[liljohn]

sorry so long

My review of the 09 vlx... A few of us were given the opportunity to drive ride and photo the new vlx. So Friday afternoon we met up at the launch. The weather was great 80 degrees and only a couple boats on the lake. Perfect. We load up the boat with fat sacs and gear and off we go. First impression- the boat has more room in it. The bow is bigger and there seems to be more little niches for the driver to store stuff. The new interior fixes all the little things you never really thought about until they fixed it. Examples there are power outlets everywhere. The step off the back is a blessing (surprising I didn’t think I would care but it was really nice). The new side panel at the driver’s helm is great storage for all the drivers needs. The new captain’s chair is awesome. It sits higher than previous models and all the controls are within reach from the seated position( no more little latch way down under to swivel, and the lumbar knob is set back further to not be an ankle grabber when facing back). Also the seat got a little shorter so when the bolster is up you don’t have as big of a shelf between your legs.
We were lucky enough to get a boat with the maliview. Wow. As a 900 dollar option it is worth every cent. It gives you all the important info and then some. A 10 year old can figure it out in 5 minutes and a 40 year old can have it figured out in 10 min. the operation is simple and to the point. The pre sets are awesome from the factory and creating your own is as easy as pie. The only thing I would change would be to get rid of everything else and put it all on the maliview. The screen is easy to read (even in direct sunlight). And even easier to navigate. THIS IS A MUST HAVE! With video options and camera options I have to say this is by far the best thing ever. All other manufacturers had better take note as people use it they are going to demand it.

Ok now the goods the wake. We ran the gamete of wake size and shape. We started with the stock settings and worked are way up to the point of filling up bags. All I can say is this boat really doesn’t need bags. The wakeboard wake is awesome from beginner to pro there will be no need for extra ballast. The trough has been laid out and the ramp is long and smooth we ran the boat at 22 and 24 the wake was incredible. I have to say Malibu hit it. This boat will make everyone on the boat happy from the guy how just learned how to get up to the pro who wants to hit 1080`s. with stock ballast. We were so impressed with it that we didn’t even bother adding sacks. There literally was no need.
Now on to my favorite part the surf wave. (As a lot of you know I prefer to surf). Holy crap bat man is how I will start this part. We used the factory presets to start. The regular side was good as good as my 07 with a 750 sac. We put 2 riders on it. Rider A 5’3” and 150# and rider B 5’10” or so and easy230#. Rider A had no problem riding it on a short board a little close to the boat but very ride able. Rider B had a little more difficulty staying in the pocket. But could manage it. Keep in mind this is with the stuck pre set surf setting. So we start checking it out and the stock setting doesn’t fill the bow and keeps the wedge all the way down so of course we fill the nose and bump the wedge up. Rider A now can easily do tricks and ride back in the 10 foot range. Rider B can also now ride it easily and run back to about the 8 foot mark. I have to say that for stock ballast this boat put out an awesome surf wave the beginner and intermediate rider will love it and the pro will find that he wants a little bit more but can do everything he wants to. Now the dark sides take everything I just said and make it bigger better and cleaner. It honestly makes me want to change my preference the goofy riders will never want a fat sac because they won’t need it. The wave is long tall meaty and almost intimidating.
Now let’s add some weight. We filled a 725# bag in the locker. The boat at this point is barely leaning over witch in itself is a weird feeling. So we throw rider b in the water get him up and in the first ten seconds you can tell by the look on his face alone he is happy. The wave is long hip high nice long transition and most important still clean. Rider B is amazed the wave is extremely fun at this point. Now rider A – being that I’m rider A all I can say at this point I’m thinking that this is a sm. Version of the enzo. I can easily get 15+ feet back and come roaring up to the back of the boat without even trying. For me the wave is above my waist is rampy you don’t feel like I’m charging up a wall and the push is awesome and effortless. So now were thinking if a 750 did this what will more do so we fill a 400 on the seats.
Rider A (me ) gets back on it now here’s where it gets funny there really wasn’t a big difference. Now I know in my 07 400# makes all the difference. I have to say I was just as happy without it. Which made my day no exposed bags lying around and a wave that frankly is one of the best I have ever ridden? That being said my comparisons are as follows Malibu- 247 w/3k over stock, 23lsv 2500 over stock, vlx diamond 3k over stock vlx wake 1500over stock. Centurion- enzo 24 enzo bag over stock, 23 enzo with enzo sac over stock. Master craft- x-45 1500 over stock, x-2 2k over stock. As you can see I have surfed behind a few boats. The 09 vlx will be the surf machine you desire with nothing more than a 750 in the locker.

Over all the boat is fantastic I would like to thank the guys at BAKES MARINE for the opportunity to drive, ride, surf and all around climb all over this boat and play with everything. It is hands down amazing and I loved every inch of it. Now if I was you I would quit reading this and go to the dealer for your own test drive. Also I’m tasking donations for supplying you with this great review please send checks to I need a new vlx fund... lol jk. I hope this info and pictures help you out. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Happy boating to you all

Attached File(s)

•  wakeboard_wake___22_and_stock.jpg (87.58K)
  Number of downloads: 275
•  wakeboard___24_stock.jpg (45.94K)
  Number of downloads: 254

[liljohn]

goofy wave stock

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•  stock_surf_wave__goofy_2.jpg (68.14K)
  Number of downloads: 269

[liljohn]

reg surf wave stock.

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•  stock_surf_wave__reg._2.jpg (120.15K)
  Number of downloads: 298

[liljohn]

surf wave with 750 in locker

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•  surf_wave__750_2.jpg (64.66K)
  Number of downloads: 277
•  surf_wave_w750_in_locker_2.jpg (71.39K)
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[liljohn]

wave with 750 and 400

Attached File(s)

•  400_750_2.jpg (61.78K)
  Number of downloads: 195
•  750_and_400_2.jpg (80.8K)
  Number of downloads: 264

[liljohn]

THANK YOU BAKES MARINE!!! :Clap: :Rockon: :Thumbup: :Biggrin:

This post has been edited by liljohn: September 13, 2008 - 10:22 AM

[98mallybu]

Wow!!! Looks like Malibu is got it right on the money for 2009

That surf wake looks sick!!! Can't wait to try it out.... I'm going to call in the favor to Bake's to go on test drive...

[06vlx]

It was a great time I happen to be the other fortunate fellow that Bakes hooked up on the first 09' demo in western washington. Thanks Brett V, Paul, and Bakes Marine for making this happen for us. By the way I'm 6'2" john, guess you didn't notice I hover about a foot over you :Whistling: .

The wakeboard wake is a little wider with this boat, so if you're lacking in the skills department you'll probably want to ride about 5' shorter than usual or you'll find yourself casing the other side of the wake leading to pre-mature knee failure :Biggrin: . The wakeboard wake doesn't have the trough at the bottom like the old hull, it's just a smooth rampy transition without the dip at the bottom of the wake. I also noticed a little more kick at the top of this wake, and also more of a tabletop and smaller rooster tail inbetween wakes.

Anyways john is right the boat is absolutely awesome. Malibu did their homework and built a thing of beauty. Not only does the boat look great as ever but they actually have built a beast that surfs with little to no effort. You can put one 750 bag in the rear locker, play with the wedge setting to your liking, set your speed and have a better wave than anyone else I've seen on this forum, yes including you Wakegirl.

I guess what surprised me most about this boat is the fact it doesn't list like my 06' loaded with surf weight. You can't really tell the boat has weight in it until you hit the throttle and then the boat leans over. This means you can actually turn in whatever direction you want when the rider goes down and not worry about swamping the boat. The automatic wedge was great.

This boat was very fuel efficient, not sure exactly how much but I think we burned about 1/4 tank of gas the whole time we were out, approx 3.5 hours testing. Oh and believe me we took advantage of our little treat from Bret V. and Bakes Marine.

Now the new 350 Monsoon has some grunt. Not sure what they did to the motor but it felt really strong with the stock 537 prop, really lept out of the hole and midrange acceleration was also impressive. No issues surfing with the stock prop either. Really quite at idle but mean and throaty when you get on it.

I guess lastly I'll comment on the malivue. If you are a gadget guy at all, or like the finer things in life (like a Malibu Boat) you'll want this feature. Everything at the tip of your fingers, automatically shuts off ballast pumps if you use rider pre-sets. You can still manually do it if you want. You name it this boat has it now.

GREAT JOB MALIBU. Now run out there and see for yourselves.

This post has been edited by 06vlx: September 13, 2008 - 11:45 PM

[cjohnson8080]

06vlx, on Sep 13 2008, 06:36 PM, said:

It was a great time I happen to be the other fortunate fellow that Bakes hooked up on the first 09' demo in western washington. Thanks Brett V, Paul, and Bakes Marine for making this happen for us. By the way I'm 6'2" john, guess you didn't notice I hover about a foot over you :Whistling: .

The wakeboard wake is a little wider with this boat, so if you're lacking in the skills department you'll probably want to ride about 5' shorter than usual or you'll find yourself casing the other side of the wake leading to pre-mature knee failure :Biggrin: . The wakeboard wake doesn't have the trough at the bottom like the old hull, it's just a smooth rampy transition without the dip at the bottom of the wake. I also noticed a little more kick at the top of this wake, and also more of a tabletop and smaller rooster tail inbetween wakes.

Anyways john is right the boat is absolutely awesome. Malibu did their homework and built a thing of beauty. Not only does the boat look great as ever but they actually have built a beast that surfs with little to no effort. You can put one 750 bag in the rear locker, play with the wedge setting to your liking, set your speed and have a better wave than anyone else I've seen on this forum, yes including you Wakegirl.

I guess what surprised me most about this boat is the fact it doesn't list like my 06' loaded with surf weight. You can't really tell the boat has weight in it until you hit the throttle and then the boat leans over. This means you can actually turn in whatever direction you want when the rider goes down and not worry about swamping the boat. The automatic wedge was great.

This boat was very fuel efficient, not sure exactly how much but I think we burned about 1/4 tank of gas the whole time we were out, approx 3.5 hours testing. Oh and believe me we took advantage of our little treat from Bret V. and Bakes Marine.

Now the new 350 Monsoon has some grunt. Not sure what they did to the motor but it felt really strong with the stock 537 prop, really lept out of the hole and midrange acceleration was also impressive. No issues surfing with the stock prop either. Really quite at idle but mean and throaty when you get on it.

I guess lastly I'll comment on the malivue. If you are a gadget guy at all, or like the finer things in life (like a Malibu Boat) you'll want this feature. Everything at the tip of your fingers, automatically shuts off ballast pumps if you use rider pre-sets. You can still manually do it if you want. You name it this boat has it now.

GREAT JOB MALIBU. Now run out there and see for yourselves.

Jeremy,

I almost died laughing when Lil Jon wrote that you are 5'10" 230lbs. I guess that makes me 5'6" 195lbs.

[liljohn]

06vlx, on Sep 13 2008, 06:36 PM, said:

It was a great time I happen to be the other fortunate fellow that Bakes hooked up on the first 09' demo in western washington. Thanks Brett V, Paul, and Bakes Marine for making this happen for us. By the way I'm 6'2" john, guess you didn't notice I hover about a foot over you :Whistling: .

The wakeboard wake is a little wider with this boat, so if you're lacking in the skills department you'll probably want to ride about 5' shorter than usual or you'll find yourself casing the other side of the wake leading to pre-mature knee failure :Biggrin: . The wakeboard wake doesn't have the trough at the bottom like the old hull, it's just a smooth rampy transition without the dip at the bottom of the wake. I also noticed a little more kick at the top of this wake, and also more of a tabletop and smaller rooster tail inbetween wakes.

Anyways john is right the boat is absolutely awesome. Malibu did their homework and built a thing of beauty. Not only does the boat look great as ever but they actually have built a beast that surfs with little to no effort. You can put one 750 bag in the rear locker, play with the wedge setting to your liking, set your speed and have a better wave than anyone else I've seen on this forum, yes including you Wakegirl.

I guess what surprised me most about this boat is the fact it doesn't list like my 06' loaded with surf weight. You can't really tell the boat has weight in it until you hit the throttle and then the boat leans over. This means you can actually turn in whatever direction you want when the rider goes down and not worry about swamping the boat. The automatic wedge was great.

This boat was very fuel efficient, not sure exactly how much but I think we burned about 1/4 tank of gas the whole time we were out, approx 3.5 hours testing. Oh and believe me we took advantage of our little treat from Bret V. and Bakes Marine.

Now the new 350 Monsoon has some grunt. Not sure what they did to the motor but it felt really strong with the stock 537 prop, really lept out of the hole and midrange acceleration was also impressive. No issues surfing with the stock prop either. Really quite at idle but mean and throaty when you get on it.

I guess lastly I'll comment on the malivue. If you are a gadget guy at all, or like the finer things in life (like a Malibu Boat) you'll want this feature. Everything at the tip of your fingers, automatically shuts off ballast pumps if you use rider pre-sets. You can still manually do it if you want. You name it this boat has it now.

GREAT JOB MALIBU. Now run out there and see for yourselves.

Hey Jeremy, sorry I cut you off at the knees.. lol. We need to hook up I have a little over 150 pics for you. plus I think we need to start working on bakes to let us review the 23lsv. :Thumbup:

[WakeGirl]

John,
How many did you guys have with you? Just curious to see how that compares with our demo.

06vlx, on Sep 13 2008, 06:36 PM, said:

Anyways john is right the boat is absolutely awesome. Malibu did their homework and built a thing of beauty. Not only does the boat look great as ever but they actually have built a beast that surfs with little to no effort. You can put one 750 bag in the rear locker, play with the wedge setting to your liking, set your speed and have a better wave than anyone else I've seen on this forum, yes including you Wakegirl.

Haha, I believe it! We spent more time paying attention to the details of the boat & changes made since the day that we demoed was pretty crapped out, but I definitely concur on many of the points. The stock surf wave is very good & I suspected that it would be fantastic with just one bag, but we had forgotten ours that day so I could never test that theory. Could you guys actually fit a 750 in that locker? It didn't seem like it would be big enough since those lockers are shorter both vertically as well as length-wise. I also found it odd that the boat was so resistant to leaning. I've always bought into the notion that a good surf wave is all about the lean, but this boat just doesn't seem to want to. It was a very odd thing that would take a little getting used.

[06vlx]

WakeGirl, on Sep 14 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

John,
How many did you guys have with you? Just curious to see how that compares with our demo.

We spent more time paying attention to the details of the boat & changes made since the day that we were out was pretty crapped out, but I definitely concur on many of the points. The stock surf wave is very good & I suspected that it would be fantastic with just one bag, but we had forgotten ours that day so I could never test that theory. Could you guys actually fit a 750 in that locker? It didn't seem like it would be big enough since those lockers are shorter both vertically as well as length-wise. I also found it odd that the boat was so resistant to leaning. I've always bought into the notion that a good surf wave is all about the lean, but this boat just doesn't seem to want to. It was a very odd thing that would take a little getting used.

We had 3 adult males in the boat and one guy surfing. The 750 bag fits just fine in both width and height.

[WakeGirl]

Hmmm, okay then it's similar to the weight that we had in people, we just didn't have a bag.

[liljohn]

WakeGirl, on Sep 14 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

John,
How many did you guys have with you? Just curious to see how that compares with our demo.

We spent more time paying attention to the details of the boat & changes made since the day that we were out was pretty crapped out, but I definitely concur on many of the points. The stock surf wave is very good & I suspected that it would be fantastic with just one bag, but we had forgotten ours that day so I could never test that theory. Could you guys actually fit a 750 in that locker? It didn't seem like it would be big enough since those lockers are shorter both vertically as well as length-wise. I also found it odd that the boat was so resistant to leaning. I've always bought into the notion that a good surf wave is all about the lean, but this boat just doesn't seem to want to. It was a very odd thing that would take a little getting used.

Hey wake girl. we put a 750# sl bag in the locker and filled it as full as we could get it it definatly fits in hieght but length im no so sure see the pic. yes the boat did not want to lay over like we are used to and it was realy nice. something you will get used to very quickly. I have a ton of pictures I can send you if you like I had to crop them way down to get on the site. I have to say I love the boat.

Attached File(s)

•  750_bag_in_locker_09_vlx.jpg (101.01K)
  Number of downloads: 169

This post has been edited by liljohn: September 14, 2008 - 07:30 PM

[liljohn]

06vlx, on Sep 14 2008, 08:25 PM, said:

WakeGirl, on Sep 14 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

John,
How many did you guys have with you? Just curious to see how that compares with our demo.

We spent more time paying attention to the details of the boat & changes made since the day that we were out was pretty crapped out, but I definitely concur on many of the points. The stock surf wave is very good & I suspected that it would be fantastic with just one bag, but we had forgotten ours that day so I could never test that theory. Could you guys actually fit a 750 in that locker? It didn't seem like it would be big enough since those lockers are shorter both vertically as well as length-wise. I also found it odd that the boat was so resistant to leaning. I've always bought into the notion that a good surf wave is all about the lean, but this boat just doesn't seem to want to. It was a very odd thing that would take a little getting used.

We had 3 adult males in the boat and one guy surfing. The 750 bag fits just fine in both width and height.

ha ha @ 5'3" im not sure that i count as an adult..

[06vlx]

liljohn, on Sep 14 2008, 08:34 PM, said:

06vlx, on Sep 14 2008, 08:25 PM, said:

WakeGirl, on Sep 14 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

John,
How many did you guys have with you? Just curious to see how that compares with our demo.

We spent more time paying attention to the details of the boat & changes made since the day that we were out was pretty crapped out, but I definitely concur on many of the points. The stock surf wave is very good & I suspected that it would be fantastic with just one bag, but we had forgotten ours that day so I could never test that theory. Could you guys actually fit a 750 in that locker? It didn't seem like it would be big enough since those lockers are shorter both vertically as well as length-wise. I also found it odd that the boat was so resistant to leaning. I've always bought into the notion that a good surf wave is all about the lean, but this boat just doesn't seem to want to. It was a very odd thing that would take a little getting used.

We had 3 adult males in the boat and one guy surfing. The 750 bag fits just fine in both width and height.

ha ha @ 5'3" im not sure that i count as an adult..

I'm gonna put a sticker on my boat that says "you have to be at least this tall to ride this wave". You'll be stuck holding the flag :ROFL: .

By the way you were the "guy riding" anyways :)

[WakeGirl]

Cool, it's nice to see that. The vertical space was what I was more unsure of. FWIW, I love the boat as well. That's why my sig is what it is. :Biggrin:

[liljohn]

06vlx, on Sep 14 2008, 08:36 PM, said:

liljohn, on Sep 14 2008, 08:34 PM, said:

06vlx, on Sep 14 2008, 08:25 PM, said:

WakeGirl, on Sep 14 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

John,
How many did you guys have with you? Just curious to see how that compares with our demo.

We spent more time paying attention to the details of the boat & changes made since the day that we were out was pretty crapped out, but I definitely concur on many of the points. The stock surf wave is very good & I suspected that it would be fantastic with just one bag, but we had forgotten ours that day so I could never test that theory. Could you guys actually fit a 750 in that locker? It didn't seem like it would be big enough since those lockers are shorter both vertically as well as length-wise. I also found it odd that the boat was so resistant to leaning. I've always bought into the notion that a good surf wave is all about the lean, but this boat just doesn't seem to want to. It was a very odd thing that would take a little getting used.

We had 3 adult males in the boat and one guy surfing. The 750 bag fits just fine in both width and height.

ha ha @ 5'3" im not sure that i count as an adult..

I'm gonna put a sticker on my boat that says "you have to be at least this tall to ride this wave". You'll be stuck holding the flag :ROFL: .

By the way you were the "guy riding" anyways :)

funny guy.. I liked you more when you were 5' 10"...... :Whistling: I still cant get over how nice that wave was. I was out in my boat today and was let down filling 4 bags. loosing all my seating and for a wave that was good but not 09 vlx good..

[06vlx]

I know it was awesome wasn't it. I just wish I didn't have a bum knee so I could have tested out some of my signature face plants with that wakeboard wake.

[Bake's Marine]

I'm glad you made it out to play on the 09 VLX! Malibu got it right when they updated this boat...

I wish we could swap out our "company car" for the 09 VLX, I'm stoked to go surf it soon after seeing that wake!

Thanks for sharing your experience/ feedback with us and the crew!!