TIGE RZ2

They say the tiger hunts alone and, likewise, Tigé goes its own way with a Convex-V hull shaped like a banana with the ends facing up, unlike the “hook”or downturn most ski boats have toward the stern. This allows the driver to trim it like an I/O instead of always running in the bow-down attitude of most ski boats.

Using Bennett trim tabs, the Taps2 system allows you to tune your wake for either wakeboarding or slaloming with the press of a button – without using ballast – in only 4.7 seconds, according to our stopwatch, as opposed to five minutes for ballast tanks to fill or dump. Although the ballast- less configuration is fine for beginning wakeboarders, serious boarders will want the RZ2 equipped with the optional hard tanks that hold 900 pounds of “plow juice”as well as the bow bladder.

The RZ series features more room in the bow, thanks to its “pickle fork” design that carries the width of the hull farther forward. The wrap-around cockpit seating has two rearward-facing lounges for spectating in comfort, and the captain gets a new Attwood VisionAir mesh chair for soggy suit comfort. The Tigé SpeedSet cruise control is very intuitive and makes dialing in the perfect speed easy. Also new is the optional Batman-esque AlphaZ tower that can fold down easily thanks to the spring-loaded assist. Our boat is equipped with the optional 1,000-watt Tower of Power/Wet- Sounds stereo system that will blow you away as well as those in neighboring counties.

With the standard PCM GM block 5.7L 343 hp engine, the Tigé performed well with a time to plane of 3.1 seconds, zipping to 30 mph in 7.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 43 mph just seconds later. The engine was notably quieter – especially at idle, and cruise speeds had less vibration than most thanks to the six motor mounts instead of the usual four.