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22VLX vs 23LSV


2THEL8K

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Curious how many others went through the decision process for the 22VLX vs 23 LSV.  The obvious differences are size (14"), 200lb dry weight, and fuel capacity which would also impact weight.  I sat in both today, and that 14" of space does make a big difference in overall roominess, even though the stated capacity only goes up by 1.  I will likely order the diamond hull no matter what as we still have some skiers in the family (not looking for tournament quality wakes, just something to have some fun behind).  Is there a big difference in performance between the two?  Anyone else develop a list of pros/cons for each boat?  Would love to hear why people have chosen one vs the other, and what he rough cost difference is on a comparable optioned boat.  Thank you, Joel

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I have a 2016 23 lsv and we don't need a lot of room since we all like our time surfing, so we don't take many with us. We considered getting a 22 vlx this year, but the price difference was so minimal we stayed with a 23 lsv. At least we'll have the room when we need it. As far as I know, same motor and with the same prop, it would probably be very similar to a 23. But I have heard the 23 produces a better wave for surfing. Getting my 2017 23 lsv in two weeks.

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The wave/wake difference is minimal, the interior difference is noticeable, either way Get the wakemakers custom rear bags, and a bow bag. 

Ii like my extra 14"

 

Also, you our are in the backyard of both @Fman , and @teamerickson both who recently made the move to the 23lsv.

 

Edited by Stevo
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We water tested both on the same day when making our purchasing decision.  The biggest pro to 23LSV was the interior cabin space gained.  It was a $7k price difference to get the LSV, and we also had the engine difference (22 had the 350 where the 23 had the 450), so it was a no brainer for my specific financial situation.

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We went with the 22.  I was so excited and had a case of VLX tunnel vision and honestly never considered the LSV because I thought the price spread would be too large.  If I had to do over I would have go with the LSV!  As others have said the little bit of extra room is always great when needed and you can never go wrong with resale value and demand.  That being said, next year might be upgrade time for me and the family.  Just got to convince the wife!!  Good luck either way and you really can't go wrong, both boats are awsome and we love the VLX.

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Get out and demo both if you can't decide, and look into what the price difference is between the two. I don't think it's very significant at all, several thousand maybe for comparably optioned boats, and you get it back at resale.

I haven't seen anyone saying their 23LSV is too big, but am seeing a number of 22VLX guys change to the 23LSV recently.

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The 22 fit my budget.  Could probably have gone 23, but at that point, the price difference was greater (about $10K) than most here seem to indicate is the current case.  And the difference was further amplified by the incentives both Malibu and my dealer (Marine Outfitters in Charleston TN - great family!) were throwing at it......I believe I got the last 2015 VLX made.  So I never really considered the 23, either.  Replaced an A22, was happy with a 22, had my dock built to fit a 22......so no real reason to consider a 23.  Honestly, the biggest reason I wish I would have taken a hard look at the 23 is because the 21VLX lessens the brand equity of the VLX line (don't want to bring up an old argument, that's my perspective, regardless of the various opinions on it).

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Thank you for all of the replies.  I did come across another thread after another member posted a similar question back in 2015:

I figured many more have gone through this same decision process since the thread above fizzled out.  Many who purchased the 22VLX seemed more motivated by garage space and some styling queues vs performance. In my case, garage space is not an issue. 

 

2 hours ago, ctvandy23 said:

We went with the 22.  I was so excited and had a case of VLX tunnel vision and honestly never considered the LSV because I thought the price spread would be too large.  If I had to do over I would have go with the LSV!  As others have said the little bit of extra room is always great when needed and you can never go wrong with resale value and demand.  That being said, next year might be upgrade time for me and the family.  Just got to convince the wife!!  Good luck either way and you really can't go wrong, both boats are awsome and we love the VLX.

I think this is exactly where I'm at, a perhaps partially influenced by the fact that I still enjoy a good slalom pull, but know that neither boat will produce anything close to our current 2000 VLX.  Just not sure if the ski wake difference is enough between the two boats to sacrifice the interior space.  I did put a deposit down on an order for a 22VLX yesterday, but also sent my dealer a note last night asking him to put a hold on the order until we make this final decision.  My buddy has a 2014 LSV, we've always liked the room, but he has the 350 (I believe, whatever was "stock" engine was back then), and he's always felt it was underpowered.  I believe that's been resolved this year with the base 410. 

Edited by 2THEL8K
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We came from an A22 and cabin space was one of our priorities.   Looked at the T22, 22VLX and then our dealer showed us a holdover 23LSV.  Wife and I were sold immediately.  The extra space is soooooo nice.  You can also get another wake view seat in that 14" difference.  Do we need the extra space?  No probably not but we are spending more and more days on the anchor.  

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9 hours ago, 2THEL8K said:

Curious how many others went through the decision process for the 22VLX vs 23 LSV.  The obvious differences are size (14"), 200lb dry weight, and fuel capacity which would also impact weight.  I sat in both today, and that 14" of space does make a big difference in overall roominess, even though the stated capacity only goes up by 1.  I will likely order the diamond hull no matter what as we still have some skiers in the family (not looking for tournament quality wakes, just something to have some fun behind).  Is there a big difference in performance between the two?  Anyone else develop a list of pros/cons for each boat?  Would love to hear why people have chosen one vs the other, and what he rough cost difference is on a comparable optioned boat.  Thank you, Joel

I just sold my 2015 22 VLX (put 195 hours on it) and have a 2017 LSV on order, the reason I ended up going with the LSV this time around was a few reasons.  I now have a shop I can easily fit the boat in, better tow vehicle coming, increased fuel capacity from 46 gallons to 68, price is not much more for the LSV and we just wanted to try a different boat (I have owned 3 prior VLX's).  The fuel capacity was a problem, we could not go all day without a re-fuel which was a big inconvenience to have to run back to the marina to add 10 gallons more to make it a full day.  At the level we surf I do not think the surf wave will be much better on the LSV, I always thought the 22 VLX had a nice surf wave.  Even though there is only a 200 lb weight difference listed, imo it will be more than likely 500 lbs on the trailer with added fuel capacity and ability to store more gear.  You can't go wrong with either boat, both have good resale opportunities but the LSV is the top selling boat Malibu produces.  That being said, you might have a little easier time selling the LSV over the 22VLX.

The "slalom wake" behind these boats has been discusses many times on this forum, don't expect much, "meh" at best imo regardless of what boat or hull you pick between these two boats.  They are both heavy and primarily designed for wakeboarding and surfing.

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7 minutes ago, 2THEL8K said:

Thank you for all of the replies.  I did come across another thread after another member posted a similar question back in 2015:

I figured many more have gone through this same decision process since the thread above fizzled out.  Many who purchased the 22VLX seemed more motivated by garage space and some styling queues vs performance. In my case, garage space is not an issue. 

 

I think this is exactly where I'm at, a perhaps partially influenced by the fact that I still enjoy a good slalom pull, but know that neither boat will produce anything close to our current 2000 VLX.  Just not sure if the ski wake difference is enough between the two boats to sacrifice the interior space.  I did put a deposit down on an order for a 22VLX yesterday, but also sent my dealer a note last night asking him to put a hold on the order until we make this final decision.  My buddy has a 2014 LSV, we've always liked the room, but he has the 350 (I believe, whatever was "stock" engine was back then), and he's always felt it was underpowered.  I believe that's been resolved this year with the base 410. 

The Raptor 410 is getting great reviews along with the transmission gear reduction, I would consider it a nice upgrade from the 350.  Having the boat propped and weighted correctly will also make a difference. 

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Fman, I'm working with Derek at Larson.  I mentioned your boat and shout out to Larson when we spoke, which he appreciated.  Good guy to work with so far.

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1 hour ago, 2THEL8K said:

Fman, I'm working with Derek at Larson.  I mentioned your boat and shout out to Larson when we spoke, which he appreciated.  Good guy to work with so far.

Derek is a stand up guy who will treat you right.  He also rides behind these boats which speaks volumes to helping customers get into the right boat for there needs.  Larson has always been great to work with, looking forward to seeing pics of your new ride! :thumbup:

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Agreed, that is a sweet ride, not sure I've seen that blue yet!  So many damn good color combos out there, making choosing very difficult.  Does anyone know the approx "net" price difference between the 22 & 23 for 2017?  I've already put my quote request in for an equally optioned 23, though I wasn't going to choose the wakeview seating on the 22, and it sounds like this is standard on the 23, so that's the only minor difference I can see at this point.

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37 minutes ago, teamerickson said:

I just got this from Larson and Derek 3 months ago. Very happy with everything. 

DC39865F-F231-4494-B4A2-07123A050ADA_zps

Any interior pics?  Did you go with wake or diamond hull?  She ought to stand out nicely on the water and get some jealous looks ;-)

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