2013 Malibu Rumor

[NorCaliBu]

Ya kinda like taking a month off from social media.....

Huh? You lost me...

Actually it was interesting. The first couple of weeks I kept sitting down in front of the computer after work planning to log-on. I would end up going out to the weight room and working out. It was kinda nice. I hope to continue the trend even though I'm back on the social sites.

[Armyguy]

I really want to get into surfing more so than wakeboarding. I still want to be able to wakeboard when I have people on the boat that like to do that, or when I am in the mood for it. I know the Centurions came out with a boat geared more towards surfing than anything else(Enzo). I figured Malibu would come up with one as well, even though the VLX and LSV are good, but people want something that you dont have to throw bags all over the seats, or move people around the boat to be able to do so.

The only reason I am set on a VLX at this point is because it will fit in my garage where as a 23LSV will not, and I am not going to leave a 70k boat outside or pay 150/mo for storage. I am coming out of a 2001 Centurion Elite V Air Warrior which is 21'6 so I think the VLX will be a good fit. However, if there is going to be something coming out with say a hull change, some newly engineered setup made for surfing, etc, I have no problem waiting.

[Steve B.]

You sure don't want' to put down a lotta cash, then two day's later they come out with a revolutionary upgrade for a similiar price.

Good luck Armyguy,

Steve B.

[Armyguy]

You sure don't want' to put down a lotta cash, then two day's later they come out with a revolutionary upgrade for a similiar price.

Good luck Armyguy,

Steve B.

That is exactly what I don't want to happen. I would not be a happy camper at ALL.

[Double-dog]

Bring it on! Not that sacking up and getting folks in the boat to participate in wave crafting is a bad thing. It's all part of the surf sesh. How nice would it be to get away from having to pitch pumps over the side and the inevitable soaking the seats and floors get when sacking up or switching from one side to the other. Looking forward to seeing what Malibu comes up with.

[rugger]

Curious myself. I designed my own solution for better surfing/switching last summer but haven't fabricated it yet. Maybe I should wait to see what they came up with. I'm guessing Malibu has a bigger R&D budget than my wife allocates to me for boating.

Edited March 17, 2012 by rugger

[Armyguy]

Yeah I have decided to hold off. I talked to my local dealer who confirmed something is in the works "surf edition". It is supposed to have some kind of electronic fins on the bottom that you can move with the press of a button depending on which side you want to surf on. There were a few other things he mentioned but said that it was all in R&D right now and is just a prototype. He said that they have not got it working right yet and there is no official time frame for its release.

With that said, I have decided to buy used. I found a used 1 owner 2006 Malibu VLX with only 125 hours. It has a very nice color scheme and is pretty loaded. Has an extreme TA trailer with spare tire mount and LED lighting, dual disc brakes and swing away tounge. The boat has an alright stereo(will do for now), 2 heater outlets, dinning table, fiberglass swim platform, 4 tank MLS ballast, custom cover, cruise control, power wedge, flip bolster seat, and driver/transom LCD remotes. I am picking it up for 39.5K which seems like a pretty good deal. What do you guys think?

I will probably keep it until the new boat comes out and then trade it in, as long as Malibu doesnt slap some ridiculous price tag on the new boat. Not sure how much I will lose on it by trading it in but it seems like what this year boat is going for right now?

I would prefer a 2010 VLX instead due to the hull redesign/G3 tower/malivue etc. but I can't find one for a good enough deal to make me jump. Plus it is hard to find a color scheme I like. I like the all black/blue stripes hull or all black/red stripes hull the best. I found a nice 09 23LSV but it wont fit in my garage. I dont want to spend an extra 150/mo for storage on top of the 450/mo boat payment. =)

Edited April 1, 2012 by Armyguy

[pkh]

Any new news on this? I got a 2012 so I dunno why I am so eager to know

[TheKiwi]

Should know in a few weeks

[Stanley Wheelhouse]

all you have to do is this!

[Catch]

For all its worth, my dealer told me to hold to my hat for 2013. Game changer big time is coming. Ultimate wake surf, wakeboard, and ski all in one supposedly....

I have to admit that the idea of 2-3 1/2 wedges does not seem that difficult to implement. Who knows...

[Tyger]

Count me as one who doesn't want a gravity fed ballast system. Malibu, keep doing what you are already doing! I like the ability to hit a pre-set button and have 4 individual tanks fill to the exact amount desired, especially since our group has a wide variety of rider skill sets. Combine that with the auto-set power wedge and you really do have a set-it and forget-it wake without having to work to find the clean spot. With Malibu's new fast fill pumps I'm sure the fill times are even shorter now.

Not everybody wants two big tanks that are either full or empty. I'm sure you could play with switches while moving to try and drain the tanks to half full, but what if you weren't watching the gauges or didn't time it right? Then you just drained all your ballast and have to stop and drop the rider to fill back up and try again. That sort of fiddling does not appeal to me at all. What if you want to add weight just to the nose? Then you are stuck putting bags on the seats and throwing pumps over the side. That totally defeats the purpose of the gravity fed system considering the time/hassle involved.

What if you want to add more weight to one side for surfing, as many with pure-vert systems have stated they do? Then you are throwing pumps over the side, or plumbing in electric ballast pumps anyway. Again, completely defeating the purpose of the gravity system. I doubt many really prefer to surf with just stock ballast compared to the monster wave you can get with extra ballast. I also don't like the very shallow seat height that results from having those big tanks located where they are.

If it fills in 60 seconds and you want it half full, you close the gate after 30 seconds. Hopefully you can avoid looking at your iPod for 30 seconds. I would rather pay attention for a few seconds than wait another 9+ minutes for ballast to fill.

Also, while it has it's issues, the Maliview system is great. There's absolutely no reason why they can't adapt the programable ballast system to manage gravity gates instead of pumps. You want it half-full, quarter-full or seven-eights full? Simple, the maliview just opens the gate for the length of time needed to fill that much and then closes it. They could leave in the ability to manually open and close and give you a feature to calibrate if it's not filling correctly.

For filling the bow there's absolutely no reason you couldn't have gravity inlets in the front then let it drain out the back. It's more complex, yes, but still simpler than multiple pumps.

[jtrovato]

Yup, my dealer told me big things are coming for surfing in the 2013's. Doesn't add any balast, all controlled by doing some things at the transom of the boat to shape the wave. Easily adjustable from one side to the other, and no severe listing of the boat to get the wave. Wish I could afford a new boat!!

[Brett B]

I would rather pay attention for a few seconds than wait another 9+ minutes for ballast to fill.

9+ minutes? What are you talking about? At the touch of a button my factory ballast fills 1250lbs in 3 minutes. Draining to half-full for for an intermediate rider takes just over 60 seconds and there is no guess work on tank levels. It's can also be done while the boat is sitting still, it's not required to be driving.

We switch between riders of different skill levels all the time. It's not about looking at the ipod, it's about paying attention while driving since the gravity systems only drain while moving. When my wife is driving, I want her paying attention to the water, the rider, and the other boats around us. I don't want her staring at gauges and playing with switches trying to find the magical half-full point with a gravity system while driving. I want that done before she ever has to hit the throttle. And if she were to get it wrong and leave the switches open for 30 seconds too long I would either have to ride with empty ballast, or have to drop and start the fill and time/drain process all over again. So how much time did you "save" then? None of course. Just because you know how to time the switches right, doesn't mean it's wife proof. Having a system that anybody can get right at the push of a button (not just me) means my wake is also perfect every time.

If I'm using the 3 extra ballast bags that I also have plumbed in with Johnson pumps (2 in the rear lockers, 1 on the bow), my system fills a total of 3500 lbs in about 6 minutes. It would take nearly the same amount of time to fill 3500lbs in an MB since you would have to plumb in extra pumps/bags anyway and will be limited by pump speed. So there is no time advantage there.

By using the stock MLS system plus the extra ballast pumps in parallel it would also take me just 3 minutes to reach the same 1800lbs as the gravity system on the MB. All at the push of a button, while sitting still, with plenty of weight in the bow, and done right the 1st time without any guess work. The gravity system is a neat approach, and I'm sure it works great for plenty of people. But the big advantages just aren't there when compared with the modern Malibu system, especially if you are going to run more than stock ballast levels.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Brett B

[Buschy]

[ktrent]

I prefer pumps as well. Main reason is I love the sound at sunset of the water pouring out of tanks into the lake in a quiet cove (engine and stereo off) after everyone is exhausted from riding all day. Man that's almost poetic. Not a person reading this will not think about it after a few hard late evening sets.

Back on topic will the surf system be available on the 22 mxz as well as the 24 MXZ. I am so glad I have waited until next year. Came so close to pulling the trigger on a 12. I hope one day I can trade every year like some ballers.

[bamabonners]

i have been told that the only new thing to expect is a 24 foot mxz, around 8% price increases, and some changes to the VTX. I would say if you can buy a 2012 for a good price to do it now because they aren't getting any cheaper.

Edited June 8, 2012 by bamabonners

[CL-Rides]

9+ minutes? What are you talking about? At the touch of a button my factory ballast fills 1250lbs in 3 minutes. Draining to half-full for for an intermediate rider takes just over 60 seconds and there is no guess work on tank levels. It's can also be done while the boat is sitting still, it's not required to be driving

2012's were upgraded in the ballast hose size to 1 inch to make them quicker, so thats why Tyger's 2011 takes longer.

[jb 156]

I've seen the Axis changes for '13 but not Malibu but a buddy of mine surfed behind this new system, said it was amazing, it is something mechanical. Guess we can speculate but we should be able to see the '13's coming into our dealers in Late July / Early August.

[skurfer]

I've seen the Axis changes for '13 but not Malibu but a buddy of mine surfed behind this new system, said it was amazing, it is something mechanical. Guess we can speculate but we should be able to see the '13's coming into our dealers in Late July / Early August.

Well what changes are coming for Axis?

[saidainc]

I was told to hold out for the 2015s when all the mechanical and plumbing features released in 2013 will be upgraded and ill get to pay $8k more and brag about it

[Pistol Pete]

I was told to hold out for the 2015s when all the mechanical and plumbing features released in 2013 will be upgraded and ill get to pay $8k more and brag about it

I heard on the 2015s that the upgrade is for all the electronics to go back to pre-Malivue days.

[jb 156]

Axis, new helm, 1" ballast hose, new (better interior), three color gel coat option, and a 24 foot boat.

[malibu.c.c]

cant wait to see new axis !

[skurfer]

Thinking a new VTX is in order. Came out in 2007. LSV 2008, so maybe hull change for it next year?