Tigé RZX: 80 Feet Back

With each passing year, the demand for more in a wakeboat screams louder: more seating, more power, more storage, more tech, more convenience, more luxury, more wake.

The RZX is Tigé’s answer to those ­demands for 2016. This is the Tigé boat that competes with the big boys. Coming in dry at 6,000 pounds with a 65-gallon fuel tank and 3,000 pounds of ballast, the RZX can morph into a 5-ton wake monster with the press of a button. And that’s easy to do with Tigé Touch2, a touchscreen software system that controls the boat’s ballast, wake shaping, rider profiles and audio systems.

Like most other companies’ flagship boats, Tigé’s RZX is designed to proficiently carve large, clean surf waves and create pro-level wakeboard wakes during every single session. My experience wakeboarding behind the RZX — and watching the Tigé team surfers blow my mind on its wave — confirms it can do both.

For the test, we loaded the RZX with all 3,000 pounds of ballast, added five people plus a driver, and set the TAPS 3 to 3. I followed 75 feet back. (Yes, I realize this is 80 Feet Back, but I tested at 75 feet. Sue me.) At 23.7 mph and 75 feet, the first thing I ­noticed was how big the wake was; of course, that made me happy. But after my first crack into the wake, I also noticed some of its other great qualities. It was very firm, with a long transition that led to a peaky lip. You can ride it to the top to reap the benefits or lock in an edge through the entire transition to get a glimpse of how big you can go. Because of the sheer weight of the RZX, it handled great as well — not listing to ­either side when pulling hard on the ­tower, and thus keeping the wakes consistent and clean. The wake was a little narrower than I’m used to, but I was also running slightly faster than normal. Perhaps 80 feet would have been ideal.

So the wake was great, but how long did it take to get there? Well, with the Tigé Touch, we pressed the button, and a few minutes later, all ballast was filled. The Indmar 6.2 combined with the TAPS 3 handled the rest and had me on top of the water with the efficiency you would expect from a brand’s premier offering.

All in all, this was a great boat with a lot of room, some unique design features (check out the storage hatch in the walk-through to the nose), and an awesome wake that I had a lot of fun on!

HOW DID IT SURF?

The RZX ushers in an enhanced surf experience as Tigé’s flagship. TAPS 3 and the Surf Link ­Remote let you quickly and easily switch from side to side and adjust your wave while riding. The wave is thick, with more than enough drive and clean faces that approach perfect ­symmetry on both sides.