Odds are you don't lie awake wishing that somebody would get it together and build a 20-foot watersports boat that has a V-drive so there's lots of cockpit room for friends and family, yet still throws a decent recreational slalom wake and can fit in your garage to boot. That's the sort of thing you usually don't think about until you see it, at which time you realize it's exactly what you've been wanting all your life without even knowing it. Tig's been building boats that get that sort of reaction for a while now, and it's betting that the 20V Riders Edition is ' you guessed it ' exactly that 20-foot, garage-friendly, V-drive watersports boat that you don't even know you've been wanting.

An even 20 feet in length, the 20V fits inside the typical suburban garage, and since it weighs only 3,800 pounds, it can be towed to and from the garage by just about anything on the road, including a number of station wagons. But with the V-drive configuration and a 96-inch beam, the 20V still has enough room for 10 people and their gear (provided they all travel very light) on board. Eight is a more realistic number of passengers, and that's plenty for a party. Those eight people ride in comfort that matches well with just about any comparably sized runabout. The driver gets an adjustable bucket while the cockpit passengers get an almost O-shaped lounge seat that's a perfect conversation pit. The observer seat, which is a real observer's seat and not a swiveling bucket, actually stretches across the bow-area walkthrough so you have to step over the seat bottom to get to and from the forward area. It features a seat back that can be secured out of the way or in position, depending on your needs and wants. (On cool mornings the swiveling seat back doubles as a nifty windblock.) Underneath the observer seat is a nifty self-draining cooler that the driver can reach, so you can serve yourself without giving up the helm.

It's worth mentioning that the bow seats have contoured backs, and the seat backs flip up to provide access to storage compartments. There's also an anchor locker behind the forward-most seat back. Still, unless they're taking advantage of the filler cushions to use the bow area as a mini-sun deck, most adults won't spend much time up front. But it's there if you want it. If the kids do come along, mom and dad will appreciate the 20V's deep cockpit, with a low deck that gives you the feeling that you're sitting well inside the boat, even with the 12-inch-plus seat height that keeps you from feeling like you're sitting on the floor.

Not that the floor's such a bad place to sit, with full-cockpit carpeting (snap-in carpet in the bow) and all.' Aft, there's a large, three-piece sun pad. The center section doubles as an engine cover, while the two outside sections open with the traditional Tig' gull-wing flair to reveal huge, carpeted storage areas that are easily accessed from both the cockpit and the teak swim platform. Hop off that teak platform and drift to the end of your rope, and the 20V will reward you with a righteous wake at 20 mph, even with only a couple of people on board and no ballast, courtesy of the TAPS system. The wake is smooth and well-formed, with just the hint of a lip for lift at takeoff. Bump the throttle up to 35 mph and move the TAPS toward the slalom end of the scale, and you're given a wake that should satisfy just about any recreational-level skier. It's not tournament quality, but it's about as close as you'll see from a V-drive.

Because of the 20V's size, the TAPS really comes into play; it's vastly more noticeable than on the bigger V-drives in the Tig' fleet. This is a good thing. A 20-foot boat, even one with as good a hull as this, is much more liable to be hammered in the rough, and the TAPS system lets you adjust the hull's attitude on the fly to smooth out the chop. It's a good hull too, the same basic design as on the rest of Tig's V-drive (and the 22i), with a 30-degree V at the bow for better carving. In the BW test, the hull handles everything thrown at it, from full-throttle wheel-lock turns to blasting through the biggest chop available, without stuttering or slipping. Even with the TAPS on full wakeboard, there is virtually no bow lift at takeoff, and turns are delivered solidly and predictably when demanded.

The only complaint is with the MerCruiser Black Scorpion engine. The problem isn't that it lacks power ' the 340-hp, 6.2L on the BW test boat has muscle to spare ' but its ravenous appetite for fresh air makes it whistle like a forgotten tea kettle when you're cruising. It's not Tig's fault, and MerCruiser says it has tried everything, but it's a nuisance. Go with the 315-hp, 5.7L MerCruiser MPI, and you'll be much, much happier.

The lack of whistle more than makes up for any performance difference.' With the 6.2L Black Scorpion, the BW test boat accelerates from 0 to 30 mph in a highly respectable 6.8 seconds, passes the 36-mph mark in 7.5 seconds and finally tops out at 47.2 mph. Not bad, considering there is a full tank of fuel on board. The 20V responds aggressively to the throttle commands, showing excellent torque in the 20- to 35-mph range.

You may not have spent too many sleepless nights wishing for a 20-foot watersports boat with a V-drive setup that will fit neatly into your garage, and that's OK. Outside of the Tig' design team, it's a fair bet that not many people have. But it's also a fair bet that it won't be long before more people suffer that particular fate now that the 20V's here. Tig's got it right ' again.