iRide opinions???

[msuwaterski]

I am looking for some feedback from all iRide owners. My wife and I are avid skiers and are starting to get more into wakeboarding. We currently own a '92 Euro F3 which has a great slalom wake but not so much for wakeboarding even with an 800lb fat sac. We are getting real tired of filling and emptying the fat sac manually and not having any room in the boat once the fat sac is filled. We are looking for a boat with a good slalom wake that can be ballasted and wedged quickly and still have plenty of room.

I ski into 32 off @ 34mph now. My wife runs the course at 32mph.

We are willing to sacrifice a little on the slalom wake for the convenience of the wedge, ballast, and added people/cargo room.

We are considering buying an iRide and would love to hear any and all opinions on this boat for wakeboarding and slalom.

[WakeGirl]

Demo it for yourself to see if you like it. Personally & IMO though, skiers at your skill levels need to be looking at an RLXi. If you can stretch the budget, an RFXi would also be a great choice.

[msuwaterski]

Demo it for yourself to see if you like it. Personally & IMO though, skiers at your skill levels need to be looking at an RLXi. If you can stretch the budget, an RFXi would also be a great choice.

I am not familiar with the RFXI. Can you give more detail? Does either the RLXi or RFXi come with the center ballast?

[WakeGirl]

I'm drawing a blank at the moment on the RLXi in terms of ballast, but the RFXi is available with both a center & rear tank as I recall. It's wider than the LXi at 98", but it's only 20' long & on the same cut diamond hull. Reports are that it skis as well or better than the old Sunsetter LXi "Classic" ('04 & earlier), which was a better ski boat than the I-Ride. Pair its ballast options with a power wedge & you've got yourself a formidable crossover boat.

I found a good thread with info on that boat: LINK

[msuwaterski]

I'm drawing a blank at the moment on the RLXi in terms of ballast, but the RFXi is available with both a center & rear tank as I recall. It's wider than the LXi at 98", but it's only 20' long & on the same cut diamond hull. Reports are that it skis as well or better than the old Sunsetter LXi "Classic" ('04 & earlier), which was a better ski boat than the I-Ride. Pair its ballast options with a power wedge & you've got yourself a formidable crossover boat.

I found a good thread with info on that boat: LINK

Thanks for the info. The Malibu website says that the Fxi comes with 400lb rear ballast but did not mention center ballast. Unfortunately this boat is too new. We are looking for something a few years older to help the bank.

Does anyone know if the iRide was ever put on the diamond hull?? I had read somewhere on the internet that the '05 was on the diamond hull but the page was not a relaible source.

Edited August 10, 2009 by msuwaterski

[WakeGirl]

Well, here's your history lesson. The I-Ride was originally introduced in 1995 as the Sunsetter. Over the years it has changed names to the Sunsetter LX, Sunkicker, Wakekicker, Wakesetter (direct drive) & I-Ride. All are basically the same boat. It's a good crossover-boat that IMO has an emphasis on wakeboarding. I'm not sure when they started putting the center MLS in, but 2003 rings a bell. Also, there was (I think) 1 year that they built a "Wakesetter LXi" that was essentially an I-Ride on the diamond hull, but that was the only year that they did that to my knowledge.

Now if you want a diamond hull boat, a 2004 (or older) Sunseter LXi would be the boat to look for IMO. Think of it as the other side of the coin as the I-Ride. So if the I-Ride is a good crossover with an emphasis toward wakeboarding, the SLXi is a good crossover with an emphasis toward slalom. It's 93.5" wide (1/2 inch wider than the I-Ride) & 21'8" long (8" longer than the I-Ride), & very close in the weight department. Wetted surface is identical since the additional 8" is all in a cantilever at the rear that adds space to the trunk. The big difference is that while the I-Ride is on the SV23 wake hull, the SLXi is on the SV23 diamond hull. For you based on what you do & (I assume) budget constraints, that would be the boat that I'd be looking for. Do not look at a 2005 or newer LXi, since it's a completely different boat & won't perform in the way that I think that you're going to want. JMO on that point. From 2005 on, your choices are different. If you would be willing to share what your budget is, that would help.

Any of these boats that have a ski locker in the center with no tank can pretty easily be retrofitted with a ballast bag & automatic setup. So don't let that be a deal breaker if you find the right boat that fits in your budget.

[Ronnie]

Click here for the hull specs by year model.

[msuwaterski]

Well, here's your history lesson. The I-Ride was originally introduced in 1995 as the Sunsetter. Over the years it has changed names to the Sunsetter LX, Sunkicker, Wakekicker, Wakesetter (direct drive) & I-Ride. All are basically the same boat. It's a good crossover-boat that IMO has an emphasis on wakeboarding. I'm not sure when they started putting the center MLS in, but 2003 rings a bell. Also, there was (I think) 1 year that they built a "Wakesetter LXi" that was essentially an I-Ride on the diamond hull, but that was the only year that they did that to my knowledge.

Now if you want a diamond hull boat, a 2004 (or older) Sunseter LXi would be the boat to look for IMO. Think of it as the other side of the coin as the I-Ride. So if the I-Ride is a good crossover with an emphasis toward wakeboarding, the SLXi is a good crossover with an emphasis toward slalom. It's 93.5" wide (1/2 inch wider than the I-Ride) & 21'8" long (8" longer than the I-Ride), & very close in the weight department. Wetted surface is identical since the additional 8" is all in a cantilever at the rear that adds space to the trunk. The big difference is that while the I-Ride is on the SV23 wake hull, the SLXi is on the SV23 diamond hull. For you based on what you do & (I assume) budget constraints, that would be the boat that I'd be looking for. Do not look at a 2005 or newer LXi, since it's a completely different boat & won't perform in the way that I think that you're going to want. JMO on that point. From 2005 on, your choices are different. If you would be willing to share what your budget is, that would help.

Any of these boats that have a ski locker in the center with no tank can pretty easily be retrofitted with a ballast bag & automatic setup. So don't let that be a deal breaker if you find the right boat that fits in your budget.

WOW! Fantastic information. Thanks.

Our budget for this project is $30k and under. Great point about adding the center ballast to the SLxi, I would have no problem doing that. Idealy I would like to have eveything (tower, wedge, ballast, cruise control) already on the boat or be able to add it to the boat for for that price.

[WakeGirl]

You can easily pick up a pretty cherry SLXi for that kind of money. They start around $20k & should top out just under the $30k mark. If you can wait until after Labor Day, you'll get a better deal. Just make sure that it's an SLXi & that it's on the diamond hull, you can look at this article to help you see the difference. LINK

[Daren]

I have an iRide and really like it. I slalom ski in the course a bit and wakeboard a lot. I do not think V-drives are ok for course slalom skiing (my opinion). I don’t mind sacks everywhere and also don’t mind the engine in the middle of the boat.

Slalom wake:

Even though the slalom wake is a little more pronounced than on a 19-20 foot boat, I think it’s quite doable. I am an ok slalom skier, my personal best is behind the iRide and is 22’ off @ 34 once or twice. I really only ski 5-10 times a year though, mostly I wakeboard. Most people are impressed by how good the boat skis. Something about the pull is really nice, it’s probably “soft”, I’m not sure but I really like it.

Wakeboard wake:

For wakeboarding, the boat kicks out an awesome wake that can get really big. I put a 750lb sack on each side of the engine, fill the MLS, drop the wedge, and partially fill a sack in the trunk (300 lbs or so). I’d guess it’s around 2000 lbs or a bit more + wedge. With a few people on top of that, I begin to worry about my bones breaking. With stock ballast, the wake is ok, I ride that way if I just want to do 180s and don’t feel like having sacks everywhere – you can certainly to inverts, but you’re zinging them instead of floating them. The wake has a somewhat short transition (as opposed to the 23LSV), but you won’t notice this until you get over 2000# in there. It’s one of my favorite wakes and I have been behind VLXs, super airs, Supras, etc. I usually ride at 70’ (that’s where I get the most boot), I ride 75 behind a VLX and 75-80 behind a super air.

My needs are for a boat that will get by in the course and kick butt for wakeboarding. From what I understand (not from experience), a diamond hull will frustrate a boarder who likes a big wake. The iRide will not frustrate a boarder (except for the guy that puts 5000 lbs in a VLX – I’ve seen it before). It’s the right boat for me.

I would recommend not listening to people who say you don’t “need” to add extra ballast. If you want a bigger wake and just paid $40K - $70K for a boat, by all means, slam weight in there, it’s fun. You deserve the wake you want. No one “needs” a Malibu.

Here’s a friend riding behind my boat (all but the last 30 seconds or so) at 75’ and 24 mph. We had about 5-6 people in the boat.

http://www.wakepics.com/video/20308/jakober-s-nwwf-video

[WakeGirl]

msu,

Demo both on both a ski & board, & decide for yourself. Malibudude also has a lot of experience with both boats & would be a good one to ask.

[CedarLakeSkier]

msuwaterski,

msu? are you in Michigan?

I have a 2006 iRide. 2006 was the first year with Malibu's precision pro speed control. I would suggest looking for this unless you were planning on adding perfect pass of zero off. The reason? I think one of the things they skimped on in the ride series was the throttle control. I've been in the "full" malibu versions of boats and the speed is very easy to adjust. On my ride, the slightest throttle movement leads to huge changes in speed/rpm.

Slalom wake starts to flatten out at around 30 MPH. If you're skiing at 32 and 34 MPH I think you would like (or at least wouldn't mind) the pull behind an iRide. I have a neighbor that skis behind a MC (209 I think, I can never remember) and it's a big improvement over his. We also have some friend with a similar direct drive Supra (sunsport?) and they like ours as well. These are all 15 off skiers being pulled between 31 and 36 MPH.

As for wakeboarding, If you're looking for a HUGE wake you will still be filling up some fat sacs. Our iRide has the center ballast and we have a manual wedge. The center ballast will increase the size of the wake a little. I've found the wedge doesn't increase the size of the wake as much as put a sharper "lip" on the wake. Most beginners to beginner-intermediate prefer to NOT have the wedge down for the slower transition.

I have a couple of fat sacs that I fill up that go on each side of the engine box. With these, center ballast, and wedge the wake is pretty big. My son and his friends can surf the wake ropeless (they are small and light, I can't quite do it at 200+ lbs). At slower speeds like surfing, and with more ballast, the wedge seems to have less of the "sharp lip" effect.

I have noticed that the wake on our iRide is definitely wider (wake to wake) than the two boats mentioned above (MC and Supra). It's much harder to go wake to wake at the same rope length because of this. It takes some getting used to, but my son easily goes wake to wake at 21 MPH, no ballast or wedge and I can make it most of the time (I don't have as much practice).

With all of that said I'm very happy with our choice of boat for crossover purposes. We are a mix of skiers and wakeboarders and the boat works well for us, including the occasional surf. About the only boat I would think of to replace it would be a newer model VTX which is supposed to be an awesome crossover boat and the Vdrive configuration would be nice. I haven't skied behind a VTX though, so it's hard to say if I would even make that switch.

[msuwaterski]

msuwaterski,

msu? are you in Michigan?

I have a 2006 iRide. 2006 was the first year with Malibu's precision pro speed control. I would suggest looking for this unless you were planning on adding perfect pass of zero off. The reason? I think one of the things they skimped on in the ride series was the throttle control. I've been in the "full" malibu versions of boats and the speed is very easy to adjust. On my ride, the slightest throttle movement leads to huge changes in speed/rpm.

Slalom wake starts to flatten out at around 30 MPH. If you're skiing at 32 and 34 MPH I think you would like (or at least wouldn't mind) the pull behind an iRide. I have a neighbor that skis behind a MC (209 I think, I can never remember) and it's a big improvement over his. We also have some friend with a similar direct drive Supra (sunsport?) and they like ours as well. These are all 15 off skiers being pulled between 31 and 36 MPH.

As for wakeboarding, If you're looking for a HUGE wake you will still be filling up some fat sacs. Our iRide has the center ballast and we have a manual wedge. The center ballast will increase the size of the wake a little. I've found the wedge doesn't increase the size of the wake as much as put a sharper "lip" on the wake. Most beginners to beginner-intermediate prefer to NOT have the wedge down for the slower transition.

I have a couple of fat sacs that I fill up that go on each side of the engine box. With these, center ballast, and wedge the wake is pretty big. My son and his friends can surf the wake ropeless (they are small and light, I can't quite do it at 200+ lbs). At slower speeds like surfing, and with more ballast, the wedge seems to have less of the "sharp lip" effect.

I have noticed that the wake on our iRide is definitely wider (wake to wake) than the two boats mentioned above (MC and Supra). It's much harder to go wake to wake at the same rope length because of this. It takes some getting used to, but my son easily goes wake to wake at 21 MPH, no ballast or wedge and I can make it most of the time (I don't have as much practice).

With all of that said I'm very happy with our choice of boat for crossover purposes. We are a mix of skiers and wakeboarders and the boat works well for us, including the occasional surf. About the only boat I would think of to replace it would be a newer model VTX which is supposed to be an awesome crossover boat and the Vdrive configuration would be nice. I haven't skied behind a VTX though, so it's hard to say if I would even make that switch.

Thanks to you and Daren for the feedback! Yes I am in Michigan. We live on Ford Lake out side of Ann Arbor. We're looking to get into a new boat next spring so I am starting my homework now. Thanks again.