Malibu needs to step up its game...bigger ballast ..new boat !

[wakesetter8796]

exactly. Plus you would still be able to buy your 23 lsv and Vlx's, the "not as gaudy" models. They will still be there. Nautique didn't kill the "normal" series (210,220,230).

[wakebrdr94]

Maybe there are not enough sales to warrant going in that direction. Is the amount of money it costs in r&d, build, etc worth it? How many xstars were sold last year? G's?

[TheKiwi]

I don't understand where he is coming from at all. I find malibu caters to a different demographic than that of MC/Nautique. The majority of malibu owners in my area are families or younger people like myself with a bunch of good friends. The MC crew seems to be centered around rich kids, rich parents who don't really do much besides pull tubes and pretend to look like they know what they are doing.

[sdk]

I'm amused at the generalizing or stereotyping of Malibu, mc and cc owners in the posts presumably based on the few owners of said boats people know or have observed, or based on the people on this sight, which probably caters more to the hardcore 'bu owners rather than being a fair sampling of all Malibu owners.

[black06VLX]

Maybe there are not enough sales to warrant going in that direction. Is the amount of money it costs in r&d, build, etc worth it? How many xstars were sold last year? G's?

The local dealer has sold more G23's and G25's in the local areas than 22 MXZ's and 24 MXZ's. I believe he told my dad he isn't even brining in a 24 MXZ next year unless someone specifically orders it as the G's are outselling it here.

[rennis]

I'm amused at the generalizing or stereotyping of Malibu, mc and cc owners in the posts presumably based on the few owners of said boats people know or have observed, or based on the people on this sight, which probably caters more to the hardcore 'bu owners rather than being a fair sampling of all Malibu owners.

Agreed. We boat quite a few places, and we see just about every brand of boat represented by just about every type of owner. To generalize and say MC's and CC's owners are tuber pulling posers is pretty funny to me.

And I see lots of Malibus pulling tubes. From the tower. In nice water.

:shrug:

[nyryan2001]

^^^ folks do that when they cant hold their own in a discussion sticking to the points.

somewhere right around 800 G23s sold last year...100% max capacity. They've expanded the line and are trying to do near doulble for 2014, plus the addition of the G21 in the spring.

[rennis]

plus the addition of the G21 in the spring.

That's going to change things!

[nyryan2001]

Congrats, your screen name about sums up what you have contributed to this thread.

[TrickyNicky]

Grow up. I can hold my own just fine. People's opinions are formed by their experiences............. and my experience tells me that when I see a gaudy 130k boat on the water, I'm not going to see anyone going off behind it. If your experiences are different; Great.

Besides, what is your point in this thread? To say Malibu (a company you've sworn off for terrible dealers, faulty towers, and biminis that rattle like tambourines) should create a masterpiece of a boat like you have now? You've found your pie-in-the-sky manufacturer dude.........and we're all happier for it. Why do you continue to hang out on your ex-GF's Facebook page and tell her she should be more like your current GF? Weird if you ask me.

Because his ex-gf is better looking but his new GF is best between the sheets.

On the expensive boats being used by non-riders, I get it. With all luxury toys, the more expensive it gets the less "real" use you get out of them. There will always be more good dedicated riders behind an axis than a G, just like there will always be more real drivers behind the wheel of a subaru sti than a ferrari. It's a fair stereo-type because it's based off of truth. That doesn't mean there aren't great riders behind G's and stars, or real performance drivers behind the wheel of a ferrari, just that that's not the norm. The norm is a rich guy buying a status symbol.

[Levi900RR]

Because his ex-gf is better looking but his new GF is best between the sheets.

On the expensive boats being used by non-riders, I get it. With all luxury toys, the more expensive it gets the less "real" use you get out of them. There will always be more good dedicated riders behind an axis than a G, just like there will always be more real drivers behind the wheel of a subaru sti than a ferrari. It's a fair stereo-type because it's based off of truth. That doesn't mean there aren't great riders behind G's and stars, or real performance drivers behind the wheel of a ferrari, just that that's not the norm. The norm is a rich guy buying a status symbol.

I saw a Youtube vid once of a guy in an F430 (I think it was a 430) that was trying to pull away from a restaurant and kept stalling it bad, slipping the crap out of the clutch. It was funny...

[nyryan2001]

And for the record, I'm not really saying Malibu needs to change anything... they are selling a ton of boats making the leaders and parent company filthy rich. Its working very well.

What I will add is just yesterday I was on a MB Dealer's website and they were unwrapping their new 2014s as they arrived...and looking thru them it reminded me of when I was boat hunting for what I thought I wanted in a Malibu back in 2010. I see MB gaining market share as prices on the big 3 go up.... get more edgy in styling. MB is remaining core, budget and conservative styling. And are often paired with MC dealerships right?

Edited September 19, 2013 by nyryan2001

[TenTwentyOne]

Maybe there are not enough sales to warrant going in that direction. Is the amount of money it costs in r&d, build, etc worth it? How many xstars were sold last year? G's?

About 560 XStars. Not sure about the G, but I am sure it is more than that. 700-800 range I would guess. A lot, considering.

Oh, and as far as those power towers........If they're so awesome, why did our local MC dealer order some of his boats without any towers at all.........and then put Samson towers on them...... to display at the at the boat show??

He didn't order the boats without towers..... He ordered Maristars and installed Sampson towers on them. He did it to have some price point MCs. The Maristars are cheaper, and the Samson tower is dirt cheap. Those boats didn't even have a ballast system for .... sake. He had the right idea, because he could sell them 20k cheaper, but they weren't a X-Series boat.

Congrats, your screen name about sums up what you have contributed to this thread.

:agree:

The funniest thing about this thread, is the outrageous pricing comments. These boats are what, 15% more than a 24MXZ?!?! And that automatically makes the owner a tube pulling douchebag?? Its not like there is a huge difference in pricing here. XStars and Gs are 115k-130k depending on equipment, and a 24MXZ runs 85-115k depending on equipment...... But you are saying the owner of the 100k boat is a hard core wake legend, and the 120k owner is nothing but a tube tractor?? Come on.... I guess Moomba owners must only consist of the top professional riders of all time.

Things like the towers on a MC or a CC have some cool factor too them, and they make life a little easier. There was never anything wrong with the G3 tower. It is a great tower. It just lacks the extreme ease of folding, like the ZFT4, ZFT5, and CC tower. It also lacks a little of coolness factor. Those little details cost $$ to design and manufacture. Nothing wrong with being happy with the tried and true G3, but why bash the guy that spent a little more money to have a little more bling?? Don't fool yourselves. If coolness factor, and ease of use, meant nothing to you, you would own a Moomba. A Moomba is a perfectly functioning boat, with a perfectly functioning tower. Why not be happy with it?!?! Oh ya, a Malibu is a considerably nicer boat, with better fit, finish, and coolness parts.

Edited September 19, 2013 by WakeGirl
Please watch the profanity

[CJAY]

The only thing I agree with in the original post is making more factory ballast, the bow tank is far too small. PNP does a good job for the lockers. The word is the A24 competes wake wise with the G23, so there is your boat, and you save 40-50k too...

G3 tower is by far the best tower on the market

[OneCent]

There will always be more good dedicated riders behind an axis than a G, just like there will always be more real drivers behind the wheel of a subaru sti than a ferrari. It's a fair stereo-type because it's based off of truth.

The only reason of this is.. more Subarus then Ferraris... i like to watch some of europes best Wakeboarder behind a G23... and i also like to watch a bunch of girls in a malibu when they makes a party, or a youngster behind the boat for a first try...

[DenverBu]

I am guessing the market for such a large toy is pretty small.

And by splitting the already small market 3 ways, everybody would lose. Thats one way companies go out of business...cannabalization. But if the market is big enough, and Malibu probably knows the answer to that, then they will be working on releasing a new model. These 3 mfrs may even have some agreements with each other, which wouldnt be all that dumb, esp considering what happened to the industry in the 2000's.

[sdk]

Well said tentwentyone

[isellacuras]

I'm finding it hard to go along with most of the sentiment in this thread. It feels like most reponders have a Malibu "sells the most boats" so we don't need to change attitude. That is a horrible business attitude. Buisness most evolve or it will die. I would have no interest in purchasing said boat the OP describes (Yet ). I feel most reponders feel the same way, but to not even want it in the lineup, why? Why not have a broader selection? Why not be more competitive against the competition? To still not want it, even though you wouldn't buy it, and it has no effect on you seems strange. I love Malibu. I think it has a good thing going but to not be thinking about ways to take buisness from competitiors is shortsided.

I agree businesses must adapt and change in order to be successful. On the other hand, I have experienced first hand how "change" can be devestating. I have worked for Honda and Acura in some capacity for 20+ years and have seen how a change can ruin sales. For example the 2004-2008 TL was one of the best body styles offered from a sales standpoint. In 2009 they changed to the transformer look and sales suffered significantly. The car was exponentially better in comfort, performance, size, efficency and overall quality (IMO), yet the looks alone kept people away. They revised it a couple years back and although not a major change, it now breathes new life. On the other hand, one of the most poular cars of all Acura history was the 1994-2001 Integra. Thats right, 8 year body style run. That is unheard of in a mass produced car. But why change it if its a good thing. They changed from the integra in 2002 to the much improved RSX and it didnt even come close to running the same numbers. Again, I agree that you must change to be competitive but I also agree that you need to ride the wave when you can. Malibu is riding the wave right now. Rest assured when it comes time to make the real change, some will be outraged, but I believe in the end the product will be better

Edited September 20, 2013 by isellacuras

[Brett B]

The only thing I agree with in the original post is making more factory ballast, the bow tank is far too small. PNP does a good job for the lockers. The word is the A24 competes wake wise with the G23, so there is your boat, and you save 40-50k too...

G3 tower is by far the best tower on the market

Yep, agreed.

I would like more hard tank ballast, and I do not like the new dash at all. Please Malibu fix the new dash. Otherwise no real complaints about the direction Malibu is going.

As far as I know the G3 is the only modern weightless folding tower on the market that can easily fold below a 7 foot door (with the straight hoop). No amount of coolness for the MC or CC towers matters if it rattles and/or can't actually fit in my garage, or can't fit 4 sets of board racks. Lets not forget just a year ago CC had to supply additional bolt-on brackets to keep their towers from coming loose, and those brakets completely eliminated the ability for the tower to fold easily.

So what do you guys think is going to happen to the "big boat" market when gas prices top $4.50/gal? Burning 12-15 gallons per hour in a G23 vs 5-6 gallons per hour in my VLX is a huge difference. Spending ~$300 for a day on the lake vs ~$100 would add up when you go out every weekend. That's a difference of $800 a month. Not to mention the cost of buying and fueling a big diesel tow rig since the G23 weights 8500lbs on the trailer.

Sure people say "If you can afford a $130k boat, you can afford the gas." But I wonder how many are really affording the boat because of 15-year financing and record low interest rates?

So I suspect as interest rates and fuel prices go up, the market for the big boats is going to shrink a bit, and the more conventional boats will continue to sell just fine. Look at what happened to MC, they were nearly bankrupt back in 2008, maybe Malibu is trying to learn from their mistakes. Don't get me wrong I think the G23 is an awesome boat that spits out a monster wake. I just don't see why the entire market would go that direction when everybody already complains about high prices.

Edited September 20, 2013 by Brett B

[TrickyNicky]

The funniest thing about this thread, is the outrageous pricing comments. These boats are what, 15% more than a 24MXZ?!?! And that automatically makes the owner a tube pulling douchebag?? Its not like there is a huge difference in pricing here. XStars and Gs are 115k-130k depending on equipment, and a 24MXZ runs 85-115k depending on equipment...... But you are saying the owner of the 100k boat is a hard core wake legend, and the 120k owner is nothing but a tube tractor?? Come on.... I guess Moomba owners must only consist of the top professional riders of all time.

Malibu's competition for the G23 and Xstar would be the 23Lsv which I can only imagine is significantly cheaper than the 24 mxz

The only reason of this is.. more Subarus then Ferraris... i like to watch some of europes best Wakeboarder behind a G23... and i also like to watch a bunch of girls in a malibu when they makes a party, or a youngster behind the boat for a first try...

On a percentage basis, no way, not even close. How many people on this forum have a 40k+ (when new) car? How many of those are an Sti or Evo? Probably only the guys that really enjoy driving because frankly it is a stupid car to choose if that isn't your interest. There are far better, more practical, cheaper, more comfortable, more luxurious cars than an Sti. On the contrary how many people have ferraris, and how many of them do you really think have hit 6k+ rpm. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I'm just saying the average ferrari, driver, owner is a rich guy making a point, not someone that really cares to exercise the cars ability in any fashion.

[TenTwentyOne]

You're a funny guy. Let's review.

"He didn't order the boats without towers..... He ordered Maristars and installed Sampson towers on them. He did it to have some price point MCs. The Maristars are cheaper, and the Samson tower is dirt cheap. Those boats didn't even have a ballast system for .... sake. He had the right idea, because he could sell them 20k cheaper, but they weren't a X-Series boat."

Wrong. He had a red & white X2, ballast and all, with a red samson tower. I have pictures of it somewhere, but I'm not digging for them. IIRC, the only boat on the floor with a MC tower, was the Xstar. This was December 2011 Portland Boat Show.......the year they debuted the power tower!.......yet even the dealer is saying no thanks. Hmm.

Yes, Please find it. I remember it specifically. It was a Maristar 200 (same hull as X2), It had X2 graphics installed by the dealer, and a Samson tower installed...... Along with a couple other boats that they did the same thing with. I believe, at the time, they had a Maristar 215 and a Maristar 225.

Fun fact for you- MC will NOT ship an Xseries without the tower. It has been tried, and they will, under no circumstances, ship one without a tower. This is exactly the reason that the XStar had an MC tower on it. There is no Maristar version of an XStar, so the dealer had no ability to put a Samson tower on that boat. Find the pictures...... You will see that the gel schemes, gauges, and interior trim, are all different than an X series boat. That dealer had somebody post info on TT, detailing what he did with those boats, and how much cheaper they were.

"He had the right idea, because he could sell them 20k cheaper, but they weren't a X-Series boat."

So, let me get this straight: HE had the right idea by cutting the excess to keep the boats 20k cheaper.........but WE have the wrong idea by cutting the excess (the OP suggested) to keep the price cheaper (and to keep the Malibu image intact)? Nice logic.

The OPs point, was that Malibu doesn't make a boat with a gigantic wake on stock ballast, and lacks a few "OPTIONAL" coolness items. I believe, as everyone else does, that Malibu does a great job with all of their boats. They just don't have a boat like the G23 or XStar. Both Nautique, and MC have plenty of other boats without all of the crazy features and gadgets. Its not like they only make Gs and Stars. An X25 is what competes with the MXZ 22, and they are very close in price, and have about the same amount of features.....

"The funniest thing about this thread, is the outrageous pricing comments. These boats are what, 15% more than a 24MXZ?!?!"

So outrageous........but that's the difference between selling a boat and not selling a boat according to you. No?

Same point as above. MC and Nautique both make a competing boat to most of Malibu's line, and at a very minimal price difference. My point, is that, if Malibu built a similar boat to the G or Star, the price difference is not really that huge. Malibu would be able to sell a boat in that price range. And I am not saying they should bother........ But like the OP said, I don't think it would be a bad idea.

"Don't fool yourselves. If coolness factor, and ease of use, meant nothing to you, you would own a Moomba."

Umm. No. The reason I bought my Malibu, and not a Moomba was for the proven hull and proven reliability. That's it. Moomba can't offer that.

Sorry, I have never seen a failed hull on a Moomba, and its not like Moombas are very unreliable either. They are simply built with cheaper vinyls, gauges, switches, accessories, stereos, etc...... Cheesy components, that still do their function, but don't look/fit/feel as nice. Its just like comparing an Impala to a 328i.

"These boats are what, 15% more than a 24MXZ?!?! And that automatically makes the owner a tube pulling douchebag?? Its not like there is a huge difference in pricing here. XStars and Gs are 115k-130k depending on equipment, and a 24MXZ runs 85-115k depending on equipment...... But you are saying the owner of the 100k boat is a hard core wake legend, and the 120k owner is nothing but a tube tractor??"

No, that's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying Malibu doesn't need to offer all the garbage & excess that Mastercraft does in order to compete.....which is exactly what the OP said. And for the record: That's not my opinion. That is a fact. Malibu is doing just fine, correct?

Now, does all that garbage & excess make the owner of a 130k Mastercraft look like a db? Yeah, in my opinion, sure. Seriously, a 100% neon green interior? A power tower? A dash that pops up and down like something out of Star Trek? Headrests on the seats? A skull & crossbones wrap? My whole point is: I'm glad Malibu doesn't offer this type of stuff. If you don't consider that "contributing to the thread" than that's your opinion.........(but forgive me if I don't trust your opinion on what should or should not be posted in a thread)

Every one of those things is OPTIONAL! What is your point?? Somebody obviously wanted it, if it ended up on the boat. They were not forced to get that stuff. They can get a boat without all of it.

Bottom line? You can dispute it all you like. You can tell me how untrue and unfair it is until you're blue in the face...... BUT: I didn't create the stereotype surrounding these boats......... The owners of them did. I'm glad Malibu doesn't produce a boat like this.

Well, I have owned 3 MCs, so I must fit the stereotype....... But wait, I owned 2 Malibus as well......So I guess, at one point in time, a Malibu owner fit the MC stereotype. I was a DB Malibu owner that pulled tubes, and drank in the party cove all day. Couldn't even go wake to wake. It is different than I remember, but if you say so...... After all, I do own an MC.

Edited September 20, 2013 by TenTwentyOne

[TenTwentyOne]

Malibu's competition for the G23 and Xstar would be the 23Lsv which I can only imagine is significantly cheaper than the 24 mxz

23LSV would be competition for the CC 230, and the MC X30....... Which are both very close in price to a 23LSV.

[TrickyNicky]

Well than the 24 MXZ is competition for the G25 not G23. You get the idea. The whole point of this thread is that Malibu doesn't build a G or start comparable, but don't go suggesting that currently the Malibu 24 mxz is only 15k less than the G23 or x-star because the proper comparison would be the 23lsv to the G23 or xstar and the 24 mxz to the G25. Which as I stated makes for a larger difference in $.

[nyryan2001]

I'm saying Malibu doesn't need to offer all the garbage & excess that Mastercraft does in order to compete....

Now, does all that garbage & excess make the owner of a 130k Mastercraft look like a db? Yeah, in my opinion, sure. Seriously, a 100% neon green interior?

I didn't create the stereotype surrounding these boats......... The owners of them did. I'm glad Malibu doesn't produce a boat like this.

Riiiight. Malibu isnt already selling $130k+ db gaudy "look at me" 15gal/hr rich man or daddy's boy boats....ya its the other boat brands only. Stay tru to da game, hardcore. So this being a Canadian boat, it will only be used to tow tubes 90days a year.

Your stereo types are ridiculous.

[pkh]

I don't think you can compare the G to the 23 LSV or 24 MXZ.... there is a reason why Nauqtiue still offers the 230, the length of the boat is not the only factor here.