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Trade it in for a 2001 VLX. You'll like that slalom wake better.

It is a boat you can ski behind, not a ski boat. I run 34MPH on a vapor freesking behind my 2012. I do enjoy pulling a couple of my relatives behind my older VTX, they are mainly course skiers with Malibu/Nautique ski boats. I enjoy it because they are used to everything being easy It is like taking a downhill ski racer off the hardpack course into the crud - different skill set that some need to achieve. If you learn to ski behind a v-drive, you'll be able to rodeo through just about anything in a ski course;)

More info needed to make a suggestion: what engine / what marinizer (Mercruiser, Indmar, etc) as each marinizer uses thier own exhaust manifolds. A source like wholesale marine, iboats, bakes, CP Performance will probably have what you need and a picture to help you match up your existing setup.

I have a 2013 Malibu Response txi. The boat is in great condition and only used to pull slalom skiers. Yesterday in the middle of a slalom set, the pylon "slid" or "shifted" as if the skier had pulled so hard the pylon came undone or loose down under the floor. The pylon is now angled towards the rear deck of the boat as described above. I have never seen this before and was curious if anybody has dealt with such a problem or possibly fixed their pylon from a similar situation. I have done some digging but I cannot seem to find a sturdy answer as to repairing the pylon, or if this problem is repairable. If anyone would be willing to share their personal experience as to how I would be able to repair this, I would greatly appreciate it.

She did 48 passes shortly before? Was she skiing behind a Nautiqe 200 or another slalom only boat. Or another V-drive? If going from a pro wake to a V's wake that would be a wake up call for any skier.

Just when I start thinking describing surf settings is cumbersome, slalom guy shows up 🤣. I’m betting you are able to dial it in to something your wife can be happy with. It sounds like it’s a similar story with weight and passengers in dedicated slalom boats. Lots of tuning, no passengers, etc. At least with the vtx you have plenty of boat to do things with passengers when you aren’t slalom skiing. Good luck!

What were your rpms at ski speeds? in my last Vtx, the reduction was so so much the prop was grossly incorrect. I think you’re gonna find it skiing speed you’re turning 42 to 4300 RPM. Swap it out for a much steeper, smaller prop. It should do wonders for the hardness of the wake

Hi, I'm having trouble finding the correct part number for a replacement gasket between the riser and exhaust manifold for my 2003 Sportster LX. I also have read many forums where people recommend using a sealer, or silicone (no gasket). If this gasket needs to be inspected frequently and replaced every couple of years, why wouldn't them mention it in their manual? Thank is advance.

East Coast Flightcraft has a bunch of TXI's. Trade this one for a sweet ski boat!

Use a meter and check the voltages on the back of the key switch. The "S" pin should get 12v when you turn the key to the start position.

Not at all. I'm thinking like @jeffk said above, it's just a coincidence.... I'm still scratching my head at it all.... I turned the ignition over at least 30 times checking voltages in various spots. I wiggled the throttle at least 10 times. I've never had a problem like this in any of my other boats.

Hours on both are not concerning if proper maintenance was done and the boat was well cared for. I would definitely want the LS3 over the 383. Plus 1 on going for 2013+ for surf gates. 409SS are great motors, but I would still rather go LS3 if I could find one. Personally, I don’t recommend the 350 motors, they’re just a little too underpowered for ballasted sessions.

You didn't tell us what you are towing. Your username suggests things that the boat was not intended to tow, so failure of the mount should not be unexpected.

Yes. Welded up an aluminum bracket. No help from Malibu or anyone else though.

I have never owned a wake boat before. I do not have ballast bags but I do see in rear storage area in both compartments next to engine compartment what appears to be built in ballast... Question: how do I fill these up if that is what they are and how do I remove water? I am assuming I have a switch to fill up and then just a normal bilge pump switch to remove? Thanks, BP

Did you get your pylon problem fixed?

i have a 2016 T 22 and assume it performs similar to the A. its been a great boat! i love how simple it is without the screens. for surfing fill everything up drop the wedge . and drain rear ballast depending on crew size to get the nose down and the surf wave is fantastic! ( i do keep about 300lb of lead in the nose and observers compartment full time. i have the 350 with the 15x12 prop and have 0 issues with power but i dont wakeboard with wedge as no one i go with is good enough to need it. boat has been rock solid change oil and impeller and use away. only real con on my boat is i wish i would have got one with a heater and the gas tank is small. wont last the weekend without filling up. not a huge deal as i live by the gas dock but if i surf all day we for sure have to fill up before surfing the next morning. no clue on that year bu. assume it has surfgate? mustgofast is right i do wish i had the adjustable wedge. but i just drain and add rear ballast as needed to adjust it changes the wake pretty quick. if you go for the axis I would love to know what you end up paying. i am thinking of selling to upgrade so i am curious what a similar year boat in the same market will go for.

If there is a way for you to swing it, I would try to move into a boat with Surfgate. I believe that would be 2013 in Malibu. Then you will get into discussions on screens...... As far as hours, my 2014 LS3 has around 850 hours. As stated, with regular maintenance, they should go for a very long time.

That is not a capacitor, it is a 4 MHz crystal to run the oscillator in the chip. I can't read the part number on the chip, and it is really hard to zoom in on images hosted on google. Anyway, look up the IC datasheet and match the crystal specs they show. An example (but probably not the one you want): https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/ABRACON/AB308-4000MHZ?qs=H8AWquzS%2FlPSp19sJFxT6Q%3D%3D&mgh=1&utm_id=17222215321&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwr7ayBhAPEiwA6EIGxKH2xkdfN9b_kgWgQVHoxRp76x_l9MxU3H5TQ2VhCTlj_oNDq3guFRoCH3oQAvD_BwE

T220 last weekend. First time out with a crew learning to surf. Super fun! http://

The spring is butted up against the under-gunnel base of the tower. The cable goes through the center of the spring and connects to a threaded rod with a washer and nut to hold the cable in tension against the spring. Thus, as the tower is lowered, the cable length below is decreased, compressing the spring.

Let me get this completely straight: you bought a crossover boat, custom ordered, without demoing, for someone that is dedicated to one sport at a very high level? Then join the forum, to ask if it is the worst ski boat ever? Do you take your X7 to the race track as well? Welcome to the forum.

Give this set-up a try. Wedge in lift, 28 mph, 15 off or 22 off (try both), rear pop up tow point - not center pylon. Try bow ballast up to 50% (experiment here). Weight or ballast passenger side to level the boat at that speed/setup. That was the best wake my wife and I found (with just the driver in the boat). The wake looks a little big, but was very soft with that set-up and easy to ski. Unfortunately that was really the only set-up we found to be at all tolerable. We would have liked to have gone faster, but that doesn't work well in lift as the boat become unstable, and if we stowed to wedge it became too hard.

If you normally run "loaded down" then you still have the wrong prop.

I agree with the OP. I have commented on this before, but we found the VTX to be undriveable in the course. We did enjoy some free skiing behind it, but only within a very limited set of parameters (wedge in lift, 28 mph, 15 off, rear tow point - not center pylon). Sell the boat and get something more appropriate. We knew it was a compromise going in as we had skied behind one before purchase. We had hoped to ski and surf with it, but ultimately found that the ski-ability just wasn't worth it. It does surf quite well for it's size, but ultimately we traded for a dedicated surf boat (M220). I would still say the boat is a good "crossover" for someone who wants to do a bit of everything recreationally. The ski wake is certainly still better than your average 20ft Inboard/outboard runabout, but I think anyone who is a tournament level skier will be in for some disappointment.