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nautique SAN 230 vs. 23 lsv


Mr. Pink

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Please Help! I thought I had made a final decision. I am looking at purchasing a boat this week. I have taken them all out for a demo. I know I will be happy with either but question the unkown. I'm looking for you to maybe point out what I'm not thinking about. Here is my big concern: the malibu dealer I was working with that is 10 minutes from my house I just found out is no longer the dealer. They had a great reputation. There will be a new dealer but it is not known. There are rumors and if they are true they will now be 1 hr from my house and their reputation is either not known to not good. The nautique dealer is 10 minutes from my house and is known. I know many of you trailer your boat. I live on the lake and keep my current boat on a lift at the dock. Most people do not even own a trailer. I never have. Will not owning a trailer hurt me when it comes time for resale? I will need to purchase a trailer with malibu but not nautique. Will mainly be a family boat where kids wakeboard and parents surf with very little wakeboarding.

The current/ no longer malibu can service the boat for 1 year.

Edited by Mr. Pink
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Everyone knows the first year of Malibu ownership leads to a few trips back and fourth to your dealer. IE : punch list.

With the uncertainty of the new bu dealer, and being an hour plus away, 230 for the win.

Buy the boat with a trailer if selling it anytime soon is even a thought. The trailer also makes servicing the boat that much easier. I would not buy a boat without a trailer, even living on the lake. Don't you like a change of scenery every now and again?

Edited by Bobby Bright
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Nautique in my opinion is a higher end fit and finish. Malibu is going to be a better and more consistent beefier wake. I've owned both brands. And yes most likely whoever u sale to will want a trailer and most likely not live on a lake as most boaters don't. Would be smart to get a trailer. I would buy the bu and make sure it is all setup and good to go

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I have owned four new Malibu's . Not one of them has been absent from a trip or two or three back to dealer for various issues..... And I fix a lot of the stuff myself.

  • Like 2
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If you buy it from the current malibu dealer (close) can they still do warranty work since they were the dealer from which it was sold. That's what the manual states! ;)

I am being told they can service the boat for one year. Then I will need to go to the new dealer.

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Also which is the better deal? Features, years, got any pics?

Both are 2014 with almost equal options. Nautique without trailer Malibu with trailer. Malibu is about 6k less deal with trailer.

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I am being told they can service the boat for one year. Then I will need to go to the new dealer.

And how do you think this " new" dealer's service department will prioritize your needs?

Just some food for thought, and yes I understand most likely both will need return visits to the dealer, but with the unknown factor of the new dealer, and the distance factor. It makes the Natique look a bit more handsome .....even if it costs a little more.

Edited by Bobby Bright
  • Like 2
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I was having a very similar 1st world problem last year. I was going back and forth between a 24 MXZ and X46. Finally went to both dealers with my family and we were in both boats within 1/2 hour of each other. That is what sold the BU. When we would go to the MC dealer we loved the X46, then a week later at the Malibu dealer we loved the MXZ. Seeing them the same day minutes apart was the answer, for me. This is truly a no loose situation.

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I would still choose the Malibu for 2 reasons:

  1. Wake. Read this thread before you settle for the 230. There are a dozen more like them. I don't have first hand experience with the 230 wake, but threads like this are all over the place and they would scare me. I guess demo it to be sure for yourself. http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=802640
  2. Price. By the time you add a trailer, the 230 will be at least $10k more... probably $12k - $13k more. This sounds about right as I know for a fact that the 230 dealer invoice is $10k higher than the LSV.

The dealer situation sucks, for sure. And as much as I usually preach dealer first, in this case I'd have a hard time paying $10k more and getting a super finicky wake too boot. But maybe that's just me... I have kids and nobody likes to ride 25mph.

As long as the current Bu dealer can handle warranty for a year, I think you'll be mostly fine. Bobby is right, you will be there several times to get the boat sorted. But once you do, I think it will be solid for years to come, and warranty issues should be fewer (knock on fiberglass).

Now, if your alternative was an MC X-30, I'd say gulp hard and pay the $10k extra to have a local dealer. The X-30 is a great wake/surf boat. But man... that 230 wake sucks, everybody knows this. Even the guys who say it's "clean" have to clarify that "clean" to them means a inch or two of foam on the lip. And who wants to wakeboard at 25mph? No thanks!

Here's the 230 wake with only stock ballast at 23mph (relatively fast for just stock ballast). The owner of this wake posted it as an example of how clean the wake is. LMAO!! Not only does it look like ish, but it's tiny and far from clean. And 23mph? Seriously?? We never ride faster than 22 on our LSV and it's crisp, clean, and M E A T Y.

P1000245_zps3623bb77.jpg

Edited by IXFE
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Here's the 230 wake with only stock ballast at 23mph (relatively fast for just stock ballast). The owner of this wake posted it as an example of how clean the wake is. LMAO!! Not only does it look like ish, but it's tiny and far from clean. And 23mph? Seriously?? We never ride faster than 22 on our LSV and it's crisp, clean, and M E A T Y.

I had exactly the opposite experience when I test rode behind the 230 in 2007. Maybe they have changed the hull dramatically since then, but when I rode behind it, the wakeboard wake was phenomenal. It had a rounded wake rather than a lip, and it just launched me without much effort. It would be a shame if that changed.

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I had exactly the opposite experience when I test rode behind the 230 in 2007. Maybe they have changed the hull dramatically since then, but when I rode behind it, the wakeboard wake was phenomenal. It had a rounded wake rather than a lip, and it just launched me without much effort. It would be a shame if that changed.

I'm not saying that's not true... but go read that wakeworld thread. Even the most adamant Nautique fanboys admit it's a tricky proposition and riding fast is required.

I'll shut up now. Maybe one day I'll get to ride a 230. I freely admit that I'm only passing along interweb anecdotes.

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I could not agree more with IXFE, my son rode behind a 230 two years ago at an INT event. He hated it because he only was riding at 18.5 mph at the time behind our boat. They had to pull him at 23 to get the wake to clean up, he had a terrible set behind it. His jumps were off, timing, was all wrong. He was used to our vlx wake being so clean at his riding speed.

The Nautique build is really solid, now if you can step into a G21/23 that would be a totally different discussion. Those two boats are amazing.

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+1 on the finicky 230 wake. My buddy had a 2011 230 before his G23. It required a speed of 24+ just to have a decently clean wake. Even then, it wasn't very clean. That being said, it is an awesome surf boat. Surf wave is better than the G in my opinion.

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You guys are funny... The OP didn't ask for wake critiques AT ALL. He said he demoed both and liked them both. His concerns revolve around the dealer, location and ,if ,and or buts about purchasing a trailer.

Way to reroute the train.

  • Like 3
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Well I went from a 22mxz to a 14 230.... They are both great boats. I considered the lsv but with pnp stock I preferred the 230 surf and wakeboard wake....not better just different. It would boil down to dealer and also fit and finish to me. I had one too many malibu fit and finish issues that ticked me off just enough to switch. The malibu was sexy...I loved it. My dealer at the time also played a huge role in not stepping up to the plate. Over some time in the 230 if feels more solid than the mxz did but honestly....the mxz was probably a more look at me bost than the blk/white 230 is.

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Well I went from a 22mxz to a 14 230.... They are both great boats. I considered the lsv but with pnp stock I preferred the 230 surf and wakeboard wake....not better just different. It would boil down to dealer and also fit and finish to me. I had one too many malibu fit and finish issues that ticked me off just enough to switch. The malibu was sexy...I loved it. My dealer at the time also played a huge role in not stepping up to the plate. Over some time in the 230 if feels more solid than the mxz did but honestly....the mxz was probably a more look at me bost than the blk/white 230 is.

Do you feel the reliability is going to be a little bit better in the nautique vs. malibu. My gut tells me the nautique is more reliable. Not so much that it is made better just more thing to go wrong on the Malibu. The power wedge is a real concern of mine along with the touch screen.

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Well I think the nautique screen system lends itself to be a bit more reliable is a 2014 model for the 1 screen without touch screen vs the two touch screen malivue screens. I found the lync screen to be easier to use than malivue especially since I hated the touch screen. I think motor wise it is a wash....you may find more ticky tacky stuff you want the dealer to fix on the bu vs the 230. I think either way you will be happy...I think dollar for dollar the nautique is a better buy....but after trailer you are 10k plus in difference. I think once you are spending 100k. What the heck does a few grand matter?

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