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VLX with Surfgate - very impressed


BadgerinTX

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I traded my 2010 VLX for a 2013 VLX and took delivery this past Saturday. I am very impressed. I was too busy surfing and driving to get some good pics or video, but here are my thoughts as a Malibu owner since 2006. I included lots of detail as I was searching for this type of info as I was considering the purchase.

1. The wake has much stronger push and was cleaner (less wash out) than I could achieve with my 2010 using a variety of combinations that included stock ballast, sacs, wedge and assorted passengers stacked in a corner. The face is much larger and I found that the wake was strong much farther out than I have seen in the past.

2. I am a goofy foot surfer and most of my friends are not. It was so nice to only fill ballast tanks 1 time and switch between goofy and regular in less time than it takes to put on a life jacket. We estimate we saved at least 30 minutes filling and emptying tanks as we switched riders during our typical Sat afternoon session.

3. It's a simple feature when you look at the hardware set-up, but it is truly amazing to watch the wake switch sides in 2-3 seconds with a push of a button. Like many other inventions it doesn't have to be complicated to make life better.

4. My brother is a new surfer and hadn't been able to go without a rope for more than 10 seconds, he went for 2 minutes his first time on the wake with surf gate.

5. Another friend has a 2008 23 LSV wakesetter and was absolutely amazed with the push and size of wake....plus the fun he had the multiple times he switched sides.

6. Sun afternoon it was great to surf a nice wake with only 2 people in the boat and sitting comfortably any place in the boat.

Here is the set up..we filled all stock ballast tanks (front, center, left and right rear), filled a sac connected to plug and play system in each rear locker, wedge all the way down, speed at 11.2 to 11.4. The guys who delivered the boat said to run at a higher speed (I used to surf at 9.8 to 10.4).

The plug and play system is great. The sacs connect to the tanks and fill after tank is full and then empty into tank. I filled the sacs and tanks in what seemed like same time as it took to fill just tanks. Maybe just perception, but worked smooth. I also hear Malibu will have their own sacs very soon and will fill / drain even faster.

I had the monsoon and got the monsoon again, it appears to have more torque than my 2010. We had no issue hitting speed even with all tanks full. The bow rise that some had mentioned wasn't an issue either. However, you need to have both hands tight on the wheel when surfgate deploys as you hit 7 mph as the boat pulls until the gate is fully deployed (about 2-3 seconds).

I realize you can get similar results by adding lots of bags /weight on one side, but this is really convenient. It's also great for families as many times it's just my wife and I and our 3 kids.

I struggled with the jump in price, but I am very pleased (actually thrilled) after the first weekend! This will be very popular.

Edited by BadgerinTX
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If you dont mind someone asking, if you do, please I mean no disrespect, do not answer.

I just bought a 2012 VLX in May with EVERY option avaliable! How does the price compare in terms of this boat. I payed $85,000 CAD.

I need alittle ammo to help convince my wife to trade up ( she rides goofy and I, regular) so we waste alot of time switching!!

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the plug and play system you mention, is that a factory option?

Ive seen it advertised at my dealership as an aftermarket option for Malibus and I think it was around $600 per 500lb sack. Not entirely sure if this is correct though....id have to look again.

Edited by saidainc
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Ive seen it advertised at my dealership as an aftermarket option for Malibus and I think it was around $600 per 500lb sack. Not entirely sure if this is correct though....id have to look again.

It refers to the extra ballast being already plumbed. The only thing needed is the bag of your choice. It has been an option on the Axis line. It is a factory option though, however, you still have to get aftermarket sacs.

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The p&p is a factory option about $600 if I recall. I didn't use my sacs as much in the old boat because of the hassle filling and emptying the sacs so for me it's a time saving feature that is worth the money in my opinion.

As far as the price the surfgate option is $2,300. However, the Malibu base price increase before surf gate was much higher. I believe it was about 7% over the 2012 VLX.

You'll be happy with your 2012....the question is how much is the added convenience worth to you with Surfgate.

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  • 3 weeks later...

So many Surf Gate treads and video's, so here's another great vid from our Canadian friends.

Has anyone figured out how this boat was set up? It looks like lots of bow rise - I'm wondering if there was no additional bow ballast + a bunch in the rear lockers.

Edit - looking closer at the video, it looks like there's a bag in the bow...

Does anyone know if the Plug & Play system has an outlet in the bow?

Edited by bkrentler
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Has anyone figured out how this boat was set up? It looks like lots of bow rise - I'm wondering if there was no additional bow ballast + a bunch in the rear lockers.

Edit - looking closer at the video, it looks like there's a bag in the bow...

Does anyone know if the Plug & Play system has an outlet in the bow?

And that rooster while they are wakeboarding looked strange. I've never seen it so narrow.

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