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cant decide - vride or xti


cguse13

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maybe some owners can lend some insite on the different configurations for me.

I personally think that the xti layout is neat and like the fact you dont have to walk over the top deck of the engine to get in and out of the boat.

the gf feels that the vride layout is better for her because of area to lay out ( wich i have never seen) but could be possible i guess.

i typically have my 5 year old daughter me, gf, and a friend and his wife on the boat. Typically we all wakeboard but recently got hooked on wake surfing.

i previously sold my mastercraft 205 DD last month and am shopping....so give me some pro's and cons that you see.

before the mastercraft i had a 95 f3

the boats i am currently looking at is a loaded 05 vride and a 06 xti.

so far it appears the xti take a hit on resale.

thank you for your responces.

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I recently moved from a sunsetter DD to a 04 vlx (same as a 05 V-ride) and even though I slolom some the V drive is the way to go. I love the seating all together and it's easy to add sacks in the back.

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The Vride you can hide all ballast the XTI you can't. The XTI should have a little nicer ski wake (you didn't say anything about skiing). I have a Vride I love the room for the little on.

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i definatly do not ski!! i actually banned them on my previous boats - they get in my way figure my boat my rules right behind fried chicken and cheeto's.

windy1- 85 percent of the time id say keystone lake, rest on tenkiller all though the guy that i sold my mastercraft too has taken me surfing on the verdigris river and plan to make that a good after work stomping ground in the summer. how about you?

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Based on what you've said so far and price not being an factor, the vRide is the obvious choice. Better storage, ballast options, etc. I always liked the xti as well, if I skied a little more I would definitely consider it.

Edit - What's your price range? I know of a sweet vRide for sale :biggrin:

Edited by Ndawg12
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i am thinking 35 tops for price range ...... much more above that and i would likely move back to seaching the nautiques again.

givin what has been said so far the vride seems to be the correct option crying shame when the gf wins out though.

spam happy - send me a link info pictures.. i havent purchased anything yet. (i am assuming its your boat if it is atleast here is a for sale plug for it)

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i am thinking 35 tops for price range ...... much more above that and i would likely move back to seaching the nautiques again.

givin what has been said so far the vride seems to be the correct option crying shame when the gf wins out though.

spam happy - send me a link info pictures.. i havent purchased anything yet. (i am assuming its your boat if it is atleast here is a for sale plug for it)

Well since you asked :biggrin:

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/40209-selling-my-babymaybe2006-vride/

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vride++

XTI concept is neat but acquaintance with 247 xti is pretty neat and all with 3 different seating area's, but furthest back lounge is constantly getting piled up with fat sacs, sub boxes, coolers, gear since storage isn't as straight forward as vdrives are. the walkthrough area from driver area to rear seating area is wasted space imo. If skiing was a big priority, xti makes sense.

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Hey hey hey don't knock it till you try it. I have an xti and my buddy has the v ride. We share the same set of friends, which ride in both our boats. Everyone has their opinion on which of boats the like more and the features which make them like it. I can do everything in my xti and some, that my buddy can in his v ride. Not everyone likes to sit on each others laps or right next to each other, so the xti seating arrangement gives you your own space, but still allows everyone to interact. As for a "sundeck" the one in xti, which yes is smaller, worked just fine for many girls this summer, or the bow of the boat. It really shouldn't be a deciding factor. I primarily wakeboard and the boat throws a great wake!! Get compliments all the time. Turns awesome too with having the motor where it's at. Surfing isn't an issue either. Look at it this way, you can trip over people in your boat or ballast. I think ballast is a lot softer and I see v drives all the time with extra ballast all over the place, so who's to say you can hide ballast better? One way or another you're gonna bump into something. Anyway with the right setup you can go rope less for days. The best part about the xti is that it's geared for everything. Great all around boat for whatever sport you want to do, so options are endless. All I'm saying is go sit in both and buy the boat that best suits you and your needs. Because where one lacks the other doesn't, and vice versa. Oh and one more thing, access for maintainance and all that seems to be a little easier on the xti then on all the vdrive boats. Just another tid bit to think about. Either way you'll love what you end up getting because its a BU!! You can never go wrong there.

Edited by bcf2003
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maybe some owners can lend some insite on the different configurations for me.

I personally think that the xti layout is neat and like the fact you dont have to walk over the top deck of the engine to get in and out of the boat.

the gf feels that the vride layout is better for her because of area to lay out ( wich i have never seen) but could be possible i guess.

i typically have my 5 year old daughter me, gf, and a friend and his wife on the boat. Typically we all wakeboard but recently got hooked on wake surfing.

i previously sold my mastercraft 205 DD last month and am shopping....so give me some pro's and cons that you see.

before the mastercraft i had a 95 f3

the boats i am currently looking at is a loaded 05 vride and a 06 xti.

so far it appears the xti take a hit on resale.

thank you for your responces.

We like our XTI a lot. We went to Norris for a long weekend with another family so we had 9 people on the boat. Plenty of stretch out space for all, as well as all the gear. The storage next to the engine could hold a small horse. The rear locker holds multiple skis but you could put a sac or two in there too if you wanted. If you like to ski, the direct drive layout is great for small, soft wakes. Load ballast and drop the wedge to board.

Direct drive performance in terms of how the boat feels is so much better than Vdrive. And if you work on your own boat, the direct drive layout is so nice for access - everything is within easy reach to fix/service. Try doing a simple impeller change on a Vdrive.

We actually have our 2002 XTI up for sale - take a look if interested, it is in outstanding condition. Good luck with your purchase - you really cannot go wrong either way!

-- Mike

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I see there are a lot of responses to your thread already but just thought I would throw in mine as well. I have been in the new boat market for a few years and finally sold my 2000 wakesetter. I considered any models new and used and I decided on the 21' vRide.

The classic layout of the v drive is awesome and yes she will lay out on the rear deck. That area is the most popular area of the boat as soon as you power down to relax in a cove.

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Yet another thing to think about is the fact you can get a newer hulled xti for the same as an older hulled vride.I very much prefer the newer hull.imo climbing over the sun deck everytime i get in and out of the water is annoying.I prefer the xti layout. As far as resale i sold mine in 2weeks,same as the last 2 vlxs i had.I sold for a few grand less but also bought for less so its a non issue. good luck with the search.

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i do preform all my own work, and it has crossed my mind on how to get to all the junk to lube, change, inspect on a vdrive. Does anyone mine posting up pics of the vdrive engine access? tuesday i am taking an xti out just to say i looked at both rode both etc. I will admit i think i am leaning pretty heavy on the v drive.

nadawg - boat looks super sweet!! however i think if i am going to get back into another malibu it will have the illusions tower(including dealing with it when it cracks). that is one thing keeping me from going back to the mastercraft, well and the fact that there are a million different gauges spread all over the dash.

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If you don't ski, why would you even consider a direct drive other than being unable to afford one? At 35k, you may be able to find an '05-'06 VLX instead of a V-ride. The V-drive is going to give you:

- More storage space

- Better surf/wakeboard wake (assuming the same hull between DD vs V-Drive)

- Better re-sale

- Better seating

- Much better ballast options

It's a no-brainer. The XTi will cost less and be better if you want to make a ski run - those are its advantages.

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T3 tower is the discriminating buyer's choice. Not everyone is sophisticated enough to own one. For the rest, there's the illusion.

:thumbup:

EDIT: I nominate this for post of the year.

Edited by Levi900RR
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We have the XTI, but we do ski a bunch. I like the XTI layout as there is more rear facing seating and those riding in the boat don't have to keeping turning their heads. You can fit three facing the rear in the back and the spotter in the front. Unless you're skiing with the center post, then you have to spread them out a little for the line.

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i do preform all my own work, and it has crossed my mind on how to get to all the junk to lube, change, inspect on a vdrive. Does anyone mine posting up pics of the vdrive engine access? tuesday i am taking an xti out just to say i looked at both rode both etc. I will admit i think i am leaning pretty heavy on the v drive.

nadawg - boat looks super sweet!! however i think if i am going to get back into another malibu it will have the illusions tower(including dealing with it when it cracks). that is one thing keeping me from going back to the mastercraft, well and the fact that there are a million different gauges spread all over the dash.

I'm not sure how the newer engine covers are, but on our three cover hull design its very easy to take off the engine cover. Two minutes (tops) and you can have the cover off, and then kneel on the swim platform to work on the engine. I think it makes it much easier to perform maintenance this way. Cut the engine/compartment dividers in half and it gets even easier! I'm sure its still not as easy as an inboard, but most of the stuff can be done from the platform and not having to take tools and oil into the boats interior is a big plus.

Edited by mainekneeboarder
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