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VLX vs LSV


sandaddiction

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I am new to Malibu boats and looking to pick up an attractive deal at the end of the season..

I will be primarily wake surfing but also wake-boarding.  Can you please assist in answering the following questions:

 

1. Which would you prefer between the 22 VLX and 23 LSV?  

2. What are the new changes for 2017?

3. How is the 8 speaker sound pack and 12 inch Rockford Sub?

4. What are the service periods and typical service costs?  

5. What are the warranties?

 

The Malibus are priced similar to the Tige Z2.  How would these boats compare to the Tige Z2?

 

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12 minutes ago, sandaddiction said:

I am new to Malibu boats and looking to pick up an attractive deal at the end of the season..

I will be primarily wake surfing but also wake-boarding.  Can you please assist in answering the following questions:

 

1. Which would you prefer between the 22 VLX and 23 LSV?  

2. What are the new changes for 2017?

3. How is the 8 speaker sound pack and 12 inch Rockford Sub?

4. What are the service periods and typical service costs?  

5. What are the warranties?

 

The Malibus are priced similar to the Tige Z2.  How would these boats compare to the Tige Z2?

 

It depends on what you want to do, and if resale is a concern. 

1. 23 LSV is the best selling wake boat of any brand on the market.  PERIOD!   It is #1 for a reason, 22 is great boat, but 23 appeals to larger market at resale, and you get a little more room for yourself. 

2. Read new in 17 thread,  but tower, wetsounds not Rockford. 

3.  Factory system is ok, not audiophile level, but considering noisy lake etc. Not bad, except the sub is terrible!  Easy fix is q bomb box, this makes is much better!

4.  I am assuming full dealer service as you asked.  Every 50 hours you need a oil change.  ~$250, Every 100 hours,  oil, tranny, impeller, etc $500-$700

5.  Can't help know very little about tige....

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11 minutes ago, DarkSide said:

It depends on what you want to do, and if resale is a concern. 

1. 23 LSV is the best selling wake boat of any brand on the market.  PERIOD!   It is #1 for a reason, 22 is great boat, but 23 appeals to larger market at resale, and you get a little more room for yourself. 

2. Read new in 17 thread,  but tower, wetsounds not Rockford. 

3.  Factory system is ok, not audiophile level, but considering noisy lake etc. Not bad, except the sub is terrible!  Easy fix is q bomb box, this makes is much better!

4.  I am assuming full dealer service as you asked.  Every 50 hours you need a oil change.  ~$250, Every 100 hours,  oil, tranny, impeller, etc $500-$700

5.  Can't help know very little about tige....

Very helpful - Thank you.

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8 hours ago, DarkSide said:

It depends on what you want to do, and if resale is a concern. 

1. 23 LSV is the best selling wake boat of any brand on the market.  PERIOD!   It is #1 for a reason, 22 is great boat, but 23 appeals to larger market at resale, and you get a little more room for yourself. 

2. Read new in 17 thread,  but tower, wetsounds not Rockford. 

3.  Factory system is ok, not audiophile level, but considering noisy lake etc. Not bad, except the sub is terrible!  Easy fix is q bomb box, this makes is much better!

4.  I am assuming full dealer service as you asked.  Every 50 hours you need a oil change.  ~$250, Every 100 hours,  oil, tranny, impeller, etc $500-$700

5.  Can't help know very little about tige....

Now that I refuse to visit my dealer ever again I can save that 700 that actually with parts and sales tax goes over 800.  Soon to try my 1st oil change, 

 

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I went with the VLX but to do over again I would have taken a hard look at the 23!  I think my excitement got the better of me, and I had tunnel vision for the 22 thinking that it was fine for the family size wise.  Not sure there was huge difference in price and  like @DarkSide said it holds its value real well at resale!  

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10 hours ago, sandaddiction said:

I am new to Malibu boats and looking to pick up an attractive deal at the end of the season..

I will be primarily wake surfing but also wake-boarding.  Can you please assist in answering the following questions:

 

1. Which would you prefer between the 22 VLX and 23 LSV?  

2. What are the new changes for 2017?

3. How is the 8 speaker sound pack and 12 inch Rockford Sub?

4. What are the service periods and typical service costs?  

5. What are the warranties?

 

The Malibus are priced similar to the Tige Z2.  How would these boats compare to the Tige Z2?

 

If you take out more than 8-9 people all the time go with the LSV, the extra foot of length in the cabin is noticeable, however I had 12 on my 22 VLX this summer and everyone still had a seat and was comfortable (mix of kids and adults).  Surf wave between the two are neck and neck, the 22 VLX wakeboard is legit, I am sure the LSV would be the same (never been behind the LSV for wakeboarding).  The 22VLX is #2 selling boat right behind the LSV, you can't go wrong with either.

Wet sounds in 2017 as teamerickson mentioned, the problem is Malibu still installs the stereo system (they never seem to have any idea what they are doing).  You can have great components but if they are not installed properly it is a waist of time and money, I know the Fosgate 12" sub was a joke because the box was terrible.  Just do your homework on the stereo system, imo the best way to go is with a stereo delete separated from the 7" touch screen, EQ and build your own custom system that is installed professionally.

$250-$300 for oil changes as dark mentioned or do it yourself for less than $40.

 

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I have a 22VLX and it fits about 10 comfortably. We had 14 last weekend with a bunch of kids and it was ok but could have used a little more space.  I am on a length restricted lake so I can't have a 23 so the decision was easy for me.  I don't know if I would pay more for the extra space of a 23 either way.

I would do just the interior speakers - the stock stereo picks up some static noise going through the malibu head unit (I added an EQ to bypass it).  Also, you can't fade the tower speakers off on the standard stereo.  I like to be able to turn the tower speakers off if we are cruising at night or if they get too loud for the people in the back.  The amps from Malibu are way too small to take advantage of the speakers. I replaced these with 2.5x the power and it sounds great.  The sub enclosure just rattles like a license plate on a crappy honda with too much bass.  I think you get the picture - you end up replacing most of what comes with the factory other than the stock interior speakers.

I spend $400-600 every 100 hours on maintenance.

 

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I haven't looked at any of the new boats but if I  were in your position I'd really consider a stereo delete and having a pro install the stereo.  In other industries I'd expect the included all wet sounds stereo to be the better deal but I have a feeling this may not exactly be the case w/ a wake boat.  

 

@mattpoland 4-600 every 100 hours sounds like a lot.  What does this include.  Does your dealer do the work?

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Supposedly, wetsounds came out and tuned the setup for each boat. So, hopefully the factory follows that direction. Kinda nice getting a 5 year warranty on the stereo. 

Edited by teamerickson
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20 minutes ago, Gavin17 said:

I haven't looked at any of the new boats but if I  were in your position I'd really consider a stereo delete and having a pro install the stereo.  In other industries I'd expect the included all wet sounds stereo to be the better deal but I have a feeling this may not exactly be the case w/ a wake boat.  

 

@mattpoland 4-600 every 100 hours sounds like a lot.  What does this include.  Does your dealer do the work?

100hr service in SoCal.  And yes, the dealer does the work. I'm sure you can do it for less but that would be a good budget number, which is what I thought he was asking.

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12 hours ago, DarkSide said:

It depends on what you want to do, and if resale is a concern. 

1. 23 LSV is the best selling wake boat of any brand on the market.  PERIOD!   It is #1 for a reason, 22 is great boat, but 23 appeals to larger market at resale, and you get a little more room for yourself. 

2. Read new in 17 thread,  but tower, wetsounds not Rockford. 

3.  Factory system is ok, not audiophile level, but considering noisy lake etc. Not bad, except the sub is terrible!  Easy fix is q bomb box, this makes is much better!

4.  I am assuming full dealer service as you asked.  Every 50 hours you need a oil change.  ~$250, Every 100 hours,  oil, tranny, impeller, etc $500-$700

5.  Can't help know very little about tige....

Did I just read people are paying $250 for an oil change?

And $500 for a 100 hour service?

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12 hours ago, sandaddiction said:

I am new to Malibu boats and looking to pick up an attractive deal at the end of the season..

I will be primarily wake surfing but also wake-boarding.  Can you please assist in answering the following questions:

 

1. Which would you prefer between the 22 VLX and 23 LSV?  

2. What are the new changes for 2017?

3. How is the 8 speaker sound pack and 12 inch Rockford Sub?

4. What are the service periods and typical service costs?  

5. What are the warranties?

 

The Malibus are priced similar to the Tige Z2.  How would these boats compare to the Tige Z2?

 

I have a 23 LSV and love it... Been thinking of upgrading to a 25 LSV... but still just thinking.... I think most of your questions have been answered. 

I do sac my boat out when surfing.... and have only rode behind a Z3... I did not like that Tige for surfing.. The first time behind a Tige Z3 was a demo and factory ballast.. I thought at that time it was not a fair comparison because of ballast weight was not near the way I load my boat. Second time was at a surf tournament.. don't know how the boat was weighted... but still did not like the wave.. very little push... not a smooth transition... I have ridden behind other brands with no issues... I personally don't like the Tige for surfing

7 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

Did I just read people are paying $250 for an oil change?

And $500 for a 100 hour service?

Not I... LOL... Oil, filter, Trans Fluid and some pig mats.. ~$50.00 every 50 hours.... I don't change my impeller every 100 hours.. if I did that would be every other month 

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Thanks for all the responses.

Both of these boats already have the "8 speaker" sound upgrade for $3,522 and 12" sub for $907.

 

How bad is this system?  Will I be wanting to change it immediately or is it decent?  Nothing looking for amazing but a good quality stereo.  Hate having to replace a $4,500 stereo that's already in the boat.

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I like the touch screen integration and did not do a delete when I bought my VLX. I did an upgrade this past winter and replaced all of the factory amps. Kept the RF interior speakers and replaced the towers with 3 pair of Rev 10's. I also had a custom sub box built with a 15 inch Kicker sub. I like plenty of audio and in my opinion if it's too loud you are too old... Lol.... Anyway the stock sub box stinks. The stock factory tuning is crap. The RF interiors are of decent quality and good sound when powered correctly. A sub box rebuild would make the factory sub much more pleasing. If you are looking for okay to medium quality audio the towers will be just fine for surfing. For wake boarding at a minimum I would do a Rev 10's with an SD amp depending on how many pair you run. That is just my humble opinion and everyone has one. As far as the choice between the 23lsv and the 22vlx you can't go wrong with either boat as previously stated above. Both boats will do really well at boarding or surfing if weighted properly. I have a garage size limitation and the largest boat I could fit into my garage was the 22VLX. On a side note I think Malibu has really hurt their 22 VLX customers on resale with the introduction of the 21vlx budget boat line. I think there is a large market of people out there who in the end will not know or appreciate the differences between the 22vlx and the 21vlx. Ultimately I think that is going to hurt the 22VLX guys like me. If resale value is one of your highest priorities I would get the LSV for that reason alone. 

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2 hours ago, sandaddiction said:

Thanks for all the responses.

Both of these boats already have the "8 speaker" sound upgrade for $3,522 and 12" sub for $907.

 

How bad is this system?  Will I be wanting to change it immediately or is it decent?  Nothing looking for amazing but a good quality stereo.  Hate having to replace a $4,500 stereo that's already in the boat.

They just need tuning.. but tuning the amps will void their warranty.. the sub enclosure is not the best and should be the only upgrade needed

 

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WHen I got mine, the VLX was my preference.  It was like 8% less, I think?  Closer in price, now.  That said, if I were shopping now, I'd get the LSV, as I fear the resale on the VLX will be taking a hit with the intro of the 21 VLX.

I ordered mine with no stereo, but with the black box, and put a Wetsounds in mine, so I can't speak to the factory stuff.

Rest of the stuff has been covered.

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On August 26, 2016 at 6:56 PM, 67King said:

WHen I got mine, the VLX was my preference.  It was like 8% less, I think?  Closer in price, now.  That said, if I were shopping now, I'd get the LSV, as I fear the resale on the VLX will be taking a hit with the intro of the 21 VLX.

I ordered mine with no stereo, but with the black box, and put a Wetsounds in mine, so I can't speak to the factory stuff.

Rest of the stuff has been covered.

I don't think the 21VLX will hurt the 22 by any means.  There are still significant features in the 22 that isn't in the 21.  The two biggest IMO being 

Longer AND wider boat with a 102" beam

1.76 gearing vs 1.48

The 22 can hold more people, have more ballast, create more torque, is  bigger wake and wave, etc.  Not to mention more color options and luxury items that are not offered on the 21.

The 21 is still a sweet boat, but you're safe in your 22

 

 

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6 hours ago, wakebrdr94 said:

I don't think the 21VLX will hurt the 22 by any means.  There are still significant features in the 22 that isn't in the 21.  The two biggest IMO being 

Longer AND wider boat with a 102" beam

1.76 gearing vs 1.48

The 22 can hold more people, have more ballast, create more torque, is  bigger wake and wave, etc.  Not to mention more color options and luxury items that are not offered on the 21.

The 21 is still a sweet boat, but you're safe in your 22

 

 

Gearing dif isn't true for the guy you are replying to... he has a 15.

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7 hours ago, wakebrdr94 said:

I don't think the 21VLX will hurt the 22 by any means.  There are still significant features in the 22 that isn't in the 21.

There is a 19 page thread where this is discussed, and I don't want to rehash that here, but the reason for concern is from using the same nomenclature for the value boat as the 22' "full fledged" Bu.

Which is non sequitur anyway.  Whether or not my concern materializes has no bearing on my answer to the OP's question of why.  I'd go with the LSV because I have that concern. 

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2 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

Gearing dif isn't true for the guy you are replying to... he has a 15.

But I'm replying to the op, saying not to worry about this.  It applies to the OP as he is talking new current year boats I would assume.  He didn't mention left overs.

 

And if 67king has those concerns, it's valid to him, doesn't mean it applies across the board.  My opinion of not ordering bow tanks is mine, and 99.9% of buyers order bow tanks anyway, yet I haven't had to reduce the price of a boat to sell it.

Edited by wakebrdr94
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 It sounds like regardless of resell value, if I can get the LSV at the same price as the VLX, the LSV in itself is a better bet. Now I just need to decide if the 17 upgrades are worth giving up the 16 end of your pricing.   Just waiting on more information about the stereo upgrades that took place in 17 and then will make decision. 

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