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Owner's thoughts on 20 mxz


malibung

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Looking for those that either own or have had a good amount of time in/behing the 20 mxz. Really close to sealing the deal on a 2014 but want to know how it surfs both regular and goofy and do you feel cramped in it. Usual crew is around 4-6 adults and a couple kids. We're just recreational surfing so no rock stars in my boat. Let me know about the good, bad and otherwise.

Currently own an 05 vlx just as a reference.

thanks in advance!

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I take it you're buying one from MNInboard? (avatar pic) Good people up there.

Can't help you on the MXZ though. I've had a VTX and now a LSV. I can tell you that the MXZ 20 is pretty cramped though in the cabin. It's got nice bow space, but it's snug in the back even with 6 people.

Edited by tjklein
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I do not own, but have been in the boat several times. My thoughts....

in the 20' boat range, with a crew of possible 6 + kids, I would be moving up to the VLX. If 20' is what you need because of lake restrictions, I'd go with the VTX over the MXZ. TO ME, the cabin space of the 20MXZ is just too small, especially if you are putting 6 adults. True the bow gives you the room to spread out, but to me it feels cramped. You will also need a lot of weight in the bow for surfing to get the bow down and see with a crew that size, especially running plug and play, and the wedge. When I have driven the boat, I have found myself having to stand up to see because of the bow rise. I didn't own the boat, only demoed it several times.

I think Doc had a 20MXZ, he may have better insight

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Thanks for the replies. This is a little disheartening. I was really hoping for someone to actually like this boat. I do appreciate the honest feed back though. Problem is I can't swing the extra coin for a 15' VLX and there aren't any 14's left here. I could see if they can find one for me. I'm trying to get out behind the mxz this week to see the wave for myself and see how I like the drive.

Thanks again for the responses.

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As others have said , I looked at both the 20 MXZ and the VTX when I got my boat. I felt the VTX was actually more spacious than the MXZ over all. I did like them both, but we also still like to ski. So those 2 factors were why I went with the VTX. Added bonus the VTX was cheaper made the decision pretty easy.

I do think you would be fine with 4-6 adults and small children though. add Teenagers maybe close quarters

Edited by Chrisjjbrown
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Thanks for the replies. This is a little disheartening. I was really hoping for someone to actually like this boat. I do appreciate the honest feed back though. Problem is I can't swing the extra coin for a 15' VLX and there aren't any 14's left here. I could see if they can find one for me. I'm trying to get out behind the mxz this week to see the wave for myself and see how I like the drive.

Thanks again for the responses.

They have plenty of VTX's ;)

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if you are looking for pictures with 8 adults inside, click here

http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=796117

It doesn't seem that cramped to me, but never sat in one.

Best way will be to demo one.

So looking at the pictures, you loose 12-18" out of the passenger compartment compared to a VTX? Guessing based on the size of the seat behind the driver.

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So looking at the pictures, you loose 12-18" out of the passenger compartment compared to a VTX? Guessing based on the size of the seat behind the driver.

never sat in a VTX as well, so not point of comparison on my side :-(

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I'm a VTX owner so not exactly the input you asked for but they are some what similar so I can give a few thoughts. 6+2 kids will be tight-ish. 6 adults is what I consider the sweet spot in the VTX and 8 is the absolute max if you are going to be riding a lot (getting jackets, boards, ropes, and drinks becomes musical chairs). The MXZ can fit 3+ up front no problem, though, so that can alliveate some if the crowding if the wives/kids prefer the front.

No idea on the wave. The VTX dials in pretty nicely for it's size, but I'm still jealous of the VLX I ride behind a lot and know the LSV must be one better.

If I were buying today I'd probably look for a used 13/14 VLX. You'll want the little bit of extra space. Plus the surf wave is very noticeably better.

I don't really have any regrets about the 20' er. But I'll be looking for a leftover VLX this winter to see if I can trade up for a decent deal.

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Thanks so much for all the feedback. It's been very helpful. I'm going to test it out tomorrow just to see what it does but I've also asked if there is anyway to check out a 14' VLX. Not sure if they can get one to test.

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Malibung,

I am new to this forum becasue I am a new Malibu boat owner. I have had a 20 MXZ for 2 weeks now and this past weekend was a our first real test of the boat. I believe I am going to really like the boat. I don't have a lot of expereince dialing in the wake yet, however, so I can't comment well on that right now.

As my wife and I were shopping for boats and sat in a number of them, we felt that the 20 foot length was all we really needed since it is mainly just us and my 10 year old son in the boat 90% of the time. Also, I have a boat slip/lift on a river that fits a 20 foot boat well but the limits would be pushed with an 22 foot boat. As it is I had to re-do all the cables to take the 4,000 pound weight of the 20 MXZ.

The way I understand it from the dealers that I spoke with, at least in some models, when you go from 20 feet to 22 feet, some of that length goes to the bow, maybe 6 inches, and remainder goes to the rear seating area. So you don't gain the full 2 feet in the back.

The bow in the 20 MXZ is large, wide and comfortable for people to cruise in. Some of the smaller length conventional bows felt narrow to my wife.

The 20 MXZ sucks down the gas!! I was amazed how much gas it used. I could not imagine the gas used in a bigger heavier boat with perhaps a larger engine. Plus a larger boat costs more to buy, more for insurance, etc..

We like the lower small seat at the boarding area. That is a nice feature to have a 20 foot boat. It was helpful for me to sit on while I help my son get into his wake board. It is not a feature on the VTX and the 21 foot VLX.

This may seem like a weird thing to worry about, but we liked the fact that all of the MXZ models have a hinged seat over the removable Igloo cooler. The VTX and the VLX we saw did not. Think about it, you want to get a drink, you have to use 2 hands to lift the seat cushion out of the way, then you have to put it down somewhere, then you get your drink, then you have to put your drink down so you have 2 hands again to replace the seat cushion.

Overall, I think I am going to like the boat. It is enough for my family.

That is my 2 cents as someome brand new to the forum.

Gordon

  • Like 2
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gordon, Congrats on your purchase. I'm sure you will love your boat. My comments were in regards to his crew size. I think the boat will fit your needs as it is the three of you 90% of the time. I don't think anyone would ever say the 20MXZ is a bad boat by any means, I think most of us are concerned with the size of his crew. And we need pics of your new boat or we think your an MC owner trolling ;)

:welcome::werule:

Edited by wakebrdr94
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Malibung, If you are dealing with MN Inboard, I presume you are somewhere in the twin city metro. If you are up for a 1.5 hour drive to Island City Watersports (Cumberland, WI), I see they have a remaining 2014 VLX you could test out. Looks like they have a VTX and MXZ there as well for direct comparison. Might be helpful to see them all together. MN Inboard are a great group to deal with, but just throwing out an option.

http://islandcitywatersports.com/newandusedcars.aspx?ClearAll=1&TypeIDList=18&newused=2&SpecialFilter=False&~

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thanks for the feedback Gordon and congrats on the new boat. My crew will be a little larger most of the time and a decent (not ultimate) surf wake is really important factor. So I'm hoping that we can produce a nice wake during the test today, but the more comments I read the less confident I am in witnessing the 20MXZ surf wake. I'll post the outcome.

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Chilldawg, yes I'm about 20 minutes from MN Inboard so the convenience factor is really nice. Unfortunately, they are out of VLX and the LSV is just about $5k out of my reach. I checked out the link you sent and that could be an option if we are unable to find a VLX to check out.

thanks for the help.

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Chilldawg, yes I'm about 20 minutes from MN Inboard so the convenience factor is really nice. Unfortunately, they are out of VLX and the LSV is just about $5k out of my reach. I checked out the link you sent and that could be an option if we are unable to find a VLX to check out.

thanks for the help.

Might be worthwhile to try to find a used private party 2014 and save yourself over $5K in sales tax.

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Chilldawg, yes I'm about 20 minutes from MN Inboard so the convenience factor is really nice. Unfortunately, they are out of VLX and the LSV is just about $5k out of my reach. I checked out the link you sent and that could be an option if we are unable to find a VLX to check out.

thanks for the help.

If $5K is the only reason for not getting into the LSV, I would find a way to come up with that $5K. It will be the best decision you'll make on this new boat purchase!

  • Like 2
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thanks for the feedback Gordon and congrats on the new boat. My crew will be a little larger most of the time and a decent (not ultimate) surf wake is really important factor. So I'm hoping that we can produce a nice wake during the test today, but the more comments I read the less confident I am in witnessing the 20MXZ surf wake. I'll post the outcome.

First, if you are 5k from an LSV figure it out and get that boat. If you are 5k from a VLX I would probably say the same.

For the demo, see if the dealer can bring some extra ballast. In my VTX I have 4 x 400lbs (two PnP, one in the bow, one in the walkthrough). The wave was really pretty weak before I sacked up (literally and figuratively since my wife was not too happy about $600 of more boat crap).

If you can get one on the rear bench and one in the walkway I think it'll be much more realistic for where you'll end up after a summer of dialing in.

So long story short, I don't think you'll be all that happy with the stock wave, but it's not the best example of what these little guys can do.

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Took out the 20 MXZ yesterday and I have to say I really liked the boat. That being said, I haven't been in anything newer than my 05 VLX to compare it to.

It had the 350 in it and we had the 400 lb plug n plays along for the ride. Checked out surf on both sides loaded with stock ballast and 400 pnp's in the rear. Tried both wedge up and down and I thought it produced a nice clean wake. We played with speeds for a bit and found anywhere from 11.4 to 11.6 looked nice depending on wedge up or down. I sat in the front to see what at least 225 lb does to it and it did improve. We only had 3 of us out so not much for crew weight and the gas tank was on empty.....real empty.

It's just a bit wider than my 05 vlx so when my wife and I sat in opposite corners we were surprised that it felt roomier that way even though you lose length of the cabin. The bow in it will be a hit with my kids cuz they like to hang out up there, so bonus to the pickle fork.

I guess going in with the somewhat negative overall reviews that I've read concerning too small and won't be happy with the wake I was pleasantly suprised. I thought for sure I was going to be disappointed.

I do have a date with a 23 LSV on Friday for comparison and I'm pretty sure from what I've read that it won't even be close between the two but I want to look and see. I still really want to see a VLX too but unless the dealer can find an owner willing to take us out or me taking a road trip I may be out of luck.

Sorry that went a little long but that's my 20 MXZ test run.

Thanks everyone for the information, direction and private PM's to help me out here. I'm still open for feedback.

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Malibung,

Nice review, thanks for sharing your experience. I am happy to hear that you liked the wake and the boat overall. It's nice reinforcement for my decision to buy a 20 MXZ, since you have experience with Malibu products and I did not prior to this purchase. I've only used my boat for one full weekend and I feel quite good about it. Can't wait to continue practicing to wake surf. I really love the surf gate and the ease of use of all the ballast systems.

If you need anymore information about my boat experience, although I have limited experience send your questions via PM.

Gordon

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