Tige 2300V Water Sports Boat

See 2017 update at bottom of page.

When I was researching the purchase of a water ski boat, I naturally used the web. I was disappointed in the lack of detail available, especially photographs, from all the manufacturers.  This page was developed to provide detailed photos on the 2000 Tige 2300V Limited I bought as well as some personal commentary on my experience with the boat.  I have not included the normal specs you can find on the Tige web site.

The Tige was purchased from Pete MacCallum at MacCallum's Boathouse in Epsom, NH during the Boston Boat Show in the winter of 2000.  MacCallum's has been a solid dealer, and I haven't had any problems with the boat. I heard recently that they are no longer carrying Tige boats, but I still get mine serviced there.

Now on with the photos, most of which were taken on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire during July of 2000.  Winnipesaukee is about 20 miles long and the largest lake in the state.

I couldn't find any photos on the Tige web site of the boat with the bimini option installed.  But it was an important feature for us since we have small, fair-skinned children and wanted to provide them with shade on hot days. Unlike those on some boats, this bimini is large enough to provide significant shade.

Good shot of the large swim platform.  There is a chrome bar running along the stern to grab when you're getting out of the water.

It's hard to tell from this photo, but there is a lot of room here.  I'm 6'1" and when I'm lounging in the bow my feet do not touch the bow cushion.  By the way, the vertical bow cushion has a hinge on the top (the top of the cushion is the blue stripe visible in this photo).  It opens to provide carpeted anchor storage.  The two side bow cushions remove to provide additional storage.  I stuff a bunch of life jackets in there. 

Note the optional recessed bow cleat.  You can also see one of the bow speakers, a nice sounding set of JVC marine speakers.  Barely visible, almost dead center of this photo, is one of two cup holders.

This view from the swim platform shows a number of aspects of the boat.  From the rear, you can see the ski pylon.  The two loops to either side are used to open the butterfly or side rear storage doors.  The small black loop immediately to the right opens the engine compartment. A taller pylon is available for wakeboarders.  Of course, hard core wakeboarders will opt for the tower.

We ordered the twin captain's chairs - in fact this was one of the main reasons we chose the 23V and the Tige.  The 21V does not have a passenger captain chair available due to its smaller size.   Don't underestimate the desirability of a second captain's chair for the co-pilot.  If you buy a boat like this, you are probably going to do a lot of cruising as well as water sports.  Being able to swivel the chair is a big plus if you don't want to be craning your neck all the time.  Most other big V-Drives don't have this option, which I personally think is a big mistake. 

On either side in the rear are side seats - you can't see the rear bench seat in this photo. 

This boat has an incredible amount of room.  We have had 12 people on board several times without feeling crowded.

Notice in front of the passenger chair - there's a door.  We'll get to that later.  Over the door is a reasonably sized glove compartment.

By the floor in the bow you can see two cup holders.  The other small black object there is a courtesy light.

This is the storage area under the port side cushion behind the passenger seat.  You can see the ski tips at the top of the opening.  The skis are put in via the compartment next to the engine and the storage is open all the way under the seat for maximum room.  It's a clever design because you stow the skis while you are still standing on the swim platform.  In fact, one-hatch designs that open with a motor are very inconvenient for both skiers and any passengers.  They force you to enter the boat to store gear.  With the butterfly designed-doors, you can slip your boards right into storage without getting the interior wet. Notice also the two cup holders in the top and one of the rear speakers.  (Also my left big toe)

Parallel to this storage, on the other side, is the cooler, shown below. It has a drainage plug.

The cooler is directly behind the driver's seat.  It holds lots of cold beverages.  Some say it will even hold beer (not for the driver).  See the small black rectangle between the cup holders?  That's one of the courtesy lights.  They look really cool at night.

Here's a good shot of the driver's station.  I chose the graphite looking dash - a wood grain is also available. Gauges from left to right are oil, temp, volts, speedo, tach, fuel, TAPS and optional depth gauge.  Next is an aux 12 volt lighter outlet and then circuit breakers for electronics.  Barely visible behind the steering wheel are on/off switches for bilge, lights, stereo, heater, etc.  Newer 2300Vs have a different dash Tige calls the Millenium cockpit.

Panel to the left of the wheel includes another 12 volt outlet, ignition, and horn.  You can also see a very convenient cup holder.  Underneath is where my dealer mounted a fire extinguisher.  He explained that I'd only use it to put out fires on other people's boats.

On the right, over the throttle, is a three position switch for the optional heater.  That's right - heater.  The heater works just like a car heater and has a vent under the steering wheel and another on the side wall a bit forward and below the cup holder you see.  The heater is nice on a cold evening or to heat up kids who stay in the water too long and come out with blue lips.  This option cost around $400 but has been worth it for me to extend our time on the lake and make evening cruises more enjoyable.

Another option we got was a windscreen that simply snaps on to block access to the bow.  It installs just under the windshield.  When the windscreen is installed, the windshield panel closed and the heater is on, the boat warms up surprisingly well.

Below the throttle you can see a net which is great for storing sunglasses or a cap when you're going fast.

The stereo is also visible here.  I opted to put my own CD player in just because I liked it better than the model Tige offers.

You can't see it, but the throttle has a thumb switch which controls TAPS.

This strange looking photo actually shows the inside of the storage area behind the door in front of the passenger seat.  Remember, I told you we'd come back to it.

This space is actually huge and extends all the way to the bow.  I have actually lied down inside this space with the door shut.  My kids love to play in here so much that we never store anything here.  Two or three of them (ages 6, 4 and 4) can fit in here.  It is carpeted all the way to the bow.  You could easily fit skis in here.  It even has a minimal lock to stow valuables if you were docked somewhere.

This is the walkthrough passage to the bow.  On the top right you see a round object which is the second heater vent.  This vent actually pulls out of the wall via a 6-8 foot long coiled hose so you can bring it into the back and dry off swimmers. 

Beyond that is a door to yet another large storage area in front of the dashboard.  Although not quite as large as the area to the left, it fits a small child or two.

On the left wall, opposite that opening, you can see a pull-out compartment that can be used for two small fenders.  Mine are too large so I use this for lines.

You can get an optional windscreen that snaps to the forward sides of this passage and to the bottom of the windshield.  This keeps wind from the bow from blowing in and is a nice option for cooler days or nights.  Bow carpet is snap-out.  Main cabin carpet is not.

Rear storage is cavernous.  But the brilliant thing is the way the side doors open.  With this arrangement you can put wet skis or boards into storage without having to drag them inside the boat.  This way, you don't have to get everything inside your boat wet, or have to risk tearing vinyl with a fin.  It's much more convenient and nicer for the passengers, too.  I can easily crouch into either side storage area and close the door.  The compartment on the right is holding 4 skis and about 10 life jackets.  I keep the canvas in the other.

Notice the small seat cushion in the middle.  Remove it and you have the mounting hole for the optional cocktail table, complete with two more cup holders.  Sorry I don't have a picture of that - I forgot.  The table and support store in the left storage compartment.

In the center is a fuel injected Mercruiser 350 MAG MPI making 315 HP.  Sounds excellent - not too loud but a nice deep powerful sound.  I can do just about 50 mph in this boat.

When I was looking at the Mastercraft V drive, their entire sundeck was hinged on the stern and lifted in one piece with a motor.  I thought this was very poor design since it meant the skier had to climb in the boat with their gear, then have the hatch raised, then stow the gear.  Meanwhile everyone and everything in the boat is wet and passengers are ducking out of the way.  They have since changed to emulate the Tige.

Word of advice. If you are getting a canvas cover, have them make a flap that covers the windshield and attaches over the bow cover so rain doesn't run down the windshield and into the boat. That's a problem I had until I came up with this cover piece.

Plenty of room in the back for Ryan and his friend Tyler to crash after a tough day of tubing.

My son, Danny.  Notice how the cushions come up to his shoulders.  Keeps them safe in rougher water.  Lots of bows have very little freeboard, and I worried about a good bump throwing out one of my little ones.  Not so with the Tige.

Jennifer, Danny's four year old twin, used to be afraid of going fast.  Now she's the one begging to "Go faster, Daddy!"  Good shot of JVC bow speaker placement.

Older brother Ryan is getting interested in water skiing and I hope to get him trying this summer. Directly behind Ryan is the carpeted anchor locker. Carpeting is important to keep it from rattling around and making noise when underway.

The dual-axle trailer includes brakes.  It is painted to match the boat and has sharp-looking chrome wheels. (Tow vehicle not included).  Total weight of boat and trailer approaches 5000 lbs. Boat is 3600 lbs dry.

Performance: I'm no expert skiier, but the wake is nicer than my previous 17 ft Glastron outboard.  I haven't wakeboarded yet, but with TAPS I can kick up a monster wake.  Boat handles well and has excellent acceleration.  We had it in some pretty rough lake water and stayed dry and warm.  The ability to trim with the TAPS helps significantly on a lake as large as Winnipesaukee. It did pound a bit in the big waves, but developed no rattles or squeaks.  The only problem I had was when the tube from the speedo popped off the gauge.  I just pushed it back on and everything was fine.

Well, there you have it.  Hope this helps if you are considering this wonderful boat.  We love it.

2017 Update

I wrote the original review during the first year I had the boat.

I've now owned the boat for 17 years and it has about 900 hours on the engine.

Bottom line: I am still happy with the boat.

Overall, it is still solid. I've had to do some maintenance-type things including a few water pumps, belt, starter solenoid, batteries, etc. Nothing major on the engine.

The dashboard electrical switches have pretty much failed - started going after about 15 years. I had my mechanic re-wire switches for the lights, bilge, blower so they are now located where the circuit breakers were visible. I think that moisture eventually got into the circuit board under the switches in the dash.  Still - this cost me about $500 and now it works fine. (I look at the extensive, advanced electronics on many of today's high-end boats and wonder how long they will last.)

All the gauges still work, but they don't light up. I consider that a good thing. I hated the fact that I couldn't dim the gauges and they killed my night vision so I always threw a towel over them when driving at night.

This year I paid to have the entire boat wet-sanded by a true craftsman. The gel coat had become chalky after 13 years in the sun. Below is the before and after.  The boat now looks like it is two years old. I've elected not to replace the Tige stickers. I think the boat looks a little classier this way, and nobody knows what kind of boat it is - I like the mystery.  Also, why should I pay Tige to advertise their brand?

Interior: I've re-covered a few of the cushions, but they've held up pretty well. I always covered the boat with my canvas when I wasn't using it, and now I have a boat house so it was worth investing in the refinish because it is no longer exposed to the sun unless I am driving it. Guests have a hard time believing the boat is 17 years old.

Trailer: The Eagle trailer completely rusted out on me so I had to replace it. Why the hell does someone build a boat trailer out of steel that will rust? 

Here's me doing my only trick.