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Got a couple Malibu's in my sights!!


espritv8

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But don't know which one to get!!!

My budget is 15-20K$. Looking at 1998 to 2003, V-drives.

I mainly wakeboard and wakesurf. No skiing at all. Rough water ride is a plus.

So far i came across a nice 99 VLX, no wedge and a good condition 00 23 LSV with wedge but for a bit more money.

What do you think should suit my needs best?

Also, I guess I should stay away from diamond hulls, but don't know how to make them apart from wake hulls?

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But don't know which one to get!!!

My budget is 15-20K$. Looking at 1998 to 2003, V-drives.

I mainly wakeboard and wakesurf. No skiing at all. Rough water ride is a plus.

So far i came across a nice 99 VLX, no wedge and a good condition 00 23 LSV with wedge but for a bit more money.

What do you think should suit my needs best?

Also, I guess I should stay away from diamond hulls, but don't know how to make them apart from wake hulls?

Look at the rear most part of the hull, the area where the swim platform mounts to. On the wake hulled boats the outer most chines will just be horizontal or a straight line to the end of the hull traveling outwards. The Diamond hull will have a notch with a downward contour at the outermost area of the hull to create more surface lift of the water. Just know that if the hull is flat, level, striaght at the rearmost corners, it's a wake hull.

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The first image below is the diamond hull second the wake hull. To add a wedge it'll cost about $1 +/-. I wouldn't shy away from the diamond hull myself, the lift it creates won't be generated at wakeboard speeds, generally not until 28mph + will you see any difference. If I weight both hulls the same and you rode blind folded you wouldn't know which is which to be honest. The wake hull will ride a bit better in rough water, but again not a huge difference. The LSV will handle rougher water than the vlx especially in those model years. The LSV is a wider hull at 97" vs. the VLX at 93" the LSV will be harder to sink i.e. needs more weight to produce the same as the VLX will, but surf wise the LSV is better.

diamond.jpg

wake.jpg

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But don't know which one to get!!!

My budget is 15-20K$. Looking at 1998 to 2003, V-drives.

I mainly wakeboard and wakesurf. No skiing at all. Rough water ride is a plus.

So far i came across a nice 99 VLX, no wedge and a good condition 00 23 LSV with wedge but for a bit more money.

What do you think should suit my needs best?

Also, I guess I should stay away from diamond hulls, but don't know how to make them apart from wake hulls?

The LSV will probably have a better ride in rough water due to it's larger size. It will also put out a larger surf wake with enough weight. How big is your crew?

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Don't need to avoid the diamond hull - people think because it is more ski friendly that it must not be wake friendly, and that's not true at all. As a matter of fact, I'd almost say stay away from the wake hull in those years, as they can't do all of what the diamond hull can do. :)

That said, the Escape has the V25 Diamond hull starting in 1999. If you want the SV23 diamond hull, that started with the Sunsetter VLX in 2001, which will be at the top of your price range.

Your biggest problem will be getting what you want in that price range, as V-drive's tend to bottom out in price @ 20k. You can find deals below that, but they are not plentiful. The good news is you won't get hit with boat depreciation down the road either. :)

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I sorta regret not getting a 23', 6 adults gets tight in the 21.

Though imho you wake is better that the LSV of same model year...We regularly run 8 and seems to work fine, except always someone sitting on the cooler lid. :biggrin: The wider beam from '05-'08 and '09 + do make a big difference from the previous model.

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Though imho you wake is better that the LSV of same model year...We regularly run 8 and seems to work fine, except always someone sitting on the cooler lid. :biggrin: The wider beam from '05-'08 and '09 + do make a big difference from the previous model.

Oh yeah, my buddies' 05vlx is significantly bigger. 5 inches makes a big difference. And my other buddies' 07lsv is a monster compared to the vride

Edited by Ndawg12
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If rough water ride really is a priority for you, I'd recommend the 23 footer in those years (although it may be tough to find in your price range). While I haven't been on a 23 footer of those specific years, my VLX with the wake hull does not handle the rough water too well, especially going against the chop. Sure, I can get around the lake fine, but it is not a smooth ride. I know it is an unfair comparison, but my buddies 247 just eats through the chop like it isn't even there.

My boat feels a little tight with 6 people as well, although we do it quite often. Like everything else these days, bigger seems to be better. When we upgrade, we'll be looking at a 23 or 247 most likely (although the newer 21' hulls are much more spacious than mine). It's just really nice to have room for everyone and all the gear.

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Thanks for all the input!

I live in Quebec, Canada. I'm looking at boats in the states, since here they are hard to come by and very expensive.

I could get both boats at a little less than 20K$ with trailer. The VLX is older and cheaper but i have to pay for shipping, as the LSV is closer to home.

Rough water ride is a plus. We have a lot of large cruisers going by like crazy in the st-Lawrence, and they won't slow down for you. The room is also a plus, but I can live without it since my crew consist of 3-4 people most of the time. I would like a bigger boat, but as I understand, bigger doesn't mean a bigger wake. The 23 LSV has a wedge (not for the VLX) so I guess it would help.

If the difference is not major for the wakes, I think I'm leaning towards the LSV.

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