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05 VLX vs. 06 Sunscape LSV- Buying Decision


lake_bum83

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We recently sold our 2004 Wakesetter (Direct Drive) and are looking to take the V Drive plunge. We are looking at a 2005 VLX with the wake hull and a 2006 Sunscape LSV with the Diamond Hull. We do wakeboard and slalom both. I had a couple questions...

1. How much difference is the hull really going to make in that size of a boat? We realize we are giving up skiability going to V Drive, but think the layout is worth it. We are recreational skiiers, mainly just open water, we will go run the course every now and then. I was just curious what everyone's thoughts on how much different the ski wake is going to be on those boats at the same length with the different hulls.

2. The 05 VLX has one of the carbon illusion towers... what is the story on those towers? I know they only made them one year, just curious if there were issues. I have noticed several 05's that have them.

3. As far as resale and value, is there a big difference between a Loaded VLX and a Loaded Sunscape that is outfitted like a Wakesetter?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

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There is going to be a big difference in the ability to ski behind the boats, with the Sunscape on the diamond hull being much more skiable. I don't enjoy skiing behind my VLX. There will be some difference in the wakeboarding wake, but not a huge difference, with of course the wake hull putting out a bigger wakeboarding wake.

I would be leery of the carbon tower as I believe that was part of a recall.

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Anyone else?

I have done a lot of searching on this site on the Carbon Tower... and the opinions seem quite missed. Was there only one version of this tower, or where the multiple models? If so, is one better than the other, is there anything I can look for???

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FWIW, I ski regularly behind a 21 LSV Sunscape and think it is a nice wake for

recreational skiing. YMMV. You ought to ski behind one before you buy.

You might be able to find a VLX '06 and up that is built on the diamond hull.

A 21 LSV Sunscape fully loaded "like a Wakesetter" (affectionately referred to as

a "Fakesetter") should be worth every bit as much as a Wakesetter in terms

of re-sale, but since most folks looking for a VLX are wanting a wakeboarding

machine, your re-sale market will be smaller because of the diamond hull. It's

the hull, not the Wakesetter options, that may be the limiting factor.

Personally, I'd shy away from the Carbon Tower.

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FWIW, I ski regularly behind a 21 LSV Sunscape and think it is a nice wake for

recreational skiing. YMMV. You ought to ski behind one before you buy.

You might be able to find a VLX '06 and up that is built on the diamond hull.

A 21 LSV Sunscape fully loaded "like a Wakesetter" (affectionately referred to as

a "Fakesetter") should be worth every bit as much as a Wakesetter in terms

of re-sale, but since most folks looking for a VLX are wanting a wakeboarding

machine, your re-sale market will be smaller because of the diamond hull. It's

the hull, not the Wakesetter options, that may be the limiting factor.

Personally, I'd shy away from the Carbon Tower.

Agreed. Some people like them, but a lot of them have been replaced at Malibu's cost to the Illusion X. They had a lot of problems with that tower & a lot of issues with getting warranty satisfaction from the manufacturer. The warranty issue was in all probability the bigger issue.

A couple of things to remember about '05 vs. '06, just in general:

1. Power wedge was introduced in 2006, not available in 2005. Forget about a retrofit on the '05, it's not going to happen.

2. Malibu Cruise became standard in 2006. If the '05 doesn't have Perfect Pass, you're going to want it so count on another $1200-1500 for that. It's probably the single best upgrade that most people can make to any boat.

3. 2006 introduced throttle by wire. The driving characteristics of this boat are vastly different than a boat with a traditional cable system like the '05 will have. Something to pay attention to.

4. 2005 had an interesting option called a GPS speedo. I've never driven a boat with this, but as I understand it (& I could be wrong on this) but the speedo updates continuously via GPS, & as a result no calibration is needed. Another thing to keep in mind.

5. Depth finder is an optional component on these boats, so if that's important be sure to ask if the boat has one.

If I think of anything else, I'll post it up. As far as recreational skiing, I don't think that I've been in that generation of the 23' diamond hull, so I can't say. But obski is right on, the VLX is no ski boat. Not even for recreational skiing. My husband might do it once a year behind ours, but it's always more work for him than it's worth to not completely yard sale & injure himself. It's got more than a little bump at every speed & every length. It might be fine for someone that doesn't cut at all, but for someone that does beware.

If it's within your budget & the size will work for you, I'd highly recommend taking a look at the VTX on the cut diamond hull or the 20' LSV. Those are supposed to be the ichiban in terms of a crossover that will do everything really well.

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Thanks for the replies.

We have nixed the VLX with the wake hull... I still like to ski too much to just pretty much give that up.

We have pretty much nixed the carbon tower as well, the reviews just seem too mixed on that front.

Ideally we would get a VTX or the 20' LSV... but that is slighty out of our price range as we need to stay <$40K.

What about a V Ride??? Has anyone skiied behind one? From what I understand its the same hull as our 04 Direct Drive, but on a V Drive. We were fine with skiing behind our 04, I'm wondering how different the V Drive will make it for skiing...

So, it looks like we've narrowed it down a VLX with a diamond hull, Sunscape or possibly a VRide...

Edited by lake_bum83
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Yes, it will be a hard find because it is so desirable due to its capabilities as a crossover, & to add to it they'll command a resale value that's a bit higher. But, IMO it's the best vdrive out there for the job aside from the VTX/Cut Diamond option. Those 2 would be the best, with the V25 Fakesetter 21.5' on the diamond hull ('05-'08) coming in third.

Make sure to ski all of them prior to buying, even if you have to borrow a drysuit to do it. Only you can say what you like & will be comfortable with.

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Man I am getting confused?????

Does the 2009 VLX come with the diamond cut hull???? If it does is it OK for weekend warrior type skiing? From what I have read The VTX with a diamond cut hull it the best "crossover" boat for skiing but what if you would like something a bit bigger but would still like surf, wakeboard and ski at a recreational level??

I know a DD is the best for skiing but the layout of the V drive is something I would much rather have.

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Yes, it will be available with the cut diamond hull as an option. But....it's a bigger, heavier boat than the VTX. My guess (& it's only a guess, so take it with a grain of salt) is that it won't crossover quite as well as the VTX/cut diamond combo. And, it's well past the $40k limit that the OP has placed on his budget. A used VTX/cut diamond boat would be closer to his budget than an '09 VLX/cut diamond will, by a significant amount.

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Yeh, I've skiied an 08 VTX on a diamond hull and a 07 VLX on a diamond hull. The VTX with the diamond is a great ski boat. The VLX is passable with a small crowd in the boat, but with any kind of crowd I would imagine its a little bumpy. The VLX I'm sure is still a better wakeboarding boat than the VTX (I didn't board behind the VTX) and its roomier. It should satisfy the "weekend warrior" ski need if you need the extra space of the VLX. I just wouldn't count on skiing the VLX with a crowd in the boat and not getting launched off the wake. For a total crossover, the VTX seems hard to beat if you can afford it and you don't need the extra length of the VLX.

We ran into the same problem with our direct drive, it was a great combo boat, but we just got tired of the layout versus a V drive, its just a better layout.

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Thanks for the info/feedback. I got a ride on a friend of a friend's VTX. My daughter really liked the surfing aspect of the boat but I am a more into skiing. I really liked the layout of the VTX. Talk about room. I currently own a 23.5 foot I/O and the wake from that boat has never really bothered us when we go skiing. Certainly it is for recreational skiing only nothing hardcore.

Not sure when I could even replace the existing boat , just keeping my options open.

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How much difference in skiability is there in a VTX with a diamond hull and a VTX with a wake hull? Thanks.

Nevermind, got a lot of info with the search feature...

Edited by lake_bum83
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We took the plunge and bought an 08 VTX last week. We ended up getting a great deal out of our local dealer to help push us into a VTX. Big thanks to TNT Watersports in Hendersonville, TN. If your looking for a boat in the Middle TN area, I would highly recommend these guys. They really worked to help us get into the right boat for what we need and helped us with a few odd buying requests. They still have a few great winter deals on a few 08's if anyone is looking.

As for the VTX, it is an amazing boat. Perfect for what we do. We ski, board, and surf, so the boat fits the bill. I was amazed at how well the boat does everything. The ski wake is very nice for a V Drive (we did go with the Diamond Hull since we ski/wake about 50/50) and the Wakeboard wake is still better than our 04 DD Wakesetter. I was tremendously impressed with the handling and rough water riding of the VTX as well. Overall, I was just terribly impressed with the VTX. For a combo boat, I don't see how much could be better.

Thanks to everyone who helped with my questions. I'm actually headed to the lake today, hopefully we won't freeze, its about 45 here!

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We took the plunge and bought an 08 VTX last week. We ended up getting a great deal out of our local dealer to help push us into a VTX. Big thanks to TNT Watersports in Hendersonville, TN. If your looking for a boat in the Middle TN area, I would highly recommend these guys. They really worked to help us get into the right boat for what we need and helped us with a few odd buying requests. They still have a few great winter deals on a few 08's if anyone is looking.

As for the VTX, it is an amazing boat. Perfect for what we do. We ski, board, and surf, so the boat fits the bill. I was amazed at how well the boat does everything. The ski wake is very nice for a V Drive (we did go with the Diamond Hull since we ski/wake about 50/50) and the Wakeboard wake is still better than our 04 DD Wakesetter. I was tremendously impressed with the handling and rough water riding of the VTX as well. Overall, I was just terribly impressed with the VTX. For a combo boat, I don't see how much could be better.

Thanks to everyone who helped with my questions. I'm actually headed to the lake today, hopefully we won't freeze, its about 45 here!

You got bigger ones than me :)

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We actually ride on Center Hill Lake about 99% of the time. Our boat stays on a lift up there. I do go to Priest ever so occasionally with a friend of mine. But I usually just pile in his VLX. If your ever around Center Hill, let me know.

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