slalom wake comparisson - 02 slxi vs. mc ps197

[krward]

I have a nearly perfect condition 02 slxi which I love the wake and running the course with it. For sale there is an 03 MC Prostar 197 that is down right hot!! Again I LOVE the slxi, but I really like the looks of the prostar and the price is right. Anyone have any experience with both and which they would prefer? I think I can guess what type of feedback I will get but I need some help.

I want to just buy the MC and own both of them...CFO says that will NEVER happen. Figure I would be safer in not finding out what happens if I try it.

[Addictedto6]

dude, you need to ask ?

[Sixball]

99- 04 S LXI is one of the more saught after ski boats. (IMHO) the best crossover boat on the market. Great ski boat good wake board with wedge and who knows if you add balist.

The MC won't be a bad boat but Hot or Great ski. See if you can ski the MC.

[wienrdog]

I'd take my 01 SLXi over my friend's 98 197 any day. The wake on the 197 is similar, but the trough seems more pronounced and quite a bit harder... The wake between the newer MCs at Cobles (I don't know what year/model they used on lake 1 when I was there) and the SLXi seemed pretty similar at 30, with a slight edge to the MC. I don't know how the 03 would compare to these other years. I do know that it has quite a bit less room/storage than the SLXi.

The boarding wake from the SLXi is significantly better than the MC.

I guess the big ? is can you get enough out of your SLXi to make it worth your while? If the 03 is priced right, there may be a reason - or you could have stumbled onto a good deal. And you have the hastle of selling your boat. It's not horrible to do, but does take time and money and as the season winds down, so will the boat prices.

[crescentbar]

I have a nearly perfect condition 02 slxi which I love the wake and running the course with it. For sale there is an 03 MC Prostar 197 that is down right hot!! Again I LOVE the slxi, but I really like the looks of the prostar and the price is right. Anyone have any experience with both and which they would prefer? I think I can guess what type of feedback I will get but I need some help.

I want to just buy the MC and own both of them...CFO says that will NEVER happen. Figure I would be safer in not finding out what happens if I try it.

I can't speak for the 02 slxi but I did own a 02 MC190 which shares the exact same EVO hull as the 03 197. My 190 had a great wake, tracked straight, looked hot. If I could go back to skiing behind my 190 I'd do it anyday over my 06 Wakesetter LSV??? (Wife said we needed more of a family boat) Anyways I don't think you can go wrong with the MC 197.

[Malibudude]

I've skied behind the PS 197 this weekend and while it's a bit smaller than the SLXI, still the RLX (a better comparison) takes the cake on least amount of wake and it's softer. FYI not that we as bu' owners don't have issues but the 197 I skied behind has had several problems that boiled down to lack of quality control on the part of MC. The owner wished he'd never sold his RLX which for 10 seasons never gave him a problem.

Some of the other items probably aren't that critical (smaller fuel capacity, less seating capacity, less storage) since IIRC you're on a private lake. For a day on the lake hands down the SLXI for the aforementioned reasons. In the course the 197 has a smaller wake but not by much. I’ll be skiing the SLXI, RLX, and 197 this weekend whoo hooo!

[CarveItUp]

I'd go with the SLXi also. We rode behind a PS 197 (04 or 05) recently and it might have been a smaller wake than our SLXi but not by much and I thought it was harder than our SLXi. Could partially have been the prop too...

[WakeGirl]

I'd take my 01 SLXi over my friend's 98 197 any day. The wake on the 197 is similar, but the trough seems more pronounced and quite a bit harder... The wake between the newer MCs at Cobles (I don't know what year/model they used on lake 1 when I was there) and the SLXi seemed pretty similar at 30, with a slight edge to the MC. I don't know how the 03 would compare to these other years. I do know that it has quite a bit less room/storage than the SLXi.

The boarding wake from the SLXi is significantly better than the MC.

I guess the big ? is can you get enough out of your SLXi to make it worth your while? If the 03 is priced right, there may be a reason - or you could have stumbled onto a good deal. And you have the hastle of selling your boat. It's not horrible to do, but does take time and money and as the season winds down, so will the boat prices.

Late 90's Prostars are generally considered one of the worst ski boats ever built, '98 in particular as I recall. I don't think that I'd compare that boat straight across with an '02.

[krward]

I've skied behind the PS 197 this weekend and while it's a bit smaller than the SLXI, still the RLX (a better comparison) takes the cake on least amount of wake and it's softer. FYI not that we as bu' owners don't have issues but the 197 I skied behind has had several problems that boiled down to lack of quality control on the part of MC. The owner wished he'd never sold his RLX which for 10 seasons never gave him a problem.

Some of the other items probably aren't that critical (smaller fuel capacity, less seating capacity, less storage) since IIRC you're on a private lake. For a day on the lake hands down the SLXI for the aforementioned reasons. In the course the 197 has a smaller wake but not by much. I’ll be skiing the SLXI, RLX, and 197 this weekend whoo hooo!

Thank you all for the information. M-Dude, I do ski at a private lake, but once in a while I have to take the neighbor family to public water so it is nice to have the extra room in the bu. I am not sure if I will get to ski the 197 or not so I am hoping you can take good notes this weekend and report back on your findings.

I am a novice course skier as I just started this summer and am only running 32 MPH @15off (after all summer), but I can get all six plus gates so it is time to move up to 34 and start working that for a while. Thanks again to all for your posts. Anyone else out there with experience please share.

Edited August 22, 2007 by krward

[billb]

The first thing I'll say is ski it, and go with what YOU like best. It doesn't really matter what other people think when you are the one holding the handle!

That being said; I was just on the start dock today at Coble's talking to a fellow bu owner and an MC owner. We were agreeing that any of the big three are good at 34/36, so that's a pick 'em situation. However, we also agreed that the bu wakes seem to be better at speeds under 32. I had a kid out all summer behind my '01 SLXi and then she went to a tourney with us and skied behind a new MC Tourney Team boat. At 28mph, she said she couldn't tell the difference between the wake behind the two boats. At 34, you may get a better wake on the MC, but if you want a good wake for those below 30, I think the SLXi is definitely the better boat.

Best of luck to you with your decision.

[krward]

The first thing I'll say is ski it, and go with what YOU like best. It doesn't really matter what other people think when you are the one holding the handle!

That being said; I was just on the start dock today at Coble's talking to a fellow bu owner and an MC owner. We were agreeing that any of the big three are good at 34/36, so that's a pick 'em situation. However, we also agreed that the bu wakes seem to be better at speeds under 32. I had a kid out all summer behind my '01 SLXi and then she went to a tourney with us and skied behind a new MC Tourney Team boat. At 28mph, she said she couldn't tell the difference between the wake behind the two boats. At 34, you may get a better wake on the MC, but if you want a good wake for those below 30, I think the SLXi is definitely the better boat.

Best of luck to you with your decision.

Very good point that I had not really considered. I do have up and coming skiers and boarders who definitely will not be running 28 mph and up on a ski for quite some time. OK I think I sit around 75% sure I am going to keep the bu.

[BrianM]

I'd take my 01 SLXi over my friend's 98 197 any day. The wake on the 197 is similar, but the trough seems more pronounced and quite a bit harder... The wake between the newer MCs at Cobles (I don't know what year/model they used on lake 1 when I was there) and the SLXi seemed pretty similar at 30, with a slight edge to the MC. I don't know how the 03 would compare to these other years. I do know that it has quite a bit less room/storage than the SLXi.

The boarding wake from the SLXi is significantly better than the MC.

I guess the big ? is can you get enough out of your SLXi to make it worth your while? If the 03 is priced right, there may be a reason - or you could have stumbled onto a good deal. And you have the hastle of selling your boat. It's not horrible to do, but does take time and money and as the season winds down, so will the boat prices.

Late 90's Prostars are generally considered one of the worst ski boats ever built, '98 in particular as I recall. I don't think that I'd compare that boat straight across with an '02.

WakeGirl has it right. The 98-00 Prostar hull is the red headed step child of MC. Although I don't think it is as horrible as many say it has the worst wake of any MC built. To say it was a huge step backward from the '97 hull would be an understatement. The '03 Prostar 197 is the exact hull still used on the '08. '01 and '02 were the same EVO hull but did not have the additional hook in the hull that the newer '03-08 hull does.

[edwin]

I had a SLXi for 6 season, loved the way it skied. The beefs I had with the boat were slow(er) holeshot compared to the full on tourney boats (RLXi, 196, 197), it handled like a bigger boat compared to the comp boats, and given all the extra space we'd tend to load up more gear, passengers, etc. than we really needed.

I've spent a couple of days in the 197 and really like the boat. I believe it skis as well as my RLXi, has similar room (except for the bow area). I also owned a PS190 and the fit and finish of that boat is the benchmark for any boat I've spent time in...absolutely flawless.

As the others said, ski the 197 back to back with your SLXi, using it just like you would your SLXi and see which is a better fit. The market for SLXi's is pretty strong so you should be able to get solid $$$ out of your boat if it's in good shape.

[LakeOneSkier]

If I was stricly skiing the course and serious about slalom I'd take the '03 197 over the '02 SLXi anyday. My neighbor has a '04 197 (which is supossedly the same hull as the '03) and the wakes are MUCH better than the SLXi.

If you're not planning on getting into 32+ off, and will be taking the occasional cruise with the familiy then stay on the SLXi. And if you have any future WB'ers, keep the SLXi!

[krward]

I had a SLXi for 6 season, loved the way it skied. The beefs I had with the boat were slow(er) holeshot compared to the full on tourney boats (RLXi, 196, 197), it handled like a bigger boat compared to the comp boats, and given all the extra space we'd tend to load up more gear, passengers, etc. than we really needed.

I've spent a couple of days in the 197 and really like the boat. I believe it skis as well as my RLXi, has similar room (except for the bow area). I also owned a PS190 and the fit and finish of that boat is the benchmark for any boat I've spent time in...absolutely flawless.

As the others said, ski the 197 back to back with your SLXi, using it just like you would your SLXi and see which is a better fit. The market for SLXi's is pretty strong so you should be able to get solid $$$ out of your boat if it's in good shape.

Agreed. Although I am leaning heavy towards keeping the bu right now, I need to go ski the 2003 197 for a fair comparison. I would buy an rlxi in a second if I could find one that was as good of deal right now as the 197. My slxi is in excellent condition, had a few small things like we all do, but minor stuff that was fixed through routine maintenance or new parts and she runs perfect so I am sure I can get a good price for it as well as give someone a good buy and great boat should I decide to go that route. EDIT - That was an awesome run on. Who learned me english?

Edited August 23, 2007 by krward

[krward]

If I was stricly skiing the course and serious about slalom I'd take the '03 197 over the '02 SLXi anyday. My neighbor has a '04 197 (which is supossedly the same hull as the '03) and the wakes are MUCH better than the SLXi.

If you're not planning on getting into 32+ off, and will be taking the occasional cruise with the familiy then stay on the SLXi. And if you have any future WB'ers, keep the SLXi!

Appreciate your comments. I am unfortunately no where near 32+ off right now, but working that direction. There is one guy who is running 35 and 38 off right now and he skied slxi without issue. Said it felt pretty much like the 99 rlx he skis behind. Which is just one guys opinion, but he did take 4th place at the western regionals in slalom so I value his input. I am guessing your comments are based on your own experience??

Edited August 23, 2007 by krward

[mrothwell]

If I was stricly skiing the course and serious about slalom I'd take the '03 197 over the '02 SLXi anyday. My neighbor has a '04 197 (which is supossedly the same hull as the '03) and the wakes are MUCH better than the SLXi.

If you're not planning on getting into 32+ off, and will be taking the occasional cruise with the familiy then stay on the SLXi. And if you have any future WB'ers, keep the SLXi!

Having owned a SSLxi for 3 years, and skied many ProStars (not the 03 197) I'd agree with the above. The 197 will handle the course (from a driver's perspective) much better, and most likely have a bit better wake. But, if you take that 197 out into open water, and board or just cruise, you'll wish you had the SSLxi back. This is all about usage.

[Malibudude]

If I was stricly skiing the course and serious about slalom I'd take the '03 197 over the '02 SLXi anyday. My neighbor has a '04 197 (which is supossedly the same hull as the '03) and the wakes are MUCH better than the SLXi.

If you're not planning on getting into 32+ off, and will be taking the occasional cruise with the familiy then stay on the SLXi. And if you have any future WB'ers, keep the SLXi!

Having owned a SSLxi for 3 years, and skied many ProStars (not the 03 197) I'd agree with the above. The 197 will handle the course (from a driver's perspective) much better, and most likely have a bit better wake. But, if you take that 197 out into open water, and board or just cruise, you'll wish you had the SSLxi back. This is all about usage.

Hence the SLXI is the best multiuse boat.

[krward]

OK...Decision has been made and I am sticking with my bu. I did ski the 197 and it was nice just like my bu, but I am still hoping to move up the path to a full 36 MPH and 22 off this season. I am closer than at the start of the season, but not there yet. Not sure that I can tell a major difference between the boats based on my experience level. Plus we really like the inside of the slxi much better for the room, and storage when we do take that occasional trip to Powell.

Thanks to ALL who posted and provided their input. Really helped me identify the areas I needed to be most concerned about when making this decision. Now we just need MALIBU to please make a new version of the SLXI classic when we are ready to upgrade.

Edited August 27, 2007 by krward

[mrothwell]

OK...Decision has been made and I am sticking with my bu. I did ski the 197 and it was nice just like my bu, but I am still hoping to move up the path to a full 36 MPH and 22 off this season. I am closer than at the start of the season, but not there yet. Not sure that I can tell a major difference between the boats based on my experience level. Plus we really like the inside of the slxi much better for the room, and storage when we do take that occasional trip to Powell.

Thanks to ALL who posted and provided their input. Really helped me identify the areas I needed to be most concerned about when making this decision. Now we just need MALIBU to please make a new version of the SLXI classic when we are ready to upgrade.

Already done - It's now called the VTX - Diamond.

[Lieutenant Dan]

OK...Decision has been made and I am sticking with my bu. I did ski the 197 and it was nice just like my bu, but I am still hoping to move up the path to a full 36 MPH and 22 off this season. I am closer than at the start of the season, but not there yet. Not sure that I can tell a major difference between the boats based on my experience level. Plus we really like the inside of the slxi much better for the room, and storage when we do take that occasional trip to Powell.

Thanks to ALL who posted and provided their input. Really helped me identify the areas I needed to be most concerned about when making this decision. Now we just need MALIBU to please make a new version of the SLXI classic when we are ready to upgrade.

Just to solidify your choice....a friend of mine with a Response LXI skied 2 at 38 off (also his best this season behind the Response) yesterday behind my '01 SLXI "classic"....he remarked that he actually thought that the wake was a touch softer than his!

[VinRLX]

he remarked that he actually thought that the wake was a touch softer than his!

Oh, you're making that up.

[edwin]

he remarked that he actually thought that the wake was a touch softer than his!

Oh, you're making that up.

While I'd say the SLXi wake is a bit larger than the RLXi, I would agree that the SLXi wake is a touch softer than the RLXi.

[Malibudude]

Glad to hear you walked back to the light...lol