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A couple Vride vs VLX Questions


Indyxc

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Hey guys, great forums, I've done a lot of reading~!

I'm looking at buying my first dedicated wake boarding boat, to be used a lot as I now live on the lake. After a bunch of research I've narrowed the boat search down to 05+ Vlx or 05+ Vride as my potential Malibu rides. I'm looking to spend about 30k.

1. I know that 05+ VLXs are the v25 hull, and 05-09 Vrides are the sv23 hull. I've read a bit about the differences. I'm an OK wakeboarder, but will progress now as I'll be a lot on the lake. Is the v25 hull that much better for wakeboarding? I've seen both boats in the same price range so it is a toss up really. I know the length/beam differences.

2. The VLX comes with ballast monitoring. Did the vride ever come with this, or just timed switches? How do bags work with the ballast monitoring system when tanks are replaced with bags?

3. I know the Vrides did not come with a bow bag, and rear tanks as optional. How hard is it to integrate a bow bag under the seat on a vride?

4. I've read about the Illusion X tower problem. Are the 05 or 06 years worse or better than any other? I know the Titan III tower is a lot better in terms of strength, but aesthetically I agree the Illusion X is better.

5. Power wedge became an option in 06 for both? With the manual wedge you physically lower it, obviously. Can this be done without getting into the water? Power wedge a big deal?

Anything else? it's a toss up right now for me. I like the length, size, features, and quality of malibu's the best right now I think in the 30k price range. The other boats I am looking at (06+ mobius LSV (about the same price used!!), mastercraft X1 (kinda small and outdated looking), Supra 21v (pricey and dont like the tall freeboard, + 25" draft)

Thanks for the info!

Edited by Indyxc
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2. The vride, you flip the switches (mid, port, starboard) and you wait until water dumps out the overflow holes and into the lake.

5. On the platform, there is a trap door that allows access to raise and lower the wedge with one hand very simple (10 seconds)

A little birdie has whispered in my ear that my buddy is going to make a foolish decision and sell his 05' Vride (185 hrs) monsoon, Titan III tower here pretty soon around the price ur looking.

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Both are great boats. The size difference is a lot in the interior.... and in parking the thing. The newer VLX doesn't fit in our RV parking space by our house. And it's tough to fit in our boat slips. But the added interior is awesome.

I'd be surprised if you can get the newer ones that cheap too.

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Hey guys, great forums, I've done a lot of reading~!

I'm looking at buying my first dedicated wake boarding boat, to be used a lot as I now live on the lake. After a bunch of research I've narrowed the boat search down to 05+ Vlx or 05+ Vride as my potential Malibu rides. I'm looking to spend about 30k.

1. I know that 05+ VLXs are the v25 hull, and 05-09 Vrides are the sv23 hull. I've read a bit about the differences. I'm an OK wakeboarder, but will progress now as I'll be a lot on the lake. Is the v25 hull that much better for wakeboarding? I've seen both boats in the same price range so it is a toss up really. I know the length/beam differences.

I have ridden behind both and even though I am the proud owner of an 05 V-ride I would have to say the VLX is certainly a nicer wake. What you need to decide is if the better wake is worth the additional money that you'll pay for the VLX. The surf wake is nicer as well.

2. The VLX comes with ballast monitoring. Did the vride ever come with this, or just timed switches? How do bags work with the ballast monitoring system when tanks are replaced with bags?

The tanks will all be below deck on the VLX. Integrating additional sacks can be done but I don't think the monitoring system will work this way. The v-ride will not have a monitoring system, but I can tell you running the factory ballast FULL with the additional bow sack is probably what you'll end up doing. (in other words no monitoring system required)

3. I know the Vrides did not come with a bow bag, and rear tanks as optional. How hard is it to integrate a bow bag under the seat on a vride?

To be honest I don't think it would be hard to plumb one in at all. I have NEVER been interested in doing this cause it is so darn easy to fill a 400# sack on top of the seats, and then put it away when done and this way you don't lose the storage up front for anchors, ropes etc.

4. I've read about the Illusion X tower problem. Are the 05 or 06 years worse or better than any other? I know the Titan III tower is a lot better in terms of strength, but aesthetically I agree the Illusion X is better.

There are those that will tell you the illusion X is a problem, and there have been some problems. Bottom line is I wouldn't let this direct your purchase though.......there are A LOT of illusions out there. Your not going to break it down, but you might have to change the bushings some day or get the gel repaired.

5. Power wedge became an option in 06 for both? With the manual wedge you physically lower it, obviously. Can this be done without getting into the water? Power wedge a big deal?

The manual wedge requires your arm to get wet. There is a trap door in the swim step so you can reach down to deploy the wedge. Power wedge a big deal? Depends how Lazy you are :) I have never heard anyone do a direct comparison on the quality of the wake when comparing the floating (manual) wedge and the power wedge. This leads me to believe the difference is negligible? One thing to look for though.....floating wedge is preferred over the pro wedge for several reasons. They are both manual but the floating wedge is not known to fail where the pro wedge is. The wake quality is better for the floater as well.

Anything else? it's a toss up right now for me. I like the length, size, features, and quality of malibu's the best right now I think in the 30k price range. The other boats I am looking at (06+ mobius LSV (about the same price used!!), mastercraft X1 (kinda small and outdated looking), Supra 21v (pricey and dont like the tall freeboard, + 25" draft)

I agree with everything you said here, probably the same reason I came home with a malibu.

Thanks for the info!

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Both great hulls,Ive owned both. The VLX feels much larger and is a little nicer overall imo if you can find an 05+ vlx for 30 thats a steal!i I believe for that 30 mark the vride is what you'll end up with.

I'd say you can progress just as well behind either. :thumbup:

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I regularly ride behind an 05 VLX and own an 06 vRide so my opinion should be your final answer :biggrin: If you're seeing similar pricing then get the VLX, besides the interior room there is a touch of a more quality feel in a VLX. Plus all factory ballast is under the floor. Since you live on the lake you may not be trailering or not trailering much but the condition of the trailer might be a factor to consider as well.

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Guys, thank you for the response!

I should of said I've seem SOME 05-06 Vlxs in the low 30 thousand dollar range. There are two right now on only inboards for 32-33k, but both look like the interior was not too well taken care of. I will say this is definitively not the norm price wise. Most of the 05-06 are upper 30s to low 40s, which I could swing, but rather not spend so much money on a boat.

Size of the boat is kinda important to me. I want more room, but will be keeping it on a boat lift, and in the garage in the winter. Yeah, I live on a lake now (recently moved in and sadly just saw the lake freeze), so I'm guessing on weekends people will be coming over for "rides". But in generally it will be my girlfriend and a couple good friends/family, 5-6 people. I guess the VLX might require a larger boat lift since the weigh is 3000 lbs dry vs 3600 lbs dry. As far as garage storage, the length shouldnt make a difference for me, as my car is a 2 car garage, one side 20 feet deep, and the other 30 feet deep. The width is standard width, but the additional 10 feet on the 30 foot side, is obviously half the garage width. Does anyone know wide the maximum width of a v25 VLX on a trailer will be? I guess I need to measure my garage. But you guys are right, I will rarely be towing this thing, so single axle trailer is OK.

What about the 04 VLX? Is this essentially the same exact boat as the 05 Vride? Obviously the hull is the same, but what about the ballast, dash? Exactly the same? I've seen a couple nice 04 vlxs for sale as well. Should I consider these or just go with a newer vride?

Thanks for the info on the manual vs power wedge. The only thing I've read (well watched) is the power wedge is nice, since you can adjust it inbetween down and up. Floating wedge is an option too. Can a floating wedge be put on any manual wedge boat?

Lastly, the draft of the Vlx/Vride is about 24 inches. What does the draft get to when full loaded with ballast? 36"? My lake is split into 2 parts, and inbetween the parts it gets to about 5 feet or so. So roughly 60''. Looking at the numbers, the boat's draft won't increase to anywhere close to 60'' with ballast, so I guess it will be fine.

Thanks again for the awesome responses guys.

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I think in 04 it was the first year of the Gorilla fins. And it seems like they made some improvements with the engine & prop about that time too. The VLXs prior to 04 definitely drove a lot different than the 04 VLX/05Vride.

Other than that, it just depends on how the boat was ordered. I have an 05 Vride that was ordered pretty loaded, stereo, SS rub rail, VLX graphics, dash, Isotta throttle, etc. But other Vrides I see are more basic. And frankly thats all fluff anyway.

Have you driven either boat yet?

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your trailer width is going to be 8.5 feet which is the maximum width you can have on a roadway (without a permit).

ps: if your boat is ever going to draw 60" of water, make sure you have your life jacket on!

Edited by Cervelo
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I haven't driven either boat. There is a local dealer that will let you demo newer Malibu boats, but obviously, they are the new models. Our lake here isn't huge (550 acres), so it's either going to be cruising back and forth during watersports, or sitting and relaxing. We won't really be going anywhere. I might tow it once a year to lake Michigan, but other than that it's going to be a small lake boat.

Good news is I measured my garage, and either new or old VLX/ vride will fit into it. Onlly issue maybe the height, which I guess will depend on the trailer.

Were the electronics and ballast on the 04 Vlx the same as the 05+ Vride? I see a nice 04 VLX, but it owner doesn't mention the amount of ballast, or if it has ballast monitoring, or what not. Does it?

Thanks for the help guys.

Edited by Indyxc
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No ballast monitoring on the Vride. Just fill it till it overflows. The rear tanks are only 200 lbs anyway. The only time I ever partially fill one is if I'm trying to level the boat out.

We're on a 700 acre lake. We get bored on our home lake pretty easily & take the opportunity to visit a new places several times a year.

The way I look at it, weekday evenings are for riding at home. Weekends are for going some place else. :rockon:

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No ballast monitoring on the Vride. Just fill it till it overflows. The rear tanks are only 200 lbs anyway. The only time I ever partially fill one is if I'm trying to level the boat out.

We're on a 700 acre lake. We get bored on our home lake pretty easily & take the opportunity to visit a new places several times a year.

The way I look at it, weekday evenings are for riding at home. Weekends are for going some place else. :rockon:

I know this for the Vride, but 04 VLX... Is it exactly the same in terms of ballast, electronics, and features as 05 vride?

Basically, I am trying to decide if it is better to buy an 04 VLX or 05-07 Vride, if they cost about the same?

Edited by Indyxc
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I know this for the Vride, but 04 VLX... Is it exactly the same in terms of ballast, electronics, and features as 05 vride?

Basically, I am trying to decide if it is better to buy an 04 VLX or 05-07 Vride, if they cost about the same?

Depends on the boat. You can pretty much order any boat with almost any feature, ie; stereo, depth gauge, Cruise/PerfectPass, etc. Typically the VLX will have more options & bling. But Vrides were occasionally ordered fully loaded too.

As for the ballast monitoring, I don't know if the older VLXs had it or not. But having owned a Vride for 3+ yrs now, I don't see the point in having it either. And considering all the ballast upgrades going on out there, I don't think it would work anyway.

Edited by Bill_AirJunky
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If you can swing the additional 3k+ for a 05 or 06 VLX vs. 04 VLX, I would suggest it. We have an 06 VLX and it starts to get tight with more than 6 people behind the windshield (especiall with sacks).

Keep in mind that if you are worried about height of the boat on the trailer the Illusion X tower is super easy to lower. That is one of the main reasons we got that tower. As soon as we get our boathouse up and running, the tower will be lowered every time we aren't using it.

5 ft=no problem. We get areas of 3.5 and still don't have a problem unless idling and loaded.

We have the powere wedge. None of our regular crue utalize the adjustablitity of it because we aren't good enough (we just have it deployed or not). But, every once in a while we tow someone who likes the ability to adjust it. I definately wouldn't say it's a make or break.

I also found the seating to be a bit more comfortable in the VLX (new hull) because of the height of the seats, but maybe that's just my imagination.

Definately go out and test them. I'm sure there are some people on here in your area willing to give you a pull on each of the different hulls. And as always test drive!

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  • 1 month later...

Well!!

After a couple months of looking, looks like I found my boat. I had my eye on a 2007 Vride, but some medical bills came up, and I had to lower my budget.

A 2004 Wakesetter Vlx came up on ebay the other day ago. Higher hours, but original owner, and well maintained with all records. My concern was with the higher hours, but after talking to a validation engineer at work that ( I work at GM), he told me that on dyno test, under heavy load cycles, the engines easily make it 2500-3000 hours without problems. So I decided to bid, on it, and got it for my max bid.

I'm excited!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330517579087#v4-34

Thanks for everyone's advice!

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Thanks! I kinda of like the graphics so I will be keeping them. :)

On a side note, is there a thread on what to look for when buying a used Malibu? I searched around, but can't find a thread.

I'll be heading down this weekend to pick it up! Really happy about the price I was able to get it for as well.

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Looks sick man...500 hours is nothing....I put 100 hours on mine in 3 months....wakeboard schools sell theirs with like 3000 on them..

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Thanks guys! Driving down to Florida to pick it up this weekend. 1200 miles or so one way. I'm sure the Tahoe is going to get great gas mileage on the way back.

The plan is to lake test it, and then while hot, do a compression check.

I've searched around, and have done compression tests on may engines before, but how accessible is the Monsoon 340? Is there a procedure listed here? My plan is to run it in the lake, pull it out, let it idle without the fuel injector fuse, until it dies, pull the plugs, and check the compression one by one.

Any tips on that?

Thanks

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Thanks guys! Driving down to Florida to pick it up this weekend. 1200 miles or so one way. I'm sure the Tahoe is going to get great gas mileage on the way back.

The plan is to lake test it, and then while hot, do a compression check.

I've searched around, and have done compression tests on may engines before, but how accessible is the Monsoon 340? Is there a procedure listed here? My plan is to run it in the lake, pull it out, let it idle without the fuel injector fuse, until it dies, pull the plugs, and check the compression one by one.

Any tips on that?

Thanks

Good luck. Hope you like wrenching while upside down. :crazy:

It's in there. Remove the side panels & the spark plugs will be pretty easy to access.

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