New to Malibu looking for words of wisdom

[Mercedes]

Congrats on the VTX.... You're going to love it compared to your X2.... I test drove the two back to back, and the VTX handles infinitely better!!! It's going to be like driving a sports car compared to a truck!

Sweet. I have not driven the VTX and have been wondering how it would compare. I had no complaints about the X2 when we were wakeboarding. Pulling a skier wasn't as great as we would have liked. My Malibu dealer suggested the Diamond hull. My son is concerned he won't get the great wakeboard/wakesurf wake that the X2 had.

[Michigan boarder]

Words of wisdom:

"The Lord loves a working man, don't never trust whitey, see a doctor and get rid of it."

Welcome to the crew!

[Malibuzer]

Sweet. I have not driven the VTX and have been wondering how it would compare. I had no complaints about the X2 when we were wakeboarding. Pulling a skier wasn't as great as we would have liked. My Malibu dealer suggested the Diamond hull. My son is concerned he won't get the great wakeboard/wakesurf wake that the X2 had.

Tell your son not to worry about the wake. I have no real reference between an X2 and the VTX, but I have a few pics of my surf wave that is pretty damn good for a little boat.

[Mercedes]

Tell your son not to worry about the wake. I have no real reference between an X2 and the VTX, but I have a few pics of my surf wave that is pretty damn good for a little boat.

We added the bow ballast so we have as much control as we can get stock. Our dealer said it would be great. Does the power wedge do much for the wake?

[bcoppess23]

The powerwedge is used to shape the wake. A rampier wake or a flatter wake. If you want more up go with the wedge, more out no wedge. This is what I have been told..

One new 'Bu owner to the next. Welcome to the crew and congrats!

[NoodleSalad]

I'm new to boating as a whole. Just bought a 2002 23LSV as my first boat. This forum and the folks that post are great. Im willing to bet already that its gonna be Bu's for life for me and my family. Glad to hear there another one of us. And glad I didn't get a Mastercraft. I almost did.

Chad aka NoodleSalad

[Wakevols]

The local MC dealer tried to host thier first tournament last year. The number of "us" was three times the number of "them" in the raft line and riders at their own event. The first time you turn that boat at 35mph, you'll see. I prowled all over the new Parks Bonifay model last weekend in Atlanta (while he was standing there signing posters). You just bought a better boat in every way. No offense to Parks. Especially if this new engine company they went to becomes an issue. On this side of the Mississippi, you will find the Malibu, MC, Supra, and Moomba factories within minutes of each other. I live within an hour. Did the tours, looked at the boats, took home the 'Bu.

[mikeyg]

We added the bow ballast so we have as much control as we can get stock. Our dealer said it would be great. Does the power wedge do much for the wake?

I've got the diamond hull on my 23LSV. We've added some fat sacs to augment the stock ballast (2 x 400# in rear and a bow sac). Like what was posted earlier, the wedge shapes the wake. For wakeboarding, the wedge gives it a "lippier" wake - more up. And I'm pretty happy with what we can produce for a surf wake. Your son shouldn't have any complaints with the diamond hull! Welcome to the crew!

[apwrx]

Words of wisdom:

"The Lord loves a working man, don't never trust whitey, see a doctor and get rid of it."

Welcome to the crew!

"Don't never trust whitey" ,that's so wrong but freakin hilarious.

[NorCaliBu]

Don't worry, I know how to use the search function!

Nice.

Is this site free of any corporate oversight? I would guess so, based on the types of input I see.

This site is independently owned and operated and free of all the marketing "junk". It survives on the support of members so...

Edited January 22, 2011 by NorCaliBu

[NorCaliBu]

Chad aka NoodleSalad

Are you Tater Salad's boy?

[Koop]

2 years ago had my search narrowed to an X-2 or VTX. VTX handled better and has a way nicer fit & finish in my opinion! Excellent boat, you won't be disappointed. I picked up the two X-2 sac's from fly-high to help with the surf wake (they fit in the rear compartments with room to spare) I also grabbed a 750 fly-high which can almost be fully filled in a rear locker. Last year I put on an OJ Fusion prop and it makes a huge difference with all 4 ballast filled, 750lb in a locker, and 1- 400lb (X-2) sac on the floor. This is my surf set-up & with the stock 537 she was more than sluggish out of the hole.

Welcome to the crew

Koop

[Mercedes]

Everyone here has made me feel even better about switching. Thanks. The boat show here in Omaha is in about 4 weeks. It will be a nice opportunity for me to discuss my change with the MC factory guy. My guess is that he wont care again. Then I will point out my new Malibu purchase. If anything it will make me feel a little better.

[Wakesetter67]

Everyone here has made me feel even better about switching. Thanks. The boat show here in Omaha is in about 4 weeks. It will be a nice opportunity for me to discuss my change with the MC factory guy. My guess is that he wont care again. Then I will point out my new Malibu purchase. If anything it will make me feel a little better.

Ok saw the new MC Robo tower in person.....Wow what a awful sight...I'm usually pretty open minded. Remember I came from the first tower era, and used to make fun of the old bare west swing set...But in My opion way over the top, Bulky and out of place. You never know they might grow on me..Not..........

[clarkgriswold]

Mercedes:

Just came back from the Cincy boat show and got to compare the MC and Bu side by side. To be fair, my boat is an '05, still looks great and has been an outstanding boat, but doesn't quite have all the bells and whistles. So, it all looks good to me. I have been a fan of MasterCrafts just about all of my life. My brother has owned 6 or 7 in the last 25 years. MC only brought 3 boats -- the X2, the X15 and the X25. They were all full of bling no doubt, built around wake sports, but that's just MC playing the percentages in Cincy. No Maristars (V's) or ProStars on display (sigh...), although I think now the only difference is that if you get today's Maristar instead of an X, you're getting a wood grained dashboard (barf), wood grain steering wheel (belch), and an integrated Bloomberg terminal above the dashboard (oy vay). I still think the MC is a beautiful boat. Good build quality, and the new water-resistant and sun-resistant upholstery looks and feels very nice. The sales guys claimed the dark color of the new upholstery does not give off heat, but I'd have to feel that in the middle of a Tennessee summer to believe it. I'm not a pickle-fork fan yet, so I prefer the traditional bow like the X15 to the X25. A couple of complaints -- the removable cushions on the MC's have a gel-coat scratching hook which anchors the cushions to the seat frame. In my clumsy hands, these would be weapons of mass destruction every time I reached for a beverage or a peanut-butter/banana/Nutella sandwich (don't knock it 'til you've tried it). Also, the MC seat design hasn't changed in what, 40 years? The pole up the receptacle? (Insert joke here.) Can't they do better than that? Still wobbles, still tough to lock down, still just not in keeping with the rest of the quality of the boat. So, I walked away thinking that these were very nice boats, definitely oriented toward wake sports, definitely oriented to boys in their 20's or men who think they are still boys in their 20's. Nothing wrong with that, just not quite my afternoon cup of tea.

No Wake's booth was right next door to MC, and as usual, the No Wake guys rocked the house (a phrase I've heard uttered by boys in their 20's). The Response was gorgeous, the two Rides were very nice, the VLX was beautiful, and I didn't get to the Axis or the LSV's. I camped out in the VLX for a while. What an awesome boat. Just very classy. It was black and gray, and looked great. This boat can be configured with all of the bling, but the way it looked in the No Wake booth was just high-end and classy, not an assault on the senses like the X25. I'm not sure about the new steering wheel. I could see why you'd want only one spoke so that you can see the Touch Command screen, but the new Isotta wheel will have to grow on me. The 247 that was in purple, yellow and silver metallic was different...definitely a traffic stopper at the show. New owner is either a fan of Elder High School in Cincy or the Lakers, and I sure hope it's the latter. But probably not. Greg, Paul, Craig and the rest of the gang from No Wake just know what they are talking about. The MC guys -- well, I found one -- a technician (of course) who really knew the boats and knew what he was doing. It was a pleasure talking to the No Wake team again, and another boat would have to blow me completely away for my next boat to not be a Malibu. The ownership experience has been nothing but brilliant. The boat is great. The guys at No Wake have been great with their service (I do the winterization and oil changes, but No Wake has repaired some dings and done the tranny service for me, and always on time and with fair pricing). Plus, I've dropped lots of dough in the No Wake pro shop over the years. I don't put a lot of hours on my boat -- I have 4 kids between the ages of 8 and 15 so we're lucky to get two weeks down at Norris and put 60-70 hours on it a season. So, it's very comforting to know that I can get the boat ready myself, that it will fire up reliably, that it will work all day and all week, and our family just loves it.

Anyway, the MC is in my opinion, still a great boat. I would never disparage anyone for owning or choosing one, although I do make fun of my older brother but only because he shaves his chest, but that's another story. The Malibu, in my eyes, is just a classier execution of an excellent boat. Not necessarily better; it just appeals to my senses a little more. But then again, I'm not in my 20's with a trust fund, and my days of trying to get strange women in my boat to drink cheap beer are way behind me. (I do enjoy watching boys in their 20's try and lure strange women in their boats with the promise of cheap beer drunk from plumber's tools, however.)

Sorry for the long post Mercedes, and I apologize to the Crew for not taking pictures at the Boat Show the other night.

Edited January 24, 2011 by clarkgriswold

[Mercedes]

Thanks for the post. I enjoyed reading another opinion between the two brands. It is funny that I feel the same way about a few issues. The steering wheel will need a little getting used to. I agree with the "classy" comment. I really liked my X2 as a product but the companies that stood behind the boat were flawed in my opinion. I just really can't start to love what MC has done with their boats this year. I am sure some people love them, but not me. So the strange girls and beer reference makes me think of a guy on my lake. He was an older bachelor, I say was because he is married now, but he would bring very nice looking women to the lake for some fun in the sun. We have a small island in the middle of the lake. He would drop his female companion off on the island and not pick her up until her top came off. Needless to say I never looked .... but there were a few disappointed old guys on the lake when he got married.