What made you buy a 'Bu?

[shawndoggy]

Dude I've been in sanger and I could go on and on about how Un-impressed I was with just about everything with the boat.

That's kinda the point though. I take care of the boat but we have kids and their friends and invariably it gets a little hammered. The more impressive the boat the less fun it is fir me because I'm stressin about it. Definitely glad I bought used for that reason. And not saying I'd have LIKED a Sanger more or even that it would be a better choice. Rather that I know myself well enough that my cheap side would prevail.

[CJAY]

When it comes down to the big three there really isn't a huge difference between them. Of course each has what it does better than the other, but I doubt anyone would walk away with any of them and be disapointed. So what mattered to me was the dealer. I worked with Brian at Tommy's and he did everything he could for us and continues to do so going forward.

[nyryan2001]

My last boat was a 2007 Yamaha twin engine wakeboat.. Yamaha makes a great all around boat for the money, bullet proof engines and mechanics... but tough to get into serious wake sports as they are fast but lack torque when you start putting fat sacs in them...1100lbs and it would barely pull me up. Perfect Pass is avail for them but still not perfect.... otherwise great starter boat...

The last 2 places we have been, north of Nashville TN and here, very very social lake areas, tons of boats, big party cove scene...wife loves and and 2 boys, we are out on the water EVERY weekend I wasnt in Iraq last 5 yrs.... so I had yrs of constant weekly access to Nautique, MC, Malibu and all the others... I played, surfed, and waked on all of them....seriously hurt my back, L5, this summer working inverts behind a 23 LSV...big steep crisp wake, 2 black eyes from a terrible fall...and I was in love...

I have been shopping hard last 6 months, MC, Nautique and Malibu... looking for a 2008 or newer out of the big 3. I echo what the others have said. MC has terrible terrible dealers, thats why I was looking used. But the problem is, if you are looking 1-2yrs old out of the top 3, you might as well buy new, only 10K more and 500hr less! 2008 MC X stars, with over 500hrs still sell every day at $70K or more. Insane.

I like the clean lines of the malibu compared to the other 2. Nautique doesnt even make their own towers, they are Roswell, so they look like an afterhtought. MC 4 post tower is outdated. 7.7" JLs on the tower? Its 2011 man. Or now MC has a power tower if you have $130K to spend on a 22ft boat. I had a terrific malibu dealer, and got a deal on a terrific boat, that wasnt overly loaded to drive the price into orbit. I could'nt be happier.

[Wakesetter67]

I remember back in 1996, I was at the boat show. I was going back and forth between Malibu & Sanger, I really liked the look and the mystique of the malibu. In my mind back then, that was the boat to have, But the dealer at the time was not very interested in taking my old boat in trade in the dead of winter, So the Sanger dealer did, Thats how i ended up with my Sanger. It's one of those things where I settled for a good boat, But really was not the boat I wanted. In 02 My Brother in law picked up a new VLX and I drove that boat one time and said to my wife. We will have one of these soon. Ok well it's hard to get rid of a boat that is paid for...so 8 years latter we finally got our Dream boat!!!

[Huelsmma]

It was a done deal after I got the malibu wakesetter tribal design tattood on my arm lol i grew up behind a ski nautique but had a chance to spend some time behind malibus as well and loved the look of them.

When shopping...air nautiques were higher priced and the malibu vride gave us everything we needed in a mint shape boat for the right price.

[augie09]

I guess I didn't really answer why I bought a "Bu". I didn't like the employees at the Tige' dealership and the mastercraft dealer was a little too honest about how bad business was. Made me wonder if they would be in business long. As for Nautique, way to expensive for me and no used ones ever in my area, plus it sounds like smaller interior for family compared to bu. A friends family owes a 98 bu I am was very impressed with its quality and shape after all these years.

[Fman]

My good judgement did.

I just purchased (on order) a 2011 Wakesetter VLX, for me it was the wake with full ballast, ballast fill/drain technology superior to anything out there, stability of the boat not being weight sensitive with washout at lower speeds (16-18 mph), G3 tower is solid (built in house) and super easy to collapse, stowable table, stadium seating arrangement, walk thru plank on transom, fit and finish of vinyl, power wedge, grab handles, logos, snap out carpet, really like the Mali-view and MTC screen, Full bimini top design, and its just a bad a** looking boat!

Ok .... I had quite a few reasons I wanted a Malibu! I also have a great dealer 20 minutes from my house which as we all know is huge when you own a boat....

I did look at MC X-15, Supra Launch 242, Nautique 210, and I kept coming back to the Malibu! I can hardly wait to be on the water with it this year!

Edited February 11, 2011 by Fman

[hethj7]

I grew up around outboards and had a good buddy by an I/O a few years back, which we started wakeboarding behind. After 1 summer, he upgraded to a 247RX. Wow, what an incredible boat! I don't know how he ended up with a Malibu and don't even know if he realized what he just bought, but we all fell in love with it. Once the wife and I decided we were buying one, I knew we would buy used (I still can't believe the price of these things new ). I said it when I bought it and I still mean it now, The Malibu Crew was a big reason we went with Malibu. The only other online community that rivals this one is Yamaha Jet Boaters, so once I eliminated buying a jet boat, Malibu was a pretty easy choice. To see how much everyone on these forums loved their Bu's and to know I'd have a great resource for fixing, upgrading, and maintaining my new to me Bu, it was a no brainer. We bought used right before winter and the boat has been in storage ever since. I can't wait for summer

Edited February 11, 2011 by hethj7

[nyryan2001]

The only other online community that rivals this one is Yamaha Jet Boaters,

You betcha, terrific group of folks, just came from there!

[CumminsBu]

"Because is doesn't look like a high speed soap dish." Someone on here said it but don't remember who.

Handles like its on rails,

simplified power plant,

The Wake,

The hard back brochure,

The 1997 Malibu Corvette Boat ,

Did I say the wake is great?

The Titan Towers,

The Wedge,

The Wake.

[nevertwobig]

I have owned I'O's jet boats and inboards. I had never seen a Malibu in person and I went camping at Pike Lake in Wisconsin. We went to the beach and there were 3 Bu's on the lake. I instantly fell in love with them. I could not get the boat out of my mind, than the search began. I found a 97 sunsetter ls in KC, Missouri that a dentist owned and was in awesome condition. When I got it home I was more than impressed. It was everything I was dreaming of. I have friends that have an X-star, Enzo, Supra, Air Nautique. Nothing seems quite as nice as my Bu. The sound and quality are bar none the best!

[Bill_AirJunky]

This is my 4th boat. I used to have a 94 Mastercraft 205 & I loved it.

Before there was such a thing as a big wake boat, we were modifying our DDs so they kicked up a good wake for wakeboard & foil riding. Towers, ballast, heaters & stereos were common additions. That 205 hull ended up being the early X-Star hull because of how easy it was to weight & get a good wake. It looked & handled great.

When the chance to upgrade the boat came up, I knew what I liked & didn't like from the previous boats I'd owned. I wanted it to look good to me & everyone else. To handle good. To kick up a good wake. And to not nickle & dime me to death with problems. I've seen certain boats, electronics, engines & towers fail.... and cost thousands to get working again. I already had a few friends with Malibus & got plenty of input on what was good & bad. Plus I came here & read about other people's experiences.... good & bad.

In the end, I have the hull that Malibu sold for at least 8 yrs, fitted with the Gorilla fins to make it handle better than ever before. The boat has the engine that is Malibu's best success with the least amount of warranty issues... the Monsoon. And the tower, made by Titan, is the sturdiest tower under the sun, with a very simple design, very few failures & a huge number of accessories available. There are things I'd change on it... and I do... but it's a great quality & very troublefree boat.

At least that was my rationale to validate the purchase. Still cost us an armload of cash each month. But the last several summers have been sweet on the boat. :yahoo:

Edited February 11, 2011 by Bill_AirJunky

[msuwaterski]

I skied behind MC's for several years in college and knew I would never buy one based on quality. So it came down to Malibu and Nautique. I didn't like the idea of paying for name, and knew many satisfied Malibu customers. The nail in the coffin was the wedge. Plus Malibu is the ONLY maker to have a 21.8' tournament approved DD that has a butter slalom wake, but with the wedge, MLS, and tower also makes a fine wakeboard ride.

[WakingMeHappy]

What made me buy a Malibu? The boat I owned at the time was a Sea Ray. Enough said.

[Lance B. Johnson]

Great idea for a thread! A lot of really interesting stories out there.

One summer a few years ago my wife told me she wants a boat. I instantly resisted and she pretty much put her foot down and insisted. I did not want one for several reasons: 1. The work and maintenance I knew I would have to do. 2. They are money pits. 3. I had zero boating experience. (she grew up with a boat and her family owns a cabin on a lake)

She won because she has NEVER insisted on anything and really asks for very little. I am a lucky guy.

We bought a 17 foot four winns I/O. The boat was SO dirty when we bought it. It did not run. The previous owners were clueless and had parked it under some trees for a couple of years. They HATED that boat cause it always broke on them. (Turns out they were just REALLY REALLY clueless. We bought it right after the 4th of July the worst time to buy a boat. I drained the gas tank, changed the fuel filters and the boat ran *perfect*

One year later: I was addicted to boating. We still had our house up for sale. It wasn't going well and we threw in the towel. Had money burning a hole in our pocket same as shawndoggy. My wife caught me looking at an 05 V-ride on craigslist. I thought I was busted but She said, "wow that is a really nice boat". So I started doing some research, learned about the big 3, looked real hard at a air Nautique 205. Called the owner of the Vride in bend. Went for a test drive and he taught us to surf. Super good guy BTW. But would not budge on price. It was priced VERY fairly after all. We loved the boat and bought it. We sold the four Winns for 1k more than we bought it for even after buying it during peak season. Aside from our house The malibu is the nicest thing we own....not bad for a teacher and a dental assistant.

Also about this site: I have added more than 10 personal friends as a direct result of my involvement with this site.

Edited February 11, 2011 by Ruffdog

[Dexter]

Looks. Malibu has always made boats that look great. Having grown up near the sea, I've always admired (and lasted over) all kinds of boats. I spent a few years in the Navy and owned a couple of other boats before my Vlx. No other watercraft has ever appealed to me as much as malibu.

Edited February 11, 2011 by Dexter

[LS-One]

1988 I was happily skiing behind my Tahiti outboard every weekend at a local lake. After running into a guy on the ramp several weekends with a Ski Nautique, we started talking and soon became fast friends skiing behind his Nautique every weekend since he was in need of a third more often than not. After a couple of years he got a job transfer and we lost contact.

I was hooked on inboards by that point. In 1991 we went to the boat show in San Francisco to look at inboards we probably spent ten hours talking and looking at each boat. Malibu had just introduced the Euro Skier. The 1992 Euro Skier was value packed and the price seemed right but I still wasn't quite convinced. I went to one more boat show and spent most of that day in the Malibu booth and placed an order. My deciding factor was the plant was in Merced 45 miles from my house(at that time) . So if my dealer ever dropped Malibu I could still get parts. Good thing the year after I bought the boat he was selling another line. On number four bu now.

[windy1]

I have been on and around boats my whole life both ski and sailboats. Sold mastercrafts for a time 20 years ago and spent a lot of time behind a prostar 190. When my 19’ I/O that I inherited from my dad finally became unreliable my wife suggested we either sell it and stick with sailing or upgrade. No need to suggest that twice so after some research I started shopping for a 205. Then I came across my first Malibu. I called my old mastercraft boss to see what he knew about Malibu’s and to my surprise he raved about how good they are. We were just starting to wakeboard so the wedge closed the deal.

[justhrowit]

My family was always in runabouts. Way back in 97 we had a Baja Islander something or other. We really enjoyed it, but I was really starting to get into water skiing was constantly behind my friend's ProStar. I was 19 at the time, so I had to convince Mom that we NEEDED a new boat. We started looking at M.C, C.C, and a host of other off brand boats. At the same time, a bunch of us were getting into wakeboarding and we signed up the The Edge's (Portage, MI) Backyard Jam Wakeboard Contest. Well, I rode behind, and after I fell, rode in a Malibu Sunsetter. I fell in love. We ended up with a 98 response LX that winter. Now, I live in Texas, and the boat is still up in MI. Unfortunately, I'm not in the financial position to own a boat right now. However, I just designed a boat on iSpec for the family and signed the papers for the boat to be made. Faxed those papers into Zach (Edgeski) at the Edge just this past week. The family (minus me) bought a 2011 20LSV. They're pretty excited. Wish I was going to be able to enjoy it more than a couple weeks a summer! In time!

Go Malibu!!!!!!!!

[D-GOOSE]

W00t

Yep after that day of riding behind your boat, I knew that I had to sell the old four winns and pick up a inboard. I must have test drove and wakeboarded behind 4 different brands and non of the V-drives wake came close to the sacked out DD Malibu. My search for just the right boat and price lasted almost a yr.

[Michigan boarder]

It's funny, there seem to be a bunch of people that moved from a Four Winns to the Bu. Mine was an '89 Four Winns Freedom 170, I really liked that boat. I miss the huge open bow, but not the 2.3L power plant.

[windy1]

The old 4.3 v6 was a hell of alot more freindly at the gas pump. the downside of a wedge.

[Malibuzer]

I moved to the VTX after having engine issues with my Mariah Shabah. 3 blown engines, time to upgrade! I did love that Mariah's fit and finish (1994). We originally wanted an X2, sorry I like the pickle fork look. But the Mastercraft dealer in our area treated me like a 2nd rate consumer. I had a budget and was looking for used. He wouldn't listen and kept pushing me to change my budget by $25-30k. I walked away feeling burned. So we ordered a 2008 Moomba LSV from a friend who worked at Mobius Marine, full custom order. Got a call from another friend telling me to go to the Wizard Lake Marine boys and look at this very low hour VTX. Walked in the doors and fell in love with the boat, and then the way they treated my family and I.

Now it would be very hard to run anything else. Thats why we ordered the new 2011. Great boat, even better dealer.

[jrz1]

The Devil made me do it...

And the fact that my 3 kids are getting old enough where a dedicated tow boat makes sense if I want to teach them to ski/wakeboard/surf vs. sitting their lazy behinds on a tube while I try to kill them. When I first started thinking about it I saw ad for used MC x45 and went to look at it but thought the interior looked cheesy with cheap plastic etc. and also wasn't wild about front end. Not to mention it was still really expensive even as a 3-4 yr old boat.

It happened to be located at a Malibu dealer who said if you don't like the interior on that, check this boat out. Was a new Malibu 23LSV and I really liked the roominess and interior materials etc. Had also read some posts indicating that MCs had tendancy to return to shop more frequently than others and Malibu had decent reputation for quality. Other research supported quality and performance of the Malibu (not that other big guys boats are bad) and I really liked lines of the Malibu.

While I liked the 23' I wanted as much space as possible recognizing I was coming from a 26' bow rider. I ordered a 2011 24' Wakesetter in December. Probably show up in March just as weather is starting to turn in NC.

[White Lightning]

I moved to the VTX after having engine issues with my Mariah Shabah. 3 blown engines, time to upgrade! I did love that Mariah's fit and finish (1994). We originally wanted an X2, sorry I like the pickle fork look. But the Mastercraft dealer in our area treated me like a 2nd rate consumer. I had a budget and was looking for used. He wouldn't listen and kept pushing me to change my budget by $25-30k. I walked away feeling burned. So we ordered a 2008 Moomba LSV from a friend who worked at Mobius Marine, full custom order. Got a call from another friend telling me to go to the Wizard Lake Marine boys and look at this very low hour VTX. Walked in the doors and fell in love with the boat, and then the way they treated my family and I.

Now it would be very hard to run anything else. Thats why we ordered the new 2011. Great boat, even better dealer.

Yep, Ron ,Don and family do a great job, no wonder they are the number 1 Malibu dealer.