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211 vs VLX


RIMangum

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So it is boat buying time and I am stuck between a SV211 and a VLX. Does anyone have experience with both boats and can point out pros and cons of each? At the end of the day both boats are pricing out about the same with the options I want. Both dealers are top notch from my personal experience and from talking to customers of both that I know outside the dealership. I am now adding up the pros and cons I have read about each and observed on demo's, but was looking to see if someone with experience on both could add some insight?

RIMangum

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I'm surprised they are pricing out the same, but then again I've never priced out a SV211, so maybe they are cheaper than other CC's.

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I'm surprised they price out the same too.

Both are great, top notch boats. I think the wake on a VLX is better and then it comes to your preference on how you like your boat laid out. Can't go wrong with either, so just demo and buy the one your love the most.

Good Luck and happy buying.

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Malibu has pretty much caught up to CC in pricing...as they should be imho. They are of equal quality, something which CC will always deny. As far as a comparison between the boats, I've looked at both of them side by side on my dealer's floor. I think all Malibus have better esthetics than the Correct Craft boats. I just wasn't real impressed with the fit and finish of the newer Nautiques. The bu's just seem more sporty to me. They are also roomier than the comparable CC models. I'm not real impressed with the way the CC Hulls look either...they kind of look like a tug boat on the water. I like the lower profile look of the bu better. This is all personal preference though.

But, if you want a boat that you can ski behind as well as wakeboard, the 211 might be right. The VLX wake is pretty harsh even with no ballast. The one or two people that have skied behind my boat mentioned the bumpy ride in the middle. Correct Craft is still a primo ride, but Malibu is right there with them now. Maybe look at one of the bu's with a more hybrid hull so you can do both. Either way, good luck!

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Yes, actually, I have experience with both. For the last 3 years I was a Nautique Promo guy. I have had 3 210's and ran a 211 when they came out. Actually sold one to my friend. I am now a Malibu Promo guy. I honestly feel that Nautique builds a great boat, there is no bad blood (at least on my view) with them. Each have their pros and cons. What you really should ask yourself, is what are you going to be doing with the boat. I can tell you that the 211 is a good Jack-of-all-trades, master of none, type boat. It produces a so so stock wakeboard wake and a so so Slalom wake. It is a good driving boat with very little Bow Rise. The VLX is IMHO the best Stock wakeboard wake in the industry. Everytime I take someone who either sells or owns a different boat out on my wake, with stock ballast and power wedge, they are amazed at the size and transition that this boat can produce. Slalom wake is another story, the VLX definitely shows its V-drive'ness by producing a pretty hard, medium sized wake at 15 off. Not something I would like to go through a course on.

If this is a family boat, and you have small kids, like I do, the VLX has a much better design. I never really liked the walkthrough back of the 226 and 211. Makes it easy on the kiddos to get out of the boat. Sometimes not a good thing. The VLX has quite a bit more standard seating room and is significantly deeper inside. The seats on the VLX are not quite so vertical as the 211, but more so than the 210, if that bothers you. There is definitely more storage on the VLX compared to the 211 if you run ballast. Without ballast tanks, they are about the same, maybe a little more in the VLX, not sure. I like the hard cooler option on the 211 with the door. I also really like the push button ignition. Also, if this is going to be a big water boat, or even a mid-sized public lake, the VLX will ride better through the chop than the 211. The 211 is solid, but you feel it going through the chop. 211 is also a bit more "sporty" type of ride than the VLX, which is more of a luxury type boat.

For what I do , mostly wakeboarding, airchairing, surfing, and hanging out with the kids, the VLX wins hands down for me. If you live on a small-medium sized private lake, or have access to one, and you like to do 3 event, Slalom, trick, Jump, and wakeboard, surf, a little also, then I would seriously consider the 211.

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All,

Thank you for your responses.

First off I focus more on Wakeboarding than Skiing but wanted to keep the option there. All my skiing will be free skiing as a friend of mine has a ski specific boat. One suggestion my dealer had was to order the VLX with the diamond hull, his thoughts were this would reduce the hardness of the wake some, while only degrading the wake for boarding by about 10%. I am about 50/50 on this choice at this time as I don't know if I will ever need that last 10% and trust what the dealer is telling me.

In addressing the walk thru and children my wife picked that up at first glance and that was a point for the Malibu. We are both fans of the storage, open space, and layout of the VLX. Plus the extended tower bimini is a huge plus for her. On top of that I love the look of boat and tower.

On the 211 side of the house is with the team package you get a amp and sub woofer, keyless ignition, swinging board racks, and the Correct Craft warranty which is a little better than the Malibu. (5 years on everything except the engine/trans 3 for that versus the Malibu at 1 year on the stereo, 3 on everything else.)

So I have demoed both and now have to compare options between them and decide. There could be worst things to choose between. :lol:

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I did the Diamond hull in '04 with Wakesetter color scheme and billets as we mostly board and foil, some slalom left in these old bones. 3 yrs later we're still very happy with the choice. For the best of both it's a hard compromise to beat. I can't speak to the newer models but I believe the Diamond ski wakes on the later (and bigger beam) v drive models is not as nice as the 04's so you'd have to judge for yourself. After demoing both the VLX and Sunscape in my opinion there was a much more significant difference in the slalom wake than the wakeboard wake between the two.

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Before I bought a 210 in Feb. I demoed the 211 and the VLX w/diamond hull. I liked the ski and the wakeboard wake better in the VLX. Liked the layout better in the VLX also. Went with the 210 because of a good deal. Both the 211 and VLX were priced the same.

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I looked briefly at the 211. I was comparing the 226 and the LSV as I wanted something larger.

First off, from the pricing here you are either getting a smoking deal on the 211 or a not so good deal on the VLX, because they were a solid 15K different here. A stripped 211 was still more than 7K more than a VLX in this market.

The 211 is something of an oddity to me. Unlike the 210 and 226, it is a very shallow boat. Storage did not seem to be a priority in the design. It looked like the ultimate compromise boat, would satisfy an ageing skier who wanted a few decent runs but was really to appease his wakeboarding family. The wake was really not very good. Compared with the 210 and 226 is was not only small, but soft, and the boat did not react well to much ballast. The 211 featured a small gate at the transom that could be lifted to change the hull shape in the water. Sort of half attempt at a TAPS or similar system. The Nautique dealer told me if there was only one boat in the world he could own, it would be this boat because he still liked to jump on a slalom ski every once in a while. He also told me the resale on these was not so good as just is little demand. Most people compare the 210 to the VLX.

The VLX on the other hand, well you know the drill, it just does not get any better than the VLX for wakeboarding. It is far more family friendly boat, in my oppinion.

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I have yet to get measurements for you. I am hoping to have some time tonight.

BTW, I would love if you went to Planetnautique.com and asked the same question. It would be interesting to hear the differences between the two.

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