M235 - G Killer?

[IXFE]

Remember when somebody said that Malibu planned to restrict M235 production to twelve boats this year...?  

So as many of you know I was at the factory last Thursday.  I learned that they built twenty-five M's in the month of March alone!  They told me they are on pace to build close to 200 over the first twelve months.  Just for context... the best year they ever had with the 247 was 250 in a year.

Also, I saw no evidence of a separate M235 assembly line.  There is a "big boat" line and a "small boat" line.  The M is on the big boat line along with the 25 LSV, 24 MXZ, and some 23 LSV's.  

Finally, if you're at elevation, Malibu won't sell you the "decontent" package with the 450 motor.  

 

Check out some of these gems (all pics taken on Thursday morning)!

 

No, that's not a 23 LSV topdeck... it's an M235 stringer system!!

 

Fresh out of the mold:  Charcoal metallic + Mocha + Black = one sharp (and BIG) M235

 

Metallic Yellow

 

Purple!! (lots of purple in the factory, actually)

 

Murdered...

 

Our demo rig... aka Batman's boat.  It had 2.0 hours on it.

[saxton15]

Safe to say we were all dead wrong with predicting the M235 would be a tough sell.  It really is a BIG boat isn't it?  Just looking at that stern picture of the purple one, it is very deep.  How was the demo IXFE?

 

[tn_rider]

Bump. Yes it's a really BIG boat 

[Murphy8166]

Everything is BIGGER in TEXAS.  That above picture is Waterski America in Dallas delivering an M235!

[IXFE]

On April 19, 2016 at 7:12 PM, saxton15 said:

Safe to say we were all dead wrong with predicting the M235 would be a tough sell.  It really is a BIG boat isn't it?  Just looking at that stern picture of the purple one, it is very deep.  How was the demo IXFE?

 

The demo was a lot of fun. The M is a very impressive machine.

I was with a buddy who rides regular. I ride goofy. So we got to see both sides in action. We also dumped ballast at the end and drove it unloaded. 

It was an absolutely gorgeous day out on the Tennessee River.  Air was 84; water 64.  What an awesome riding spot that is right behind the factory!

Setup: all hard tanks full + 550's in the lockers. Wedge on the "lift" setting (more on this later). Three guys in the boat, nobody in the bow. Speed was 11.0 - 11.5.

Board: they had a really BIG Slingshot on the boat when we got there. I was like, "Is this the only board you have?" The guy doing the demo offered to grab his personal board out of his car; it was Hyperlite Shim with only a small center fin.  I thought that was an odd setup since it's not exactly a slim board, but whatever.  It seemed like an improvement over the Slingshot board that appeared to be at least a foot longer... but secretly I wished I'd brought my own board.  You'll see in the video below where I almost fall off because the board slide out.  I have another video where I do eat it (face first into the wave) when this board slips out from under me.  

Regular: the regular side is the best Malibu SG wave I've ever witnessed. It is very tall, long, and more importantly has a nice shape (steep with a defined lip). This is very different from what I've seen on any of my previous SG boat where the regular wave is can be long, but tends to be a little more "rolled over" at the top.  The M is not like that at all. I don't know how Malibu achieved this, but I believe it should address concerns some regular riders have with SG waves. 

Take a look at the first pic. The rider is 5'10" and the when he's down in the trough, he wave appears to be chest high. 

 

Goofy: I was less "wowed" by the goofy wave. I may not be the most discerning rider, but it honestly didn't feel or surf that different than my slammed LSV.  So maybe the benefit is simply that it doesn't require all that extra weight. That's  a great benefit for sure, but it didn't appear to be as big an improvement as I saw on the regular side. Don't get me wrong... It was a big, sweet, powerful wave. But didn't seem as tall as the regular side (pics confirm this). Also, If it was my boat I'd be tweeking it for more length.... maybe some lead in the bow or more speed??  It's not that it's a short pocket, just a personal preference... No matter what you give me, I'm always wanting it longer (that's what she said).  The guy running the demo claimed that running the wedge in the "lift" setting accomplishes the same thing as bow weight (pushes the bow down).  The theory sounds good, but I can't help but wonder if running the wedge in that position has a negative impact on the wave.  The guy seemed very confident in this recipe; therefor, I didn't argue with him or ask for changes. I suppose I could have used the surfband to bring the wedge to the down position (i.e. zero clicks), but I forgot.  Bottom line, the goofy wave is nice but not revolutionary, imho. 

Keep in mind, this was my first session of the season and I was riding a board I was not all that comfortable with. 

http://s124.photobucket.com/user/IXFE/media/600736E1-40CF-4EC9-B20C-912E328684DA_zpslf6odpzq.mp4.html

Unloaded: Driving this boat unloaded was probably the most fun I had on the demo. I was quite surprised. I expected a dump truck, but instead got an Escalade!  What I mean by that is... sure it's BIG; sure you're sitting way up high off the water. But she MOVES!!  I rolled onto the throttle from a dead standstill and that boat jumps out of the water. You can both feel and hear the supercharger going to work.  That's more a testament to the engine. But I was also very impressed with how the boat turned and handled as well. I did a bunch of sharp turns and 180's and it felt like a BIG Malibu. It turns great, not that I ever do that in real life. 

Summary: wave improvement is better on regular side than goofy. But overall I was very impressed with this boat. New owners won't be disappointed. I want to ride it again when I'm in mid-season form with my own board!

Edited April 20, 2016 by IXFE

[SSinister06]

That's an awesome boat. I accidentally left my wedge in the lift position surfing last weekend and the wave was indeed better in lift mode than when the wedge was 2 clicks from lift position. Same weight both days, this was on a 22 mxz but it's funny you mentioned that as that was the same result I accidentally stumbled upon.

[Badger]

On 4/18/2016 at 5:33 PM, IXFE said:

 

Our demo rig... aka Batman's boat.  It had 2.0 hours on it.

 

It must have been rough idling around for another 8 hours of engine break-in before they let you surf.

[IXFE]

39 minutes ago, Badger said:

It must have been rough idling around for another 8 hours of engine break-in before they let you surf.

Yeah... it was a very long day. LOL

[Murphy8166]

Really interested to know more about the lift position and effect of the wave

[IXFE]

13 minutes ago, Murphy8166 said:

Really interested to know more about the lift position and effect of the wave

You and me both... it just boggles my mind that you'd go to all that work to sink the stern (hard tanks, PnP, etc.), only to counteract that with lift from the wedge.  

The more I think about it, the more I'm angry at myself for not calling B.S.  I flew all the way to TN to demo the boat with wedge in lift mode??  As my dad would say, "Son... You need to have your head examined."  

[isellacuras]

I would think that 500+# of lead in the bow would be a better solution to bow rise than running the wedge in lift. Jus' sayin'. 

[shawndoggy]

On 4/7/2016 at 7:53 AM, ibelonginprison said:

Raved about the surf wave. And almost back to back demo's between that and a brand new G23 - said the M dwarfed it. Was able to nail switches back and forth, and when he got stuck in the middle he felt like he was on top of a mountain staring down at the world. lol 
 

wow that's weird I can't reply or edit that last one....

Anyhow, I'm expecting a full test on all hulls with PW2 running wedge in lift while surfing.  Pics, vids, measuring tapes, yardsticks, the works.

GO!

[Cipro]

Stupid TVA still has not raised my water....so...no update from me....want to get the break in period over so we can test...

[Tims]

1 hour ago, Cipro said:

Stupid TVA still has not raised my water....so...no update from me....want to get the break in period over so we can test...

 

Load the TVA lake info app onto your phone. It will give you pretty accurate forecasts for lake levels and how we are comparing to historical. Should be at 811 by Saturday

Edited April 21, 2016 by Tims

[Badger]

4 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

 

Anyhow, I'm expecting a full test on all hulls with PW2 running wedge in lift while surfing.  Pics, vids, measuring tapes, yardsticks, the works.

GO!

While you're at it, somebody please run it through the slalom course with the wedge in lift.  Let's see if this could be Malibu's new crossover. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

50 minutes ago, Badger said:

While you're at it, somebody please run it through the slalom course with the wedge in lift.  Let's see if this could be Malibu's new crossover. 

At 34-36mph. 

[SSinister06]

somebody pm'd me about what weight I was running when the wedge was in lift mode so ill throw the info out here. Some of you make a valid point, why sink the stern to lift it but what Malibu is saying is yes it lifts the stern but it helps push the bow down (this is why we run bow weight, to lengthen the surf wake). In the 22 mxz, I was running full stock ballast, wakemakers custom locker bags completely full on both sides, and the fly high 1k lb triangle in the bow with the wedge in lift mode. I'm not nearly as versed in surf weighting the boat as some of you since I just got my boat and have never had one before but the difference was noticeable enough that my dad brought to my attention the wake didn't look as big as the day before (when it was in lift mode). At the time he noticed, the wedge was 2 clicks up from lift position.

[randv]

On 4/21/2016 at 5:45 AM, IXFE said:

You and me both... it just boggles my mind that you'd go to all that work to sink the stern (hard tanks, PnP, etc.), only to counteract that with lift from the wedge.  

The more I think about it, the more I'm angry at myself for not calling B.S.  I flew all the way to TN to demo the boat with wedge in lift mode??  As my dad would say, "Son... You need to have your head examined."  

Need Justgary to chime in here. He seemed pretty clued up on the physics in an old PW2 thread. 

[Stevo]

3 hours ago, randv said:

Need Justgary to chime in here. He seemed pretty clued up on the physics in an old PW2 thread. 

If you throw the "@" symbol in front of his handle it will send him a notification if he has them turned on , @justgary

[JustinHarrelson]

I was the guy in the big-wave photo (without the vest). We took it to that river for a Demo and it was honestly my first time with the boat so there is definitely room to improve and tweak the wave. That is straight out of the box with 550 PnPs in the back. It should have 750s, but there weren't any spares at the shop. It is basically a Creek and there is a lot of wake surfing there. I think people were more worried about not getting a ride behind it than their docks. *Also, we used the wedge. We kinda fiddled between the 2 and 3 spot.*

As for the wave, I am not a wake surfer by any stretch, but I ocean surf as much as I possibly can on the Texas Gulf Coast. Every time I wake surf I imagine my self bottom turning and top turning an ocean wave, but well, short of being a super fun drinking game, it is not that satisfying. This was the first wake surf wave that I have been on that felt very natural. So much so, that the Tuesday after we had some decent swell and I took my 8-6 down to Galveston. I had a really good wave that allowed me to sneak through a section and then it opened up into a waist-high clean line. Hell, it felt just like the M235. I thought it was pretty funny and surfed that wave like I was behind the M. Never thought I would ever experience any crossover that direction.

I wakeboarded behind it too. And it was like my first ride behind a G all over again. It is so big and so different, that it literally kicked my butt. Snappy up and down tricks were a breeze. You could could separate every trick into a trick up and a trick down--Indy shifty to FS 360--I've never done that before. Long edge tricks are going to take a little re-calibration. All Raley tricks felt a little unnatural--like a raley off a double-up--but I really look forward to sorting it out. It is hard not to go big. I was riding somewhere between 75-80ft (I've had to splice my line) at 23.5 with the wedge in the #2 spot (From lift). I typically ride my LSV at the same length and wedge position but about a MPH slower. Sacked out for wakeboarding it is definitely an intense experience. We didn't get a chance to test how mellow the wake could get, but I will next time.

Everything about this boat is completely over the top, but that was what Malibu was shooting for--It really does create its own category.

Edited April 22, 2016 by JustinHarrelson

[JustinHarrelson]

4 hours ago, JustinHarrelson said:

I was the guy in the big-wave photo (without the vest). We took it to that river for a Demo and it was honestly my first time with the boat so there is definitely room to improve and tweak the wave. That is straight out of the box with 550 PnPs in the back. It should have 750s, but there weren't any spares at the shop. It is basically a Creek and there is a lot of wake surfing there. I think people were more worried about not getting a ride behind it than their docks. *Also, we used the wedge. We kinda fiddled between the 2 and 3 spot.*

As for the wave, I am not a wake surfer by any stretch, but I ocean surf as much as I possibly can on the Texas Gulf Coast. Every time I wake surf I imagine my self bottom turning and top turning an ocean wave, but well, short of being a super fun drinking game, it is not that satisfying. This was the first wake surf wave that I have been on that felt very natural. So much so, that the Tuesday after we had some decent swell and I took my 8-6 down to Galveston. I had a really good wave that allowed me to sneak through a section and then it opened up into a waist-high clean line. Hell, it felt just like the M235. I thought it was pretty funny and surfed that wave like I was behind the M. Never thought I would ever experience any crossover that direction.

I wakeboarded behind it too. And it was like my first ride behind a G all over again. It is so big and so different, that it literally kicked my butt. Snappy up and down tricks were a breeze. You could could separate every trick into a trick up and a trick down--Indy shifty to FS 360--I've never done that before. Long edge tricks are going to take a little re-calibration. All Raley tricks felt a little unnatural--like a raley off a double-up--but I really look forward to sorting it out. It is hard not to go big. I was riding somewhere between 75-80ft (I've had to splice my line) at 23.5 with the wedge in the #2 spot (From lift). I typically ride my LSV at the same length and wedge position but about a MPH slower. Sacked out for wakeboarding it is definitely an intense experience. We didn't get a chance to test how mellow the wake could get, but I will next time.

Everything about this boat is completely over the top, but that was what Malibu was shooting for--It really does create its own category.

Okay, this is my repost from this morning. Calling it a G killer isn't fair. There are dudes that are going to buy Nautique no matter what. If you bought a G to be the biggest baddest boat on the lake, oh yeah, this thing will run on your tears. Meet the biggest, baddest boat on the lake.

[wakebrdr94]

The wakeboard wake is SICK!  23mph, full ballast, 750s for PNP, wedge at 2, at 82' and the wake was super clean that far back.  There was a G23 on the water at the same time and they were like "whoa".

 

(I know I know, pics or it didn't happen.  Still waiting for them to text them over)

Edited April 22, 2016 by wakebrdr94

[IXFE]

Just now, wakebrdr94 said:

The wakeboard wake is SICK!  23', full ballast, wedge at 2, at 82' and the wake was super clean that far back.  There was a G23 on the water at the same time and they were like "whoa".

 

(I know I know, pics or it didn't happen.  Still waiting for them to text them over)

Did you get a demo?  Did you surf?

Anxious to hear your impressions and whether it matches mine. 

[ah2oguy]

My M235 Demo.

The boat feels bigger inside and roomier,lots of storage and attention to detail.

We surfed the M with Factory Ballast and no plug and play at 10.5mph. The engine had no problems bringing the boat to life and the wake was super clean left and right with more push than my 15 LSV23.  I noticed you could get deeper in the pocket and able to surf wider outside the boat with no loss of speed.  I started surfing at the Vert Setting which was an impressive powerful wake and then I asked the Driver to switch to ramp Mode (6 wedge setting between vert and ramp)  The Ramp setting mellowed out the wake and drastically dropped the height of the wake with minimal loss of push.  Then I had them switch the wedge to the middle position between ramp and vert and that was my favorite setting.  with the switch form ramp to position 3 you could definitely notice the wake become about 2-1/2 taller and steeper.  Vert Position  put out a 3-1/2 to 4' wake with tons of push.

 

The Wakeboard wake was clean, steep and looked great at any wedge posititon

 

Definitely impressed with the M and definitely a difference in wake compared to the 23LSV

 

[dalt1]

4 hours ago, ah2oguy said:

My M235 Demo.

The boat feels bigger inside and roomier,lots of storage and attention to detail.

We surfed the M with Factory Ballast and no plug and play at 10.5mph. The engine had no problems bringing the boat to life and the wake was super clean left and right with more push than my 15 LSV23.  I noticed you could get deeper in the pocket and able to surf wider outside the boat with no loss of speed.  I started surfing at the Vert Setting which was an impressive powerful wake and then I asked the Driver to switch to ramp Mode (6 wedge setting between vert and ramp)  The Ramp setting mellowed out the wake and drastically dropped the height of the wake with minimal loss of push.  Then I had them switch the wedge to the middle position between ramp and vert and that was my favorite setting.  with the switch form ramp to position 3 you could definitely notice the wake become about 2-1/2 taller and steeper.  Vert Position  put out a 3-1/2 to 4' wake with tons of push.

 

The Wakeboard wake was clean, steep and looked great at any wedge posititon

 

Definitely impressed with the M and definitely a difference in wake compared to the 23LSV

 

Buy it so I can foil behind it this fall.