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Compared to other brands....


scottserena

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I have been a Malibu owner for 10 years now. It was the first and only boat I have owned. It is a 2000 23 LSV. Been a great boat, hardly any issues at all.

So as I have posted previously I just ordered a 2010 WS LSV.

Before I ordered it I researched all , many other brands, Mastercraft, Tige, Natique. I researched other types of boats as well, like Eliminator, Magic, Shockwave, etc, but kept coming back to a true wakeboard/ski boat.

I research like a mad scientist, I still have not come to a conclusion on coke or pepsi. But after looking at all the other brands Malibu always seemed to be the real winner. Malibu seems to have the best handle on how I like to use my boat. The other brands seemed to have this ideal for how a boat is used, that did not fit with my experience over the last 10 years.

Mastercraft: Really pushed the picklefork bow. I thought this was cool. But I soon realized that hardly anyone in my boat ever sits in the bow. We are all in the main cabin. Maybe because in the Havasu heat, you need to be under the bimini. But even when we are just cruising around in the winter nobody wants the bow.

Maybe that is just my friends. The main cabin of my new Malibu was bigger then a Mastercraft that was almost 3' longer. Although most of the Mastercrafts are rated for more people, this seemed to be strictly a weight rating and not a space consideration. I did love the racks without a bungee. I could not ever think of a single instance where I would use a sink, and thought it was a huge waste of valuable real estate

Tige: Same as above with the picklefork bow. But the fit and finish drove me insane. It did not seem like a quality interior at all. No offense to any Tige owners, this is MHO. Even the exterior gel coat seemed lacking in finish, seemed dull & lackluster.

Natique: I really liked the Natique. But seating was much more limited then my new Malibu, and my storage compared to the Natique was cavernous.

So after months and months of research, sometimes hours a day the Malibu was the clear winner.

Do any of you really make use the of the bow seating?

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Yes, but I don't sit there. Only use it if there are more than 4 on the boat (rare) and then don't like people sitting up there because it hampers my sight lines.

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We use our bow quite a bit because we have kids and usually guests that have kids and they love the bow (sort of like Leonardo Dicaprio in titanic). I've always thought the pickle fork bow would be cool but I don't really like the look of it. I couldn't agree more with the Tige fit and finish couldn't stand it.

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I think you made the right choice! What do you expect us to say here though? Whistling.gif

I love my boat...has been awesome so far. I will agree with you on the Nautiques though. If I were to buy

any other boat(besides another bu) it would be a Nautique. I was checking them out at the boat show and really

liked them compared to all of the other Bu competition. Correct Craft is definitely proud of their product though!

And as far as Pepsi vs. Coke....easy call

Coke all the way!

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You cant really make a coke or pepsi decision, or maybe there is no need to. I think all of those boats (Nautiqes, Mastercrafts, Malibu) or great and serve there purpose for an intended preference. Malibu happens to be my preference. I do think if I had to own any other brand it would be a Nautique. The Nautique seems to have the best wake for straight up wakeboarding without any initial artificial help (ballast, wedge,etc.) in my experience.

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I think you made the right choice! What do you expect us to say here though? Whistling.gif

I love my boat...has been awesome so far. I will agree with you on the Nautiques though. If I were to buy

any other boat(besides another bu) it would be a Nautique. I was checking them out at the boat show and really

liked them compared to all of the other Bu competition. Correct Craft is definitely proud of their product though!

And as far as Pepsi vs. Coke....easy call

Coke all the way!

After extensive research it is now official, Dr. Pepper!

I had considered the Tige RZ4 as it heard it was the best for handling rough water. I just could not be caught dead in a Tige, it looked so cheap and juvenile.

Mastercraft was real proud of their "superior construction"

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The competition always talks about the malibu construction that has sprayed on fiberglass now instead of hand layed fiberglass. Guy I talked to was a salesman for Malibu and said the reps always bragged about the hand layered fibglass construction and that they were the last to still be doing it by hand. Then they switched to the spray on and when the rep was asked "what about all the hype about how bad sprayed on hulls are." He just shrugged and said "Economics." So I am just wondering how you weighed out the decision to give up your super strong hulled hand laid fiberglass boat for the "cheaper" sprayed on hull? Any of you heard of this bragging point and when the change was made?

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really?

malibu is using a chopper and not hand laid?

i won't buy it if it isn't hand laid.

period.

That is what I was told by a Natique dealer who used to work a the Malibu dealers shop. I was not shopping so it seemed reliable to me. I just have never posed the question here and wondered about it. Maybe I should post a separate question on that after I search for confirmation in the forum. I will let you know what I find so I do not hijack your post here with it.

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really?

malibu is using a chopper and not hand laid?

i won't buy it if it isn't hand laid.

period.

That is what I was told by a Natique dealer who used to work a the Malibu dealers shop. I was not shopping so it seemed reliable to me. I just have never posed the question here and wondered about it. Maybe I should post a separate question on that after I search for confirmation in the forum. I will let you know what I find so I do not hijack your post here with it.

Just checked the web site and it still says hand laid fiberglass in their downloadable 2009 brochure and the photographs make it clear that it is actually hand laid and no evidence of a chopper in use. Should have known that the competition was trying to hit Malibu where they know they are hurting them. I agree. Hand laid is the way to go and definitely stronger. I had a fiberglass guy tell me the Gelcoat also seemed thicker than other brands and felt it was better quality.

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really?

malibu is using a chopper and not hand laid?

i won't buy it if it isn't hand laid.

period.

That is what I was told by a Natique dealer who used to work a the Malibu dealers shop. I was not shopping so it seemed reliable to me. I just have never posed the question here and wondered about it. Maybe I should post a separate question on that after I search for confirmation in the forum. I will let you know what I find so I do not hijack your post here with it.

Just checked the web site and it still says hand laid fiberglass in their downloadable 2009 brochure and the photographs make it clear that it is actually hand laid and no evidence of a chopper in use. Should have known that the competition was trying to hit Malibu where they know they are hurting them. I agree. Hand laid is the way to go and definitely stronger. I had a fiberglass guy tell me the Gelcoat also seemed thicker than other brands and felt it was better quality.

You can look at the inside of your boat in the bilge and tell the difference between chopper and hand laid, my 2009 VLX is absolutely hand laid.

Terry

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Back to the bow,my teenage girls love to lay around in the bow area, Our LXI bow is like a small bed and works well for two girls.

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Kids love the bow. I love the bow. If i'm not skiing or driving, i'm stretched out up front! Pickle forks look ugly. Too much of a traditionalist>

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