future of boats?

[racerdave]

What are some opinions on the future of wakeboard/ surf boats? Do you think that Tige' will build a boat bigger than 24'? I know the only way to get bigger waves is bigger displacement of water. With today's current configuration we are (IMO) tapped out on waves size. I would personally like to see a 26' out of Tige', just to see what they can develop. I know my little 20 footer has a seating capacity of 12 and realistically seats 8 or 9 comfortably. With the RZ4 or Z3 I am sure you could seat 12 comfortably I think they have a 17 person seating capacity. I know several times we are planning around the size of the boat. I am planning a upgrade soon to a bigger boat. When boat shopping I have ventured outside of Tige' just to see some of the 25-26' boats. I personally feel buy more than you need and you can grow into the boats rather than continuing to outgrow the boat with your growing needs. The same on my wave I have around 2k of extra weight on top of the stock ballast and feel I have as much weight as I can safely add with out damaging the boat or putting people on the boat in danger. The bigger the boat the more area for weight and the better the boat can handle the weight. More displacement the better the experience weather wakeboarding or surfing. All of this is just my .02 and would like the hear some of your guys input.

David

[Ewok]

I think 24-25' towboats are about the limit the market can stand for broad general sales. Of course there are some big ones out there like the X-80 but the sweetspot seems to be around 20-25', specifically around 22'. I think a huge seller this year is going to be the G21. It's got the look and high freeboard of the G23 but it's a good size to be easy to handle on a trailer and tow with most large SUV's and 1/2 pickups. In order to tow the bigger boats you've got to increase your towing capacity and that is almost exclusively diesel engines. Displacement is key for wake and wave size so higher freeboard allows the boat to handle the greater weight without getting slammed down low to the water. And the pros who slam their boats can sink them a little further with higher freeboard. The ASR is a huge boat and the rumored 25' version will be a monster but it's also harder to maneuver and dock a bigger boat like that with a single prop. I'm sure a company will build a 26-27' cruiser-ish boat but more of a crossover than a full on cabin cruiser type such as the MC300. It'll be a flagship boat to wow people at boat shows and we'll see a few on the lakes with big money homes but I think the majority of the wake boat market will stick to under 25' boats.

Finally, I think that experience on the water will show people that 6-8 is about as many riders as you want on the boat on any outing. If you get any more than that and everyone gets shorted on the riding time and it might be boring for some to wait so long between sets. Of course if the boat is NOT full of riders but just some friends having fun cheering on the few in the water it works out, but having tons of people waiting to ride is not as much fun as it looks.

[sandm]

well said. 22ft seems to be the sweetspot for the boatbuilders for so many reasons you list above.

there's a reason the x80 is dead..

[IDBoating]

I agree with Ewok's observations. We have a 24 footer and anything larger feels like a whole different "class" of craft. Beyond 24 feet you're starting to get too large for the smaller lakes. If you're a day boater and must trailer then you're talking a bigger towing rig ($$$) like Ewok mentioned, plus the far more complex trailering associated with a longer trailer.

Lake Cd'A near here is big enough for some of those larger boats, and we've spent many an entertaining hour watching the folks with dual and triple engine cigarette style boats (30-40+ feet) try to get them into the water. Backing up with a trailer that long, especially when the boat is on it, takes skill and practice that your average "two weekends a month during summer" boater just doesn't rack up. The families with the sub-30 footers are getting in the water one after the other as the long boat crews are still arguing and shouting at each other. Great fun for observers, but not why you buy a big boat!

And really... 24-26 feet is a pretty big boat for sporting purposes. Small for enclosed cabin craft with galleys and a head, but for day-boats 24-26 feet holds a lot of people and gear for hardcore sports. When people transition into larger groups that mostly socialize instead of do sports, they start looking at pontoon boats - not even larger inboards.

I agree that the sweet spot, the high volume, of inboard sport boats will probably remain in the 22-24 foot range. I think there is still a lot of innovation possible into making bigger/better waves without being "just longer". Things like the Convex VX are only the beginning, an afterthought add-on strapped onto an existing hull. I've been thinking about reshapable hulls... with enough engine and the appropriate prop you could get the effective displacement without adding a lot of length and gain a whole lot of wave profile control in the process. You heard it here first....

[boardman74]

I think the market for 24+ tow boats is very slim. 3 years as a Tige dealer and my dealer has yet to order or sell anything bigger than a Z-3. No demand here at all for the RZ4. AS far as I know they only ordered 1 ASR just so people can see what they are like and it will also be the owners demo boat.

[Z3CO23]

We do see boats here in Colorado that are 24 feet or more. We see a few 24 foot wake boats but Colorado waters are small so bigger boats are not convenient for our state. I do know people who are willing to travel out of state several times a season for bigger waters, but I'm not one of them. I'm with others on here, big wake boats are probably a small market.

[racerdave]

you guys all make very good points. Boardman- do you think it is just your local lakes not supporting big wake boats or is the Rz4 not as good of a wake boat as a Z3. I am trying to figure out what my upgrade is going to be. I love the Z3 and the Rz4 I want as much usable space as possible. I have several people that are in our boating crew that could care less to be in the water then the rest of us are jockeying for water time. So I could def see the point of not having too many skiers on the boat. I was looking from the perspective of the boats capacity being people sitting shoulder to shoulder not what actually happens. My wife is going to be stretched out. My kids are not allowed the sit next to each other or they will be pestering each other. This again is just my personal story. I hate to have coolers or other gear sitting open in the boat it makes everything feel cluttered so alot of storage is a must. I was just thinking more is better! bigger the boat, bigger the fun. I know for me personally I am not worried about getting the boat to the water, I see it like if someone is spending over 100k on a boat the truck is going to be a non issue. It would kind be like price shopping gas, that is just part of it. I know my next boat purchase will be my last I am trying to make sure that I get what will facilitate my needs for many years to come. For someone poor like me I have to make it count.

thanks David

[Dandy]

My I agree with most, if not all of the statements above. One concern that I have with larger boats is "big brother" stepping in. With regards to wake surfing, there is already talk about regulations/banning in some states due to "safety" concerns (prop injury, CO2...). As boats make bigger wakes, I fear that there would be the possibilty of banning other than competitions or restriction to specific lakes, which will usually be the larger lakes which are generally the busiest already and have crappy water conditions to start. Keep in mind that the majority of public water usage is still by sports fisherpeople (PC terms) and families just hanging out on the water in run abouts or pontoons. From a license and tax standpoint, the dollars taken in through wake boats/wake gear is minimal compared to the dollars by the general water use population. In additon to that many of the outdoor sporting groups already have association in place raising money for lobbying. My wife has started a small business selling Stand Up Paddleboards and gear - this industry as new as it is already has starting building industry fundraising and associations. We love SUP as much as all other water sports but again, there are alreay more people with SUPs and they like smooth water (inland) and will have a louder voice if asked for opionion. If the boats get too much bigger and throw too much bigger of wakes, I personally fear more government regulation AGAINST our sports, this in addition to everything mentioned before. Who wants to purchase a $75-$125K boat to end up not being able to use it for it purpose 1-2 years later? I think the industry needs to tread carefully with this.