Best Malibu crossover for family

[Gavin17]

How does the 21 vlx wake compare to the 21 lsv?

[Slurpee]

10 minutes ago, Gavin17 said:

How does the 21 vlx wake compare to the 21 lsv?

This is more accurately said, "How does a Wake hull compare to a Diamond hull".  And oh boy if you go back a decade you'll find a LOT of threads on that.  Generally speaking the hull chines are shaped a bit different to have a lifting effect at higher speeds like 30mph+.  So the crossover is gentler for a good slalom skier.  Otherwise very little or no effect for the other sports.  After all, you can make a flat wake a big wake, but you really can't make a big wake a flat wake.

Edited April 2, 2017 by Slurpee

[Gavin17]

Just now, Slurpee said:

This is more accurately said, "How does a Wake hull compare to a Diamond hull".  And oh boy if you go back a decade you'll find a LOT of threads on that.  Generally speaking the hull chines are shaped a bit different to have a lifting effect at higher speeds like 30mph+.  So the crossover is gentler for a good slalom skier.  Otherwise very little or no effect for the other sports.  After all, you can make a flat wake a big wake, but you really can't make a big wake a flat wake.

So are you saying that all vlx hulls are wake and all 21 lsv hulls are diamond?  Was the 21 lsv made before they offered both hull options on one boat?

[Slurpee]

2 hours ago, Gavin17 said:

So are you saying that all vlx hulls are wake and all 21 lsv hulls are diamond?  Was the 21 lsv made before they offered both hull options on one boat?

You'll have to research all the brochures in the support section to be an authority. But as I recall Malibu had diamond hulls on sunscapes and sunsetters and wake hulls on wakesetters. Makes sense. Crossover boats weren't really the rage yet around 2001.

Then wakesetters started getting the options for either type of hull and the unique naming went away. Now you have to go have a look at a Wakesetters hull in person to determine which it is. 

The fuzzy grey area started around 2004 I think. 

[UWSkier]

The terminology used to be Wakesetter and Fakesetter since you could get a boat fully gaudied up for boarding but have a respectable slalom wake as well.  Sortof went away but the options remain the same.

If you want to get up to 8 people out regularly, Direct Drive is not for you.  The LXi is a great boat (my favorite boat Malibu ever made), but it's not really a crossover in the way a V is.

[Slurpee]

Oh yeah. Fakesetter. Haven't heard that in a while. I had a thread on mine from back then. I'd revive it every time I did a new project on it. When I sold it the buyer ate it up.  I miss that boat still.  It was an old friend.  But I like my new one a lot to!

Born Again Fakesetter

[minnmarker]

12 hours ago, Gavin17 said:

How does the 21 vlx wake compare to the 21 lsv?

Beside usually having a wake hull in the VLX and a diamond hull in the LSV, the VLX came with MLS (Malibu launch system) which is center ballast and no ski locker.  The LSV (Sunscape) had a ski locker in the same spot.  Depending on your use, one or the other might be better.  We use our 21LSV for slalom and surfing and a bit of boarding.  The ski locker has a 600 lb. bag in it under the plastic liner.  Fill it for surfing.  Leave it empty for skiing and put skis on top of the liner.  We can fit 3 slalom skis in there.

[Levi900RR]

On 4/1/2017 at 10:45 PM, Slurpee said:

I still think the 2001 diamond hull Sunsetter VLX was the best crossover boat.  I'm biased though.  It was my baby for a decade+.  And it sold for the low 20s fully set up with sound and ballast.  The slalom wake was great for a V-drive.  Very clean cross.

Same hull as the Suncape 21LSV's? 

[UWSkier]

1 hour ago, Levi900RR said:

Same hull as the Suncape 21LSV's? 

Yes, until 2005.

[AJwakedevil]

my $.02, you can only ski for tens of minutes but you can surf for hours on end. With the amount of people v-drive is a must. Making sure it has ballast so it can get weighted down to surf is a must. 

Do you think you will ski 50% of the time? More...? Less?

[85 Barefoot]

On 4/2/2017 at 10:23 AM, Gavin17 said:

So are you saying that all vlx hulls are wake and all 21 lsv hulls are diamond?  Was the 21 lsv made before they offered both hull options on one boat?

technically yes but be careful in that there are a lot of wakesetter decals on what are really lsvs

[85 Barefoot]

On 4/2/2017 at 10:06 AM, Gavin17 said:

How does the 21 vlx wake compare to the 21 lsv?

shape is rounder and smaller on lsv

[Levi900RR]

I'm pretty sure ALL of the true Suncape's are Diamond hull. 

[Jonasjmac]

This boat just popped up down the street from me. 

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/6072921318.html

 

given it passes mechanical testing how would this boat suit us. 

[RTS]

Well...I'd need to see it in person or see a whole lot more pictures. The ones posted aren't worth a damn...except to let me know the seller can't read an engine hour meter and is a bit too keen on 'NADA' values...which we all know mean nothing when it comes to boats.

[braindamage]

I'd be very skeptical. Any sunsetter at that price is either trashed or a scam. Plus I'd say v -drive is more what you want.

better to pay a bit and get what will work for you than pay a little and get less.

Edited April 5, 2017 by braindamage

[Nitrousbird]

On ‎4‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 1:21 PM, Slurpee said:

You'll have to research all the brochures in the support section to be an authority. But as I recall Malibu had diamond hulls on sunscapes and sunsetters and wake hulls on wakesetters. Makes sense. Crossover boats weren't really the rage yet around 2001.

Then wakesetters started getting the options for either type of hull and the unique naming went away. Now you have to go have a look at a Wakesetters hull in person to determine which it is. 

The fuzzy grey area started around 2004 I think. 

There were only 4 years the SV23 hull was offered in a diamond hull on a V-drive:
2001 Sunsetter VLX
2002-2004 Sunscape 21 LSV

That's it and the SV23 Diamond hull was the only hull available for those models mentioned above.  One of the best crossover hulls around - IMO more desirable than the SV23 wake, as when loaded down the diamond hull doesn't do squat for lift so the wake is the same yet at 28+ MPH you start getting the lift from the hull = better slalom wake.  Even better when running a bit of bow weight.

[minnmarker]

14 hours ago, UWSkier said:

Yes, until 2005.

21LSV had the SV23 Diamond hull thru 2004.  VLX also had the SV23 Wake hull thru 2004.

In 2005 both switched to the V25 hull - the LSV kept the Diamond version and the VLX kept the Wake version.  Both boats got wider, longer, taller, and heavier. 

The above were the standard but you could order a VLX with Diamond or vice versa - so check out the profile at the transom.

Other differences of note were towers (std in VLX), built in ballast in the VLX (maybe good maybe not), ski locker in the LSV.

[Slurpee]

11 hours ago, Nitrousbird said:

There were only 4 years the SV23 hull was offered in a diamond hull on a V-drive:
2001 Sunsetter VLX
2002-2004 Sunscape 21 LSV

That's it and the SV23 Diamond hull was the only hull available for those models mentioned above.  One of the best crossover hulls around - IMO more desirable than the SV23 wake, as when loaded down the diamond hull doesn't do squat for lift so the wake is the same yet at 28+ MPH you start getting the lift from the hull = better slalom wake.  Even better when running a bit of bow weight.

Agree 100%.  I really really liked the '01 VLX I had.  All the fancy surfing gadgets lured me to a new boat.  I suppose the VTX is the modern equivalent of those boats.

[Nitrousbird]

6 hours ago, Slurpee said:

Agree 100%.  I really really liked the '01 VLX I had.  All the fancy surfing gadgets lured me to a new boat.  I suppose the VTX is the modern equivalent of those boats.

I am warming the wife up to a next year upgrade as well. Yet I am still modding this one, lol. 

[Slurpee]

1 hour ago, Nitrousbird said:

I am warming the wife up to a next year upgrade as well. Yet I am still modding this one, lol. 

Good Luck.  The mods never stop.  I think I made it about....... 2 months before I was drilling holes in the new boat.  Speaker rings, sound deadening, already redoing the sound system with a DSP.  I'm not sure what's next...  

[Levi900RR]

13 hours ago, Nitrousbird said:

I am warming the wife up to a next year upgrade as well. Yet I am still modding this one, lol. 

What are you thinking would be your next move? 

[Nitrousbird]

37 minutes ago, Levi900RR said:

What are you thinking would be your next move? 

Depends on what I can convince the wife to spend.  Would have to be 22' max due to length restrictions at our reservoir (as much as my buddy wants me to get a 23' and put a 22' badge on it, I don't want to chance it).

If it was the budget "I" would like to spend, it would be a '14-15 G21, '15-16 22VLX or a '16 Ri217 (though I haven't see the Centurion in person).  Since this is an "our" purchase, my guess is she won't dig the whole spending 80-90k.  I can easily get her to 40k and likely to 50k.  If prices drop a little more for a '15 22VLX (the cheapest of the 3 above), I "might" be able to convince her.  I've seen a couple in the mid 60's, though most are mid 70's and up.

If she holds hard on her budget (she is a saver), a 2010 VLX is a likely candidate if I can get it cheap enough to immediately put a GSA on it.  I'd like a '13 for SG but for the prices those are going for, it makes zero sense over getting a 22VLX - price difference between a '13 VLX and a '15 VLX seems to be right around 10k (with similar options/condition).  Besides being 2 years new, that 10k buys you a lot of upgrades.

[minnmarker]

1 hour ago, Nitrousbird said:

If she holds hard on her budget (she is a saver), a 2010 VLX is a likely candidate if I can get it cheap enough to immediately put a GSA on it. 

If you can put a GSA on it you can put surf gates on it.

[AJwakedevil]

3 hours ago, minnmarker said:

5 hours ago, Nitrousbird said:

If she holds hard on her budget (she is a saver), a 2010 VLX is a likely candidate if I can get it cheap enough to immediately put a GSA on it. 

If you can put a GSA on it you can put surf gates on it.

Oh boy, this will be interesting...:

Which one is better?
Probably get surf gate here, and GSA on the MC forum