What's new for 2017

[IXFE]

10 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

I guess there are more people in the world who let their day get ruined by something superficial that I'd think.  For me that'd be the sort of thing I'd look at the first time, think to myself, "man, they cheaped out there," and then never ever once think about it on the water.

Let me clarify... My day ain't ruined. I hope My comment didn't come off snobby.  I think I've been pretty clear from the beginning that I think it's a sweet boat with a ton of value. Literally the only critique I've thrown at it is the lack of combing pads in the walkway. I've lobbed the same complaint at $125k Supras. What can I say... I like V8's, nine irons, and combing pads!  

My brother is actually pretty stoked on the 21 VLX. To be honest, if I could get an LSV wave out of it I'd probably buy it. My boats have gotten too expensive and it would be nice to have a boat that fits easily in just ONE bay of my garage. 

Oh, and while I'm heaping praise... The G3.5 is sweet. That locking mechanism has me seriously questioning the G4 going forward. 

[bamabonners]

It is very confusing to me as to why they would come back out with the 21 vlx and make it a "budget" wakesetter.  Many of us started with the vlx and moved up, but the vlx was the flagship boat at the time.  Now, its the budget line....  scratching my head here.

[95echelon]

35 minutes ago, bamabonners said:

It is very confusing to me as to why they would come back out with the 21 vlx and make it a "budget" wakesetter.  Many of us started with the vlx and moved up, but the vlx was the flagship boat at the time.  Now, its the budget line....  scratching my head here.

If the msrp is 110 as stated in the other thread then the pricing may just be promotional to launch a new style. 

[KentC]

3 hours ago, IXFE said:

Oh, and while I'm heaping praise... The G3.5 is sweet. That locking mechanism has me seriously questioning the G4 going forward. 

As far as the 3.5 goes, one thing that I haven't heard mentioned yet is whether it locks in the down position for towing like the G4.  That's one of the main things that is making me think G4 on this years purchase.  I tow long distance frequently and the ability to keep from having to worry about the bug issues on the tower is huge for me.  I also like the ability to cover the boat with the tower in the down position.  Anybody got any info on this?  

[gahvey]

My dealer said it cannot be locked in the down position....it is just an upgrade from the 3.2 tower.  He said some people did not like how the locking tabs worked on the tower so the new one is to help with that.  I like the G4 tower for its locking abilities in the down position too but the 7k upcharge is a little much for me.

[UWSkier]

The 21 VLX is really the NXT hunter.  Axis is losing a lot to the NXT line even though it's supposedly Malibu's answer.  People want the touch screen and the Malibu name.  Thus the 21 VLX.

[teamerickson]

5 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

Axis is losing a lot to the NXT line even though it's supposedly Malibu's answer. 

Really? Not in this area.

[UWSkier]

Just now, teamerickson said:

Really? Not in this area.

Out with a Malibu and Axis dealer yesterday and that was his statement on the genesis of the 21.  I don't have facts to back it.

[Woodski]

@oldjeep:  Off topic but 'trick' question for Old Jeep and S McQ fans, how many hubcaps for the real one?  How many people know what the heck I am referring to?

[95echelon]

I have thoughts about this yesterday as I had a 6 hour drive from work and had heard that aziz ansari album too many times.

when this came out I thought it could be the new boat for me. But what I keep coming back to is size (not neccecarily options, I wouldn't be able to buy one with tons of bling anyway). I have a vlx that is larger than this one already, so what that tells me is that they broke the lineage. It isn't smaller because people wanted smaller. It's smaller to be LESS.

its a little more than an NXT in features, and a lot more than an axis (no hate to our axis brothers), but after thinking about this for a couple of days @85 Barefoot is right. It doesn't deserve to be called a VLX.

the VLX has been with us over a decade. Always improving, always growing and bringing us more. They could have launched a shorter one, but instead they dialed it back. It cheapens the brand and the lineage, only time will tell by how much.

 

Ps-Gotta be something about bullit @Woodski

[Suggy]

2 hours ago, UWSkier said:

The 21 VLX is really the NXT hunter.  Axis is losing a lot to the NXT line even though it's supposedly Malibu's answer.  People want the touch screen and the Malibu name.  Thus the 21 VLX.

Axis losing to NXT? Seriously?  Those people must not have rode behind them before they bought.  I demoed a 22NXT and T22 within a week of each other and the NXT wakeboard and surf wake did not impress me.  We also sacked the heck out of both boats and the T22 handled it much better than the upgraded engine on the NXT.  Obviously a Malibu fan, so liked the interior and everything else on the Axis.  I can't see people liking the NXT line, but I'm biased as well.  Would be interesting to talk to a MC dealer and see how they're selling.

[boardjnky4]

LOL Axis is NOT losing to NXT... certainly not in my market

[DarkSide]

There are those who want the side to say "Mastercraft" "Malibu" or "Nautique" so even though the Axis is a better boat than the NXT, the perception COULD be it's a tier 2 brand so it's inferior.    

I personally agree Axis is much nicer boat and T22 is awesome!  The only downside to the uneducated buyer is it says Axis not Malibu....

[95echelon]

Just now, DarkSide said:

There are those who want the side to say "Mastercraft" "Malibu" or "Nautique" so even though the Axis is a better boat than the NXT, the perception COULD be it's a tier 2 brand so it's inferior.    

I personally agree Axis is much nicer boat and T22 is awesome!  The only downside to the uneducated buyer is it says Axis not Malibu....

If you ask the folks on my lake they are all "mastercrafts" anyway. Even though we have a Malibu dealer on the lake. 

[moski]

On July 28, 2016 at 0:50 PM, Woodski said:

I second that and just to throw out some comments although knowing the design cycle for a new for '17 boat is pretty much done, here are some qualities I like (some on 'other' vessels) and knowing I am in the minority or a niche buyer:

1. easy step over to transom, which kind of means no full width back seat or trunk and might include a step (pretty much what the 'other three' now have so it would be copying them which reduces differentiation & not necessarily a good thing for the brand if the trunk is a key 'Bu feature, just not what I want)
2. covered ski storage along gunnel (so not to screw up my #1) as I don't want my ski sitting out exposed to sun (so now you know what ski I am on!) and helps reduce clutter
3. Low dash for forward visibility, keep the Murphy display for ZO functions, and include a water & air temp on the tournament page
4. binding lube / soap holder somewhere on transom...how many times is soap in the middle of the boat or under some else's gear!
5. lightweight powertrain & a focus on reducing overall boat weight

Just as a general comment, the MC/CC/CP tournament ski boats all seemed to refocus the design towards the hard core slalom or 3 event ski by doing away with back seats / sunpads / rear trunks, etc.  much to my personal liking and Malibu appears to have stayed their brand identity as having a superb wake but still targeted to family activities post ski runs.  So the question for me would be if they want to stay the course, how can you make both attributes attainable or how do you make the boat convertible to either scenario -and- keep cost in mind as that would not be cost free.

I currently have a 1997 MC prostar 205.  great boat and all, but looking to upgrade.  A buddy that i ski thru the course with and barefoot with has a 2014 malibu lx (just a little smaller then the txi) or something and he also has a Malibu Wakesetter.  The boat is really nice.  i've always been closed minded and just thought Mastercraft.  My next purchase will either be:  Malibu TXI, Mastercraft prostar 197, or Ski Nautique 200 ob.  But as I am looking around and talking to other folks i feel myself really eyeing up the Malibu TXI vs the prostar 197 & ski nautique 200ob.   

my background:  i ski 15 off at mph.   hitting the course 95% all the way thru.  so i will be bumping up the speed now.  I also barefoot, just not long line.  My wife and kids (9 yr old daughter and 7 yr old son) are loving and getting better each day.  my kids this summer started to barefoot and love it.  my daughter is now getting up on slalom ski. my son is on combo skis.  

1)  I hear Ski Nautique has the best slalom wakes (even from my buddy that has the Malibu) and it tracks the best.  but i hear for barefooting long line (which i am not doing just yet but i plan too though) it sucks.  Also from a family standpoint there the 200 ob does not seem that family oriented, no sunpad, storage looks less then the other 2 boats.

2) MC prostar 197 seems best of both worlds.  great ski boat w/ good amount of storage, sunpad, etc......    from what im hearing and reading the slalom wakes or good, but compared to the other two (TXI and the SN 200 ob) they have better wakes at more line lengths.  I have heard at certain line lengths the 197 wakes are really nice.    How is barefooting on the boom?  how is barefooting longline?

3)  Malibu txi (looking for 2014 and up).   seems its great at everything.  great wakes at all line lengths.  great family boat.  driving my buddies Malibu feels great.  I would like to see them though to be able to take back seat and make larger sun pad for the family.  with my current boat you can store stuff under the backseat, not sure on the TXI.  I hear TXI tracking is great.   cool that they have the wedge.   I like the factory ballast tanks that you can put in them, if your building your own boat.  How are the factory ballast tanks and hows the wake for trick skiing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing?  Having the factory ballast tanks in the boat but of course empty,  has that effected the slalom wake at all?     I would like to be like my buddy, have a slalom and barefoot inboard boat for morning and night playing then a wakeboard boat for during the day and when you have extra people with you.  But i cant pull two boats off.   So i need 1 boat that does it all.  I am leaning and probably will buy the TXI.   great ski boat and great boat post ski runs w/ the family, wedge & factory ballast for the other activities.  great slalom wakes at all line lengths.

Any advice from anybody would be great.  

The above info on the 3 boats, is that a fair to say correct assumption.  I don't have experience behind any of these three, its just what ive heard and read on other forums.

I would like to purchase 1 - 2 years.  my wife said we can purchase around 4 years (she orginally said 5 years but i have her down to 4 years.  :-).     

Not sure what Malibu plans for the future for the TXI, but I hope Malibu keeps the TXI like it is and stays w/ their brand identity as having superb wake but still good family activities post ski and barefoot runs. 

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by moski

[WakeSwagger]

The tower lights are now LED on both the G4 and G3.5

[DarkSide]

5 hours ago, moski said:

I currently have a 1997 MC prostar 205.  great boat and all, but looking to upgrade.  A buddy that i ski thru the course with and barefoot with has a 2014 malibu lx (just a little smaller then the txi) or something and he also has a Malibu Wakesetter.  The boat is really nice.  i've always been closed minded and just thought Mastercraft.  My next purchase will either be:  Malibu TXI, Mastercraft prostar 197, or Ski Nautique 200 ob.  But as I am looking around and talking to other folks i feel myself really eyeing up the Malibu TXI vs the prostar 197 & ski nautique 200ob.   

my background:  i ski 15 off at mph.   hitting the course 95% all the way thru.  so i will be bumping up the speed now.  I also barefoot, just not long line.  My wife and kids (9 yr old daughter and 7 yr old son) are loving and getting better each day.  my kids this summer started to barefoot and love it.  my daughter is now getting up on slalom ski. my son is on combo skis.  

1)  I hear Ski Nautique has the best slalom wakes (even from my buddy that has the Malibu) and it tracks the best.  but i hear for barefooting long line (which i am not doing just yet but i plan too though) it sucks.  Also from a family standpoint there the 200 ob does not seem that family oriented, no sunpad, storage looks less then the other 2 boats.

2) MC prostar 197 seems best of both worlds.  great ski boat w/ good amount of storage, sunpad, etc......    from what im hearing and reading the slalom wakes or good, but compared to the other two (TXI and the SN 200 ob) they have better wakes at more line lengths.  I have heard at certain line lengths the 197 wakes are really nice.    How is barefooting on the boom?  how is barefooting longline?

3)  Malibu txi (looking for 2014 and up).   seems its great at everything.  great wakes at all line lengths.  great family boat.  driving my buddies Malibu feels great.  I would like to see them though to be able to take back seat and make larger sun pad for the family.  with my current boat you can store stuff under the backseat, not sure on the TXI.  I hear TXI tracking is great.   cool that they have the wedge.   I like the factory ballast tanks that you can put in them, if your building your own boat.  How are the factory ballast tanks and hows the wake for trick skiing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing?  Having the factory ballast tanks in the boat but of course empty,  has that effected the slalom wake at all?     I would like to be like my buddy, have a slalom and barefoot inboard boat for morning and night playing then a wakeboard boat for during the day and when you have extra people with you.  But i cant pull two boats off.   So i need 1 boat that does it all.  I am leaning and probably will buy the TXI.   great ski boat and great boat post ski runs w/ the family, wedge & factory ballast for the other activities.  great slalom wakes at all line lengths.

Any advice from anybody would be great.  

The above info on the 3 boats, is that a fair to say correct assumption.  I don't have experience behind any of these three, its just what ive heard and read on other forums.

I would like to purchase 1 - 2 years.  my wife said we can purchase around 4 years (she orginally said 5 years but i have her down to 4 years.  :-).     

Not sure what Malibu plans for the future for the TXI, but I hope Malibu keeps the TXI like it is and stays w/ their brand identity as having superb wake but still good family activities post ski and barefoot runs. 

 

@ahopkinsTXi is the guy to answer a lot of these questions.

Outstanding first post by the way!  Welcome aboard!

[oldjeep]

5 hours ago, moski said:

I currently have a 1997 MC prostar 205.  great boat and all, but looking to upgrade.  A buddy that i ski thru the course with and barefoot with has a 2014 malibu lx (just a little smaller then the txi) or something and he also has a Malibu Wakesetter.  The boat is really nice.  i've always been closed minded and just thought Mastercraft.  My next purchase will either be:  Malibu TXI, Mastercraft prostar 197, or Ski Nautique 200 ob.  But as I am looking around and talking to other folks i feel myself really eyeing up the Malibu TXI vs the prostar 197 & ski nautique 200ob.   

my background:  i ski 15 off at mph.   hitting the course 95% all the way thru.  so i will be bumping up the speed now.  I also barefoot, just not long line.  My wife and kids (9 yr old daughter and 7 yr old son) are loving and getting better each day.  my kids this summer started to barefoot and love it.  my daughter is now getting up on slalom ski. my son is on combo skis.  

1)  I hear Ski Nautique has the best slalom wakes (even from my buddy that has the Malibu) and it tracks the best.  but i hear for barefooting long line (which i am not doing just yet but i plan too though) it sucks.  Also from a family standpoint there the 200 ob does not seem that family oriented, no sunpad, storage looks less then the other 2 boats.

2) MC prostar 197 seems best of both worlds.  great ski boat w/ good amount of storage, sunpad, etc......    from what im hearing and reading the slalom wakes or good, but compared to the other two (TXI and the SN 200 ob) they have better wakes at more line lengths.  I have heard at certain line lengths the 197 wakes are really nice.    How is barefooting on the boom?  how is barefooting longline?

3)  Malibu txi (looking for 2014 and up).   seems its great at everything.  great wakes at all line lengths.  great family boat.  driving my buddies Malibu feels great.  I would like to see them though to be able to take back seat and make larger sun pad for the family.  with my current boat you can store stuff under the backseat, not sure on the TXI.  I hear TXI tracking is great.   cool that they have the wedge.   I like the factory ballast tanks that you can put in them, if your building your own boat.  How are the factory ballast tanks and hows the wake for trick skiing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing?  Having the factory ballast tanks in the boat but of course empty,  has that effected the slalom wake at all?     I would like to be like my buddy, have a slalom and barefoot inboard boat for morning and night playing then a wakeboard boat for during the day and when you have extra people with you.  But i cant pull two boats off.   So i need 1 boat that does it all.  I am leaning and probably will buy the TXI.   great ski boat and great boat post ski runs w/ the family, wedge & factory ballast for the other activities.  great slalom wakes at all line lengths.

Any advice from anybody would be great.  

The above info on the 3 boats, is that a fair to say correct assumption.  I don't have experience behind any of these three, its just what ive heard and read on other forums.

I would like to purchase 1 - 2 years.  my wife said we can purchase around 4 years (she orginally said 5 years but i have her down to 4 years.  :-).     

Not sure what Malibu plans for the future for the TXI, but I hope Malibu keeps the TXI like it is and stays w/ their brand identity as having superb wake but still good family activities post ski and barefoot runs. 

 

When you say Prostar 197 - are you talking about the older boats? (2013 and older) or the 2014 and up Prostar?

If you mean the 2013 and older then I don't care much for the wake at 15 off behind that boat (30-32).  I used to occasionally ski behind one of the promo boats that was used locally - 2012? WTT and the wake was pretty hard on one side compared to the Malibu LXI that I ski the course behind most often.  You'll also need a good chiropractor driving or riding in the mastercrafts, for whatever reason the ride inside is pretty harsh compared to the Malibus and Nautiques I've been in.

Edited August 12, 2016 by oldjeep

[moski]

7 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

When you say Prostar 197 - are you talking about the older boats? (2013 and older) or the 2014 and up Prostar?

If you mean the 2013 and older then I don't care much for the wake at 15 off behind that boat (30-32).  I used to occasionally ski behind one of the promo boats that was used locally - 2012? WTT and the wake was pretty hard on one side compared to the Malibu LXI that I ski the course behind most often.  You'll also need a good chiropractor driving or riding in the mastercrafts, for whatever reason the ride inside is pretty harsh compared to the Malibus and Nautiques I've been in.

Thank you Darkside and oldjeep for the advice.  

Oldjeep: when I say  Prostar 197, yes I do mean the 197 (like a 2012 or 2013 model).  I don't care for the new style Prostars that came out in 2014--- Don't seem as family friendly.  

Thank you again.  

I hope Malibu txi ---- does not change up to much in the next few years.   Great looking boat.  From what I'm hearing and reading great at everything else: slalom, tracking, family, wedge and factory ballast.  If they do change I hope it's very little minor changes.

 

[KentC]

Finally!

 

http://malibuboats.com/mxz

[shawndoggy]

47 minutes ago, KentC said:

Finally!

 

http://malibuboats.com/mxz

As much as we whine, seeing the website updated mid August is still an improvement over prior years.

[ahopkins22LSV]

@moski

In my opinion the TXi is by far the best all around boat. It has the most storage and seating out of the others. The slalom wake is just as good or better depending on who you are as the prostar or sn200. All three wakes are slightly different but they are all very good. The TXi model really improved the 30-34mph long line lengths.

The barefoot wake will be much better on the TXi then the sn200. The sn uses a lot of white wash to create the soft wake plus the hull uses a lot of surface area to create lift so it has a lower top end does not get to speed as fast.

I don't have ballast in mine and honestly didn't know it was an option. I will say when I have six to eight friends in the boat, the wake looks very respectable at 20-22mph. Add a tower and a wedge and I would imagine most people would be pretty happy with it. 

I think I recall seeing a custom mod on here at one point that someone made a collapsible stand for their rear bench seat to create a larger sun pad. 

 

Also, in this thread (I'm on my phone so searching is tough) I described what I know about the 2017 response. It is being completely redesigned. I hope they keep the family friendly aspects of the current boat. Not all of us skiers want to go ski then come back to the dock to not use the boat until the next ski set again.  But I haven't seen it yet. 

Edited August 13, 2016 by ahopkinsTXi
2017 info

[KentC]

Can we get a 2017 22/24 MXZ thread started?  I am waiting to see reviews and comments on them as they are popping up everywhere now!  Biggest thing I am waiting on is the comparison between the surfwake on the current 23 LSV and the new 22 MXZ.  that will be my decision maker! 

[3sport]

6 hours ago, ahopkinsTXi said:

@moski

In my opinion the TXi is by far the best all around boat. It has the most storage and seating out of the others. The slalom wake is just as good or better depending on who you are as the prostar or sn200. All three wakes are slightly different but they are all very good. The TXi model really improved the 30-34mph long line lengths.

The barefoot wake will be much better on the TXi then the sn200. The sn uses a lot of white wash to create the soft wake plus the hull uses a lot of surface area to create lift so it has a lower top end does not get to speed as fast.

I don't have ballast in mine and honestly didn't know it was an option. I will say when I have six to eight friends in the boat, the wake looks very respectable at 20-22mph. Add a tower and a wedge and I would imagine most people would be pretty happy with it. 

I think I recall seeing a custom mod on here at one point that someone made a collapsible stand for their rear bench seat to create a larger sun pad. 

 

Also, in this thread (I'm on my phone so searching is tough) I described what I know about the 2017 response. It is being completely redesigned. I hope they keep the family friendly aspects of the current boat. Not all of us skiers want to go ski then come back to the dock to not use the boat until the next ski set again.  But I haven't seen it yet. 

@ahopkinsTXi any experience behind the carbon pro?  If so, just curious of your impressions?

[85 Barefoot]

2 minutes ago, 3sport said:

@ahopkinsTXi any experience behind the carbon pro?  If so, just curious of your impressions?

I've skied it several times. Low wakes but on firmer side at 28.  22 Rooster manageable.  I did't go shorter than 32.  Loud as can be in boat.  Wake-wise, I'd say its most like the last gen prostar.