The XLV is 23' and the LSV is 22'. the difference of a foot isn't all that much. we go out all the time with 5 to 6 people and never regret having a bigger boat with more interior space.
The XLV is kind of unique in that it has the playpen bow. it doesn't have a "walkthrough" bow where people can sit in the bow with their feet on the floor. To me, it's awesome because there's flip up backrests and extra seating. in addition, one of the backrests is right below the winshield walkthrough and functions as a wind screen to effectively block the wind when you're motoring. it's awesome. the biggest benefit is that under the playpen bow, there's a huge storage locker that holds an 1180 gravity games bag. When the bag is empty, I can easily fit 2 to 3 boards in there!!!
the rear lockers will take 1100's, so that's a great start on getting a lot of weight for a good surf wave. The boat produces a pretty decent wakeboard wake with just the 1180 in the front. That's how I ride most the time. will other boats produce a better wakeboard wake? Probably, but this one is no slouch and I get compliments on it.
I went from a 21' sunsport direct drive to a 23' XLV and don't regret it for a second. 2008 is when they updated the XLV interior and hull and I prefer the 08+. In 2009, they went to a reversible pump system that's nicer than the 08 system with sprinkler valves. everyone hates the slow system and there's really little way to change it for the better without a major overhaul. you might be able to swing an XLV for right at $30k if you're super lucky. Most of them should have the 340 CAT ETX engine which is great. No complaints there.
In all honesty, you shouldn't regret any of the above list. But for me, I was so in love with the concept of the playpen bow that when I had a chance to get a nice XLV I jumped on it and never looked back.
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