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Old     (Smith1234)      Join Date: Jun 2015       06-11-2015, 2:48 PM Reply   
Hello everyone. Long time looker, first time poster.

Anyway, I come from a long line of slalom skiers and boats. For the first time, I am considering putting up the ski and picking up boarding and surfing. This didn't just come up today or anything but, my wife and I have our first child on the way, kids seem to like it better, plus I'm ready to get into a bigger, more comfortable boat, that will take the chop better. As I search I am pretty dead set on a malibu vlx. Unfortunately I can't fork out 100k on a new one but from what I've found I can get a 2010 in good shape for around 50k.

I posted here because I am looking for everyone's unbiased opinions on this boat, and my situation in general.
Thanks

Last edited by Smith1234; 06-11-2015 at 2:49 PM. Reason: Spelling
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       06-11-2015, 5:01 PM Reply   
Malibu makes a great boat. Very good wakeboard wake. There are other good boats for the chop. What are your top focus points?
Old     (Smith1234)      Join Date: Jun 2015       06-12-2015, 10:14 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by cwb4me View Post
Malibu makes a great boat. Very good wakeboard wake. There are other good boats for the chop. What are your top focus points?
Growing up we didn't live "on" the lake but we went to the lake pretty much every time it was above 80 degrees. That being said none of us were "pro" skiers but we were all decent. ("We is my brothers, my dad, and myself.) basically my dad got out of it as he got older, and my brothers kinda found different hobbies. They still have boats (1 has 86 MC prostar, and one has 82 MC prostar.) but they go to the lake maybe once or twice a year. My wife and I, on the other hand, can't get enough of it! We go all the time! I would say a day on the water for us is 30% social and 70% water sports. She and I slalom just open water. And of course we drag friends on the tube, knee board etc. I currently have an 84 MC Stars and Stripes. The lakes we go to seem to be less and less smooth and the small, light, more flat bottom boat, beats us to death! I know generally speaking the bigger boats take away the small slalom wake, but also it takes chop better to accommodate our child on the way, which Is why I want to put away the ski and get into boarding.

So to answer you question, here is what I'm looking for, from most important to least:
- overall construction (how well is the boat built, from the hull down to the glove box hinges)
- 50k price range ( the newer, the better)
- rough water handling ( will it shake the baby, lol)
- board and surf capability ( don't say get a pontoon or a "run about" I'm not that age yet haha)

I don't really have any fine detail requirements as I am new to boarding/surfing and this style of boat in general..
Let me know what you think, and thanks for the response.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       06-12-2015, 3:35 PM Reply   
The Malibu sounds like it fits the bill rather well. Some other boats to consider in the 50 K range that are comparable are Mastercraft,Nautique,Supra,Tige,MB and Centurion. What's most important if you can't work on your own boat is your local dealerships. Check with your friends who own boats and get their feedback on quality of service.
Old     (john211)      Join Date: Aug 2008       06-12-2015, 4:08 PM Reply   
I just spent this last weekend riding my brothers new (to him) 2006 Sunsetter (direct drive) ... with some Wakesetter like options, such as that vision tower, and it had a powered wedge.

That boat put out a great wakeboard wake. The wake looked big big big ... but I could charge it harder than my Nautique ... which has a wake that looks a tad smaller but is seemingly so much more abrupt and hard.

The Malibu had different handling characteristics too. None of the differences make that Malibu nor my Nautique better or worse. I also don't wonder if the differences are DD vs. v-drive. The only single characteristic my Nautique excelled at was ... not a performance characteristic but ... simply, quietness. The Malibu was louder by far ... and that would be true even before my FAE.

Anyway, I was in a DD Malibu and liked it. In rolling water, the direct drive lopes along where with my V-drive, I have to set the sport throttle or belly ballast to combat porpoising. You sit so deep in a Malibu, there's just a different sense of being a passenger over the water than my nautique, where you're higher.

But the most significant difference was, the wake height and that other quality ... rampiness. The wake looked taller for sure. But the wake was almost more user friendly.

Malibus are good boats. The upholstery looks fine. I never liked the teak boarding platforms, but then, even newer nautiques are as abbreviated as the rest of the competition. Fewer hatches are going to have air shocks than perhaps other brands.

If your wake boat has one job to do ... and that is make a good wake ... Malibu will do that.
Old     (King12)      Join Date: Jul 2012       06-12-2015, 4:14 PM Reply   
I would say a centurion would fit your bill as well. So would a nautique 210. An x2 probably. (I don't know much about other brands so will give you what I know about my brand and how it relates to your interests... Not trying to throw random boat at you just help) Cent will handle the chop better than pretty much anything out there. But then again I have a centurion so.... 2010 Avalanche for 43,9k on only inboards now, and 11 elite v for 45.

Vinyl quality we'll be lesser than Malibu, but if you save $ you could do a custom interior and still be under 50.
Avy surf wave will be on point and the wakeboard wake will be plenty big enough for a few inverts down the line at least

Worth noting centurions runs rather vertical wake where Malibu will be rampy. Rampy is likely much easier for new riders. I had to suck it up a little more once I started charging our elite v wake

I'm sure you will be happy with a Bu. what model are you looking at?

Last edited by King12; 06-12-2015 at 4:20 PM.
Old     (King12)      Join Date: Jul 2012       06-12-2015, 4:39 PM Reply   
Actually for that money you could get an almost brand new axis I might would look into that as well
Old     (Smith1234)      Join Date: Jun 2015       06-12-2015, 5:21 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by cwb4me View Post
The Malibu sounds like it fits the bill rather well. Some other boats to consider in the 50 K range that are comparable are Mastercraft,Nautique,Supra,Tige,MB and Centurion. What's most important if you can't work on your own boat is your local dealerships. Check with your friends who own boats and get their feedback on quality of service.
I am an emergency vehicle technician by trade. ( fire truck mechanic)
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       06-14-2015, 4:41 PM Reply   
Caleb if you can work on your boat. Mostly small block Chevy ' s with a V-Drive and a impeller pump to draw water. Pretty simple. That opens up more makes and models. How many in your regular crew? What do you plan to do percentage wise? IE wakeboard 50% Surf 25% Ski 10% Knee board 10% Tube 5%. A deeper V bottom and traditional bow will ride better in chop. Higher freeboard will keep your passengers drier and more secure feeling. Are you going to garage your boat?These are questions that can help us to help you.
Old     (Smith1234)      Join Date: Jun 2015       06-15-2015, 11:34 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by cwb4me View Post
Caleb if you can work on your boat. Mostly small block Chevy ' s with a V-Drive and a impeller pump to draw water. Pretty simple. That opens up more makes and models. How many in your regular crew? What do you plan to do percentage wise? IE wakeboard 50% Surf 25% Ski 10% Knee board 10% Tube 5%. A deeper V bottom and traditional bow will ride better in chop. Higher freeboard will keep your passengers drier and more secure feeling. Are you going to garage your boat?These are questions that can help us to help you.
My crew now, I have to limit to 6 because that's all I can legally carry in my boat. I would like to be able to hold 7-8 on occasion but most of the time it will be 6 or less.
When we go to the lake now, to be honest it's about 70/30, 30% watersports, 70% social" . We don't board or surf now very much because of the boat I have. Tubing/ knee boarding would be mixed in with the social.. I will garage the boat...
Old     (King12)      Join Date: Jul 2012       06-15-2015, 11:41 AM Reply   
I think that vlx will do you well, but if you wanted to stay in the Malibu family think an axis would also. You seem to be set on a vlx, they are great boats.. Do it!
Old     (sidekicknicholas)      Join Date: Mar 2007       06-15-2015, 11:54 AM Reply   
I've been a nautique owner / fanboy for years, we just got our first Malibu and I love it.

The malibu we bought is 10 years newer than our Nautique so I would expect more there, but so far everything has been great and I have no buyer's remorse at all.
Old     (cwb4me)      Join Date: Apr 2010       06-16-2015, 5:22 AM Reply   
Sounds like the VLX will fit the bill. Just need to demo one in rough water to see if it handles the chop like you are looking for.I have many friends with Malibu ' s and all of them love their boats. I've ridden behind many Malibu ' s and I love the wakes.
Old     (DatTexasBoy)      Join Date: Aug 2012       06-16-2015, 6:08 AM Reply   
Malibu is a great boat and you can't go wrong with any model. However they are not know to handle rough water very well. I've had two (Axis) and they weren't very good. Other than that Malibu boats are awesome.
Old     (racer808)      Join Date: Jan 2013       06-16-2015, 6:50 AM Reply   
I have a VLX, it handles chop poorly! I am actually looking for a deeper V hull being our lakes are usually choppy with how crowded they get
Old     (Csbball)      Join Date: Sep 2013       06-22-2015, 6:11 PM Reply   
Hey Caleb, just wanted to give you my 2cents,
There is a lot of great boats out there, but in my opinion malibu is the best overall boat.
Your crew is somewhere around 6, I have a vlx and ride with 8 usually and have plenty of room still, nobody cramped up.
You have young kids, malibu wake is clean at slower speeds than just about any boat, I know people will say " well my boat wake is clean at 17mph too" ya maybe you did 1 time, but def not consistent, I can pull my cousin who is 7 yrs old at 17 mph with a clean wake All day everyday. You don't have to worry about weight sensitivity like deep v boats, centurion,,tige, mb etc. Now I'm not bashing at all guys I'm just telling from my experiences, which is a lot of riding behind a lot of boats.
Great boat for surfing, I have mls, 250lbs each rear lockers and 500 in middle tank. All full except non surf side, and a 750 in surf side locker on top of stock ballast. I can ride for ever rope less, plenty of push,
Tubing is great in a vlx, but let's get real, you can tube and knee board and the other waterspout crap in a fishing boat if you wanted too.
My only thing you should look for is a front ballast, so all 4 ballast tanks, makes life a little easier but if not don't sweat it.
If yourself or the kids get good and wakeboarding you can plum in 500-750lb sacs in rear and have 1 of the biggest wakes there are.
I understand everyone has there opinions, the problem is not everyone knows what there talking about.
Example, a guy rides a g21, says it's the best wake there is, problem is the guy can't even jump the wake so how the hell does he know what a good wake is.
There is a lot of ppl that say this boats better that that boat, this boats wake is better, when it comes down to it, it's your opinion that matters, don't let some poser tell you what boat to by, there are a ton of them and it makes me mad.
Just FYI I've been on most boats, ridden with the boats completely loaded, and absolutely stock.
For a family, my opinion all the way with a malibu vlx
Great interior, storage, looks, usability.
Apologize about the poser rampage but had one out in my boat the other day and I wanted to drown him. Kept talking about the g21 and how awesome the wake was and how high he was getting, friggin dude couldnt even jump my wake with stock ballast. Idiot.
Also sorry for misspelling, dot have time to proof read
If you have any questions let me know, I can also take some videos if you want to see what the boat looks like wakeboarding and surfing.
Old     (Csbball)      Join Date: Sep 2013       06-22-2015, 6:13 PM Reply   
Ps, had absolutely no issues going threw chop, I just used my middle ballast tank to help keep my front end down a little, but again I'm in a lake, not a ocean so the chop isn't too bad.
Old     (biggator)      Join Date: Jul 2010       06-22-2015, 7:26 PM Reply   
Maybe I'm late to this... but.

I currently have a Nautique - but had a Malibu before it (23LSV) and it was a fantastic boat. It likes a bit more weight than stock for a good wakeboard wake.. and the shape of the hull is NOT ideal for dealing with chop (the newer hulls by all the manufacturers handle rough water better.. the older hulls were modified ski designs) but it'll be loads better than what you're in.

You'll love a Bu..
Old     (BaadLS1)      Join Date: Dec 2013       06-22-2015, 11:01 PM Reply   
Went through your exact same scenario (skiing heritage).

I would start here and the only knock on this boat against anything you would do with it is the low freeboard, but plenty of people do just fine with them.

http://www.sangernation.com/index.ph...iewthread/966/

Not sure where you live though....
Old     (Thrall)      Join Date: Oct 2010       06-23-2015, 2:15 AM Reply   
Have a buddy who bought an 01 23lsv bout 5-6 years ago. Pretty low hours 400 or something.
After being around that boat I have only good things to say about Malibu. It's not cause it's the best fanciest boat out there, but understand my buddy is a don't fix it until it's broke guy. Oil changes are the extent of maintenance anything he drives gets. Like had to tell him the change the fuel filter in his 70000mi diesel pickup! Apparently they will last that long!
This boat always runs. Visited him a couple years ago, boat had sat in a carport in FL for a year. Battery was toast like most things he owns. Dumped a new battery in it, topped off the year old gas, cleaned out most of the leaves and spiders and spent 3 days on the lake without issue.
Hull/deck is strong. He smashed a low bridge with the tower. Bent to sh.....
I lashed it back together with some rope and drilled a bolt or 2 into it. Pulled people all week off it, no fiberglass damage. Had to replace the rope last time I seen him, lol.
To me that means it's a quality boat if it will take that abuse.
Trailer is great too. He's towed it all over the country back n forth. Just some grease in the wheels and new tires as they pop!
Old     (granddaddy53)      Join Date: Dec 2013       06-23-2015, 6:08 AM Reply   
I have a 2014 Axis A 20, sounds like you need a a22 maybe bigger. Yesterday we finally closed all 4 water fill valves before we put it in the water to avoid any passive filling and my wife had a great slalom run, of course it isn't flying across the old fish and ski wake from my old outboard, but she said it was pretty nice. See Ride or Rent Daves Wakeboat on facebook to see the wake posted yesterday. my surf wave is ridiculous, and the wakeboard wake scares me like i am hitting a wall when i go well beyond stock ballast and wedge, therefore I don't do it.

Bottom line, you may need a bigger boat for water handling of chop, but that only gets so good on a flat bottom boat unless you o really big and there fore maybe morel expensive, I have just enouph options to be on the water comfortably, like bimini, heater, basic radio,ski pylon, chillax seat, engine flush, upgraded 1235 propeller for surfing and large ballast and people loads, but I have surfgate and it rocks. Boat price in 2014 $49500 plus 5000 for galvanized painted with rims boatmate trailer. Wish i would have price the saltwater option that comes with the tandem galvanized painted trailer, I believe the more fancy trailer, but the basic is awsome.

Go Axis and get all the boat you need with manual cruise control and analog/digital guages. My Axis is a kick in the ass and half the price.
Old     (davez71)      Join Date: Oct 2007       06-23-2015, 6:09 AM Reply   
I bet if you send the dealer a cashiers check for $10,000 they will accept any deal you throw their way. They will know you mean business..

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