Tigé RZ2 Platinum (2011-)

Brief Summary

What if you took one of Tigé's most popular boats and loaded it to the max with every option anyone would want? Then you'd have the 20th Anniversary Platinum Edition RZ2. Not only is this a serious performance wakeboat, but our tests show that she makes a capable family sportboat as well. Between the way the RZ2 handles a chop and that roomy layout, this is a boat to show off, even if you leave the wakeboard at home.

Key Features

• Patented ConvexV Hull & TAPS2 Technology
• Hand-laid multi-directional fiberglass hull
• Heavy-duty all-brass underwater gear
• Stainless steel capped curved glass windshield
• Stainless steel hardware and fasteners
• E Controls electronic technology
• Tigé SpeedSet cruise control
• TigéTouch Medallion can-bus digital instrumentation
• Air/water temperature gauge
• Deutsch electrical connectors
• Premium grade 36 oz. marine upholstery
• Snap-in carpet
• Insulated coolers, self-draining
• Oversized, removable swimstep
• Shark–eye LED navigation lights

Test Results

Specifications

Length Overall	22' 0'' / 6.7 m
Beam	8' 6'' 2.59
Dry Weight	4,150 lbs. 1,882 kg
Draft	N/A
Deadrise/Transom	N/A
Max Headroom	open
Bridge Clearance	N/A
Fuel Capacity	48 gal. 181.6 L
Water Capacity	N/A

Acceleration Times & Conditions

Time to Plane	2.6 sec.
0 to 30	7.3 sec.
Ratio	1.46 : 1
Props	13.5 x 16 x 4
Load	2 persons, 1/2 fuel, no water, minimal gear
Climate	80 deg.; 49% humidity; wind: 15-20 mph; seas; light chop

Engine Options

Tested Engine	1 x 409-hp PCM ZR
Std. Power	1 x 409-hp PCM 6.0 L ZR MPI
Opt. Power	1 x 450-hp PCM 6.0 L 1 x 550-hp PCM 6.0 L Supercharged

Warranty

Hull Warranty Extended	Lifeplus Lifetime

Captain's Report

Captain's Report by Capt. Steve

Keep the Fat

Tigé's mission in life is to produce premium wakeboats. In order to remain competitive Tigé has come up with a triple whammy for creating the wake you long for. First is the old fashioned ballast tank. It's a tried and true method of adding weight and increasing your wake. There's no reason to stop doing this so Tigé has dual ballast sacks in the stern and a horseshoe shaped one at the bow. From here it gets interesting.

Playing TAPS

Tigé has also reconfigured the hull, and added a trim plate aft, so you can dial in the parameters you’re looking for in ways that were previously unavailable. The hull design is called Convex V and the variable part of the equation is called TAPS 2, for Tigé Adjustable Performance System.

The Convex V/TAPS Marriage…

Where other wakeboats have hull bottoms that run in a straight line until they get to the stern and then hook down, Tigé’s curves slightly upward. That drops the transom down, creating bigger wake. The more of the transom in the water, the more wake you will have.
Tigé then adds an adjustable plane on the centerline, much like a trim tab. Want a bigger wake? Adjust the TAPS 2 plane up and you have a fatter wake. Want a flat wake? Bring the TAPS 2 plane down and you get a more laminar flow to the hull.

Getting it On

Does it work? Oh yeah it does, but better with the ballast bags filled. Without any added ballast, activating the TAPS 2 did make a difference: the bow came up and down with the control. But the difference in wake was negligible, at least from the driver’s seat. At the end of the towline, maybe it would be more pronounced. But the fact that it did anything at all is a step past other boats that have a fixed, hooked hull.

However, add ballast and things change dramatically. Now when you bring the TAPS 2 up, the stern sinks way down, and the wake… well, if you want higher then perhaps Olympic ski jumping is more for you. I was able to go easily from a moderately flat wake to a monster wake-surfing wake, all with the touch of a throttle mounted button.
From an operational standpoint, it wasn’t pretty. No one would say that operating a boat with so much extra weight, and having the bow so high, is efficient or cost effective, but in the world of wake boarding, it’s not about the driver’s comfort, it’s all about the wake and speed, and in this boat, you can have it your way.

Tigé Touch…

But all of this is of little consequence if you can’t get back to a favorite position the next day. With Tigé Touch, you can do that and more. With its 6.5” (16.5 cm) touch screen, you can create up to 25 different profiles that contain information on boat speed, ballast bag levels, and TAPS adjustments, AND you can name those profiles after the friends that they are dialed in for. Tigé Touch also allows you to have full control of all switches and tunes (regardless of what source they come from) and even gives you a readout of all gauges. We get into a full review of Tigé Touch elsewhere on our site and you should check it out.

Comfort Level…

Aside from wake control, the Tigé RZ2 is also a very comfortable boat. The helm bucket seat is wrap-around and both the seat bottom and lumbar areas are firm mesh. This makes for a cooler seat on hot days, relieves sticking to the seat when you’re in a swimsuit, and keeps the seat dry when you’re sitting in a wet swimsuit.

The helm is totally uncluttered because most of the gauges are relegated to the Tigé Touch. You still have a speedo, tach, and TAPS2 gauge with fuel and engine temp embedded in each of the outside gauges. The fuel gauge could use a little tweaking though. It’s a bar graph that gives fuel quantity in percents. I’d like to see a readout of the gallons remaining instead. The throttle is right at the fingertips when your arm is resting on the nice armrest, and that armrest also allows you to make incremental changes to the boat’s speed.

Tricked Out

The collapsible Alpha-Z Tower is a Tigé trademark. Not only does it look like a work of art, it's very functional. There are handholds in the top that are great for holding the boat at the dock when you want to do a quick passenger change on the fly.
Docking lights are embedded in the forward points. The underside has mounts that accommodate up to four Wet Sounds speakers. Above is the tow point that is normally reversible to reveal the white all-around nav light, but on our Platinum Edition this towpoint is also home to a camera that swivels with the towline. Because of this, the nav light is mounted on top of the camera.

As for being collapsible, the tower is internally counterweighted, which makes it much easier to lower and raise. This is a great feature for owners who want to store their Platinum in the garage.

Platinum Perks

This boat was intended as a "pull out all the stops" ride, and Tigé certainly delivered on that. To name a few of the features, there's the custom embroidered snap-in carpeting, stainless trim over the bulwark cubbies, platinum level upholstery highlights, a pair of custom engraved Platinum Edition grab rails at the bow, upgraded stereo system, color matched tower and speakers, and a partridge in a pear tree.

Given the fact that the Tigé RZ2 makes controlling the wake so easy, coupled with her striking good looks and easy handling, it’s hard not to look at this boat and feel that she’s a winner. The only mistake that we've seen is people thinking she's only for the wakeboat crowd. This is a capable day boat that will also serve as a high end wakeboat. That means the kids can use her during the week, and the parents can have her on the weekends.