nautique SAN 230 vs. 23 lsv

[DocPhil]

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.

Still waiting on those surf wave pics

Edited August 28, 2014 by DocPhil

[pennery]

I consistently Surf behind a 2014 VLX and 2014 230. There are certainly pro's and cons to both but prefer the VLX wave when weighted however the 230 is an awesome wave as well.. I do prefer the interior in the 230 with the walk through and the Sea dek flooring. Also the driving position in the 230 is way nicer with almost Zero Bow rise and good visibility through the windshield. I do like the Malibu throttle more however you get used to the Nautique pretty easily. I still vote 230....

[IXFE]

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.

Well to be fair, he sounds like a guy who was set on a 23 LSV until this recent dealer revelaltion. I got the sense the 230 was a last minute alternative that he didn't know much about. He did say that he questions the unknown and asked us to point out what he may not be thinking about. I figured that meant anything. Having just read that thread on Wakeworld I figured it was relevant.

If I misinterpreted the OP, my apologies. If in fact you view the LSV and 230 performance as equal, then by all means go with the local dealer, assuming you like them. Local doesn't automatically mean good (for any brand).

[UofM_MXZ]

Still waiting on those surf wave pics

Just finished our move up to Michigan a couple days ago. I haven't been on the rig in about a month....I hopefully can take some this weekend!

[Nitrousbird]

Another thing to consider - when you buy the LSV, you are buying Malibu's top 23' boat (most would consider it to be Malibu's flagship boat). When you are buying the 230, you are buying the G23's less successful cousin. Still a good boat but you will always be asked "why didn't you get the G23 instead?"

On the flip side, the '14 LSV is going to be the odd year for the LSV. If you get the LS3 (which you should in that boat unless going baller status with the LSA), it will be the only year Malibu has used Marine Power - so a one-off deal. It's also the only year the '13+ VTX dash was used (which many consider to be the worst of this decade's Malibu dashes).

Other things to think about is the Malibu is significantly cheaper. If your current close dealer can service it for the next year, that will allow you to work all the new boat bugs out. You will have a trailer to travel with the boat for repair if needed. IMO having the trailer alone is a must, since it allow you to pull it for repairs, major cleaning, maintenance, etc. Even excluding resale or going to other lakes, having a trailer is a big plus.

[85 Barefoot]

I consistently Surf behind a 2014 VLX and 2014 230. There are certainly pro's and cons to both but prefer the VLX wave when weighted however the 230 is an awesome wave as well.. I do prefer the interior in the 230 with the walk through and the Sea dek flooring. Also the driving position in the 230 is way nicer with almost Zero Bow rise and good visibility through the windshield. I do like the Malibu throttle more however you get used to the Nautique pretty easily. I still vote 230....

Not to be harsh, but I dont see the relevance in the comparison. It's like comparing a 247 with a 230.

[Mr. Pink]

Well to be fair, he sounds like a guy who was set on a 23 LSV until this recent dealer revelaltion. I got the sense the 230 was a last minute alternative that he didn't know much about. He did say that he questions the unknown and asked us to point out what he may not be thinking about. I figured that meant anything. Having just read that thread on Wakeworld I figured it was relevant.

If I misinterpreted the OP, my apologies. If in fact you view the LSV and 230 performance as equal, then by all means go with the local dealer, assuming you like them. Local doesn't automatically mean good (for any brand).

[Mr. Pink]

Well to be fair, he sounds like a guy who was set on a 23 LSV until this recent dealer revelaltion. I got the sense the 230 was a last minute alternative that he didn't know much about. He did say that he questions the unknown and asked us to point out what he may not be thinking about. I figured that meant anything. Having just read that thread on Wakeworld I figured it was relevant.

If I misinterpreted the OP, my apologies. If in fact you view the LSV and 230 performance as equal, then by all means go with the local dealer, assuming you like them. Local doesn't automatically mean good (for any brand).

[Mr. Pink]

Ixfe

Thanks for feedback. I have been behind the 230 a lot as my friend has a 2013. However I only surf. One of my major concerns is the wakeboard wake for my kids as they only like to go about 18 mph. The 2014 has a new hull and supposedly corrects this. However I'm not sure that it does. I think it just helps the surf wake. Can you speak of the reliability of the Malibu. I can deal with the dealer problem if I felt like I would not need to visit often. I don't have fact or proof but my gut just tells me I will have more issues with Malibu vs nautique. The power wedge is great but it seems to cause a lot of problems. Then you have the touchscreen issue. It is my understanding a lot of problems are user error but again not sure. I am not to mechanically inclined nor do I have the time. I winterize my boats and that is about it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TenTwentyOne]

Ixfe

Thanks for feedback. I have been behind the 230 a lot as my friend has a 2013. However I only surf. One of my major concerns is the wakeboard wake for my kids as they only like to go about 18 mph. The 2014 has a new hull and supposedly corrects this. However I'm not sure that it does. I think it just helps the surf wake. Can you speak of the reliability of the Malibu. I can deal with the dealer problem if I felt like I would not need to visit often. I don't have fact or proof but my gut just tells me I will have more issues with Malibu vs nautique. The power wedge is great but it seems to cause a lot of problems. Then you have the touchscreen issue. It is my understanding a lot of problems are user error but again not sure. I am not to mechanically inclined nor do I have the time. I winterize my boats and that is about it.

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Because it only came out of a dealers mouth, only take this only for what it is worth. I do not know for sure......

I was told that the hull remained the same. They only changed the ballast setup, and reworked the top half of the boat. He also mentioned that they changed the shape of the NCRS plate. I am not sure if that would help the wakeboard wake at all.....

LINC system has proven to be one of the most reliable computer systems out there.

[Afun]

I consistently Surf behind a 2014 VLX and 2014 230. There are certainly pro's and cons to both but prefer the VLX wave when weighted however the 230 is an awesome wave as well.. I do prefer the interior in the 230 with the walk through and the Sea dek flooring. Also the driving position in the 230 is way nicer with almost Zero Bow rise and good visibility through the windshield. I do like the Malibu throttle more however you get used to the Nautique pretty easily. I still vote 230....

How much more $$$ are we talking about here 230 vs VLX? I am a fan of the 230, but its too big and too expensive

[Mr. Pink]

How much more $$$ are we talking about here 230 vs VLX? I am a fan of the 230, but its too big and too expensive

I'm not sure if that question is for me or pennery as I'm looking at 23 lsv. But there is roughly a $6,500 difference is my actual cost but I don't have to buy the trailer on the nautique so it is not included so if you add $5,000 it is about a 11-12k difference.

[mrnate450r]

$6,500 would pay for all of your gas to and from the dealer as well as compensate you for time for the life of the warranty. Add a trailer to the SAN, and that money difference would put fuel in the boat for several years! I just couldn't justify the price difference to go with the SAN.

[IXFE]

Ixfe

Thanks for feedback. I have been behind the 230 a lot as my friend has a 2013. However I only surf. One of my major concerns is the wakeboard wake for my kids as they only like to go about 18 mph. The 2014 has a new hull and supposedly corrects this. However I'm not sure that it does. I think it just helps the surf wake. Can you speak of the reliability of the Malibu. I can deal with the dealer problem if I felt like I would not need to visit often. I don't have fact or proof but my gut just tells me I will have more issues with Malibu vs nautique. The power wedge is great but it seems to cause a lot of problems. Then you have the touchscreen issue. It is my understanding a lot of problems are user error but again not sure. I am not to mechanically inclined nor do I have the time. I winterize my boats and that is about it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

If you have kids who like to wakeboard at 18mph, you should be concerned. Wakeboarding through washing wakes does not inspire confidence for young riders, in my experience. I used to own MB's, an otherwise great boat. The principle reason I switched to Malibu was just this issue, as I have four young kids (ages 11, 9, 7, and 5 at the time we switched to Bu); all love to wakeboard and it's been fun seeing them progress over the years.

I understand that Nautique supposedly changed the 230 hull in 2014. I would verify that this translates to clean wakes at 18mph before you write the check. Maybe UofM can send you a video of this. Better yet, demo so you can see with your own eyes. Just because CC tweaked the hull in 2014, doesn't mean it will give you what you need. It would take a monumental redesign to go from washed out at 23 to clean at 18. But Supra accomplished this a couple of years ago, so it is possible. Just verify.

As to Malibu reliability, I've owned 3 and they've been great; very few issues. I've never had the power wedge fail on me. Never had Surf Gate fail on me. Only once did I have a Maliview issue, and I'm not convinced it wasn't caused by me (it happened while I was in the middle of my stereo install). Regardless, it took the dealer 10 minutes to swap out my Viper box (the computer module behind the Maliview). After watching them do it I realized that if I had the part in hand, I could have done it myself. If you've ever hooked up a DVD player to a TV you could do it. I've never had any issues with vinyl, gel coat, sea deck pealing, or any of the other junk I hear people complain about. The G3 tower was misaligned a little on my '12 VLX, so that had to be repaired (it made it hard to screw the tower nob in on one side). I'm racking my brain, but that's about it.

These boats will hold up over the long term as well as YOU take care of them. I baby my boats and spend a lot of time wiping down, waxing, cleaning vinyl, never storing them outside or putting away wet. I think any of the major brands are equally likely to have little issues as a Malibu. The factories and the construction processes aren't that different.

[IXFE]

How much more $$$ are we talking about here 230 vs VLX? I am a fan of the 230, but its too big and too expensive

Sounds like the SAN 230 is $12k more than an 23 LSV which is $3K more than a VLX. So I'd say $15K is your answer. That assumes they're all new and same model year.

Obviously, upgrading from an older boat would be much more.

[UofM_MXZ]

While the 230 may not be the flagship Nautique....the 23 lsv is not the flagship Malibu. The MXZ is the flagship Malibu but it doesn't appeal to everyone based on styling etc. The g23 doesn't appeal to everyone either..thus the reason for the traditional looking boats like the 230 and the lsv. Lots of performance in both but not the most innovative.

I look at it like the Titleist vs Taylormade....sure the taylormade looks fancier with all the sparkles and white colors etc...but I still play my Titleist driver from a few years back because of the performance and classic looks. I feel like some boats that are trendy now will, eventually, just look dated while other boats will look good for years to come.

[jesutton3]

To address a comment further up. The 230 does not have NCRS, only the G boats have NCRS.

230 has optional NSS and the Hydrogate.

[DarkSide]

If you have kids who like to wakeboard at 18mph, you should be concerned. Wakeboarding through washing wakes does not inspire confidence for young riders, in my experience. I used to own MB's, an otherwise great boat. The principle reason I switched to Malibu was just this issue, as I have four young kids (ages 11, 9, 7, and 5 at the time we switched to Bu); all love to wakeboard and it's been fun seeing them progress over the years.

I understand that Nautique supposedly changed the 230 hull in 2014. I would verify that this translates to clean wakes at 18mph before you write the check. Maybe UofM can send you a video of this. Better yet, demo so you can see with your own eyes. Just because CC tweaked the hull in 2014, doesn't mean it will give you what you need. It would take a monumental redesign to go from washed out at 23 to clean at 18. But Supra accomplished this a couple of years ago, so it is possible. Just verify.

As to Malibu reliability, I've owned 3 and they've been great; very few issues. I've never had the power wedge fail on me. Never had Surf Gate fail on me. Only once did I have a Maliview issue, and I'm not convinced it wasn't caused by me (it happened while I was in the middle of my stereo install). Regardless, it took the dealer 10 minutes to swap out my Viper box (the computer module behind the Maliview). After watching them do it I realized that if I had the part in hand, I could have done it myself. If you've ever hooked up a DVD player to a TV you could do it. I've never had any issues with vinyl, gel coat, sea deck pealing, or any of the other junk I hear people complain about. The G3 tower was misaligned a little on my '12 VLX, so that had to be repaired (it made it hard to screw the tower nob in on one side). I'm racking my brain, but that's about it.

These boats will hold up over the long term as well as YOU take care of them. I baby my boats and spend a lot of time wiping down, waxing, cleaning vinyl, never storing them outside or putting away wet. I think any of the major brands are equally likely to have little issues as a Malibu. The factories and the construction processes aren't that different.

I am the opposite side of that. My dealer has been fantastic, but my boat that i picked up 4/2/14 has been in the dealer multiple times. I have had a bad o2 sensor, surf gate failed ( loose connectors), dash broke (dealer tried to repair twice then replaced with new), wake view bracket broken, loose grab handles, broken sub box, vinly came apart at the seam on a cushion, and i have numerous locations in my gelcoat that are bubbling (nickel sized bubbles). Now the dealer has addressed ALL of my issues except gel bubbles, in a very timely fashion, usually same day in and out service. The gel has not been done because why have the boat down for cosmetics in prime boat season, they can and will fix the gel this winter. Now most next year i really expect a virtually problem free year. I attribute my issues to a lack of QC at the Malibu factory. My dealer has done an excellent job and i would have no issues buying another malibu. My dealer is 45 minutes from home and 10 minutes from my office.

[85 Barefoot]

While the 230 may not be the flagship Nautique....the 23 lsv is not the flagship Malibu. The MXZ is the flagship Malibu but it doesn't appeal to everyone based on styling etc. The g23 doesn't appeal to everyone either..thus the reason for the traditional looking boats like the 230 and the lsv. Lots of performance in both but not the most innovative.

I look at it like the Titleist vs Taylormade....sure the taylormade looks fancier with all the sparkles and white colors etc...but I still play my Titleist driver from a few years back because of the performance and classic looks. I feel like some boats that are trendy now will, eventually, just look dated while other boats will look good for years to come.

What performance? You like playing a hook? jk...I thought we needed a little levity

[CJAY]

While the 230 may not be the flagship Nautique....the 23 lsv is not the flagship Malibu. The MXZ is the flagship Malibu but it doesn't appeal to everyone based on styling etc. The g23 doesn't appeal to everyone either..thus the reason for the traditional looking boats like the 230 and the lsv. Lots of performance in both but not the most innovative.

I look at it like the Titleist vs Taylormade....sure the taylormade looks fancier with all the sparkles and white colors etc...but I still play my Titleist driver from a few years back because of the performance and classic looks. I feel like some boats that are trendy now will, eventually, just look dated while other boats will look good for years to come.

I think we have to define flag ship here, LSV has been the flag ship for years for malibu.

[UofM_MXZ]

Well on malibus site they mention mxz and flagship when blogging about the red bull open. The only other boat I have read flagship next to it on their site was the vlx. Wakeboarding magazine also names the mxz as the malibu flagship boat. I am just regurgitating information.

[IXFE]

Who cares about "flagship" or the 10 different ways to define it?

Pick the boat that works for you and your family and don't worry about the hype.

[Afun]

I am the opposite side of that. My dealer has been fantastic, but my boat that i picked up 4/2/14 has been in the dealer multiple times. I have had a bad o2 sensor, surf gate failed ( loose connectors), dash broke (dealer tried to repair twice then replaced with new), wake view bracket broken, loose grab handles, broken sub box, vinly came apart at the seam on a cushion, and i have numerous locations in my gelcoat that are bubbling (nickel sized bubbles). Now the dealer has addressed ALL of my issues except gel bubbles, in a very timely fashion, usually same day in and out service. The gel has not been done because why have the boat down for cosmetics in prime boat season, they can and will fix the gel this winter. Now most next year i really expect a virtually problem free year. I attribute my issues to a lack of QC at the Malibu factory. My dealer has done an excellent job and i would have no issues buying another malibu. My dealer is 45 minutes from home and 10 minutes from my office.

Jeez Man....I almost got tired reading all the issues you had or got. Thats my biggest nightmare!!!

[DarkSide]

If my dealer was not outstanding. It would be a nightmare. The first 60 days were frustrating the last 2 month's have been solid. I also use my boat. I am at 105 hours in 4 months

Edited August 28, 2014 by DarkSide

[Afun]

If my dealer was not outstanding. It would be a nightmare. The first 60 days were frustrating the last 2 month's have been solid. I also use my boat. I am at 105 hours in 4 months

Nice 105 hours! Glad you had it taken care of...