Tige 22i Type R
The 22i Type R, the newest addition to the Tig line, is a direct-drive inboard built just for wakeboarding.
By Dave Kelley
July 1, 2001
Think of it as a wakeboard fantasy camp. You're sitting in the
observer's seat of a brand-new Tig' 22i Type R with Cobe Mikacich at the wheel, and Eric Ruck,
currently the third-ranked wakeboarder in the world, in the water behind the boat. Ruck's throwing
one jaw-dropping trick after another as the sound system sends heavy bass thumping off the cliffs
that line Lake Austin's north side. He's hammering double-ups so hard and high that the people
lined up at the nearby boat ramp have stopped trying to launch and are lining the shore, cheering
in disbelief. Cobe keeps one eye on the mirror as he nonchalantly describes the tricks Ruck's
throwing. He even offers some tips on how they're done, as though the observer might hop off the
boat and try a 911 of his own.
As if. Some fantasies, like nailing a 911 while two of the best wakeboarders on the planet
are watching, are destined to remain just that, fantasies. Besides, it would be downright greedy to
even think about compounding the fantasy that's become a reality on this warm spring day.
According to Mikacich, who was heavily involved in the development of the 22i, the idea
behind it is to offer inboard fans a true wakeboarding boat, not just a ski boat that's been
tweaked a bit and had a tower installed. In fact, this may be the first inboard most people have
ever seen that offers a ski pylon as an option instead of a standard feature, and a tower as a
standard feature instead of an option. But the really stunning thing is, there's enough going on
with this boat that most people may not even realize the pylon's not there until its absence is
pointed out.
The interior of the 22i is
just an improved version of the basic inboard layout. But many of the improvements, although
appreciated, go almost unnoticed. In the bow, for example, the seats are designed so that it's as
comfortable to lounge facing rearward as it is facing forward. So, if you have the urge, you could
kick back up there and watch the action behind the boat. It's a little thing, but if you're maxing
out the 22i's 12-person capacity, the folks up front will like that touch. The observer's seat has
been expanded so that it now stretches completely across the walk-through to the bow area, making
room for three people. This does mean that you have to either step over or on the observer's seat
to get to and from the bow, but that's a fair trade for the extra room, and there's a non-skid
covered step on the bow side, so it's not that tricky at all. Also, the walk-through can be closed
off with an optional curtain to keep cool morning breezes from freezing out whomever happens to be
sitting there.
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With the 22i's wide,
8-foot-4-inch beam, there's room alongside the engine box to not only walk comfortably, but to also
fit a pair of seats that are cleverly designed to let you face forward or backward without
straining your neck. There's a rear-facing seat at the back of the engine box that's actually
usable while someone's behind the boat, due to the fact that the tow rope attaches to the tower
some 6-plus-feet overhead. It's a little disconcerting at first, if you are used to inboards where
sitting behind the pylon is a good way to get beheaded, but on the 22i, it's a great seat.
Storage is no problem on the 22i.
Although the transom step eliminates the traditional ski trunk you might expect to find, it's been
more than adequately replaced by storage areas at the rear of each gunwale. These storage spaces
have padded gull-wing lids to provide easy access to boards and gear from both the cockpit and the
swim platform. There's also a large storage area in front of the observer's seat, accessible
through the seat back, and a storage area in front of the helm, as well as storage beneath the bow
seats. If that's not enough, there's also a pair of two-board racks (four-board total capacity) on
the tower. All dry storage is carpeted, as is the entire cockpit (the bow area has snap-in
carpeting).
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There aren't many engine options on
the 22i. There's the standard package, a 270-hp MerCruiser; the 315-hp, 5.7L MerCruiser MPI; the
330-hp, 5.7L MerCruiser EFI Scorpion; or the 340-hp, 6.2L MerCruiser MX Scorpion. Among these, the
best all-around choice of the bunch is probably the 315-hp, 5.7L MerCruiser MPI. On this day, the
22i's powered by the 330-hp Scorpion, which is a fine engine as far as performance and reliability,
but has an annoying whistle at certain speeds, a bug that's never been worked out. Whistle aside,
the Scorpion is definitely a performer, accelerating from 0 to 30 mph in less than six seconds and
from 0 to 36 mph (ski speed) in a hair under seven seconds, then reaching a top speed of 45.6 mph.
Good numbers, considering they were achieved with four people and gear on board, and a full tank '
47 gallons ' of fuel.
Tig' is proud of the hull on the 22i, and Mikacich points out that the boat was designed with wakeboarding in mind from the very beginning, with the hull created first and designed to deliver some pretty specific characteristics. For example, the hull carries its V throughout its length, with a 30-degree deadrise at entry and a 13-degree deadrise at the transom for a soft, dry ride even in rough water. 'People don't like getting beaten up while they're in a boat,' says Mikacich. The hull's also been designed to work with the Tig' Adjustable Performance System (TAPS) so you don't have to worry about things like ballast bags to get a world-class wake, as well as to be able to deliver a pretty decent slalom wake at recreational and tournament speeds (30 to 36 mph). The hull also responds well to the human ballast in the boat, with the wake changing noticeably when even a couple of people move from the observer's seat or the bow to the rear seats. What's really important, though, is that the hull's handling ' which is tight and nimble ' isn't overly affected when you set the TAPS for wakeboarding, whereas the addition of several hundred pounds of ballast would invariably have an impact on both acceleration and handling. Since there are three tracking fins on the hull, it's no surprise that the 22i holds its line with little if any input from the driver. High-speed wheel-lock turns, though, are every bit as stable. The 22i turns flat, so you never lose sight of either horizon, even at full throttle, and the hull never even begins to feel slippery or skittish. The throttle is feather-light, so the smallest motion gets a quick and positive response from the engine. It's the kind of drive that makes you kind of wish nobody was looking so you could run the boat around the slalom buoys instead of pulling a straight line through the course. That, however, wouldn't be right. Especially when there's a wakeboard fantasy camp taking place, with Mikacich and Ruck taking turns giving tips on how to be a better driver, how to hit sicker tricks and how to just get more enjoyment out of life, period. The bass still thumps off the cliffs and bridges of Lake Austin, everyone takes a turn behind the wheel (if not behind the boat ' the afternoon's warm, but that water's still too cold for anybody who might fall, meaning anybody who's not Mikacich or Ruck), the 22i performs like a champion, and the people on the shore blow off launching entirely and just cheer. |
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