Suggestions to Malibu

[mtaylor]

Came up with something else-Find a better way to attach the rubrails. The screws seem to be very good at shredding bumpers.

Something so the windshield can open all the way with a titan tower.

A hinged walk through blocker would be nice.

[fever5]

Incorporate a fuel consumption in a GPH format into the current computer. Especially relevant with today's fuel prices.

Mercury has this cool feature on their newer motors SmartCraft that lets one find GPH, totals gallons, etc.

I think the ultimate would be a coin operated slot at the swim platform. your friends, and their 'friends' just pop a few gold or platinum coins to get 5 min increments of ride time. 1 gold coin = 5 min, 1 platinum = 20 min *coins would be sized accordingly*

[jesutton3]

Incorporate a fuel consumption in a GPH format into the current computer. Especially relevant with today's fuel prices.

Mercury has this cool feature on their newer motors SmartCraft that lets one find GPH, totals gallons, etc.

I think the ultimate would be a coin operated slot at the swim platform. your friends, and their 'friends' just pop a few gold or platinum coins to get 5 min increments of ride time. 1 gold coin = 5 min, 1 platinum = 20 min *coins would be sized accordingly*

How about a taxi fair meter and credit card reader instead?

[fever5]

Incorporate a fuel consumption in a GPH format into the current computer. Especially relevant with today's fuel prices.

Mercury has this cool feature on their newer motors SmartCraft that lets one find GPH, totals gallons, etc.

I think the ultimate would be a coin operated slot at the swim platform. your friends, and their 'friends' just pop a few gold or platinum coins to get 5 min increments of ride time. 1 gold coin = 5 min, 1 platinum = 20 min *coins would be sized accordingly*

How about a taxi fair meter and credit card reader instead?

i stand by the coin operated machine. especially among wakeboarding punks. with a pay-after system, you'd give and they'd let go!

[liljohn]

wow I think every thing I would change has been listed, other than lower the price..

[D-GOOSE]

What about, setting a standard for service shops?

Lower the lead time to get your boat in if its under warrenty. You are a new owner!

Quality of work and cost.

[Arkid]

Why doesn't the rear storage fit a wakeboard (I don't care now but when my racks were on back order I really cared)? Seems like an easy fix as they only miss by an inch or two.

Mine fits 3 wakeboards and a surf board, 2 in each locker.

[Capt-Rum]

I hate the little latch that holds down the swing away part of the windshield. Mine doesnt seem to do much. My buddy also has an 08 VTX and his is just as useless. Also, why havnt they moved the cupholder in the bow so you can use it when the windshield is open?

Bow cup holders need to be farther forward. Also, in LSV models, a cup holder within reach of passanger sitting in front cabin seat or next to driver.

[WakeGirl]

Incorporate a fuel consumption in a GPH format into the current computer. Especially relevant with today's fuel prices.

The pop cleat locations suck IMO, especially the rear cleats.

Both sets of cleats are mounted too low to be effective. Although the placement is visually appealing, they just don't seem to do much good for using fenders. They work fine for tying up to a dock, but tying off fenders on them and then tying off on the dock leaves something to be desired. ...JMO of course

That could be done with a fuel flow meter. Those can be retrofitted, but it would be nice to see it at least as an option.

Keyless ignition would be another option that would be nice to see.

What about, setting a standard for service shops?

Lower the lead time to get your boat in if its under warrenty. You are a new owner!

Quality of work and cost.

Standardization across the board would be nice to see. Malibu is better on the warranty side of things than just about any other tourny boat manufacturer, but that doesn't mean that they can't do better.

[MalibuNation]

Yes to three piece engine cover and snap in carpet - I wanted the snap in carpet when I ordered my 2003, not an option.

Better carpet.

Being able to lock the area behind the observer seat to better protect our amps and batteries.

Seems like there was one other thing I've been thinking of ... maybe coffee will help me remember.

[obski]

Make the heater snorkle much longer - mine barely reaches the observer seat.

Make the heated observer seat an option - I had mine installed by the dealer.

Have the heater Y-connector correctly installed to give heat at idle.

Have the rear ballast in the VLX plumbed and wired to add fat sacs or make it an option.

I think a good gauge of what could be improved is to take a look at what mods people are doing.

[VinRLX]

Make the heater snorkle much longer - mine barely reaches the observer seat.

Make the heated observer seat an option - I had mine installed by the dealer.

Have the heater Y-connector correctly installed to give heat at idle.

Have the rear ballast in the VLX plumbed and wired to add fat sacs or make it an option.

I think a good gauge of what could be improved is to take a look at what mods people are doing.

Ditto on the Y fitting. One of the first mods I did was to move the Y from after the impeller to before the impeller. VERY nice improvement.

[VinRLX]

1) Increase the number of passenger side cup holders in the RLXi from 0 to at least 1!

2) Swivel driver's seat option on the RLXi and make sure that it doesn't increase the seat height.

3) Add a second driver's cup holder in front of the standard one, giving us 2. One for crap and one for coffee.

4) Block the ends of the compartment behind the driver's cup holder so stuff doesn't travel out of reach.

5) Wire the heaters for Med and Hi, not Low & Med.

6) Add louver closures on the end of the heater snorkels so we can shut off the air flow.

7) Seal the windshield corners to the deck to keep glove box dry.

8) Add slalom settings to the Malibu Cruise pre-sets.

9) Add GPS to the Malibu Cruise. (a boy can dream, can't he?)

10) Provide finer steering wheel height adjustments.

11) Add fuel pressure to the dash display.

12) Add wireless Internet connectivity to the new dashboard screen.

1) AMEN!

2) Yes! Although slightly higher would be ok with me. (Actually, my 08 seat is 1-2" higher than my partner's. His was early production, mine later)

3) Another AMEN!

4) Will, stuff a sock in it. The compartment, I mean.

5) They're high and low on my boat. I like it the way it is.

6) Yup, wish my walk-through did that.

10) Nice.

12) Step away from the computer. . .and put your iPhone down. . .

[CTSunsetter]

Keyless ignition would be another option that would be nice to see.

As long as it is an option and not standard (I thought the '09 VLX spy pictures showed its coming)!

...and +1 for what liljohn said! I didn't say it because I felt it would have been hypercritical to ask for lower prices AND steering wheel stereo/speed controls. Malibu has certainly lost their value proposition they had years ago.

[edgeski1]

some of these things will be checked off the list for 09

[Hack]

Why doesn't the rear storage fit a wakeboard (I don't care now but when my racks were on back order I really cared)? Seems like an easy fix as they only miss by an inch or two.

Mine fits 3 wakeboards and a surf board, 2 in each locker.

Congratulations....

[MalibuNation]

Not sure it's been mentioned ... I (Mr. Human Nuclear Furnace) would like to be able to turn the heat off for me the driver ... but allow it for the others in the boat - that's what I forgot earlier. Kind of like vents in a car. Heck, this might already be an option.

BTW is that what you meant by a Y?

Edited June 17, 2008 by MalibuNation

[Brad B]

Another one for snap in carpet.

An onboard reversible pump and hose to fill and drain extemporaneous sacks.

[BlastRlxi]

I don't think it's a dream at all. They offered a GPS speedo in 2005 after all.

I'd also like to see a height adjustable driver's seat. I'm not talking about the bolster, I'm talking about the seat assembly itself.

My wife complains about the same thing. She uses the bolster but wishes the seat would go higher.

[VinRLX]

Not sure it's been mentioned ... I (Mr. Human Nuclear Furnace) would like to be able to turn the heat off for me the driver ... but allow it for the others in the boat - that's what I forgot earlier. Kind of like vents in a car. Heck, this might already be an option.

BTW is that what you meant by a Y?

Don't you have the little euro vents that can be closed?

The Y fitting is plumbed in to the raw water line so that the impeller pulls the water through the core rather than the water pump of the motor.

[MalibuNation]

Not sure it's been mentioned ... I (Mr. Human Nuclear Furnace) would like to be able to turn the heat off for me the driver ... but allow it for the others in the boat - that's what I forgot earlier. Kind of like vents in a car. Heck, this might already be an option.

BTW is that what you meant by a Y?

Don't you have the little euro vents that can be closed?

The Y fitting is plumbed in to the raw water line so that the impeller pulls the water through the core rather than the water pump of the motor.

That's what I thought you meant by the Y.

================

I've never looked ... and don't know what a euro vent is ... guessing closeable. Something to check. My boat was made in 2003.

[VinRLX]

Euro vent you can spin to direct the air where you want it and open/close the louvres as well. My 03 had one at the driver's feet and one at the windshield.

[Chia]

Thre are some really good ideas here. How do we get Malibu to read this and is there a prize for the idea(s) that shows up on the 2010 models?

[reconabe]

I would like to see a decent surf ballast option. Maybe something side specific. That way we don't have to mess with aftermarket bladders and pumps to get a killer surf wake.

[DizzyG]

+1 for the rethink/extend of the observer's heat tube. That thing hardly reaches anywhere someone would sit. I'm putting in a 2nd heater just because of that. I was going to try to snake another extender around the front, but with the front ballast, it won't make it.

-1 for taking any room out of the front ballast. There's not enough water weight in that thing the way it is, especially if you use the wedge. I ended up sticking lead all over in the nose to get it down, losing anything for an anchor wouldn't help me except maybe to hide more lead.

+1 for standardized wiring

+1 for adding a ballast extender or whatever you call it to add more to the factory. They have to know that everyone adds more, make me pop off a sticker that says something about the warranty if need be.