Three Guys and a Boat: Hear About the Buying Experience in Their Own Words

You’ve got dreams of heading out on the open water this summer in the perfect boat — one that looks and operates just the way you’ve always pictured. So what’s holding you back? For many prospective boat owners, it’s the buying experience. They know they want a boat, but they’re not sure what kind, or how to find one that fits in their price range. 

The team at Germaine Marine strives to provide a worry-free boat-buying experience for everyone. To see what that experience is like, read the first-time boat-buying stories of three real customers who purchased a Tige boat together. Meet Dave Mink, James Brown, and Jason Coulam, and hear what they have to say about buying a boat from Germaine Marine, in their own words.

Dave Mink:

I grew up as a non-boater, other than my annual family reunion in Boise, ID where I would get out once or twice on my uncle’s boat. When I got married, my wife let me know she expected to be a boat owner at some point. I have to admit I was a little intimidated by the prospect of buying a boat and learning to be an adequate boat owner and operator, so I resisted for over a decade. Then a few years ago, we started getting invited on an annual trip to Lake Powell and my whole perspective changed. Those trips were absolute game-changers and I don’t know whether I had ever seen my kids and family happier than out on a lake. So, I decided to make my wife’s dream come true and get a boat.

I went to one of my “mechanically inclined” friends and he suggested a jet boat based on safety (no prop), ease of maneuverability, dual engine, etc. It was a good recommendation and I learned how to own and operate a boat with a Yamaha 242X. I was actually surprised how quickly I went from being happy just to be on the water to wanting a boat with more power, a better wave, and less noise (those jets get loud!). 

Early last spring, I was on my way to the lake when I remembered that we needed a new wakeboarding rope, so I did a quick Google search for nearby boat dealerships and found Germaine Marine. From the moment I walked into Germaine’s showroom I was blown away by the craftsmanship of Tigé boats. I was further impressed when I spent a few minutes with an in-store display that introduced me to the ConvexV hull and the Surf TAPS system. So, I bought my rope and got in my truck and immediately called my partner in the Yamaha boat and told him we needed a Tigé.

"Noah and Adam have been absolutely first-rate. Last summer they arranged for 3 different lake boat tests and even 
helped my partners and me arrange a trip down to Tigé in Abilene, TX to check out the manufacturing process firsthand. 
If you want to work with a dealer that is knowledgeable, responsive, and accommodating, these are your guys!"
- Dave Mink, Google Review, 5 stars

This set off about a four-month exploration of the brand, the boats, and even the manufacturing plant in Abilene, TX. We constantly peppered Noah (Germaine’s owner) and Adam (a great sales guy) with questions and they arranged several different test rides on Utah Lake and Deer Creek on the R23, Z1. However, they both told us that we should wait for the 2020 RZX23 and suggested that we take a trip to Abilene to see the boat in person. We had the opportunity to go out to Abilene and tour the factory. One of Tigé’s reps even took us out on a local lake to surf behind the 2020 RZX23.  

We started custom-designing our boat that same night from our hotel room in Abilene.  We placed the boat order with Germaine when we got back to Utah and took delivery of the boat in late April. Seeing the boat in person was extremely gratifying. The overall craftsmanship, color combinations, sound system, smart wheel,  and the ability to surf left or right with the touch of a button (no shifting people and weights from one side of the boat to the other) was all more than I expected. This boat has been a life-saver this spring as we have been able to get the family out of the house (thank you COVID-19) and go enjoy each other’s company in some amazing scenery with a boat that operates like a dream.  

One more thing that deserves mention is the post-purchase support we had from the Germaine team. Not surprisingly, there have been a few hiccups with the boat from small mechanical things that need fixing to operator-error mistakes. I have called or texted Adam at least 10 times since taking delivery of the boat and he has always answered or called me back within 30 minutes. We have been able to sort through every situation satisfactorily. I can’t say enough about the quality of a Tigé machine and the customer service shown to me by the guys at Germaine. I have no doubt that we made the right choice with our new boat and the dealer we purchased from. Thank you, Tigé, and thank you, Germaine Marine!

James Brown:

All my life I have loved the water — frozen or liquid, it hasn’t mattered.

Water, as the foundational source of life, has also been a cornerstone figure in my recreational life. My mom put me on snow skis when I was seven, and I learned to waterski when I was 15. I had a 3.0 GPA in college because I water skied and wakeboarded 30 to 40 times per year even deep into the Idaho winter months. Ski days included Polar Bear Day wakeboarding on January 1 in the morning at Lucky Peak (if the lake wasn’t frozen over) in Boise, ID, and rushing to Bogus Basin to hit the slopes — all in one day.

Water sports have always been a part of my life. In college, my friend had an open bow inboard/out board Invader for two years before we got a Mastercraft Prostar 190 (we turned in our insurance money and all pitched in). We could not believe we were actually skiing behind a Mastercraft with a wakeboard pole and entering buoy competitions where I actually placed in one of the First Security Games events at 15’ off.

Over the years wakeboarding and skiing took a backseat to career and family. Fast forward a few years later when a group of us purchased a 24’ Yamaha jet surf boat. My three partners were new to boating and this seemed like a great starter boat for the group, and that it was. The kids were happy, the wife was happy — I was sort of happy but not quite what I would now call “Tigé Happy.” 

The Yamaha lacked the power and maneuverability we wanted in a great family wake/surf boat. When we loaded it up with family (10 to 12 people), ballast or recreated at higher elevations, there were serious power and fuel economy restraints.

The next step for our group was a V-Drive surf boat that would fit the families and friends with horsepower and style (mostly lots of ballast for a large and in charge wake with booming audio). Over the many years, I have surfed, skied, boarded (reluctantly tubed) behind Mastercraft, Nautique, Moomba, Centurion, and the said Yamaha but never before behind a Tigé.

After learning about Tigés through our digital marketing agency, we decided to make a trip to the manufacturing headquarters in Abilene, Texas. If you have never seen a boat built from scratch — yes, from scratch in the USA — right down to the fiberglass mold by employees who have been with the company since inception, you need to take that trip. I could have been buying Tommy Boy’s dingy and still felt a sense of pride.

"Over the years, my family has been towed by a lot of world-class ski boats: Nautique, Mastercraft, Supra, Centurion, Moomba, 
Malibu, etc. But this year, we chose the 2020 Tigé 23RZX. We actually went as far as visiting the manufacturing headquarters 
in Texas. We custom-designed our own 23RZX that has the lion's share of technological advancements in surf/wake/ski boats to date. 
The new Taps 3 system is so simple compared to other boats’ clunky multi-controlled surf controllers. We simply cannot believe how 
easy it is to put a novice at the wheel and create a world-class wake for surfing or boarding. The feature set and options were 
unlimited as well. To make the Tigé buying experience even that much more rewarding, we had excellent service from the guys at 
Germaine Marine. Very knowledgeable staff who were never annoyed with our endless questions. Very pleased with the 
team and how they handled our transaction. Thank you for all the future memories, Germaine Marine and Tigé!"
- James Brown, Google Review, 5 stars

However, to see a luxury ski/surf/wake boat coming off the lines with nearly EVERYTHING made or assembled on site was simply an experience of a lifetime. You got the undeniable sense that those people cared a great deal about the quality of their work. This was a medium-sized, family-run business operated by good people with a passion for the water — like mine. I was hooked. We were hooked.

After the tour, the sales rep worked with us to learn about our interests and boating styles and then recommended the 23RZX. Not only did he recommend the 23RZX, he took us for a test ride on a 2020 where Tigé had made huge advancements to the majority of the technology, from military-grade actuators, to the automated Taps 3 surf system, to the large touchscreen display. It was simply a work of watercraft art and science blended together to create the finest luxury surf and wakeboard boat three friends could buy. And buy we did. No need to consult another manufacturer. We were sold on Tigé on the spot.

The three of us decided to meet the team at Germaine Marine in American Fork, UT in late fall of 2019. From the owner, Noah Germaine, down to Adam Brewer, the lead salesman, we were taken care of with white glove service. They helped us pick out exterior and interior colors, electronic features, engine options, audio details, seating arrangements, tower packages, a back-up camera, a steering wheel setup (so many solid options), interior and exterior illumination that Clark Griswold would be proud of during Christmas, trailer details, delivery schedules, and the payment process. We felt like the Germaine team didn’t bloat the boat with extras that did not apply to our needs.

The process of customizing the Tigé was amazing. We loved building the boat on the Tigé website and it was the best possible outcome for three guys not including their wives in the process. This is testament to the website’s intuitiveness, as we didn’t need a female’s perspective to make the boat look good. My wife could not believe how well the three of us designed our boat. Thank you, tools of Tigé.

Delivery of the watercraft was no exception to the overall quality experience of buying a new boat from Germaine Marine. Of course with anything new, there are hiccups, but the honor of great customer service is great customer service. We owners took the boat out for a pre-season run and discovered an actuator wasn’t working, causing the right side of the wake to not form for surfing. We didn’t want Dave to feel left out with his goofy foot. Luckily this was not a seven-day setback for the service department, but instead a quick call to the service team on the water — and they walked us through resetting a fuse within 20 minutes. We learned a lot about the boat that day.

In the past weeks, we have made many trips to the lake. The details of this boat are well-thought out and make the boating experience unlike any other. We now watch the Wind Alert app with anticipation of calm days on the water.

The boat purchase was well worth it — every last penny. I love family time. I love water time. Water time and family time combined is earthly joy that is hard to compare with. The kids are happy, the wife is happy, and I am Tigé Happy. And this couldn’t have happened without the stellar team at Germaine Marine!

Jason Coulam:

I’ve always been hesitant to buy a boat. There were a lot of different reasons why, but the primary reason was the cost of ownership. For years I had heard the jokes about how much boats cost and how expensive they are to run and maintain. For this reason I held off.

That all changed one evening as I had a conversation with my neighbor, a long-time boat owner. I expressed my concerns about the costs and asked for his perspective. 

He explained that there’s no family activity that comes close to the quality time and fun of boating. He shared how boating is the perfect activity for all ages, but most importantly it has been the one activity where he can best connect with his teenage kids. It’s an activity where everyone wants to be together — without screens or phones — and focus on hanging out with each other.  So while he was quick to admit that owning a boat isn’t cheap, he said you really couldn’t put a price tag on family time. With that in mind, I began looking for a boat. 

Over the past two years I have learned a lot about what to look for and what to avoid in buying a boat. Here are my top tips for buying a new boat:

1: Find the best marine shop. When you’re a boating rookie, it’s imperative that you find an experienced and patient team. We were fortunate to find Germaine Marine early on in our process. The team at Germaine could not have been more helpful. They’ve been in business for 20 years and know how to find the right boat for your needs.  

Our first meeting with Germaine was so informative. The team began asking all kinds of questions to determine which boat would be the right fit for our families. They asked how many people we’d normally have on the boat, what types of water activities we were most interested in, where we would be boating, what our budget was, and all kinds of other questions. After we went through all of their questions, they narrowed down our options and gave us two or three boats for consideration. 

2: Test drive. This is where the patience of the marine shop comes into play. To figure out your ideal boat, it’s important to test it on the water. Germaine was great to allow us to test drive three different boat models. During each test drive, the sales reps pointed out the pros and cons of each model and really helped us through the buying process. 

In our case, Germaine Marine strongly recommended a Tigé boat. While I had seen Tigés on the water, I had never been on one. The team kept telling us that we just had to experience it to feel the difference. Minutes after we began our first Tigé test drive, I was absolutely sold that Tigé was hands-down the best boat manufacturer for our needs. 

3: Learn your options. After we determined we wanted to buy the Tigé RZX 23, we started designing the boat. This is where it gets fun!

On the Tigé site, there’s a custom boat builder that allows you to pick all of the colors and options for your boat. We probably designed ten different boats with various colors and options. It’s an absolute blast and so fun to do with the family. 

In addition to the colors, there are dozens of other options to consider. These include the engine, surf racks, sound system, smart steering wheel, vent heaters, interior and exterior lights, rearview cameras, keyless ignition, surf exhaust, and mooring cover.

When you’re choosing from these options, I strongly advise you to meet with someone in the marine shop and walk through each option with them. The team at Germaine went through each of these options in detail and I was so impressed that I never felt like they were trying to sell us on adding more than we wanted. There were several options they recommended not getting and several others they said were a must. They explained why each of these options made sense for us and gave us insight into things we had never even considered. 

4: Visit the factory. I know this sounds a little crazy, but we had the opportunity to actually fly to Texas and tour the Tigé factory. It was incredible to meet the team and see how these boats are manufactured. Seeing the manufacturing process gave me even more confidence that a Tigé boat is the way to go. They take meticulous care of their facility and each boat assembled. 

It also gave us a great opportunity to ask other boating experts what they would and wouldn’t recommend. All of the employees at Tigé are avid boaters and have been for years. Their advice, coupled with Germaine’s advice, was exactly what we needed to ensure we were getting the right boat. 

Having now been out on the boat several times with my family, we couldn’t be happier with our decision and the process we followed. The team at Germaine Marine could not have been more helpful and accommodating.

Let Us Earn Your Glowing Review

Thanks, gentlemen! We are proud to have made the boat buying experience such a memorable one.

Buying a boat can be an intimidating experience, especially when you’re new to boating. The team at Germaine Marine believes that buying a boat shouldn’t be difficult or time-consuming on your part. Each of these three boat buyers entered the sales process with varying levels of experience and expectation — but each thoroughly enjoyed the time, attention, and insight provided by the Germaine Marine team.  

Our boating experts have been in the industry for years, and they know how to create a stress-free sales experience for anyone who wants to get out on the water to spend time with friends and family. We offer every customer the same level of attention to ensure they have the knowledge to make a smart boat-buying decision. If you’re looking to buy a new or used boat, Germaine Marine is here to help you, every step of the way. 

Contact us to get started. Call 1-855-845-4273 today!