Tige Boats celebrates 30 years
Tige Boats started as most great ideas do – from the belief that things could be different – that things could be better. Thirty years ago, Charlie Pigeon, Tige Boats Owner, and active CEO, decided that he was going to create a high-performance boat company, that above all else, would put the customer experience first.
To celebrate thirty years, Tige Boats is offering a Limited Special Edition 30th Anniversary model. Available in any ZX model, the Limited Edition brings a special, celebratory touch to the ZX Class.
In 1992 the first Tige model, 2000 SLM, was produced in California. While heading to a Waterski Magazine test in Florida, Charlie and his dad, Frank Pigeon, hitched the first boat to a suburban and drove across the country, stopping at every boat dealership to pitch the new boat and build interest. By no surprise, the waterski test went very well, and the 2000 SLM was voted Rookie of the Year by Waterski Magazine, ranking it the number one boat for slalom wakes. After that first banner year, Tige was clearly on the move, and by 1993, the world was talking about Tige’s performance and engineering, leading the company to expand internationally.
To meet the surging demand for Tige’s high-performance boats, Charlie sought out to find a suitable production plant in a central location. In 1994, Charlie moved his family to Abilene, Texas, and began converting a former bakery into Tige’s new base of operations. By 2006, Tige had grown exponentially, and they broke ground on a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. The 130,000 square foot facility tripled Tige’s manufacturing capability and dramatically boosted efficiency and product quality. By June of 2006, production was up 50%, and the Tige workforce had increased to more than 225 employees.
Tige Boats, Inc. expanded its portfolio with the launch of ATX Surf Boats in August of 2019. ATX Surf Boats and Tige Boats operate as independent brands but are engineered, designed, and crafted by the same powerful team. Currently, the two brands employ almost 400 talented individuals and are expanding another 60,000 sq. feet to accommodate the exceptional growth of both brands.
To this day, Tige Boats, Inc. is a private company that remains family-owned and operated — boasting 1991 values, with 2021 style. You can dive deeper into the Tige story here.
A NOTE FROM CHARLIE PIGEON:
“Wow…what an amazing journey. We’ve come a long way in a short 30 years. The Tige story is telling on just how far passion can take you. We have sought out solutions where no one else could. We dream big and question the way things have always been done. In the process, our boats and innovations have ignited a revolution in watersports.
But technology, innovation, and industry firsts only tell half the story— our ultimate satisfaction is found in the countless smiles, high fives, and stories told again and again.
I am so thankful for the Tige Team, our dealers, and our supply chain partners that have contributed their passion and talents to this mission. After 30 years, it’s still an unbelievable feeling to see our owners love Tige just as much as we do.“
