Malibu LSV or VLX ski wakes

[Rosco]

Looking to get out of my Mastercraft and back into a Malibu. I previously had a 23' XTI that skied awesome along with wakeboarding. It was not equipped with the power wedge so I'm unfamiliar with the capabilities. Looking at finding a used but newer (2011-2014) 23' LSV or 21 1/2' VLX. But before the searching gets serious; I'm curious to see what the ski wakes look like. Anyone have pics to post? Thanks

[minnmarker]

Sorry no pictures but I can tell you that the 21.5 LSV with Diamond hull has a nice wake for recreational slalom skiing. Not tournament or even heavy practice around buoys nice, but much better than "wake" or "V" hull boats. I regularly ski 15 off at 34 mph making "close to course" turns and pulls and have no trouble with going over the wake. At full line there is a rooster tail there at 34 mph but I never ski at 75 feet anyway. At anything below 32 you start to see a bigger wake height and they get a bit farther apart - as one would expect. For more novice slalom skiers that are not doing hard pulls, the wake is just fine from 28 mph on up. As with any boat, the more you load your crew up front and the less total weight you have the better.

We do not use the wedge for slalom (not designed for that) but use it all the time for boarding and surfing.

If you want a boat that will do a good job for slalom, boarding, and surf the key words are Diamond Hull.

[jaciche]

I will also add that in the years you are looking at, I'm not sure that you can buy a VLX with a diamond hull vs. them coming with a wake hull.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/topic/22356-vlx-diamond-or-vtx/

The LSV will surely have a worse ski wake because of the extra weight of the boat. What's the average size of your crew? The 20' Wakesetter VTX in '14 and newer is excellent for all 3 disciplines. 13/14 was the first year of the surfgate and optional screw-in center pylon for skiing if that interests you. You will sacrifice the ski wake for a nicer/bigger wake and surf wake with a heavier and longer boat. I would make a decision based on your average crew size and what the boat will be used for most of the time or the time spent pulling each discipline. That's my .02

Edited February 17, 2016 by jaciche

[isellacuras]

I will also add that in the years you are looking at, I'm not sure that you can buy a VLX with a diamond hull vs. them coming with a wake hull.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/topic/22356-vlx-diamond-or-vtx/

The LSV will surely have a worse ski wake because of the extra weight of the boat. What's the average size of your crew? The 20' Wakesetter VTX in '14 and newer is excellent for all 3 disciplines. 13/14 was the first year of the surfgate and optional screw-in center pylon for skiing if that interests you. You will sacrifice the ski wake for a nicer/bigger wake and surf wake with a heavier and longer boat. I would make a decision based on your average crew size and what the boat will be used for most of the time or the time spent pulling each discipline. That's my .02

I have a 12 vlx on a diamond hull. It has a decent ski wake, great wakeboard wake and I can get a respectable wave. 2011 and 12 are not going to have surfgate while 13 and 14 will. You should see a pretty significant price difference between a 12 and 13. I am completely satisfied with my 2012. It does all I want it to do. Holds up to about 7 or 8 comfortably, and has ample storage. we literally do it all behind my boat. Wakeboard, foil, surf, ski, kneeboard, wakeskate, barefoot, tube in that order. If you are going to surf a lot, consider getting into a surfgate boat. If not, the 11 and 12 are great crossover boats. I would throw 2010 into the mix also since it is the same hull with the G3. imo the vlx is a great crossover boat if boarding is your primary discipline and skiing is a little ways down on your list. We ski it pretty hard and it gets it done. I will look for some ski pics. If skiing is a higher priority, the VTX should be a contender.