Malibu Boat Quality, Contruction, Warranty

[skyskier]

I don't care about what JD Powers has to say. I seriously don't. I will demo boats myself and form my own opinions, thank you very much. The OP asked about the crew's opinions, and here's mine. After spending time in each of the big three boats, I say Malibu is a solid 3rd in regard to quality and construction. I have not owned two out of the three as new boats, so I cannot give a first hand account of how each of the big three handles warranty issues. As a buyer of three new Malibu's, I can say I was not satisfied with how warranty claims were handled. My next new boat will not be a Malibu unless things change.

Big surprise.....my best warranty experience was with Bayliner.

I will go off topic long enough to say that the big three are the big three for a reason. There is a clear division between them and the rest. Also, the boats from the big three are different enough that it should not be hard to pick a favorite. With regard to quality and construction only, there is not a bad choice in the bunch. Now the trick is to choose the boat that best suits your needs. You simply cannot judge quality, construction, or suitability from looking at photos and videos or listening to what others say. You just don't know a boat until you have trailered it, spent the day in it, and cleaned it and put it away.

From my experience, "You get what you pay for" seems to apply to the division between the big three and everyone else.

[DocPhil]

Just like the Better Business Bureau.

Money making scam. Means nothing. Malibu is an awesome brand and so is CC and MC.

It's like asking who makes a sweet race car. Porsche or Ferrari.

If JD powers tells me Ferrari is better, I don't care if I like the Porsche.

[Fman]

That sounds like close to a deal too good to pass up. Heater and shower should be easy enough and not too expensive to have added, heated seat also, not sure what that would ring upto, would be interesting to know if anyone has had an upholstery shop upgrade a seat to heated. New boats all options on tower, so no difference there. 18k buys alot of goodies.

I added a heated drivers seat on my first boat, it was $100 for heating pads and about $125 for upholstry shop to install pads and restretch skins. This was about six years ago when I was crazy and went out boarding in the winter, I am getting old because I cant tolerate cold water anymore!

[BlastRlxi]

Be careful of opinions you get online. There are people who come on here and will say that some other brand (MC,CC, etc.) is better because they had some issue with their boat or dealer that upset them and they went with a different brand the next time around. There are also people on here that own Malibus after having similar issues with another brand. As someone said earlier, they are the big three for a reason and you can't go wrong with any of them. For me, the bigger issue is the dealer. It is more important to find a dealer that you trust that will give you good service long after you buy a boat. If you are buying used, by a brand that is supported locally so you don't have to make a 4 hour drive to get work done on it.

[ryangb]

I added a heated drivers seat on my first boat, it was $100 for heating pads and about $125 for upholstry shop to install pads and restretch skins. This was about six years ago when I was crazy and went out boarding in the winter, I am getting old because I cant tolerate cold water anymore!

Hey Fman

Did you get the pads from your dealer? Was that for a pad on the back rest and the seat?

How do you hook them up?

[happypappy]

I can't really imagine the venture captialist would have any effect on construction at this point. That wouldn't happen unless they become unhappy with the bottom line of the company.

I've turned wrenches on all three brands. Shoot me a PM if there's anything specific you want to know.

The boats themselves use or are made of the same components. Same engine, same vinyl, same gel coat, fiberglas, etc. The big difference is the warranty. So I'd be talking to your dealer and getting references...both good and bad.

[skyskier]

happypappy.....do you know for a fact that the boats are made from the same vinyl and gel coat? I am not challenging what you said, I am seeking information. When I look at older boats I see a night and day difference in the wear and tear from one brand to the next. I have seen enough used boats to be able to compensate for owner maintenance. My theory is that by the time you own one of the top shelf boats you know how to care for one and that is why they look so good 10 years down the line.......or maybe the materials are just that much better because you get what you pay for.

[happypappy]

happypappy.....do you know for a fact that the boats are made from the same vinyl and gel coat? I am not challenging what you said, I am seeking information. When I look at older boats I see a night and day difference in the wear and tear from one brand to the next. I have seen enough used boats to be able to compensate for owner maintenance. My theory is that by the time you own one of the top shelf boats you know how to care for one and that is why they look so good 10 years down the line.......or maybe the materials are just that much better because you get what you pay for.

pretty sure they all have GM engines in them. Before going wireless, all the controls were Morse. Probably most hardware is from Marine Hardware or Perko. There are not that many vendors out there, so their choices are limited. Specially after the past 5-6 years of a very poor economy. Many of the vendors have closed their doors.

My point is that, there is not that much of a difference say in the top three boat companies. MC, CC and Malibu most likely get their raw materials from the same vendors. The resin, is most likely made by the same company, then sold to a third party where some additive(s) that'll make it better than the competition, then sold to CC, MC or Malibu. It is essentially the same resin.

Same with the engines, Since PCM, Indmar and whoever take the basic GM engine and then gussy it up with their propriotory engineering, badging, etc., and then say their engine is bigger, better, and faster than the competition, meanwhile it is the same engine with some lip stick on it.

The 3 boat makers use the better components which is why they are the top end boats. Same for the next tier of boats.