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Old     (ninety9TJ)      Join Date: Feb 2016       02-24-2016, 9:06 PM Reply   
Long time reader - first post! Thanks everyone for all the great info here. I'm a first time boat buyer (or about to be) and looking at a couple options right now. I was 100% set on a 2003 Super Air Nautique Team but then found an 05 Tige 22V that also looks great and has my attention. The Nautique has a PCM Excalibur 330 and the Tige has a Merc MAG 350 MPI. Otherwise they're pretty similar - same-is hours, ballast, etc.

I have read (on this forum and many others) glowing reviews of the PCM 330 - but am having trouble finding info on the Merc...probably because it's used in so many other boats (stern drives) that it's hard to find something specific on wake / surf applications. I plan to use the boat primarily for surfing and wakeboarding - no skiing - any thoughts or advice on either engine? I'll be using the boat in Colorado at altitude...are the Merc and PCM significantly different in these applications? HP is about the same I think - but how about torque, reliability, etc?

Thanks!
Old     (markj)      Join Date: Apr 2005       02-24-2016, 9:48 PM Reply   
Dont see how you could beat a PCM Excalibur. I had one in my 2005 SAN and it never had one hiccup in 11 years. Not a single one. Annual fluid and impeller changes only. As far as boats/hulls/overall quality goes, you gotta demo and judge that for yourself. My guess is the Nauti wins however, the Tige should have more room. You have to weigh that as well. Have you seen either boat in person or sat in either one yet? Sorry, but I don't know squat about the Merc motor. Since you're into surfing, there's a thread on planetnuatique where a guy just fit a GoSurfAssist on his SAN last week. Looks like it worked.
Old     (markj)      Join Date: Apr 2005       02-24-2016, 9:55 PM Reply   
As far as torque, you can always prop down to make any boat/weight combo work for you. In fact, I have an awesome high torque prop made just for the OG Nauti's for sale in the classifieds right now. (shameless plug of course)
Old     (Froggy)      Join Date: Nov 2013       02-25-2016, 4:48 AM Reply   
The only thing I know about a merc inboard is that the raw water pump sucks to get to. The build quality and resale value will be much better with the Nauti .
Old     (chpthril)      Join Date: Oct 2007       02-25-2016, 5:57 AM Reply   
Are yu positive that the Tige is an 05? Are you sure it has a Merc? Its been my understanding that Merc was long gone from Tige by 05 and they were strictly Marine Power. In that case, it would likely been the 340HP 5.7L, unless it was the closed cooling which was the 6.0L 380HP.
Old     (boardjnky4)      Join Date: Dec 2011       02-25-2016, 5:58 AM Reply   
I think it's a tomato-tomato kind of situation. They are both Chevy engines. They are both modified with external add-ons to work in a boat. I wouldn't really worry about it either way.
Old     (xstarrider)      Join Date: Jun 2007       02-25-2016, 6:30 AM Reply   
As you found there is no denying PCM has a long history of quality in towboats.
As far as the Merc. The tow-sports Mag 350 is a solid engine. The reason you won't find much info on Merc engines is that most mfg back then didn't run Merc Centurion, Supreme, and I believe Clabria were the big Merc users in early 2000's. Centurion Supreme now use PCM. Clabria doesn't exist and Tige swapped to PCM in 08 but now is running Indmar

The Merc torque is right on par with the PCM As they are using the same Chevy 350 block , just the components differ a bit. You can also prop down to get even better performance The Mercs are very easy to service. Almost anywhere can service a Merc as they are the most popular I/o engine on the market. Not everywhere has a PCM service mechanic on staff. That's the one main advantages on the used boat side. The Merc engine gives you lots of options if you ever need work and parts are cake to come by. The PCM parts are little harder to get your hands on and usually require you to go through a marine dealer to match up specific parts. The Mercs seemed to go through manifold gaskets more than others, not sure if it was just a bad run, but it's simple fix and you can always get a better/heavier duty aftermarket gasket.

On to the boats. The 22v is a great all around boat. The thing is huge inside with tons of storage. Especially in that era of older comp boat style wakeboats. It will have more plastic pieces in the gaps and around the dash than the Nautique and the vinyl and foam will not be as thick as the Nautique so the seats in the Naitique will just be touch more comfortable. It will ride and Hal dale chop much better than the Nautique. The wakeboard wake on a 210 of that vintage will hands down beat the pants off that Tige. No if, ands, or butts about it. However the Tige will handle rough water, give you way more storage and space,allow you to bring more friends, ski better, and surf better than the 210 of that era. The wake plate also lets you adjust the shape of the wake to tone it down for more beginners and take the steepeness out of it with their TAPS plate. It boils down to what and how you want to use the boat to make the right call.

Last edited by xstarrider; 02-25-2016 at 6:40 AM.
Old     (kirk)      Join Date: May 2003       02-25-2016, 6:53 AM Reply   
I have the 350 MPI in my boat. I have over 2500 hrs on the motor (1999) with absolutely no issues.
I do all of the service on the boat myself... change oil, winterize, etc...
Great motor.
Old     (fish6942)      Join Date: Dec 2005       02-25-2016, 10:10 AM Reply   
I have the 315hp Merc MPI in my '05 Centurion. With one exception, the engine has been flawless.

That one issue is the engine will occasionally hiccup on slow acceleration right above idle. Numerous discussions with dealers and with Merc have provided no ideas on what it could be. It's not a huge deal so I just live with it.
Old     (ralph)      Join Date: Apr 2002       02-25-2016, 12:27 PM Reply   
I have the 350mag in my Sanger. 950hrs no problems, great motor
Old     (doubleup16)      Join Date: Sep 2007       02-25-2016, 1:08 PM Reply   
Merc is know to have idle air control valve problwms. Not a hard thing to fix and is fairly cheap. Is causes the engine to idle rough, and can make restarting hard. Not a reason to shy away from it in my opinion.
Old     (DenverRider)      Join Date: Feb 2013       02-25-2016, 1:18 PM Reply   
I went from a 350 mag MPI in my 2000 Tige 21i to a PCM 330 in my current boat which is a 2005 SAN 210. Both engines were great and I have no complaints about either from a mechanical propulsion standpoint. The difference was all in the hull shape. You can't go wrong with a SAN 210 and its resale value will hold up much better than the Tige. In 2003 the prop will turn the wrong direction for regular (non goofy) surfing and that didn't change until 2006.
Old     (chpthril)      Join Date: Oct 2007       02-25-2016, 5:56 PM Reply   
Quote:
[SAN 210 and its resale value will hold up much better than the Tige.
urban legend
Old     (DenverRider)      Join Date: Feb 2013       02-26-2016, 11:33 AM Reply   
I'd call it more of a rural legend as most wakeboarding lakes tend to be in the country. You got the legend part right though.
Old     (fence_sence)      Join Date: Jul 2008       02-26-2016, 2:20 PM Reply   
My '99 Merc 350mag in my '00 Tige has been a great motor. Great points above about parts and service being very easy to find and easy to afford (for a boat). The IAC issue is easy the deal with. It just needs to be cleaned. I just add it to my annual service routine. My fuel pump (older design) died a few years ago and was a bit spendy ($400) but was easy to replace. I think they switched to the newer style the next year but DQMOT. Otherwise mine has been bullet proof. Plenty of power and torque. I generally run from 4000ft to 6500ft elevation.

Between the two boats, I'd buy a 22v over a 210 any day. While the 'Tweek is a very nice boat, I've never liked the size on the interior. To me, every seat feels very, very small. The T-gay is built for 6' humans. The surf wake is legendary on the 22v as well.

Last edited by fence_sence; 02-26-2016 at 2:27 PM.

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