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Considering new boat Need Knowledgable opinion.


kskonn

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Alright so here is my dilemma. I currently own a 2011 mastercraft X2. My dealer, who is top notch has dropped Mastercraft and switched to Malibu. I have enjoyed my MC never had a problem etc... I am not a big brand loyal guy, I am much more loyal to the dealership especially when they have provided great service for me in the past.

They are still supporting Mastercraft service for the next 10 months, however they have indicated that getting warranty work approved has become more difficult since the change.

Considering that the resale value on my X2 seems to be very high right now I am considering making the jump to Malibu. They are offering some pretty awesome pricing for former Mastercraft customers to switch brands in order to gain market share.

I have test driven a few Malibu boats and really like the Wakesetter MXZ 22. My usage would break up to be 80% wakeboarding and 20% surfing.

The question for you guys would be is there anything I should consider when switching from the X2 to the MXZ? Wake comparison etc...

After the test drive I am fairly certain I would upgrade to the 400hp motor, add some extra weight, I plan on ordering with the base stereo and having hydrotunes do the stereo work. other than that I was highly impressed with the boat I test drove. Fit and finish seemed great, the software and ballast systems worked well, the cockpit layout was very good. Please let me know what I am missing, which features I should or should not add etc... I am adding surfgate, while it did not produce the worlds greatest surf wake it did produce a very serviceable wake for someone at my level, more importantly it did it in about 10 seconds which is great. I appreciate the help.

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Staying loyal to the dealer is a good idea, especially if you've had good support up till now. MC dealers seem to come & go quickly in this part of the country (at least 4 or 5 in Seattle in the last 15 yrs....... 3 in Spokane in the same time frame......... 2 in TriCities). But for whatever reason Malibu dealers seem to stick around for longer.

Repropping will get you a lot of low end grunt, no matter what motor you go with.

Good luck with your purchase.

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Staying loyal to the dealer is a good idea, especially if you've had good support up till now. MC dealers seem to come & go quickly in this part of the country (at least 4 or 5 in Seattle in the last 15 yrs....... 3 in Spokane in the same time frame......... 2 in TriCities). But for whatever reason Malibu dealers seem to stick around for longer.

Repropping will get you a lot of low end grunt, no matter what motor you go with.

Good luck with your purchase.

yea it was a big surprise to everyone when they switched, they have been the Mastercraft dealer since around 1998 or so and they where one of the top 10 dealers in the world for MC. Came out of the blue and happened very quickly. Based on everything I read here it seems that the ACME 2315 is the preferred prop on these boats?

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yea it was a big surprise to everyone when they switched, they have been the Mastercraft dealer since around 1998 or so and they where one of the top 10 dealers in the world for MC. Came out of the blue and happened very quickly. Based on everything I read here it seems that the ACME 2315 is the preferred prop on these boats?

Hey first off welcome to TMC! With good dealer support added on top of the Malibu product you should have a very good experience. Curious to know what the backstory is on that change for the dealer.

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Hey first off welcome to TMC! With good dealer support added on top of the Malibu product you should have a very good experience. Curious to know what the backstory is on that change for the dealer.

My best guess is that when they started the dealership Mastercraft promised them certain territory expansion if they hit certain sales numbers in a market that was previously dominated by CC. Once those goals were hit and they had made MC the dominant brand in the area the expansion of Market did not happen. Malibu was lacking a dealership in a highly concentrated boat market and swept in to lure them over. No clue what Malibu offered but I assume it was more advantageous for the dealer.

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My best guess is that when they started the dealership Mastercraft promised them certain territory expansion if they hit certain sales numbers in a market that was previously dominated by CC. Once those goals were hit and they had made MC the dominant brand in the area the expansion of Market did not happen. Malibu was lacking a dealership in a highly concentrated boat market and swept in to lure them over. No clue what Malibu offered but I assume it was more advantageous for the dealer.

Malibu had three dealers in TX prior to central Texas water sports taking over the boat sales operation at TSR. Now there are 4 places to buy a Malibu all within 4 hours of each other.

Mastercraft has been screwing their dealers for years. As a dealer MC will tell you how many boats they will send you for the year and you the dealer have no say so. They are yours and you either sell them or pay interest on them till you do. So MC gets their money and leaves the dealer holding the bag. Kind of sucks when central Texas is in one f the worst droughts of our lifetime

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You may very well be pleased with the L96, but if you can swing it go with the LS3 and you will be thrilled. I highly recommend the GPS speed control and the 15" prop. The wakeboard wake is world class, welcome and good luck with your purchase.

ET

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My best guess is that when they started the dealership Mastercraft promised them certain territory expansion if they hit certain sales numbers in a market that was previously dominated by CC. Once those goals were hit and they had made MC the dominant brand in the area the expansion of Market did not happen. Malibu was lacking a dealership in a highly concentrated boat market and swept in to lure them over. No clue what Malibu offered but I assume it was more advantageous for the dealer.

Malibu had three dealers in TX prior to central Texas water sports taking over the boat sales operation at TSR. Now there are 4 places to buy a Malibu all within 4 hours of each other.

Mastercraft has been screwing their dealers for years. As a dealer MC will tell you how many boats they will send you for the year and you the dealer have no say so. They are yours and you either sell them or pay interest on them till you do. So MC gets their money and leaves the dealer holding the bag. Kind of sucks when central Texas is in one f the worst droughts of our lifetime

Yea it was crazy for mastercraft considering they had the dealer next to all the lakes that did not have water issues, they had a large population of wealthy weekend home owners and wake boarding was the dominant sport. TSR was selling their inventory for mC quick and last summer they ran out of build slots. Never made sense to me, in the first month TSR has been selling the hell out of Malibu. Mastercraft is now left with Boat Town as the only dealer in the area.

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You may very well be pleased with the L96, but if you can swing it go with the LS3 and you will be thrilled. I highly recommend the GPS speed control and the 15" prop. The wakeboard wake is world class, welcome and good luck with your purchase.

ET

How does the GPS do on rivers with a fairly slow current? My zero off seems to do well on the river would you say I would expect similar results?

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I have the 22MXZ and love it. I agree with thtrog and got for the LS3 if you can justify it. Take a look at the Z5 rack and see if that makes sense for you. I wish I ordered it at time of purchase.

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I have the 22MXZ and love it. I agree with thtrog and got for the LS3 if you can justify it. Take a look at the Z5 rack and see if that makes sense for you. I wish I ordered it at time of purchase.

Yea I will take a look at the lS3, I am ordering with the Z5. I live on the water so I think that will be perfect for a few boards etc... It is about the same price as the swivel clamp racks and I would rather have the extra shade.

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How does the GPS do on rivers with a fairly slow current? My zero off seems to do well on the river would you say I would expect similar results?

I've driven ZO in other boats and the Malibu GPS is just as good or better IMHO...I'm talking about wakeboats.

Edited by thtrog
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Wakeboard wake wise the X2 isn't even int he same league as the MXZ. IMO the MXZ has the best wakeboard wake of the BUs, and from what I've heard the X2 wake leaves quite a bit to be desired. There is a reason most malibu pro riders are getting slammed MXZs. I do know surf wise the MXZ is pretty touchy and hard to dial in. The x2 is a great 20ft boat, but wakeboard wise it doesn't compare to a 22mxz

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I am just asking questions here so please don't get offended. I don't get it, your dealer switches brands so you have to buy a new boat? That is some serious dealer loyalty if you are buying a new boat because they switch brands. If I were a dealer and my customers were that loyal, I would change brands every other year..... I just do't understand why you have to buy a new boat. I would think that MC is working to get another dealer in the area. If it is that much of a market down there, I would think that they are working to get a dealer in the area. How about waiting until spring to see what happens? Plus, that is a typically a really good time of year to sell your boat. Might get a few more thousand for it....

22 mxz is a great boat for wakeboarding, not knocking that decision.

Edited by bamabonners
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I am just asking questions here so please don't get offended. I don't get it, your dealer switches brands so you have to buy a new boat? That is some serious dealer loyalty if you are buying a new boat because they switch brands. If I were a dealer and my customers were that loyal, I would change brands every other year..... I just do't understand why you have to buy a new boat. I would think that MC is working to get another dealer in the area. If it is that much of a market down there, I would think that they are working to get a dealer in the area. How about waiting until spring to see what happens? Plus, that is a typically a really good time of year to sell your boat. Might get a few more thousand for it....

22 mxz is a great boat for wakeboarding, not knocking that decision.

Seems to me he is doing so out of concern for who he is going to get to work on it. Warranty claim issues already, and won't be servicing MC in 10 months and he'll still be under warranty. Legit concern, though new boat requirement? dunno, up to him. Given price differences he can probably get into a new bu for not much out of pocket.

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I am just asking questions here so please don't get offended. I don't get it, your dealer switches brands so you have to buy a new boat? That is some serious dealer loyalty if you are buying a new boat because they switch brands. If I were a dealer and my customers were that loyal, I would change brands every other year..... I just do't understand why you have to buy a new boat. I would think that MC is working to get another dealer in the area. If it is that much of a market down there, I would think that they are working to get a dealer in the area. How about waiting until spring to see what happens? Plus, that is a typically a really good time of year to sell your boat. Might get a few more thousand for it....

22 mxz is a great boat for wakeboarding, not knocking that decision.

All Great questions. Does not mean I need to buy a new boat at all, however considering the used boat market in my area, the added incentives from dealer/Malibu to switch it creates a pretty advantageous situation for me. I do have a lot of loyalty to the dealer, probably more accurate would be to say I have very good friendships personally with people at the dealer.

MC has already assigned another dealer to the territory, it is boat town of Austin, about an Hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and their service reputation is not great. They are more interested in selling Cobalts than MC's. Current Dealer is 15 minutes from my House. I am not against waiting until spring, typically down here you can get a premium for your boat until around labor day. I have put the boat out there if someone bites I will sell and get the Malibu on order, I have almost a year round season so missing a little lake time does not bother me.

To sum it all up- I can get into what I feel would be a better performing wakeboard boat, great looking, 3 year warranty, for no out of pocket money,not counting the considerable equity I have in the MC, that will go towards the Malibu. All of that and I get to stick with my preferred dealer, seems like a good time to make the switch.

Plus it is always fun to go boat shopping and get a new boat!

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Seems to me he is doing so out of concern for who he is going to get to work on it. Warranty claim issues already, and won't be servicing MC in 10 months and he'll still be under warranty. Legit concern, though new boat requirement? dunno, up to him. Given price differences he can probably get into a new bu for not much out of pocket.

Exactly!

I can also go to a 22 foot with more room, which with a growing 2 year old, friends with kids and my family that is a good thing.

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MC has already assigned another dealer to the territory, it is boat town of Austin, about an Hour and fifteen minutes from my house, and their service reputation is not great. They are more interested in selling Cobalts than MC's. Current Dealer is 15 minutes from my House. I am not against waiting until spring, typically down here you can get a premium for your boat until around labor day. I have put the boat out there if someone bites I will sell and get the Malibu on order, I have almost a year round season so missing a little lake time does not bother me.

It is funny that you say that b/c that is the exact same thing happened about 7 years ago in North Texas. Mastercraft was with the Slalom Shop which sold about 5 other luxury runabout lines and those dealers would rather sell a cobalt or a big cabin crusier than sell an MC. So they parted ways and opened up Texas Mastercraft out in Fort Worth.

Again - I think MC pushed too many boats on it's dealer. For example - WaterSki America is having a kick a** year, so they say and if you go to their website you will see that they only have about 5 2013's left and IMO that is a good situation to be in with the 2014's on their way. Now go and talk a look at all the boat that Texas Mastercraft has posted on Only Inboards in the state of TX...they have over 20 2013's sitting on their lot....IMO not a good situation to be in.

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It is funny that you say that b/c that is the exact same thing happened about 7 years ago in North Texas. Mastercraft was with the Slalom Shop which sold about 5 other luxury runabout lines and those dealers would rather sell a cobalt or a big cabin crusier than sell an MC. So they parted ways and opened up Texas Mastercraft out in Fort Worth.

Again - I think MC pushed too many boats on it's dealer. For example - WaterSki America is having a kick a** year, so they say and if you go to their website you will see that they only have about 5 2013's left and IMO that is a good situation to be in with the 2014's on their way. Now go and talk a look at all the boat that Texas Mastercraft has posted on Only Inboards in the state of TX...they have over 20 2013's sitting on their lot....IMO not a good situation to be in.

Isn't this the same thing that happened with BAKES. Malibu wanted to push more boats on them so they went with some other big marina is Seattle that sells Cobalt and a bunch of other boats. Not sure if they are selling more boats or not but I do know Malibu buyers that went elsewhere to buy their boats (even out of state) because they didn't want to deal with the new dealer. Perhaps I don't have the whole story. Still can't figure out for the life of me (especially when BAKES online is the go to source for everything Malibu) why Malibu doesn't want BAKES selling Malibu?

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You may very well be pleased with the L96, but if you can swing it go with the LS3 and you will be thrilled. I highly recommend the GPS speed control and the 15" prop. The wakeboard wake is world class, welcome and good luck with your purchase.

ET

LS3 Engine With The 2315? (Or Is It The 2079) Not To Thread Jack But Does Anyone Run This? That Sounds Like One Serious Work Horse!

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