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2007 VLX Ordering Options


JungleJim

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Well its soon going to be time to order the new Bu and after skiing behind a demo 07 VLX with the Diamond Hull I think I've found a great wakeboarding boat which still can pull the odd set. With two young boys we are spending a lot more time boarding so are looking forward to the lounge seating & tower. The wakeboard and wakesurfing wakes looked great and will be a big step up from our 01 RLX! I was really impressed with the Power Wedge.

Just wondering what options people have found to be definitely worthwhile and which can just as easily be passed on. We live in Western Canada so it can be chilly in the shoulder seasons (e.g. does the heated seat work well?) but nice long days in July with light past 11 pm. Any feedback would be great and certainly appreciated.

Thanks!

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Well, you'll obviously be getting the 2 or 3 outlet heater with the pull out tubes etc, but the seat heater works pretty good also. I've only used mine once or twice, but it does heat up nicely.

Another thing you may consider is the warm shower for preheating the wetsuits in the cool months. Takes the bite off of that jump into the water.

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Well, you'll obviously be getting the 2 or 3 outlet heater with the pull out tubes etc, but the seat heater works pretty good also. I've only used mine once or twice, but it does heat up nicely.

Another thing you may consider is the warm shower for preheating the wetsuits in the cool months. Takes the bite off of that jump into the water.

For California and Texas this isn't a huge issue, but for someone in Canada, and even out here in Va, finding a good stereo shop to work on boats may not be the easiest thing. I've heard one review on the new Stereo for the Bu's and it was great. Has anybody else been around the new Factory stereo? With the hard drive face plate, newer nicer speaker... I think it sounds like more people might consider getting the Factory option. Tower Speakers are something you might wait on still, as there's a lot of great options out there.

Edited by GoldschlagerVT
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The new stereo kicks butt! I have been really disappointed in the past. This time I got four Rockford speakers in the boat, a driver's side sub, and two amps. It also has a sub gain control next to the remote under the dash. The install looks clean too! Rockford ROCKS!

Trentster Rockon.gif

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Yeah, the new stereo system is prety nice. I saw it on an 07 23 LSV and it looked really nice.

Bow tank for sure, Monsoon at minimum and if you have the coin get the HH383 you won't be disappointed.

Like others said: 3 outlet heater, shower, heated driver seat. Also, I recommend the depth finder.

If you order tower racks, tower speakers, on your own you'll save $$ over dealers mark ups.

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How much is the factory chargin for the Stereo? 4 speakers, AMP, Sub and gain control with the Sony Deck...

Curious to know the mark-up that they are getting.

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I second the HH opinion, defenitely worth it. From what I have seen the new stereo's are so much nicer! I was given an 1800 credit for ordering with no stereo, and spent that on a custom install. I woud have kept the factory if I was getting an 07.

The only other options I would recomend are the transom flush kit as I really wish I had gotten that and LED lights on the trailer.

Also I would not waste your money on the Metcraft swivel racks. I am on my second set and am afraid to put two boards up at a time after having a rack fall on the boat.

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I second the HH opinion, defenitely worth it. From what I have seen the new stereo's are so much nicer! I was given an 1800 credit for ordering with no stereo, and spent that on a custom install. I woud have kept the factory if I was getting an 07.

The only other options I would recomend are the transom flush kit as I really wish I had gotten that and LED lights on the trailer.

Also I would not waste your money on the Metcraft swivel racks. I am on my second set and am afraid to put two boards up at a time after having a rack fall on the boat.

I remember the Sony Stereo, 6 speakers, and amp was about 1800. The sub they wanted another 1200. So you could easily spend 3200 on the stereo with sub. We didn't get the sub, and now I wish we didn't get the factory stereo... If only they had this years stereo last year I'd be a happy camper

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You guys are nuts... The 383 has been plauged with problems compared to the Monsoon not to mention that it's only about 1 mph faster and the 340 propped with a 16 pitch is about the same out of the hole. Then the best you can tell him is put in a kick a** stereo? nice effort. The stereo in a boat IMO is overrated, all the sound just pumps out into the air. I'd order a nice mid grade system with a sub and nothing exotic. The tower speakers are nice if you sit on the beach and want music otherwise they just annoy everone else on the lake, they don't sound that great when boarding as you are once again in free air with water noise, boat motor noise, air noise.

Options I'd look at:

Drivers heated seat nice, heater a must, shower maybe, popup bow light nice, power wedge nice, depth finder, good boat cover, bimini if you plan to use in BC much, flip up bolster, pull up cleats, get the rear ballst only so you have the center ski locker and front storage and walk through, Diamond hull I diddo for slow speeds with young kids.

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You guys are nuts... The 383 has been plauged with problems compared to the Monsoon not to mention that it's only about 1 mph faster and the 340 propped with a 16 pitch is about the same out of the hole. Then the best you can tell him is put in a kick a** stereo? nice effort. The stereo in a boat IMO is overrated, all the sound just pumps out into the air. I'd order a nice mid grade system with a sub and nothing exotic. The tower speakers are nice if you sit on the beach and want music otherwise they just annoy everone else on the lake, they don't sound that great when boarding as you are once again in free air with water noise, boat motor noise, air noise.

Options I'd look at:

Drivers heated seat nice, heater a must, shower maybe, popup bow light nice, power wedge nice, depth finder, good boat cover, bimini if you plan to use in BC much, flip up bolster, pull up cleats, get the rear ballst only so you have the center ski locker and front storage and walk through, Diamond hull I diddo for slow speeds with young kids.

What he said........The only thing that I'd do differently is get more remotes in different parts of the boat and the power wedge.

I didn't go for the 06 stereo options.....You can get ever so much more for you money going outside. The only thing that's nice about the factory install is the install........It's their arse if they screw something up and the dealer will fix if it does screw up....

Just my humble .02

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So still better off with taking the credit for no stereo on a 2007..

Take the 1800 and sink it into some nice DLS components and a pounding Treo sub with a solid ARC Audi amp I got laying around!!

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You guys are nuts... The 383 has been plauged with problems compared to the Monsoon not to mention that it's only about 1 mph faster and the 340 propped with a 16 pitch is about the same out of the hole. Then the best you can tell him is put in a kick a** stereo? nice effort. The stereo in a boat IMO is overrated, all the sound just pumps out into the air. I'd order a nice mid grade system with a sub and nothing exotic. The tower speakers are nice if you sit on the beach and want music otherwise they just annoy everone else on the lake, they don't sound that great when boarding as you are once again in free air with water noise, boat motor noise, air noise.

Options I'd look at:

Drivers heated seat nice, heater a must, shower maybe, popup bow light nice, power wedge nice, depth finder, good boat cover, bimini if you plan to use in BC much, flip up bolster, pull up cleats,

Shocking.gif ! Shocking.gif

You guys are nuts... The 383 has been plauged with problems compared to the Monsoon not to mention that it's only about 1 mph faster and the 340 propped with a 16 pitch is about the same out of the hole.

People that push the monsoon over the HH just simply haven't spent time without one and with one. I am not talking about a chart posted on a forum or a review, I'm talking about owning both. My monsoon, a 335 not 40 had nothing, nothing on a HH. This is something that is validated everytime I have the boat loaded up. I don't mean just 5 people and some gear I mean loaded. The Monsoon is a dawg in comparison.

The stereo in a boat IMO is overrated, all the sound just pumps out into the air. I'd order a nice mid grade system with a sub and nothing exotic. The tower speakers are nice if you sit on the beach and want music otherwise they just annoy everone else on the lake, they don't sound that great when boarding as you are once again in free air with water noise, boat motor noise, air noise.

I think you've continually short changed yourself on options. My stereo does a lot more than pump into the air. I'd rather have it done right, or not at all. mid-grade system nothing exotic? That's pumping into the engine noise and not air. As far as tower speakers go, get yourself a nice set and power them properly. Then they WILL sound good at boarding speeds, with, as you say, free air, water noise, and of course, the rumble of an HH engine noise.

get the rear ballst only so you have the center ski locker and front storage and walk through, Diamond hull I diddo for slow speeds with young kids.

For 250lbs, why bother. Again do it right or not at all. You can get two 250lbs sacs for the back if you're taking this route. It's a lot cheaper than getting rear ballast built in. Get it ALL or none. Resale's better with bow, midship, and rear.

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THe heater is a must, but understand that with the walk thru you will have no snorkels or outlets for the passengers (They cannot run the heater hoses across the walk thru).

If your Response has a heater, they probably put a snorkel or two on the passenger's side, and your passengers are spoiled.

Personally, I feel it is as important to get a second heater unit for the passengers as it is for the driver. They put the second unit nicely behind the passenger's seat, under the dash, and plumb the 2 heaters in series. Each has its own accessory switch on the dash.

So... my .02 is to get TWO heaters installed at the factory.

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We had a heated observer's seat put in our boat. That was the concession to the wife so that she will go out in the colder (or sometimes not so cold) days.

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We had a heated observer's seat put in our boat. That was the concession to the wife so that she will go out in the colder (or sometimes not so cold) days.

Thanks for all the feedback and good ideas! I didn't even know you could order a second complete heater. Up here the heater is the most popular accessory on our boat. We're fortunate enough to be able to board or ski right from our own place on the lake so I'm thinking getting all the balast options is the way to go as storage isn't an issue since we just drop stuff off on the dock. I think we'll pass on the bimini since we gotta enjoy any hot weather we get and its one less thing to start rattling!

The HH 400 hp vs the Monsoon 340hp is about a $3500 CDN upgrade and I'm thinking if I just prop down the 340 I can still get a decent hole shot and save some coin. The factory stereo set up sounds decent but if its $3200 I think I can get more bang for less $ going local. Any ideas on what kind of tower speakers to go with? Are the Malibu bullet speakers any good? I would like to go with at least four since it helps to get the party deck a rockin' at the end of the dock. I think we spend as much if not more time hangin' listening to tunes so its all good.

One other question is our RLX has a tan and cream interior which has been quite easy to keep looking good. Is a light grey (Moonbeam?) and darker grey (Graphite) going to be significantly harder to keep clean? I've been told to stay away from white on the interior.

Greatly appreciate the feedback!

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You guys are nuts... The 383 has been plauged with problems compared to the Monsoon not to mention that it's only about 1 mph faster and the 340 propped with a 16 pitch is about the same out of the hole. Then the best you can tell him is put in a kick a** stereo? nice effort.

Dude, Crack Kills. I suggest some Detox, ASAP.

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Maybe my friend's 07 is propped wrong because I honestly don't notice much difference between his VLX w/HH and my VLX with the Monsoon. Is it really a dramatic difference? I'm sure that once you start adding a ton of extra ballast the HH would be better, but for what I use (stock ballast + 600 lbs) I can't tell the difference. How dramatic should it be? I've spent significant time behind the wheel of both (probably 30-40 hours on my VLX and 10-15 hours on my friends 07 VLX.)

Edited by DRAGON88
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Maybe my friend's 07 is propped wrong because I honestly don't notice much difference between his VLX w/HH and my VLX with the Monsoon. Is it really a dramatic difference? I'm sure that once you start adding a ton of extra ballast the HH would be better, but for what I use (stock ballast + 600 lbs) I can't tell the difference. How dramatic should it be? I've spent significant time behind the wheel of both (probably 30-40 hours on my VLX and 10-15 hours on my friends 07 VLX.)

Your buddies boat is propped wrong.

I have drag raced a 05 VLX w/ 340 vs. a 23 LSV w/ HH383, and believe me the LSV smoked it. On my 05 LSV w/ HH 383 there was nothing tath could get it out of the hole. Even my 247 w/ 8.1L is doggie compared to the old LSV setup.

I ran a 537 on my 23 LSV HH 383, what does your buddy have.

FYI, guys, Malibu made a major FU when they didn't change the name of the Hammerhead between 04 and 05. The old Hammerhead 380 (04 model) sucked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Hammerhead 383 (05 model) is Bullet proof from what I've heard and experienced. :)

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I have no idea, whatever Malibu put on the first "production" 2007 Wakesetter VLX they built. I'll take your word for it, Malibu must have thrown a odd prop on it...

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I think we'll pass on the bimini since we gotta enjoy any hot weather we get and its one less thing to start rattling!

The factory stereo set up sounds decent but if its $3200 I think I can get more bang for less $ going local. Any ideas on what kind of tower speakers to go with? Are the Malibu bullet speakers any good? I would like to go with at least four since it helps to get the party deck a rockin' at the end of the dock. I think we spend as much if not more time hangin' listening to tunes so its all good.

If you don't think you'll use the Bimini, you can pass. There's quite a few websites out there that sell them, so it's not a bad aftermarket thing to get. So if you want it, it's available.

I agree on the 3200, but ask how much they want for the entire setup (Speakers, HU and Sub).

I'd steer clear of the Malibu tower speakers. There are many out there that love them. But there are A LOT of speakers out there that you will probably be more happy with. If I remember right, they were 750 a pair, so you could get the Wetsounds for less... or 2 pairs of Bullet Speakers for a comparable price and be much happier.

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I have no idea, whatever Malibu put on the first "production" 2007 Wakesetter VLX they built. I'll take your word for it, Malibu must have thrown a odd prop on it...

It wouldn't be unusual, as evidenced by some of the experiences here (including me), that Malibu put the wrong prop on the VLX. A few of us had the 817 come as the stock prop which is used for the bigger 8.1 engine. Putting the 537 on my boat made a HUGE difference. 1235 is next.

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I still cannot get over someone talking down the HH. I test drove LSV's (was not looking at the VLX) with the Monsoon and the HH back to back. The difference was eye opening. I didn't care what it cost, I had to have one. People have used the 383 stroker motor in hot rod application for years and it is considered an incredible engine by all accounts. When I had my stereo put in I used a friends shop who carries Nautique (PCM) and Tige. The guys in the shop litterally drooled over the HH.

I also think the stereo is important. Boats are places where you brings frineds to hang out and relax. Tunes are important and I can't stand the sound of cheap stereos. If they will give you a 3200 credit for no stereo, then yeah, I think you should get something installed aftermarket. But when I ordered an 06 the credit was only 1800, and given the huge boost in equipment from early build 06 and an 07, I would have gone with the factory stereo. I went with Clarion because I like there remotes much better. I also installed it above the throttle rather than down under the dash, it works well there.

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Maybe my friend's 07 is propped wrong because I honestly don't notice much difference between his VLX w/HH and my VLX with the Monsoon. Is it really a dramatic difference? I'm sure that once you start adding a ton of extra ballast the HH would be better, but for what I use (stock ballast + 600 lbs) I can't tell the difference. How dramatic should it be? I've spent significant time behind the wheel of both (probably 30-40 hours on my VLX and 10-15 hours on my friends 07 VLX.)

That's basically what we saw with 2 05 vlx's side by side Monsoon and HH. May they were propped wrong too? I was not too surprised though because from the Malibu brochure they say the monsoon has 397 ft/lbs torque and the HH has 420 ft/lbs which I thought seemed relatively insignificant. That being said I was also surprised that the HH with 60 more hp on the top did not have much more top end.

How they perform in the 23 I do not know, but from changing props in my VLX from a 17.5 pitch to a 16 I know the prop selection can make a huge difference.

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They've been vastly overpropping the HH from the factory. Why? I don't know, it makes no sense whatsoever (at least on a wakeboard boat). But for those of you that talk down HH, I promise you that if you compare apples for apples with the same props, the HH is hands down the engine to have.

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You guys are nuts... The 383 has been plauged with problems compared to the Monsoon not to mention that it's only about 1 mph faster and the 340 propped with a 16 pitch is about the same out of the hole. Then the best you can tell him is put in a kick a** stereo? nice effort. The stereo in a boat IMO is overrated, all the sound just pumps out into the air. I'd order a nice mid grade system with a sub and nothing exotic. The tower speakers are nice if you sit on the beach and want music otherwise they just annoy everone else on the lake, they don't sound that great when boarding as you are once again in free air with water noise, boat motor noise, air noise.

Dude, are you trying to make friends or what? Shocking.gif

An option I would definitely look at would be the silent ride with downturn exhaust. We have it in our 2006 23 Wakesetter LSV (with Monsoon) and it is sooo quiet. It is really nice and makes it easy to have a conversation with those in the back while the boat is underway. I'm not sure if it is available, but you may also want to look into snap in carpet.

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