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2010 Wakesetter 23Lsv - Opinions


Viper_007

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I'm looking for a change this season as I've owned my '04 XSTAR for almost 4 years and simply looking for something with more room and a better surf wake. I was set on moving to an X25, but have tired to be open minded and now have a lead on a great '10 23LSV. Hoping to get some feedback on the '10 23LSV...what to look out for, suggestions, as well as thougts for you who may have owned an XSTAR or spend a lot of time on one and now can compare to the 23LSV.

From my search here it seems that the surf wake is good, however takes a lot of extra weight. I was hoping to avoid the hastle of setting-up all the extra sacs. Also, it has 4 tower speakers and lights, but that would probablly be the 1st change for some XM9's.

Here is what I'm looking at:

2010 Malibu 23LSV - less then 100hrs

350 Monsoon Engine - hi-altitude prop

Heater/Heated Seats

Transom Remote

4 Tower Speakers/Lights

Thanks in advance, and it's been fun browsing the fourm...some sweet Malibu's. '04 XSTAR is for sale for anyone intersted as well.

6641632711_07524397a4_m.jpg

Edited by Viper_007
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Viper, you are correct as to needing extra weight for surfing. I added an extra 1100lb bag from Bakes (@ $500.00) and it really makes a difference. The install is straight forward and pretty simple the electrical being the most time consuming part of the install. The 350 with the HA prop (Acme 1235- 14.5x14.25) is a must and works great for me, but I am at 300 ft ASL so altitude is not a problem for me. The stock stereo is fine for in boat only, so if you are looking to hear it while surfing/boarding you will need to upgrade to Exile or WS either a good choice. Can't compare the wakes between the 2 really as I have never ridden in MC wakeboats only ProStars, but any boat is tailorable. I do know that I have a lot of guys rolling on me on the river to pull them. I have the only Malibu WS local and the advanced riders really like the transition and the ability to tailor the wake with the wedge and I am the only game in town when it comes to surfing. I have lots of new friends now. :rockon: Overall I have been very happy with the boat and will stay in the family. Bottom line is your price point/options and everyone else will agree the dealership for support. Good luck with the search. Bill

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Thanks for the feedback Bill. I know my local MC dealer well, but don't have any issues with the local Malibu dealer either.

For seating I noticed that betweeen '10 and '11-'12 there is a capacity diffrence, but from what I can tell it's just regulation changes. My XSTAR feels small with 9 people as the back lockers are so massive. I assume the LSV interior is much more roomy. Also, any issues with the keyless ignition...I'd hate for that to be an issue and thus dead on the water.

Edited by Viper_007
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Viper, yeh the load limit was purely advertising/reg changes as the layout hasn't changed. With 9 people on mine I don't have any issues and I am claustrophobic. The lockers in both corners are still huge, you can easily get a couple dead hookers in there! :) The bow on the LSVs are not as large as on some other boats (2 women or kids) , but I prefer the larger seating area in the rear. I don't have the keyless on mine which I originally thought I wanted but am glad that I don't have it now as I boat mainly on a river with a good current requiring me to move pretty fast at times. Opinions vary on keyless or not. They do make back-ups for the newer MTC keyless and the retro fit for the '10s would be a no brainer upgrade.

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I'm looking for a change this season as I've owned my '04 XSTAR for almost 4 years and simply looking for something with more room and a better surf wake. I was set on moving to an X25, but have tired to be open minded and now have a lead on a great '10 23LSV. Hoping to get some feedback on the '10 23LSV...what to look out for, suggestions, as well as thougts for you who may have owned an XSTAR or spend a lot of time on one and now can compare to the 23LSV.

From my search here it seems that the surf wake is good, however takes a lot of extra weight. I was hoping to avoid the hastle of setting-up all the extra sacs. Also, it has 4 tower speakers and lights, but that would probablly be the 1st change for some XM9's.

Here is what I'm looking at:

2010 Malibu 23LSV - less then 100hrs

350 Hammerhead Engine - hi-altitude prop

Heater/Heated Seats

Transom Remote

4 Tower Speakers/Lights

Thanks in advance, and it's been fun browsing the fourm...some sweet Malibu's. '04 XSTAR is for sale for anyone intersted as well.

6641632711_07524397a4_m.jpg

The 23 lsv was the number one seller in the Malibu lineup at our local boat show this weekend. It seems everyone is looking for that extra space. You are going to need more ballast in any boat in my opinion for surfing. I find it rather comical when the sales guys tell me I can surf their brand with the stock weight. I don't doubt thst I can however why would I want to after surfing a nicely weighted clean, long wave out of my VLX. The best tool Malibu offers that you will appreciate coming from an X-star is the power wedge for surfing. It helps create a fantastic wave and adds alot of downword force while maintaining the space for extra ballast if you choose to go bigger. I would recommend having a couple of 750 lbs sacs plumbed in the rear compartments. That will save you from having to hassle with pumps. Good luck with your decision. I have a hard time thinking you will be dissapointed in the LSV.

Nice looking X-star as well.

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350 Hammerhead Engine - hi-altitude prop

Last year for the Hammerhead was 2009, and the Hammerhead is a bored/stroked SBC @ 383ci, not 350.

2010, you could get the LCR 330HP 350 (I doubt that was available on the 23'), the 350HP Monsoon 350, 450HP BBC, or the 450HP LS3. Could also get the 505HP LS7, but only on the Z06 boat.

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I have a 2010 LSV with the cut diamond hull. 125 problem free hours. Love the boat. We surf a lot with just factory ballast, no advanced riders but everyone does go rope less. I have two Titan II tower speakers and they are fine for surfing but not great for boarding. I added an AudioControl EQ which made a huge difference. Make sure the trailer has breaks on both axels. Mine didn't and fortunately the trailer builder is close by and I added disks to the second axel for around $500. I have only good things to say about the boat, couldn't be happier. With the cut diamond hull it also has a real nice slalom wake. I have the Monsoon 350 with standard prop and have had no need for more than that even with 12 on board and factory ballast full. I am at sea level and have only used the boat up to about 2,500 feet in elevation.

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Last year for the Hammerhead was 2009, and the Hammerhead is a bored/stroked SBC @ 383ci, not 350.

Good catch, it must be the Monsoon 350 then. Boat isn't for sale just yet, but I know who is selling it and it's solid.

Any comments on the interior fit/fin.ish I havnen't spent much time on Malibu's. My girlfriend really likes the seats on the X25's that are on hindges vs having to take the seat completly off. She is usually the one doing all the organizing of stuff which can be a pain with several people.

Edited by Viper_007
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Cooler seat is a pain and the Malibu cooler started leaking around the end of the year. I got an AO cooler which fits perfectly behind the flip up passenger seat. I added a hinge to the seat over the v-drive and we use that for all the shoes. I have found the fit and finish to be great on our boat. I am also considering just unplugging the rear seat MUX switch / remote. I never use it and people are constantly pushing the buttons by accident.

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Ditto on what Kris said, the cooler is worthless. I unplugged the drain line to clean up the floor space behind it and put trays in the cooler to hold the lotions and coozies etc.. +1 for the AO coolers! Same place for me for shoes, although I haven't done the hinge just removed the seat stop and put in an extended aluminum stop so it doesn't fly out of the boat underway. Haven't had any issues with the rear MUX switch, but I don't have rug rats anymore either. :) The fit and finish for the most part has been pretty good, but I am one of those OCD types who is detail oriented. My wife does b**** about having to put stuff under the seats in the main cabin. With the front ballast under the bow seating area we lost the storage we had up front in the old boat which was nice for anchor storage!. Not an issue for me because we normally access that stuff when everyone is out of the boat anyway. Probably my 2 biggest minor complaints are that the drivers seat is too low for my liking (fixed that) and there is no cup holder(s) easily accessable for the observer seat or center mass in the rear (but I am the only one to notice). All of them are minor complaints common to any manufacturer/model unless you are paying in the upper 6 digits I would imagine. Great boat!

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what i'd offer for consideration and not trying to start a piss storm: i dont know that i could endorse a 23LSV with the 350 as a great surf boat. Perfect for everything else, but lacks power in the 2500lb+ range. The 23 requires a lot of weight to get that hard lean to produce that waist high curling over wave most folks are after... its a big boat. Yes you can surf with 1500lbs, but the pocket is very short and wave is small and you gotta go slow 10.5 - 11 in order to maintain any kind of slope. Sure a pro can ride ropeless behind a jetski, but most folks require a decent wave to do anything. All that is great for chilling and having fun, but getting into tricks you need a faster, bigger wave to generate the speed. I have experience behind a 23, 350 motor and stock prop, and saw it cavitate and get stuck at around 2800lbs if I remember correctly, could not get above 8MPH, right at sea level. At 2000lbs it performed well, decent fun wave....but spending lots of money for a surf boat, you want to be able to produce a pro-level surf wake.

When I went to buy this boat I have, it was directly influenced but my expences behind that 23 with the 350. In this boat, I was after the bigger engine, not necesarily the 247. I very well could have bought a VLX or the MXZ with the 6.0L had they been available.

I am not sure how much these OJ and high torque props truly increase performance, I have no experience with them, but have heard great things... just something to consider if you are buying this for a "SURF" boat.

FYI I have surfed 4500-4700lbs in my 247, stock prop, chest/neck high wave with the 6.0L and it did fine. I could have added more.

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Last bit: Centurion truly offers the best and most dedicated surfboats right now.... 1 button, 60 seconds, pro-quality waist high fast 12.5mph surf wake. from the factory. Looking forward to see Malibu's upcoming technology.

However... short of a 2011 or 2012 23 or 24ft Centurion Surf Enzo, nothing can touch the surf wake the Malibu's with the bigger engines can throw. that power wedge is huge in cleaning up and fine tuning the surf wake. I had a buddies with an Xstar, MC's, Nautques.. and all were jealous.

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I have an 08 23 LSV with the Monsoon 350. At sea level it is fine. I surf with a total of about 2650 not counting the wedge. On top of that we usually have 6-8 200lb people on the boat.

When we go to Lake Tahoe (6000ft) it is a bit more strained. I usually have to tell 2 guys to stand int he bow till we get on plane a bit then they come back to the corner. I do have an upgraded prop for surfing. I don't altitude tune my boat because we only go for the week, but if I lived up there a tune would help out a bit.

Bottom line, if you can get a great deal on a 350 and most of your lake time is closer to sea level I think you would be fine. If I was ordering a new boat I would get the 400+ HP, but like you I got a steal on my 08 in 2010. It was still brand new on the showroom floor so I couldnt pass it up.

Good luck.

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Last bit: Centurion truly offers the best and most dedicated surfboats right now.... 1 button, 60 seconds, pro-quality waist high fast 12.5mph surf wake. from the factory. Looking forward to see Malibu's upcoming technology.

However... short of a 2011 or 2012 23 or 24ft Centurion Surf Enzo, nothing can touch the surf wake the Malibu's with the bigger engines can throw. that power wedge is huge in cleaning up and fine tuning the surf wake. I had a buddies with an Xstar, MC's, Nautques.. and all were jealous.

Do you have personal experience with that fill time? site just says 1 minute for the standard tanks, which is still pretty good though if that's true. I was on a 2011 244 and I didn't have a watch, but it sure didn't seem near that quick. Is there more surf ballast options, yep sure is. They do a nice job.

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If you have a deal on the LSV, I would go for it. If surfing is really what you want and you are worried about the engine power, just get a high altitude prop. Should fix any issue with extra ballast and surfing and will still work great for wake boarding and skiing and is only around $500 extra.

I believe the warranty can be transferred but you should check on that as I am not sure.

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Perhaps I should clarify, my search for a new ride for this season is really about something a bit newer/differnet, something with more space, and "better" at surfing. The XSTAR's wake loaded is just nasty, but loaded to surf it's below average in my opinion. The girlfriend and her friends like to surf now and I'm rehabing a partial tear in my rotator cuff so I imainge I'll be taking it a bit easier on the wakeboarding for half the season, however that is the main driver of the boat purchase still to this point. I do agree, if I wanted a surf machine...Centurion Enzo's are the way to go. Good thing I have a buddy who has one :) Local dealer has a really nice '12 244 however...but again we are talking low 70's.

That being said I was told the 23LSV was a much better suft boat and I do have to say I'm supprised that it takes as much weight to make it good, but I can perhaps live with that depending how good it is. The boat I'm looking at has the hi-altitude prop already. My elevation is 900ft so I'm sure that prop would do fine with the 350 and some extra weight.

Thanks for all the feedback, I will have to check into what everyone is saying on the cooler, possible hindges for seats and the keyless ignition/possible back-up.

Edited by Viper_007
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Viper- I promise you the wake behind a 23LSV or a 247 at 22 mph will stomp and beat out that XStar wake. Again, hard to explain how nicely shaped and crisp you can make a Malibu wake using the wedge.

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what i'd offer for consideration and not trying to start a piss storm: i dont know that i could endorse a 23LSV with the 350 as a great surf boat. Perfect for everything else, but lacks power in the 2500lb+ range. The 23 requires a lot of weight to get that hard lean to produce that waist high curling over wave most folks are after... its a big boat. Yes you can surf with 1500lbs, but the pocket is very short and wave is small and you gotta go slow 10.5 - 11 in order to maintain any kind of slope. Sure a pro can ride ropeless behind a jetski, but most folks require a decent wave to do anything. All that is great for chilling and having fun, but getting into tricks you need a faster, bigger wave to generate the speed. I have experience behind a 23, 350 motor and stock prop, and saw it cavitate and get stuck at around 2800lbs if I remember correctly, could not get above 8MPH, right at sea level. At 2000lbs it performed well, decent fun wave....but spending lots of money for a surf boat, you want to be able to produce a pro-level surf wake.

When I went to buy this boat I have, it was directly influenced but my expences behind that 23 with the 350. In this boat, I was after the bigger engine, not necesarily the 247. I very well could have bought a VLX or the MXZ with the 6.0L had they been available.

I am not sure how much these OJ and high torque props truly increase performance, I have no experience with them, but have heard great things... just something to consider if you are buying this for a "SURF" boat.

FYI I have surfed 4500-4700lbs in my 247, stock prop, chest/neck high wave with the 6.0L and it did fine. I could have added more.

Let me see a pic of that! Sounds awesome!

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Viper- I promise you the wake behind a 23LSV or a 247 at 22 mph will stomp and beat out that XStar wake. Again, hard to explain how nicely shaped and crisp you can make a Malibu wake using the wedge.

I rode behind a '12 247 recently and that is what got me started looking at all options. Rode 22mph, 8 people, stock ballast full, wedge (not sure where positioned). Wake was very clean. First jump I overshot the landing and did take a little time to adjust to it being a bit narrower at the same length. I was however impressed...

Have never been on a 23LSV however, funny to think that and I may end up getting one...who knows. Not sure what I think of the new X30's...I still think the X25's are hard to beat, but no real deals out there.

Edited by Viper_007
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That price sounds like a decent deal if it's a nice clean boat, and finding a used boat in just the colors you like can be tricky. This thread has a great review of an 09 LSV including pictures of the surf wave. The 09 has the same hull and factory ballast as the 2010 you are looking at so the wave will be the same for the given weights.

Edited by Brett B
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Hey viper 007

I currently own a 2006 23lsv and have spent many outings on friends x star. Here are my points. First off you can't go wrong with either of course. Both these boat brands are top of the line. The 23 lsv main cabin area is huge compared to the xstar. On the flip side thebow area in the Malibu is quite small. The seats and free board on the xstar are higher, when I bought my Malibu I was concerned with sides being 6 inches lower, but this hasn't proven to be a problem in rough water. Makes it vey easy to work with people in the water. On the flip side, the bow of my 23 handles waves and rough water better than the c star. There is more storage space in the xstar with the square bow and pass through on the left. The built in cooler is much better and bigger than the x star. I believe the fit and finish in the x star is a little better than my Malibu. The power wedge is great for shaping the wave and wake. Don't let anyone fool you about extra ballast. To get a great surf wave in the 23, I have factory ballast as well as 1100 lb sac and 300 under the seat. Great wave with this setup. The illusion tower on my boat is a little low, but so was the x star as well. The 2010 you are looking at will have the G3 which rocks. The xstar that I have been in had the 350 motor. When the boat was full with people and ballast, it could have used more power or a prop upgrade. I have the 400 hp motor and love it.

These are a few of the differences I noticed in both the boats. Good luck with your purchase.

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Hey viper 007

These are a few of the differences I noticed in both the boats. Good luck with your purchase.

Great info, and thank you! I love the room in the bow of my XSTAR, but the huge rear lockers kill space and makes it feel cramped. I'm still supprised my all the extra weight to surf, but at least I know what I will need to do if I get more serious about surfing as I rehab the shoulder. I do think the interiors, expecially on the new Mastercrafts top of the game...but how much more would I be willing to pay for that? I'm still thinking the 23LSV is a great buy and one I won't loose a lot on over a couple years of ownership if taken care of.

Now, need to move the XSTAR and make some moves. Pass along if you know anyone looking for a nice XSTAR.

http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=45151

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Remember the audience guys. The OP stated he wanted a better surf wave - not the most epically best hugest wave you can make. When you start saying the 23 LSV struggles around 3k ballast, do you really think he's going to want his surf wake that big anyway?

Here's my $.02. I think the 23 LSV will work great for you. It has the extra room you're looking for (I always felt x-stars were extremely lacking in rear lounge space). I can't compare the LSV to other surf wakes but from what I've heard the only way you can do better is the 247 and possibly the centurion.

That being said creating a wave takes displacement. You *will* need to be ok with adding additional ballast. I would recommend plumbing in the "add a bag" 1100 in the surfside rear locker to start. wake makers has this setup but i recommend calling them and telling them right off the bat you want the "booster empty pump" so you can wire an additional empty pump to pull from the bag and push into your hard tank (this will make sense once you research what the "add a bag" system is).

Bottom line, I think the 23 LSV would suit your needs quite well and the price sure makes it seem attractive to me. Just my opinion. The other people talking about running 3k and up for ballast are making quite large surf waves which I'm not sure that's what you're looking for. Reference the above picture. That's 3k lbs. That wave is HUGE.

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