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Sportster LX vs Response LX


DylanR

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Hi Everyone,

I am in the market for a Malibu... recently sold my M**MBA. I have a friend that has a 96 Malibu Response LX. Super clean, awesome boat. I really like it and wouldn't mind having one of my own. On the other hand I have found a 2001 Sportster LX... great looking boat has every option I need. My question is... having never been in one or wakeboarded behind one... is the Sportster LX as easy to weight with ballast as the Response LX... Does it handle the weight as good? How do the boats compare in general... size wise... etc. I would enjoy hearing any views... If someone has some comparison pictures that would be great. I know in general the response is the better boat... I just want to know with ballast and a wedge on the Sportster LX... would the only thing I be giving up is a little room? Will the Sportster LX sit lower in the water... or the same as the Response LX? Comparion pics would be outstanding. HELP get me in my perfect Malibu! :rockon:

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The Sportster is narrower and does not have the reverse chines of the diamond hull so it actually takes less weight to "sink" it for wakeboarding. It's primary focus is for footin' and slalom but it makes a respectable beginnner/intermediate wakeboarding boat. 250# on each side of the engine, and 200 up front makes for a very decent wakeboard wake. That said, it is not a spacious boat and putting 250# fatsacks on each side of the clamshell makes things even tighter. The hot ticket is to put the back seat in backwards and have people lean against the motor cover and the fatsacks facing backwards. :thumbup:

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Just a point of clarification.....

The Response that the OP has experience with is not on a diamond hull. The Response didn't get that until '98. So any Sporty will perform very, very similarly to what the OP is used to with that Response. If the OP is just interested in wakeboarding & not skiing, then this would be fine.

One thing to consider....the Sportster has less freeboard. Yes it will be easier to sink, but you have less vertical space to work with. If you're looking for a wakeboarding boat, you might want to look at the Sunsetters from that vintage (non-LXi). A bigger boat on the same hull will give you more to work with in that sense.

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The Response that the OP has experience with is not on a diamond hull. The Response didn't get that until '98. So any Sporty will perform very, very similarly to what the OP is used to with that Response.

Good catch.

If the OP is just interested in wakeboarding & not skiing, then this would be fine.

That's a little hyper-critical. I regularly ski behind a couple of Sportsters (one of which is mine), an 01 Rlx, and a CC 196. If you take all extra weight out of the Sporties and go out with just ~10 gallons of gas, the slalom wake behind a Sportster @ 34 mph is almost indistinguishable from a diamond hull Rlx. The big difference is the Rlx doesn't have to go out with a near empty tank and no extra stuff to achieve that wake.

To the OP; if you don't slalom and/or barefoot and your primary focus is wakeboarding, I wouldn't even be looking at Sportsters. :no: I got a Sportster specifically for slalom & barefooting and we also wakeboard some every now and then. Low freeboard is a significant understatement. :lol: There is almost NO freeboard once you put some weight in one.

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I really have no interest in sking... It would be 100% used as a wakeboard boat... I would say I am a beginner rider that just learned this summer. So, right now I am looking for a really nice looking boat... that throws out a good wake. The most people I would have tops with me would be 5 Maybe 6... 90% of the time it would be 2-4 people only. The M**MBA being my first boat and being as small as it was, I would think the Sportster LX would be very spacious in comparison to that. I definately want an open bow... for the money... from what I have seen... the Sportster LX is the dynamite boat... unless I could find a good deal on a Response LX.

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Yeah, those are solid boats for the money. Like has been mentioned though they are primarily for skiing. Thus their drawbacks for your intended use are interior space and smaller natural wake size. The pro will be $$ savings/getting into a newer boat for the same price. Those pros/cons are relative of course. A vdrive would really be more suited to your application (A boat without the engine box in the center of the floor- which is a direct drive) but that said a lot of people wakeboard behind sporty's and Responses and they get really nice wakes especially with extra ballast. Take a look at a couple vdrive-Sunsetters as WakeGirl mentioned before you buy if you can.

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I really have no interest in sking... It would be 100% used as a wakeboard boat... I would say I am a beginner rider that just learned this summer. So, right now I am looking for a really nice looking boat... that throws out a good wake. The most people I would have tops with me would be 5 Maybe 6... 90% of the time it would be 2-4 people only. The M**MBA being my first boat and being as small as it was, I would think the Sportster LX would be very spacious in comparison to that. I definately want an open bow... for the money... from what I have seen... the Sportster LX is the dynamite boat... unless I could find a good deal on a Response LX.

Your kidding, right? The sportster and response are great barefooting/slalom boats. Sure you can go out and buy one and then stuff it full with fat sacks, boards, and riders ---but why? There are a lot of Malibu boats which are better suited for wakeboarding.

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Your kidding, right? The sportster and response are great barefooting/slalom boats. Sure you can go out and buy one and then stuff it full with fat sacks, boards, and riders ---but why? There are a lot of Malibu boats which are better suited for wakeboarding.

Sorry to state the obvious, but price is a big factor for some. Not sure which Malibu V-Drive your thinking of that meets the 10k budget, but I can't think of one that's in good shape. I started wakeboarding behind out Skier because it fit the bill and the budget. I put an integrated ballast system in it and was super happy with the results. I could throw inverts behind it and it's wake size certainly wasn't holding me back. Heck we surfed a lot behind that boat and it was payed off the first year.

Edited by martinarcher
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Lakeside09,

Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with it, but posting basically the same thread on the MC site but inserting a different make and model seems deceitful. I'm assuming it's you on the MC site anyway. :biggrin:

................................................................................................

So it begins...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, as of yesterday I sold my M***BA! I now get to search for my first Mastercraft. My buddy had a 91' Prostar, and it was dynamite. I will be looking for a 90's Prostar 190 or 205. I actually ran across a very sweet boat, but unfortunately it is just too far away. I will attach some pics of it, and so you can see what I am really after. I am in Mid Tennessee, so if anyone happens to see an exceptional deal on something similar to this... I would love to be the first to know.

This boat is AWESOME... although I am not crazy about the tower.

Can't wait to find my first Mastercraft!

...................................................................................................

Anyway, I personally don't think you can wrong with either brand choice. It's all about what boat best suits your needs and budget. Good luck.

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Yes, obviously there are better boats suited for wakeboarding than the Response and Sportster... But for me these will serve the purpose just fine. I still will like to hear and see (if possible) the differences between the two.

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Lakeside09,

Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with it, but posting basically the same thread on the MC site but inserting a different make and model seems deceitful. I'm assuming it's you on the MC site anyway. :biggrin:

................................................................................................

So it begins...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, as of yesterday I sold my M***BA! I now get to search for my first Mastercraft. My buddy had a 91' Prostar, and it was dynamite. I will be looking for a 90's Prostar 190 or 205. I actually ran across a very sweet boat, but unfortunately it is just too far away. I will attach some pics of it, and so you can see what I am really after. I am in Mid Tennessee, so if anyone happens to see an exceptional deal on something similar to this... I would love to be the first to know.

This boat is AWESOME... although I am not crazy about the tower.

Can't wait to find my first Mastercraft!

...................................................................................................

Anyway, I personally don't think you can wrong with either brand choice. It's all about what boat best suits your needs and budget. Good luck.

Yep I posted that.... But after thinking about it I can get nicer Malibu for the money.

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A Response will have more free board then the Sportster. I assume you will be putting bags in the boat for ballast and more free board will help you to not swamp the boat. Don't forget to look at Sunsetter models. They are a little wider and a foot and half longer, with a walk through open bow. The Sunstter also sits on the same hull as the pre 1998 Response and Sportster.

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If someone has some comparison pictures that would be great.

while i have read the whole thread i'm not willing to read it the second time.

thought it might help you to know that there is a chart which details hull type on the "malibu specs" page. it resides on the "resources/diy" tab.

that comparison chart does not have the pix you requested but may help to answer some of your questions.

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while i have read the whole thread i'm not willing to read it the second time.

thought it might help you to know that there is a chart which details hull type on the "malibu specs" page. it resides on the "resources/diy" tab.

that comparison chart does not have the pix you requested but may help to answer some of your questions.

I have seen the chart... Thanks.

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.....

That's a little hyper-critical. I regularly ski behind a couple of Sportsters (one of which is mine), an 01 Rlx, and a CC 196. If you take all extra weight out of the Sporties and go out with just ~10 gallons of gas, the slalom wake behind a Sportster @ 34 mph is almost indistinguishable from a diamond hull Rlx. The big difference is the Rlx doesn't have to go out with a near empty tank and no extra stuff to achieve that wake.

....

Yeah, it's probably being a little hyper-critical. But look at it this way: if you're a skier & you're looking at 2 Responses, 1 a '97 non-diamond & 1 a '98 diamond, & they're both priced the same, wouldn't you go for the diamond? Of course. So my point simply was that at the same price point (& that's a very reasonable assumption right now) that a skier should always lean toward the diamond boat.

To the OP:

A '96-'97 Response has exactly the same hull as a Sportster, any Sportster. So if we're comparing those boats, the differences in wake will be negligible. As stated, the Response is a little roomier with a little more freeboard.

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I would def need the wake hull as opposed to the diamond. It would be great to see a pic if a Sportster LX and a Response LX sitting in the water together. I know I am going to be looking for one or the other (maybe a sunsetter too). I have ridin behind the 96' Response LX several times and it was awesome... I would just like to know if the Sportster LX freeboard is better than my previous boat... which sat way too low in the water.

Also, what all does the Response LX have... that the Sportster LX doesn't? Bells and whistles wise...

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I would check the resources section & look at the brochure for 1997. Usually there is a chart that shows what equipment is optional & what is standard on each model. Sporty is pretty bare bones comparatively. But again, I really feel that the Sunsetter LX ('back to 1995) would be a much better fit for you at that price point than either a Response or Sporty.

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Inches wise... when not weighted... both the response lx and the sportster lx... how many more inches does the response lx sit out of the water... compared to the sportster lx?

:)

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Thanks for the pic... I really appreciate that...

I am 23, purchased my first boat at the beginning of the summer. It was a 97' Moomba Boomerang... I added a tower and it looked about as good as it possibly could for what it was. I will admit that I did not know a lot about boats when I purchased it... (not that I know alot now)... but I feel like I know a ton more than I did. Knowing what I know now... that wouldn't have been my purchase... but it was a great starter inboard.

Now that I know what I do now... That boat was not real good for our needs.... lol ! The main problem was no room (closed bow) and it sat tooooo low in the water.... Couldn't really weight it.... I don't need a ton of room... normally I only have around 4 people in the boat. So my question is... if you have seen a Moomba Boomerang... in comparison to the Sportster LX how much of a difference is the lowness... because I know they both sit low, but I feel the Malibu doesn't sit near as low in the water as the Boomerang did.

What differences will I see here?

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Only been in one Moomba (and it was almost 10 years ago) and I'm not sure what model it was (it was their "slalom" boat). I remember it feeling pretty "unsubstantial", if you get my meaning. It felt kind of flexy, not real solid. I remember it being low to the water but so is my Sporty. Been too long, can't give a legit freeboard comparison. Riding in it and skiing behind it convinced me to buy "something else".

As far as Sporty vs Response...

Response has a glovebox, Sporty doesn't

Response has the side gunnel storage netting, Sporty doesn't

Response has a 4" wider beam...

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The Boomerang is certainly a low boat. For those who haven't see it....

Moomba_Boomerang_ForSale.jpg

On the other hand, he Sporty isn't exactly the Malibu with the most freeboard. If I were you I would lean toward a Response or a Sunsetter. Our Sunsetter will take the weight our Skier (closed bow Malibu closer to the Boomerang's shape) and sit quite a bit higher in the water and it isn't a huge Malibu. I can also tell you 4 inches of beam doesn't sound like a lot until you sit in the bigger boat!

Here's a Sporty with probably 800lbs of water on the surf side and a crew. Rockon.gif Scotty's not scared of throwing weight in his Sporty, but he also doesn't have 12 inches of freeboard left over. It's all about what you want to do with it. I know the surf wave looked pretty good behind his little wake pig. LOL.gif

IMG_8245.jpg

Edited by martinarcher
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