Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Diamond vs. Wake Hulls


WakeGirl

Recommended Posts

Over the years, Malibu has offered a no-cost diamond hull option on its Wakesetter Series. While this gives the consumer many more choices & a lot of variety when ordering a new boat, it can be awfully confusing for the person that is looking at used boats or possibly new boats sitting in stock.

The Difference

On a boat with a wake hull, the outer edge of the hull flattens off, while on a diamond hull it tapers down. There are other differences, but this is the big one for the purposes of on-the-spot identification. That's all there is to it!

Diamond Hull

diamond.jpg

 

Wake Hull

wake.jpg

Link to comment
  • 5 months later...

If i am an intermediate skier looking for a V-drive for the room should i hold out for a dimond hull or does the wake hull still ski good at 36mph. i know i am already making a sacrifice with the v drive but i dont know how great a differanve the wake vs dimond is going to make

Link to comment
If i am an intermediate skier looking for a V-drive for the room should i hold out for a dimond hull or does the wake hull still ski good at 36mph. i know i am already making a sacrifice with the v drive but i dont know how great a differanve the wake vs dimond is going to make

The best advice is to test each hull. With that said, yes it does make a difference diamond vs. wake hull. You might check out the new FXI, it's a larger DD than in the past offering more room/storage. Depending upon what size you're looking at the VTX on the diamond hull or the 20' LSV would be decent for an intermediate skier level.

Link to comment

I'm in the same boat,Wife and I are skiers but also love surfing and boarding. We are also stuck on a vlx.Before we buy we will try.What rope length should we ski with?

Link to comment
I'm in the same boat,Wife and I are skiers but also love surfing and boarding. We are also stuck on a vlx.Before we buy we will try.What rope length should we ski with?

Ski or surf w/? If surf most ropes are ~20' or so. Slalom that depends on your level and comfort. I'd suggest comparing a VTX, which for surfing is a better option that the 20' LSV due to the factory ballast option, and the VLX. The VTX imho would suit your needs closer especially for slalom.

Link to comment

If your a skier you definitely want to try a VLX before buying. I could not cut behind a 2005 VLX (wake hull) I assume. The VTX with diamond hull was incredible compared to my I/O. I ended up with a VTX on a Wake Hull, not by choice, but because of budget. I did not get to try it first and I might regret that later, but I got to think it will be better then the I/O I was behind.

Even though I didn't try it first, I totally agree with try before you buy.

Link to comment

Ski wake at 36 mph ?

I think you should be more realistic about the real speed you will tow your wife and other guests. I would be inclined to check the ski wake at 30 and 32 as this will be the more common speed for most. At the high price you're paying for a boat you really don't want "wake remorse".

In this economic environment you will have plenty of opportunity to buy a boat. But when you go to sell you become the victim. So please demo a couple of these craft before laying down the greenbacks.

Good luck with your search.

Link to comment

Yes I plan on trying all that I can but finding the diamond hull in the used market is not so easy, that is why I ask. Maybe I should go to a dealer and see if they have a diamond hull I can be pulled behind. And yes I know that everybody will not be pulled at 36mph but I will be, and if someone is not being pulled at 36 they probably are not advanced enough to be able to tell the difference of one wake over another.

Link to comment
Yes I plan on trying all that I can but finding the diamond hull in the used market is not so easy, that is why I ask. Maybe I should go to a dealer and see if they have a diamond hull I can be pulled behind. And yes I know that everybody will not be pulled at 36mph but I will be, and if someone is not being pulled at 36 they probably are not advanced enough to be able to tell the difference of one wake over another.

I am an old fart and ski at 36mph. Many fair and above skiers on a good slalom ski like 36mph. 34mph is a nice speed also. anything under for me and my ski Buddy's is a poor run. That said for a novice or very lite skier it is very fast. The higher speeds also lets the wake lay down.

We joke all the time well running short line, it's to keep the driver honest. We can watch the speedometer.

Edited by Sixball
Link to comment
Yes I plan on trying all that I can but finding the diamond hull in the used market is not so easy, that is why I ask. Maybe I should go to a dealer and see if they have a diamond hull I can be pulled behind. And yes I know that everybody will not be pulled at 36mph but I will be, and if someone is not being pulled at 36 they probably are not advanced enough to be able to tell the difference of one wake over another.

Most definately ask the dealer to ski behind on w/ the diamond hull.

I don't ski at 36 mph but I certainly can tell the difference in the wake, maybe a recreation skier would have difficult but anyone whom skis a course will.

Link to comment

Sixball,

Beware. My body started failing me around my 57th birthday six years ago. Shoulder, hip, knee, feet. The problem with old fart-itus is it seems to get worse not better. I can ski 36 but I enjoy taking rookies out on the boat. The mixture last year was 8 days with my crew on the course and 13 days free skiing with less experienced skiers on open water.

The wake is what makes a great boat. There are extensive threads on this site discussing wake. My point is there is no reason to compromise now only to want to trade later to get a better wake. I think it is easier to differentiate the wake at 30 than it is at 36. Plus the best wake at 30 will be the best wake at 36 anyway.

Link to comment

Interesting topic, so whats the verdict on the 09 VLX wake and diamond hull for wakeboarding and skiing. Not so good for wakeboarding and not so good for skiing, a compromise that does nothing well?

Link to comment
If i am an intermediate skier looking for a V-drive for the room should i hold out for a dimond hull or does the wake hull still ski good at 36mph. i know i am already making a sacrifice with the v drive but i dont know how great a differanve the wake vs dimond is going to make

There is no comparison between the wake and diamond hulled Vdrives. I have not skied 36 behind a wake vdrive, but have behind a DD (iride), and the diamond vdrive is a more crossable, softer wake than any wake hulls, in my opinion.

Link to comment
If i am an intermediate skier looking for a V-drive for the room should i hold out for a dimond hull or does the wake hull still ski good at 36mph. i know i am already making a sacrifice with the v drive but i dont know how great a differanve the wake vs dimond is going to make

There is no comparison between the wake and diamond hulled Vdrives. I have not skied 36 behind a wake vdrive, but have behind a DD (iride), and the diamond vdrive is a more crossable, softer wake than any wake hulls, in my opinion.

Both the wake and diamond on the VTX are pretty good. Another thread was very specific about rope lengths between the two hulls and where the sweet spots were on the VTX. I have slalomed both, and both are fine for recreational skiers at 15' off, especially coming from an I/O.

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

I have an 2007 VLX with diamond hull and the wake is pretty big. I ski at 34 MPH and I get thrown from one wake to the other. When I demo the boat I skied behind a Sunscape 20 LSV and thought it was a dream. That was with 3 people and nothing in the boat. Big difference when the boat is loaded. Be aware!!!! I still love my VLX and would still order it the same way. USA.gif

Link to comment
I have an 2007 VLX with diamond hull and the wake is pretty big. I ski at 34 MPH and I get thrown from one wake to the other. When I demo the boat I skied behind a Sunscape 20 LSV and thought it was a dream. That was with 3 people and nothing in the boat. Big difference when the boat is loaded. Be aware!!!! I still love my VLX and would still order it the same way. USA.gif

What length rope puts you in the sweet spot for skiing 34 mph?

Link to comment
  • 2 months later...
I have an 2007 VLX with diamond hull and the wake is pretty big. I ski at 34 MPH and I get thrown from one wake to the other. When I demo the boat I skied behind a Sunscape 20 LSV and thought it was a dream. That was with 3 people and nothing in the boat. Big difference when the boat is loaded. Be aware!!!! I still love my VLX and would still order it the same way. USA.gif

What length rope puts you in the sweet spot for skiing 34 mph?

The best is probably 22-28...that's on a pre-2004 sunscape 21

Link to comment
If your a skier you definitely want to try a VLX before buying. I could not cut behind a 2005 VLX (wake hull) I assume. The VTX with diamond hull was incredible compared to my I/O. I ended up with a VTX on a Wake Hull, not by choice, but because of budget. I did not get to try it first and I might regret that later, but I got to think it will be better then the I/O I was behind.

Even though I didn't try it first, I totally agree with try before you buy.

Update. I have finally gotten in a few runs behind my VTX Wake Hull, and have to say it is great. I did bump my speed up to 31 from 28 and I shortened the rope to 65 feet from 75. This made crossing the wake much easier. I'm not skiing a course or anything, but I am cutting hard and don't need to slow up much as I cross.

Maybe when I'm up there next time I will take a run behind my buddies VTX CD and see if I can tell the difference.

Link to comment
I have an 2007 VLX with diamond hull and the wake is pretty big. I ski at 34 MPH and I get thrown from one wake to the other. When I demo the boat I skied behind a Sunscape 20 LSV and thought it was a dream. That was with 3 people and nothing in the boat. Big difference when the boat is loaded. Be aware!!!! I still love my VLX and would still order it the same way. USA.gif

What length rope puts you in the sweet spot for skiing 34 mph?

22-28 off, at 15 the bump is very noticable.

Link to comment

Mine's 07 VTX wake. In my opinion anything over 30 mph with this hull is fine for advanced recreational skiers, great for boarders and a fantastic alrounder. If you're going to spend most of your time on the course go with a response, ( my previous boat 07 rlxi). Otherwise CD or wake comes down to personal preference.

Link to comment
  • 3 months later...

Can you get an 07 vlx with different hulls? I am looking at buying one and did not know that they came with different hulls. I would have thought that the vlx just came standard with the wakeboard hull.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...