the one for you!