Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

'13 VTX


DrFred

Recommended Posts

I am so sorry for your woes, but I appreciate the candid write up. I really want a boat that does all but maybe my best bet is to buy a surf boat and park it next to my sunsetter. If only I could get the COO on board with that plan!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
ahopkins22LSV

Try skiing with 1/4 tank of gas or less. 3/4 of a tank is still a ton of weight in the back of the boat and the less weight you have back there, the better the wake will be.

Link to comment

I find the trailer comment odd.  What kind of trailer do you have - a d what are you towing with?  The standard boatmate has a normal length tongue - same as any other boat trailer we have had.

Link to comment

Some odd comments in this post.  I have had 3 VTXs over the years and they are a great all around boat. 

I am not at all a Big Malibu Fan Boy either.  But I'm not sure what you are expecting.

1. Why the hell are you blaming the dealer for rock chips from towing?  Get a proper rock guard on either the trailer or tow vehicle.  My boats have been all over Western Canada and the NW USA and have ZERO chips from towing. 

2. The presets suck.  Change them.  Play with the boat and figure out what works and save that pre set. 

3. High bow rise.  well adding a that extra weight in the rear will cause that.  Especially when everyone sits close to the rear.  More bow weight helps a lot.  If you have surfgate you shouldn't be so bow high at all.  My boat runs listed with a 750 lb fat sock on top of the hard tank.  I then added another 250 lbs or so of weight in the bow.  Proper weight distribution is a huge key to these boats. 

4. The tower knobs are only there if you need to collapse the tower.  There is still an allen key in the centre to tighten them.  Remember that you are only HAND tightening a bolt into the tower that sits upside down.  If you don't fold the tower use the proper allen key bolts and tighten them up snug.  Never had any issues.

5. The sub sucks.  Yes they do from the factory.  This is no secret.  The amps are not located in a nice place in any of the factory boats.  The factory sub box is crap. 

 

Now, if the dealer screwed up the skins that's their fault and they should stand behind it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment

I've never been on a VTX and I knew most of the settings for surf and ski already. It's all on the forum, but thank you @DrFred for condensing it to one spot.

To the rest, the only actual Malibu issues I see are the center pylon, leaky tower speakers, and the ground wire for the wedge. The rest is either dealer issues during repairs, transport carelessness, or user error (bumping of a switch on an amp and loose tower knobs).

Great boat and glad you got it all straightened out. Such is the nature of a crossover boat, there are compromises to be made and overcome to the best of your liking. I think your plan for two boats is a solid one. But there will be a whole new set of settings and tricks to figure out!:cheers:

 

 

Edited by jk13
Link to comment

These are my experiences, yours may be different.  I can't believe I'm the only one who has had 3 replacement polymer center ski brackets..but if you have one and haven't checked to see if it fits properly you should..careful not to jam it in as you won't be able to get it out easily.  Don't think they sold many of them.

The less gas, the better the slalom wake, no doubt. You can surf with a full tank of gas without any additional ballast or fat friends, but the sweet spot is small.  the surf wake is better with the bow high up in the air. You can certainly flatten it, but then my kids b**** that the wake isn't as good.  The compromise is partial filling so I can barely see over the bow.  The presets have all been optimized by trial and error, but occasionally don't work right...particularly if we do a lot of switching of presets in one outing. Sometimes the power wedge needs to be reset by cycling power to the boat.

I didn't get the memo on installing additional rock guards on the trailer. What do you use?  I only tow twice a year and back and forth to the dealer....first time this has happened.  

The subwoofer was overgained.  It may  suck too, but the adjustment screw was blocked by the amplifier in front of it....and someone snapped off the slotted (metal) set screw from trying to adjust at a bad angle.  The subwoofer amp has 4 screws to hold it to the hull, but only the front two went through the carpet and into the fiberglass.  It seems to work best with the gain set minimal. Ultimately the best way to have a subwoofer is to adjust the Q of the hull and mate it with a proper 15" woofer..newer cars with high end systems do this. But not with a 15' woofer.  I think one of my cars has a woofer  or woofer like object integrated into the floor under the passenger seat (Burmester).....sometimes instead of a woofer cone, they drive a floor panel like object directly.

I had no trouble launching my old malibu or any of my other boats.  We have great boat launches here.  My trailer is branded malibu single axle, lights and steps and has a folding hitch.  It doesn't float well when the dealer launches it either   He has to gun it on and off the trailer.

I think the '13VTX is a decent boat for multi purpose.....and the slalom wake is pretty good.....with the front ballast tank full and the gas tank as empty as possible. I use my boat 3-5 days a week from may til october and have a ski course about 1 mile from my house. I do avoid using it when there are a lot of boat wakes as the hull is relatively unforgiving. 

Finally, I double checked my tower.  The knobs are load bearing.  The only structural allen screw on my tower is on the leading edge pivot. Send me a pic in case you still think I missed an allen screw on the tower mount.

My dealer is a smart and talented guy and does everything he can to help and contends with seasonal employees in a very rural area. I just think these boats are not as well tested and as problem free as higher production boats.  They are pretty cool, especially when everything is working. 

Link to comment
3 hours ago, DrFred said:

 

I had no trouble launching my old malibu or any of my other boats.  We have great boat launches here.  My trailer is branded malibu single axle, lights and steps and has a folding hitch.  It doesn't float well when the dealer launches it either   He has to gun it on and off the trailer.

Sounds like a sure sign that you are not in deep enough

  • Like 1
Link to comment
25 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Sounds like a sure sign that you are not in deep enough

There are some trailers, like mine, that if you back in enough to float on/off the bow will go under the winch roller. Need to be able to see the front tips of the main bunks out of the water so they push the bow up over the roller and winch or power up to avoid that. Previous owner punch in the nose evidence on my bow from loading too deep.

Edited by jk13
Link to comment
30 minutes ago, jk13 said:

There are some trailers, like mine, that if you back in enough to float on/off the bow will go under the winch roller. Need to be able to see the front tips of the main bunks out of the water so they push the bow up over the roller and winch or power up to avoid that. Previous owner punch in the nose evidence on my bow from loading too deep.

never managed to do that on my vtx since the stock trailer has v bunks at the front that make it impossible.  but it happens easily on my inlaws lxi which only has the 4 bunk setup.

Link to comment
55 minutes ago, jk13 said:

There are some trailers, like mine, that if you back in enough to float on/off the bow will go under the winch roller. Need to be able to see the front tips of the main bunks out of the water so they push the bow up over the roller and winch or power up to avoid that. Previous owner punch in the nose evidence on my bow from loading too deep.

Yep, this is the same as mine, if you put the trailer in too deep the bow will go under the roller.  If the ramp was less angled might be able to float on.

Edited by MadMan
Link to comment

I'm not sure how particular you are about rope length in the course.  I ski my VTX at 15' off from the back pylon at 33 mph.   I swear the extra 3 feet behind the boat makes a big difference in the wake.  (I don't recall if the VTX has always had that 2nd pylon - mine is a 2015).  I agree there is a bunch of bow rise and I'm looking at getting an extra seat pad.

Link to comment
8 hours ago, Badger said:

I'm not sure how particular you are about rope length in the course.  I ski my VTX at 15' off from the back pylon at 33 mph.   I swear the extra 3 feet behind the boat makes a big difference in the wake.  (I don't recall if the VTX has always had that 2nd pylon - mine is a 2015).  I agree there is a bunch of bow rise and I'm looking at getting an extra seat pad.

2013 was first year for center pylon option.  I ski mine 15 off on the back pylon as well and the wake is nice there at 32+.  

Link to comment
12 hours ago, Badger said:

I'm not sure how particular you are about rope length in the course.  I ski my VTX at 15' off from the back pylon at 33 mph.   I swear the extra 3 feet behind the boat makes a big difference in the wake.  (I don't recall if the VTX has always had that 2nd pylon - mine is a 2015).  I agree there is a bunch of bow rise and I'm looking at getting an extra seat pad.

Thats exactly where I skied it all last summer......That front ballast tank was optional when I got mine and would be unusable without it.  I may be biased but I think the wake is better off the center pole when cutting and holding through the wake. I think the wake stays flatter when I cut, but I haven't yet directly compared them under the same conditions.  I will try that this summer now that malibu has engineered a new replacement center pole design for the '13 vTX. The center pole was an(700$) option only available on the 3D hull.  If it does in fact work better, I;ll let you know.  Probably a pretty expensive retrofit.

To get through the course Im unfortunately long line at 33 mph.

Link to comment
On ‎2017‎-‎05‎-‎05 at 2:01 PM, DrFred said:

These are my experiences, yours may be different.  I can't believe I'm the only one who has had 3 replacement polymer center ski brackets..but if you have one and haven't checked to see if it fits properly you should..careful not to jam it in as you won't be able to get it out easily.  Don't think they sold many of them.

I didn't get the memo on installing additional rock guards on the trailer. What do you use?  I only tow twice a year and back and forth to the dealer....first time this has happened. No memo. Just have proper mudflaps and possibly a rock deflector or rock tamer type device.  I would venture to guess that we put about 5000km a year towing the boat.  No marks.  This is the one I had on my first VTX. Now I just run a rock tamer on the tow vehicle and have 3m tape on the trailer.

http://www.trailertux.com/gallery.php

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=W2fi2xy4&id=7286391E39D135BD9DB85DDD5024A16532596E80&thid=OIP.W2fi2xy4T5lkF_vqOu8-HgEsDh&q=rocktamer&simid=608025447668648932&selectedIndex=3&ajaxhist=0

Finally, I double checked my tower.  The knobs are load bearing.  The only structural allen screw on my tower is on the leading edge pivot. Send me a pic in case you still think I missed an allen screw on the tower mount.  In the center of the knobs there is a slot for an allen key.  At least in mine there are.  Mine are factory knobs as well.

 

 

Link to comment
1 hour ago, DrFred said:

Thats exactly where I skied it all last summer......That front ballast tank was optional when I got mine and would be unusable without it.  I may be biased but I think the wake is better off the center pole when cutting and holding through the wake. I think the wake stays flatter when I cut, but I haven't yet directly compared them under the same conditions.  I will try that this summer now that malibu has engineered a new replacement center pole design for the '13 vTX. The center pole was an(700$) option only available on the 3D hull.  If it does in fact work better, I;ll let you know.  Probably a pretty expensive retrofit.

To get through the course Im unfortunately long line at 33 mph.

Yes, I have the center pylon in the garage. I'd only pull it out if someone like ahopkinstxi wants the come over and run at 38' off.  I do also fill the front ballast about 3/4 full, try to keep about 5-10 gallons of gas and preferably only go out with two others.  If more people in the boat, I make them cozy up on the spotters seat.  Any imbalance or weight on the back seat screws up the wake.  I personally like my wake better than a Sportster and on par with a 2012 Prostar that I ski on a regular basis.  We don't have a course on our lake though.  YMMV.  

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Badger said:

Yes, I have the center pylon in the garage. I'd only pull it out if someone like ahopkinstxi wants the come over and run at 38' off.  I do also fill the front ballast about 3/4 full, try to keep about 5-10 gallons of gas and preferably only go out with two others.  If more people in the boat, I make them cozy up on the spotters seat.  Any imbalance or weight on the back seat screws up the wake.  I personally like my wake better than a Sportster and on par with a 2012 Prostar that I ski on a regular basis.  We don't have a course on our lake though.  YMMV.  

I fill the front tank when my kids are in the back seat (skinny adult kids) but when it is just my wife driving then no ballast.  At 15 off I don't notice much difference between my vtx and the inlaws 04 lxi.  The vtx wake looks bigger but is mush when you hit it.  Only been through the course once in my vtx and that is the only place I can tell that I am pulling it around a little.

Edited by oldjeep
Link to comment
ahopkins22LSV
2 hours ago, Badger said:

Yes, I have the center pylon in the garage. I'd only pull it out if someone like ahopkinstxi wants the come over and run at 38' off.  I do also fill the front ballast about 3/4 full, try to keep about 5-10 gallons of gas and preferably only go out with two others.  If more people in the boat, I make them cozy up on the spotters seat.  Any imbalance or weight on the back seat screws up the wake.  I personally like my wake better than a Sportster and on par with a 2012 Prostar that I ski on a regular basis.  We don't have a course on our lake though.  YMMV.  

38 off... That's a good joke! The only time I see that loop is bringing the rope in after a set! :rofl:

I will say 34-36mph 22 or shorter is very good. I was very impressed with the wake. Pulling a skier from the center pylon is also much nicer than the rear pylon. 

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...