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How does VLX handle choppy water?


bobserr

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Hi,

I am looking at '09 LSV's and VLX's. How does the VLX do on choppier water? I can see taking the family out during the middle of the day when it's pretty choppy and it would be nice to not take on a bunch of water. I wonder whether the LSV would be better for this since it's a bit bigger.

Thanks,

Bob

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If your coming from an i/o your not going to like the way inboards handle chop :bash: , that being said bigger is better in most cases

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If your coming from an i/o your not going to like the way inboards handle chop :bash: , that being said bigger is better in most cases

What does this mean? :dontknow:

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I went from a 19' Chap. (i/o) to my new 09 vlx and its like i upgraded to a Cadilac as far as the ride. fill the bow ballast up if water conditions are choppy, this will make for a smoother ride!

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Depends on what other boat your coming from.

My last boat was a 1994 MC Prostar 205. Before that I had an 18' SeaRay. I have the Vride/older VLX & it handles way better than either of those boats did. Not to mention the deeper gunnels keep you from taking any waves in the boat very easily.

I have a buddy down in SoCal who has two boats. A VLX they use on Canyon Lake. And a 23' Cobalt with a tower that they use on the Parker Strip. The Strip gets ridiculously choppy in the summer & he doesn't care for the VLX in those circumstances. The Cobalt is way taller, and has trim tabs & trim adjustment to help combat the chop.

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We upgraded from an 18' Stuery ('69 outboard v hull) to our '06 VLX. It feels a little better as the newer VLX is heavier and bigger, but the fixed drive wont be as forgiving as an I/O or outboard. That being said, we're on the busiest waterway in the states and don't regret our decision.

TEST DRIVE!

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What does this mean? :dontknow:

in choppy water my vtx will pound :bash: thats what I ment , every i/o I have been in handles " choppy water " better , as far as handling goes there is no comparison , it doesn't pound like a dedicated slalom boat [ ps 190 , response , etc ] my opinion . :salute:

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WeI love our lsv. We went from a I/O and didn't see much difference in the ride. A friend of mine has a vlx and the ride is rougher then mine.

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I came from an 18 foot 2004 Glastron and my VLX handles so much better. I put most of the first 15 hours in on rough water and honestly I thought it rode and handled great. I find at slower speeds in rough chop I get some spray coming up but once you increase throttle, no problem. With my Glastron you could get jarred coming through on some of the wakes but not the VLX, she rides solid with minimal hull noise; a great boat. I mean obviously with a deep vee your going to get better rough water ride and less spray but you gotta give a little to get a little; depends what your needs are.

Edit to add: Most of the time we are up early and ride the glass and then surf in the afternoon when its rough and then ride the glass again late in the evening.

For me rough water/chop is considered to have intermittent white capping

Edited by Kingfish
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Depends on what other boat your coming from.

...

I've gotta agree with Bill on this one. Plus, what lake are you referring to? Choppy is kind of relative. Some lakes I wouldn't want to be on in any boat when it gets too choppy.

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Thanks for the replies.

I am trying to decide between an LSV and a VLX.

The reason I ask about the VLX on choppy water is because while I'll be surfing, etc. in the mornings on calm water, there will be times when I pack a bunch of people on the boat in Lake Washington (Seattle) and head across the lake in the middle of a sunny saturday. I have ridden on friends LSV's last summer and agree, they don't handle as good as an I/O. But they don't do bad if you get the ballast/speed right. However, I am curious what 2 less feet ln the length and ?? on the beam does for the ride.

Other considerations:

VLX is (I think) requires less clearance on the trailer and therefore I can possibly store it in my garage.

VLX is shorter and therefore handles a bit easier than the longer boat

VLX is shorter/narrower and therefore I should be able to get a better wake with less people in the boat (but I think the difference in size of ballast makes up for this: ~1600lbs in the VLX vs ~2400 lbs in the LSV)

LSV is bigger and therefore I can fit 3 families in the boat if I want to go cruising

LSV is bigger and maybe handles choppy water better for the times above.

Does this sound right?

I have only ridden behind an LSV and it is REALLY nice.

Thanks!

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You should probably ride in & behind both boats & see for yourself.

I usually ride in & behind several different VLXs of different ages & love the wakes, how they handle, etc., especially anything built after the Gorilla fins, prop & engine upgrades were done (in 2004??).

But late last summer we spent about 3 weeks in 3 different LSVs. They are great boats that have great wakes & IMO handle like a smaller boat. Parking in a garage is obviously another matter. But if you need the room for the crew you usually have aboard, then by all means, do it.

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Good point, maybe that's the ultimate way to decide it. Last summer I rode behind 2 different LSV's, both '08 and both with a diamond hull. One had the forward ballast (so 4 total) and one had 3 but had a fat sack in the back. Both were fantastic. I've never been in or behind a VLX.

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i have only taken our VLX on Lk Wa a couple of times. For the most part it was fine, but i did have to keep the throttle up when i woudl put in in Renton around 5pm. there seemed to be A LOT of chop (1-2 ft) and if i was just in idle, i would get a lot of spray. When i would power up slightly, it would keep the nose up and the spray out. though, it woudl still get pounded around a little bit. I also noticed that if i filled the center ballast, it would help a little.

I dont have any experience in an LSV, but i woudl assume that on average, it would handle the chop on Lk Wa a little better.

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I can not comment on the VLX......but I came from an 18ft bayliner to a Vride.....nuff said :yahoo:

Yup! came from an 18ft SeaRay to a Sunsetter. I don't think I could ever go back. :rockon:

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Good point, maybe that's the ultimate way to decide it. Last summer I rode behind 2 different LSV's, both '08 and both with a diamond hull. One had the forward ballast (so 4 total) and one had 3 but had a fat sack in the back. Both were fantastic. I've never been in or behind a VLX.

interesting, I wonder which is better in crappy water and wake hull or diamond?

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The reason I ask about the VLX on choppy water is because while I'll be surfing, etc. in the mornings on calm water,

Please don't do this. Leave the glass to the skiiers and boarders! Surf when its a bit messy.

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