Bought 01' vlx... ready to upgrade already to newer?

[That Guy]

Anymore info on your prior boat? What year/etc? I think in my later years I could see myself getting one, just curious on your thoughts and what you had.

[CFH]

When you do sell that '01 VLX, I'll be on the watch for it! It's good to keep an eye on potential Malibu's that are in good condition and nearby.

Ill give a heads up before I list it bud.

Anymore info on your prior boat? What year/etc? I think in my later years I could see myself getting one, just curious on your thoughts and what you had.

Yeah man, it was a 1997 Fountain Fever 27ft with a 525 racing Merc... she would hit 84mph all day long. Boat was amazing. Miss her. You cant go wrong with Fountains... but a formula is just as good in my opinion.

Edited August 26, 2015 by CFH

[DUKENO1]

Well fellas... thanks for all the advice and intel, Ill hold on too her for few years. We normally have a crew of 4-6 people and once a year or so we have a crew of 9-10 people for a party at the house like we just had last weekend and to be honest... it wasnt too bad with the room we had. Then again 4 of the girls were only 105lbs LOL. This forum is really great too... really enjoy the people on here. WAY better then my offshore forum where people are calling out on other people about how stupid there motors are OR if your boat is older than a 2000 model you aren't in the club... was really sick of that crap.

Thanks again guys!

Pics or it didn't happen!! Lol

Edited August 26, 2015 by DUKENO1

[jwl019]

I actually sold my '01 early this year and upgraded to a 2010 so I guess I have a little experience with this.

Here are the key differences that I have noticed over this season:

1) I get a better surf wave with less weight, I was running 750's on each side of the motor, center ski locker sac (MLS) full, a 400 lbs. sac on the back seats, about 600 in the bow, wedge down and using some homemade surf gates to get a pretty good wave in the '01. I did not want to list it enough to just weight one side. In the '10 I am running the stock 250 port, center and bow tanks, along with a 750 in the port locker, wedge down and 400 in the bow on the port side and my wave is way better.

2) The free-board is night and day taller which is why I do not mind listing the 2010, even with the weight I am running I am not even close to having the rubrail in the water.

The boat feels so much bigger than the '01 and it has a bigger fuel tank which I have definitely enjoyed.

With all that said, I do miss having the '01 paid for, and bumping up to the 2010 was a huge jump in price. Sometimes I ask myself was it worth it, and on some days I say no and on others I say yes. The 2010 has also given me the new boat fever, but keep telling myself that a auto surf device is not worth $20k more than what I have.

I think once I get my extra ballast plumbed in on each side of the motor and a quick disconnect pump plumbed up front I will be more than happy with the 2010, but until I get that done over winter, I am always drooling over the new boats and have almost pulled the trigger a time or two.

I say, if you have the money and are already wanting a new boat then go for it, but it may or may not suit you any better than what you have now depending on how you are using it.

[CFH]

I actually sold my '01 early this year and upgraded to a 2010 so I guess I have a little experience with this.

Here are the key differences that I have noticed over this season:

1) I get a better surf wave with less weight, I was running 750's on each side of the motor, center ski locker sac (MLS) full, a 400 lbs. sac on the back seats, about 600 in the bow, wedge down and using some homemade surf gates to get a pretty good wave in the '01. I did not want to list it enough to just weight one side. In the '10 I am running the stock 250 port, center and bow tanks, along with a 750 in the port locker, wedge down and 400 in the bow on the port side and my wave is way better.

2) The free-board is night and day taller which is why I do not mind listing the 2010, even with the weight I am running I am not even close to having the rubrail in the water.

The boat feels so much bigger than the '01 and it has a bigger fuel tank which I have definitely enjoyed.

With all that said, I do miss having the '01 paid for, and bumping up to the 2010 was a huge jump in price. Sometimes I ask myself was it worth it, and on some days I say no and on others I say yes. The 2010 has also given me the new boat fever, but keep telling myself that a auto surf device is not worth $20k more than what I have.

I think once I get my extra ballast plumbed in on each side of the motor and a quick disconnect pump plumbed up front I will be more than happy with the 2010, but until I get that done over winter, I am always drooling over the new boats and have almost pulled the trigger a time or two.

I say, if you have the money and are already wanting a new boat then go for it, but it may or may not suit you any better than what you have now depending on how you are using it.

Thats some good insight... thanks. Yeah I will totally agree with paid for and such. The only way I would be able to get a new boat is with financing, no way do I have 40-50k in the bank for a new boat. But thanks for the words man.

[CFH]

Pics or it didn't happen!! Lol

Oh it happened! God they were trashed by the end of the day... LOL

Edited August 26, 2015 by CFH

[Brodie]

Oh it happened! God they were trashed by the end of the day... LOL

They appear to be thoroughly enjoying the Champagne Room!!!

[Slurpee]

Hey, I have been going through that train of thought for about 12 years. Every year I fix the winter gremlins in the spring, do a little tuning, add a new toy or modification, and then I just love my boat again. The '01 VLX is just a work horse for us. I've got the Sunsetter VLX which is the diamond hull. But with the weight that's been described here I get a really fun wave. Wakeboarding is fun. Kneeboarding is fun. Slalom is fun. I've even changed the prop, put a boom on it, and taken some folks (not me!) barefooting. Definitely upgrade it and get used to the boat. Figure out what you do and don't like. I've spent quite a bit over the years on plumbing in ballast, installing lots of sounds, and adding stuff (some gimmicks some not). With my SlurpeeGate I don't feel like I have to get a Surfgate boat. And I never feel like I'm compromising my lake time because the boat isn't modern.

I think I'd like a new boat someday just to have a new boat for once. I'm in enough new ones every year and I've only ever bought used so it's something I'd like to do at least once in the future. The '15 VLX is the closest I've come in a long time to selling. I'd like the surf-gate and the larger interior space and better tower. But I'm not keen on all the bling and the touch panels. You can't fix those yourself. And even with the diamond hull option I'm not sure I'd get the crossover performance I've become fond of.

Keep it for a couple years. Mine hasn't gone down in value for several years. So that should continue onwards. You won't lose any real money and you'll just refine what it is you look for in your next boat. The other upside to a 15 year old boat is you don't flinch nearly as much as you would in a new boat when it comes time to drill holes and make modifications.

The the wife and I just bought our 01' VLX about a month ago... before that we were in the offshore boat scene(27' fountain fever) . The reason for the change in boats is we moved and now live on a inland lake and decided to go with a wakeboard boat. Now we are really into the watersports... mostly wakesurfing. We can have more than 4 people on the boat compared to our fountain and its been awesome. In all its been the best move we made getting this boat, besides moving on the lake. But now... I am already wanting a newer boat... dont get me wrong the 01 is a very nice boat, but Ive been in a few others... a 08' vlx and a 10' vlx and I guess its the whole updated look thing and the hull is better deal.

So I guess the question is that... does it make sense to upgrade this quick? We are just getting into all this(first vdrive, watersports) and maybe its the right thing to just hold on too the 01 for a few years OR maybe sell now and upgrade in the spring? We got a pretty dang good price with the 01 and it does have decent wake for surfing with the added 800lbs in the lockers and some other ballast bags that came with it. I have the wicked wake gate on order that will be ready next week... if we kept the 01 i would like to upgrade the stereo and fix a seat or two. Just not sure... any of you been in this position?

[UWSkier]

Hey, I have been going through that train of thought for about 12 years. Every year I fix the winter gremlins in the spring, do a little tuning, add a new toy or modification, and then I just love my boat again. The '01 VLX is just a work horse for us. I've got the Sunsetter VLX which is the diamond hull. But with the weight that's been described here I get a really fun wave. Wakeboarding is fun. Kneeboarding is fun. Slalom is fun. I've even changed the prop, put a boom on it, and taken some folks (not me!) barefooting. Definitely upgrade it and get used to the boat. Figure out what you do and don't like. I've spent quite a bit over the years on plumbing in ballast, installing lots of sounds, and adding stuff (some gimmicks some not). With my SlurpeeGate I don't feel like I have to get a Surfgate boat. And I never feel like I'm compromising my lake time because the boat isn't modern.

I think I'd like a new boat someday just to have a new boat for once. I'm in enough new ones every year and I've only ever bought used so it's something I'd like to do at least once in the future. The '15 VLX is the closest I've come in a long time to selling. I'd like the surf-gate and the larger interior space and better tower. But I'm not keen on all the bling and the touch panels. You can't fix those yourself. And even with the diamond hull option I'm not sure I'd get the crossover performance I've become fond of.

Keep it for a couple years. Mine hasn't gone down in value for several years. So that should continue onwards. You won't lose any real money and you'll just refine what it is you look for in your next boat. The other upside to a 15 year old boat is you don't flinch nearly as much as you would in a new boat when it comes time to drill holes and make modifications.

I'm sure you WOULDN'T get the crossover performance of our beloved SSVLXes. I'm still amazed at the wake of that thing at 34 and 36 MPH especially.

[jonredcorn]

Sell now and upgrade in spring would be a poor choice financially. Buy now and sell in spring would work out better. Buy low, sell high.

Well this is what I did and it worked out very well. Upgraded after one summer. Bought my '05 over the winter (late fall from TX) and sold my '01 in the Spring. I did have to get a line of credit, placing my car as collateral and all that junk, making it a bit more complicated... but it definitely paid off!

I am so glad I upgraded. Nothing wrong with the 2001, but man the 2005+ VLXs are so much bigger feeling inside and exactly what I was looking for.

I found a great deal on storing my boats and did have to have a double-boat party for a month or so... but I'm glad I went through the effort!

[FarmerB]

Well fellas... thanks for all the advice and intel, Ill hold on too her for few years. We normally have a crew of 4-6 people and once a year or so we have a crew of 9-10 people for a party at the house like we just had last weekend and to be honest... it wasnt too bad with the room we had. Then again 4 of the girls were only 105lbs LOL. This forum is really great too... really enjoy the people on here. WAY better then my offshore forum where people are calling out on other people about how stupid there motors are OR if your boat is older than a 2000 model you aren't in the club... was really sick of that crap.

Thanks again guys!

[FarmerB]

I was in your position 3 years ago. We bought our first wakeboat (07 vRide) and fell in love with surfing (hitting 40 did that I believe). We got use to a v-drive and an inboard. We are now upgrading to a '16 Axis T22. I'm glad we started with the vRide and got a lot of experience and learned what we liked and what we wanted. This is a great forum and I have been reading for years (never post, until recently) and have learned so much. Welcome to the Crew!

[williemon]

Makes me glad I chose the 01 SSVLX