$79,995 - The Official 2017 21VLX Thread

[Infinitysurf]

I recommend the surf pipe/FAE (fresh air exhaust if you want to google it more) as well. Noticeable difference on fumes behind the boat and a huge difference on noise, not only inside the boat but also surfing/boarding behind it to hear the music playing without having to blast it as loudly. With FAE on my boat, I hear the water bubbling to surface louder than the engine when in idle, one of the best mods I did

[D_Turner]

10 hours ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Hi there - we have ordered our boat and likely won't take delivery of it until Spring. Does anyone have any pictures of the pipe on a 2017 or 2018 VLX?

Have you seen this thread?  Very good info.  It has pictures of the install and includes pictures of the spray at surf/20mph/30mph.  Also this is the aftermarket FAE pipe, not the OEM Malibu surf pipe...very similar products though.  The Malibu pipe I think has an extra flange that possibly reduces spray.

I have a FAE still in the box.  Ordered it in November and boat is in storage so it will be spring before I put it on and test it out for myself.

My VLX has been in for stereo amp problems.   They fixed one of the problems(tower speaker static/buzzing), told me the other problem is 'normal'(interior speaker dropout).  Nothing in the first 30 hours to keep me off the water though. 

 

Edited February 1, 2018 by D_Turner
more info

[Fman]

23 hours ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Hi there - we have ordered our boat and likely won't take delivery of it until Spring. Does anyone have any pictures of the pipe on a 2017 or 2018 VLX?

Here is a pic of the surf pipe.  I am a huge advocate on the surf pipe option, we do a lot of cancer research in my profession and CO is top of the list for causing many different kinds of cancer.  I can't really see any reason why someone would not order it, is it worth the risk and exposure to your family and friends for less than a 1k?  Have you priced one out from your dealer ordering it with the boat?

Edited February 1, 2018 by Fman

[WhiteWaterWeb]

Thanks Fman...definitely giving this some thought. I have asked our dealer for a quote.

Cheers.

[Suggy]

On 2/1/2018 at 11:48 AM, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Thanks Fman...definitely giving this some thought. I have asked our dealer for a quote.

Cheers.

You can't order a 21VLX or 21MLX from the factory with a surf pipe. Your dealer or you will have to add an FAE surf pipe after the fact, and the issue with the FAE is the spray at higher speeds. Read that thread though above that someone posted.

[IXFE]

Murdered out 21 VLX

 

[Scott1969]

On ‎2‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 11:48 AM, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Thanks Fman...definitely giving this some thought. I have asked our dealer for a quote.

Cheers.

My dealer installed the factory Malibu surf pipe on my 2017 21VLX for around $1,600. It was the first one they had ever installed. I inquired about the FAE option but my dealer could not guaranty it would not void the factory warranty.  We are really happy we went with the factory pipe plus there is minimal spray.  

[COOP]

59 minutes ago, Scott1969 said:

My dealer installed the factory Malibu surf pipe on my 2017 21VLX for around $1,600. It was the first one they had ever installed. I inquired about the FAE option but my dealer could not guaranty it would not void the factory warranty.  We are really happy we went with the factory pipe plus there is minimal spray.  

Good call on the factory pipe. The FAE pipes have brackets that attach to the wedge bracket, and dont look all that good.

[pauley71]

I have two friends that have done aftermarket FAE and one is at the bottom of the lake and the other got torn off (but recovered).  

[pauley71]

On 2/3/2018 at 10:07 AM, IXFE said:

Murdered out 21 VLX

I love when they strip the running gear and set them on the floor.  (Not sure I'd like to buy one that has been done that way  )

[WhiteWaterWeb]

Hi all - I hope you are well. I don't care how much gas I will put into our new 2018 21 VLX every spring, summer and fall, as you can't put a price on fun...but for all you VLX owners out there is there any fuel consumption stats or anything out there I can look at for reference? Do you fill every weekend, or twice every weekend

I know it depends on surfing vs. wakeboarding, etc. - just trying to get an idea.

Thanks for the help!

[thebill]

12 hours ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Hi all - I hope you are well. I don't care how much gas I will put into our new 2018 21 VLX every spring, summer and fall, as you can't put a price on fun...but for all you VLX owners out there is there any fuel consumption stats or anything out there I can look at for reference? Do you fill every weekend, or twice every weekend

I know it depends on surfing vs. wakeboarding, etc. - just trying to get an idea.

Thanks for the help!

I believe i saw a thread on this somewhere already..do a search

[D_Turner]

20 hours ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Do you fill every weekend, or twice every weekend

I know it depends on surfing vs. wakeboarding, etc. - just trying to get an idea.

Varies greatly depending on what you are doing and how long.  A typical weekend day is heading out around 9-10am, and stay out until 2-3 pm.  With several hours of surfing, pulling, cruising, etc. I will be below half a tank.  So before going back I always fill back up.   Now if I go after work during the week and pull around 1-2 hours, I can do that multiple times and may skip the gas station a couple times and never feel like I am going to run out.

I am 5 miles from the lake and trailer to it, so I pass multiple gas stations.  So basically if I am going for a 'full' day on a weekend, I always start with a full tank.  I have never had to end a single day short due to low fuel.  I am sure it can be done, but with a good bit of rider swapping/falling and lounging time mixed in it has never been an issue.  Now if you need it to last two full days of solid pulling(Saturday and Sunday), there is a good chance you will need to add some on the second day. 

Again, it all varies GREATLY depending on the hours plowing vs lounging/slow cruising.  Attached a test from waterskimag.  I haven't tried comparing my 21 VLX to those numbers.

You trailer to the lake?

Edited February 9, 2018 by D_Turner

[MadMan]

3 hours ago, D_Turner said:

 

Got to wonder about the validity of the test when they can't even identify the economical rpm/mph.  26 mph gets better mpg than the 20 mph they selected.

[ahopkins22LSV]

18 minutes ago, MadMan said:

Got to wonder about the validity of the test when they can't even identify the economical rpm/mph.  26 mph gets better mpg than the 20 mph they selected.

They determine the most efficient cruising speed by comparing gallons per hour and miles per gallon. So at 26 you get 0.09 miles per gallon better but you are burning 1.7 gallons more per hour. 

[MadMan]

15 minutes ago, ahopkinsTXi said:

They determine the most efficient cruising speed by comparing gallons per hour and miles per gallon. So at 26 you get 0.09 miles per gallon better but you are burning 1.7 gallons more per hour. 

They have a vastly different definition of most economical cruising speed than I do.  Like I said, got to wonder about the validity of the test.

[WhiteWaterWeb]

Thanks guys. Our boat will be docked at the cottage - we only trailer to other lakes if we want to explore a new waterway (tons of them around us). My issue is we don't have a gas station or marina on our lake, but gas is only 13KM away which is nice. Trying to find two of the biggest upright fuel cans I can find.

[minnmarker]

5 hours ago, D_Turner said:

Varies greatly depending on what you are doing and how long.  A typical weekend day is heading out around 9-10am, and stay out until 2-3 pm.  With several hours of surfing, pulling, cruising, etc. I will be below half a tank.  So before going back I always fill back up.   Now if I go after work during the week and pull around 1-2 hours, I can do that multiple times and may skip the gas station a couple times and never feel like I am going to run out.

I am 5 miles from the lake and trailer to it, so I pass multiple gas stations.  So basically if I am going for a 'full' day on a weekend, I always start with a full tank.  I have never had to end a single day short due to low fuel.  I am sure it can be done, but with a good bit of rider swapping/falling and lounging time mixed in it has never been an issue.  Now if you need it to last two full days of solid pulling(Saturday and Sunday), there is a good chance you will need to add some on the second day. 

Again, it all varies GREATLY depending on the hours plowing vs lounging/slow cruising.  Attached a test from waterskimag.  I haven't tried comparing my 21 VLX to those numbers.

You trailer to the lake?

It looks pretty accurate to me. Seldom cruise for an hour but consumption rate seems about right. Not cheap.

[D_Turner]

44 minutes ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Thanks guys. Our boat will be docked at the cottage - we only trailer to other lakes if we want to explore a new waterway (tons of them around us). My issue is we don't have a gas station or marina on our lake, but gas is only 13KM away which is nice. Trying to find two of the biggest upright fuel cans I can find.

https://dropnfill.com/ - Can make using small cans much easier around the dock.

You can get those upright roll around cans up to like 25 gallon I believe.  Just remember, 25 gallons of gas weighs 150 lbs plus the container(around 200lbs total).  Getting it out of your truck can be a chore.

[Cole2001]

3 hours ago, WhiteWaterWeb said:

Thanks guys. Our boat will be docked at the cottage - we only trailer to other lakes if we want to explore a new waterway (tons of them around us). My issue is we don't have a gas station or marina on our lake, but gas is only 13KM away which is nice. Trying to find two of the biggest upright fuel cans I can find.

Costco sells these massive rolling cans with a hose to poor it in. A friend of fine bought one and it seems kinda handy. If you’re filling at a public gas station they normally want you to take it out of the truck so that might be hard....

[ahopkins22LSV]

5 hours ago, MadMan said:

They have a vastly different definition of most economical cruising speed than I do.  Like I said, got to wonder about the validity of the test.

Ok so please explain because I’m very curious. I just broke down the data for you and you still say you question the validity of the test and have a different opinion but don’t state what that is or back it up with anything. Are you saying you’d rather travel .09 miles further each hour while burning 1.7 more gallons per fuel each hour? At 20mph it takes you 3 minutes to travel one mile. At 26mph it takes you about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Is that 20 seconds of your life worth 1.7 gallons of fuel?

[IXFE]

2 hours ago, ahopkinsTXi said:

Ok so please explain because I’m very curious. I just broke down the data for you and you still say you question the validity of the test and have a different opinion but don’t state what that is or back it up with anything. Are you saying you’d rather travel .09 miles further each hour while burning 1.7 more gallons per fuel each hour? At 20mph it takes you 3 minutes to travel one mile. At 26mph it takes you about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Is that 20 seconds of your life worth 1.7 gallons of fuel?

What he said ^^^

I’ll go one further... a boat is not a passenger car where distance traveled is the most important variable. What the chart is saying is that for a boat the more important variable is time on the water. I gotta say, I agree. I couldn’t care less how far I go while I’m on the water because I’m not typically going anywhere. Our only destination is FUN and the more hours we get of it the better. 

GPH > MPG

Edited February 10, 2018 by IXFE

[MadMan]

4 hours ago, ahopkinsTXi said:

Ok so please explain because I’m very curious. I just broke down the data for you and you still say you question the validity of the test and have a different opinion but don’t state what that is or back it up with anything. Are you saying you’d rather travel .09 miles further each hour while burning 1.7 more gallons per fuel each hour? At 20mph it takes you 3 minutes to travel one mile. At 26mph it takes you about 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Is that 20 seconds of your life worth 1.7 gallons of fuel?

Traveling at 26 mph you would get there sooner and burn less fuel. Win-Win.

1 hour ago, IXFE said:

What he said ^^^

I’ll go one further... a boat is not a passenger car where distance traveled is the most important variable. What the chart is saying is that for a boat the more important variable is time on the water. I gotta say, I agree. I couldn’t care less how far I go while I’m on the water because I’m not typically going anywhere. Our only destination is FUN and the more hours we get of it the better. 

GPH > MPG

My definition economical is purely based on cost per distance, same as a car.  And I have cars that are basically used for entertainment also, I would rate them the same way.

[JeffK]

1 hour ago, IXFE said:

What he said ^^^

I’ll go one further... a boat is not a passenger car where distance traveled is the most important variable. What the chart is saying is that for a boat the more important variable is time on the water. I gotta say, I agree. I couldn’t care less how far I go while I’m on the water because I’m not typically going anywhere. Our only destination is FUN and the more hours we get of it the better. 

GPH > MPG

I concur.  I want a stat showing my minutes per hour just being on the boat with my family. I'm happy sitting, listening to tunes and throwing the football with the boys in the water, as much as getting a set in or watching my kid wakeboard for the first time last year. Gasoline is all part of the price to play. I think it is interesting, and a good thing, to watch the boat manufacturers chase efficiency each year and improve on the previous build, but it doesn't sway my purchase any. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

55 minutes ago, MadMan said:

Traveling at 26 mph you would get there sooner and burn less fuel. Win-Win.

My definition economical is purely based on cost per distance, same as a car.  And I have cars that are basically used for entertainment also, I would rate them the same way.

You just quoted me were I used data and math, which you have yet to even attempted to use, to prove to you that you get there 20 seconds sooner (traveling a mile) and burn 1.7 gallons MORE fuel. It is not a win-win. Not even close. It’s a winish-lose big time.

Wow...

Edited February 10, 2018 by ahopkinsTXi