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$40,000 Budget. Wants A Malibu. What Advice Do I Give My Friend?


CharlieBeaU

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A really good friend of mine is getting back into boating. He sold his DD ski boat a few years ago to start his business. His business venture worked out well, he's just sold the business and now is looking to get back into a boat. He's a skier but his wife is adamant about getting a VDrive boat. His sons are definitely more into wakeboarding and wakesurfing as opposed to skiing so he is bending to the will of his family and looking at VDrives. He is also focusing on 21' - 22' boats so he can store it in his garage in the winter. I believe that for the right boat he could go up 10% on his budget but he'd have to convince his wife the boat was worth it.

I suggested a VLX and it seems like the 07-08s are in his price range. I know in '09 the hull was redesigned. I think that's the one to go for but on OnlyInboards they seem to be scarce and a little out of his price range.

I'm reaching out to get the advice of the Crew since I'm still very much a novice and I really want my friend to end up with a boat that's great for his family. Any advice would be appreciated.

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It's really a tough price range these days... for just "a little more" (and I'm all about lines in the sand on purchase price, just like @TallRedRider) he could get a '14 T22 which is six-eight years newer than the boats you are suggesting, and has surfgate, more freeboard, etc etc.  Used boats are pretty scarce at the moment, but my bet is that a used 14 T22 with the 350 could be had for high 40s-low 50s depending on condition.

(A22 would also be a consideration, but AFAIK, the first gen A22 doesn't surf as well as the T22, which is why I'm skipping it).

Surfgate is totally worth that IMHO. Plus on that age of VLX that you are suggesting, you're going to be in an illusion tower, which is likely pretty worn at this point.  

I'm a total slalom newb, but I have managed to get up and make some turns behind our T22 so it can be done.  Surf and wakeboard wakes are dead simple to set up, and if mrs. is a newb to driving a loaded surf pig, surfgate and freeboard will be appreciated.

Either that, or go backwards and look for a better skiing vdrive like a pre-04 LSV (which is a 22.5' boat that is smaller and lighter than a T22 and can be had in a diamond hull) or a pre-05 sunsetter/wakesetter vlx with diamond hull (which feels REALLY small compared to a T22).  Those would both definitely ski better than a T22 and the 05 and later VLX, but  would still be good for wakeboarding.  They just have old-school amounts of freeboard and will take more attention to drive surfing and may not ever put out quite the surf wake you can get with a T22 out of the box.

It's all compromises.

Edited by shawndoggy
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44 minutes ago, CharlieBeaU said:

I suggested a VLX and it seems like the 07-08s are in his price range.

Yep.  Just look for low hours, good vinyl, and good maintenance.   Hull cleanliness and model year don't matter much.

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Winter is coming...

As winter is fast approaching, I would tell your friend to take his time on buying a new boat.  No need to rush as he probably will not be able to use the boat fully until next spring or early summer.  Also, by being patient, your friend may be able to stumble into a very good deal.  

Another piece of advice would be to not wait too long, because as the season approaches, prices may go up a bit and the used inventory may shrink. 

I have a 22 VLX and love it very much.  We purchased this boat used last May and feel I got a great deal compared to comparable boats on west coast.  My wife was uncertain of the asking price, so I did a search on boattrader.com for all similar boats on the west cost and found our boat to be priced low for its features and hours compared to its price.  Basically, there are good deals out there, you just have to take your time.

With regards to parking in your garage, make sure your friend measures his garage space and boat.  Because of the trailer and power wedge, my boat barely fit in my garage.  My old boat (Sanger V215) which was 21'-6" had no problem fitting in my garage.  My 22 VLX (at 21'-10") now occupies two spaces of my three car garage.  I can fit the boat in one space, but then cannot squeeze behind the power wedge to exit out of the side door or access beer fridge in garage.  

I hope this helps your friend.

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Thanks everyone. I really appreciate it. I'm going to forward him the link to this thread and encourage him to join TMC. You guys rock. Thanks again for the help.

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2 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

It's really a tough price range these days... for just "a little more" (and I'm all about lines in the sand on purchase price, just like @TallRedRider) he could get a '14 T22 which is six-eight years newer than the boats you are suggesting, and has surfgate, more freeboard, etc etc.  Used boats are pretty scarce at the moment, but my bet is that a used 14 T22 with the 350 could be had for high 40s-low 50s depending on condition.

This is a great idea. I'll definitely suggest it.

2 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

Plus on that age of VLX that you are suggesting, you're going to be in an illusion tower, which is likely pretty worn at this point.  

 I wouldn't have even thought about this. If he were to find a great VLX but with a worn tower is it worth repairing/replacing the tower or would you spend so much that you'd have been better off just looking at a newer boat?

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3 hours ago, Stevo said:

Go with the surf gate axis

Agreed. I should have put Malibu-made in the title. I think he'd consider an Axis at the right price too.

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I'll go against the grain here and beg to differ with a lot of the guys with really good reputations and some serious knowledge  on here. I have a 2012 VLX (ie:non surfgate boat) and i am absolutely thrilled with it in all aspects. We have been surfing a lot more lately but we literally do it ALL behind the boat. I have surfed a lot of newer Malibu's (and other manufacturers) and other than the 25 LSV, id put my wave up against any of them (flame on). I may be biased and have the "don't want to buy a new boat" goggles on but the only thing i can't do on my boat that i could do on a surfgate boat is transfer. That's not worth 10-20k to me. The VLX has a respectable ski wake and it throws a world class wakeboard wake. I may be in the minority but i do not regret not spending the extra 10K+ at time of purchase to get surfgate.  Not one bit  

As for budgets? Well this site is notorious for ensuring that budget creep remains a real phenomenon. As shawndoggy pointed out, that is a weird price point in that each $5000 (or less) gets a lot of return. I also started looking for used boats in the. 30-40k range and ended up in a new close out at 60 thanks in part to this site. Had it been solely up to the crew, i woulda had a Boat EXACTLY like mine but with surfgate and a $75k price tag. Now I'm not saying that surfgate isn't a game changer and it's not worth having. It is, but i totally disagree that it's a must have. I think a 2010 VLX is a good goal with a 40k budget. Might break out of the budget a little but it's not gonna break the bank. A 2008+ 23LSV is also a good boat to consider if surfgate is deemed not a must have. 

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Isellacuras has some good points on not necessarily needing a surfgate, particularly in the price range being looked at.

Again the budget is an issue but if there's some flex in it, I know of a 2008 23 LSV in great condition that will be for sale in Feb in this area. However, Active is suggesting I can list it for $52-53K with the strength of the used boat market around here, so it's going to be outside your buddy's range. I've pulled a slalom skier behind it once and he enjoyed the pull but can't really speak to the skiability otherwise.

Edited by NWBU
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I love my 05 VLX, I may want a little more room if Id do it again but its not bad.  For $40k, you could get something real nice with a big motor(Which youll want for surfing)($30k), then plumb in extra fat sacs etc so youre not fumbling with throw over pumps($2k).  Its got one of the nicest wakeboard wakes Ive ridden, from 16.5mph-no ballast all the way up to 24.5 - 4500lbs of ballast.  Im sure youve told them this, but buying the boat is only the first step.  Id hate for them to go buy a $40k boat them get super pissed when hes got to buy another $1k worth of fat sacs, $2k worth of surf/wake boards and still havent looked at life jackets, coolers ropes, anchors, sound system etc. Something in that $30k range should get you to $40 all said and done. 

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Maybe somebody already mentioned this, but what about an early VTX?  If he's a skier he's gonna want a VTX over any other v-drive.  

I think @shawndoggy is right about the Illusion tower.  If he can manage to squeeze into a 2010+ he gets the G3 tower, like the one listed below for $45K.   

https://www.onlyinboards.com/2011-Malibu-Wakesetter-VTX-for-sale-Canandaigua-New-York-68442.aspx

That said... if surfing is going to become more of a priority (and it likely will whether he knows it or not), I like the idea of getting the cheapest surfgate boat he can get his hands on.  

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2 hours ago, NWBU said:

Isellacuras has some good points on not necessarily needing a surfgate, particularly in the price range being looked at.

Again the budget is an issue but if there's some flex in it, I know of a 2008 23 LSV in great condition that will be for sale in Feb in this area. However, Active is suggesting I can list it for $52-52K with the strength of the used boat market around here, so it's going to be outside your buddy's range. I've pulled a slalom skier behind it once and he enjoyed the pull but can't really speak to the skiability otherwise.

I love this post for so many reasons!

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You can find a fabulous v-drive for 40 grand. Don't let people try and talk him into must have's because everyone's must have's are different. People that say you can't let go of the rope and surf behind a old boat are just bad surfers. People that say you can't do flips and twists behind older boats are just bad wake-boarders. He'll need to make sure the tower folds down low enough to get into where he stores it.  

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I actually had dinner with my friend last night and talked through a bunch of ideas. I think two suggestions he's focusing in on are 2010-2011 VLXs with a G3 and '14 T22s. He is definitely leaning towards the VLX and while he knows surfgate is really cool from his time behind my boat he's also thinking he could manage just fine with one of the suck-gate solutions too.

@IXFE Great idea on the VTX. I'll do some searching on that.

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1 minute ago, shawndoggy said:

but if you had it to do over again and could spend $60k for your boat or $55k for a new T22 (what they were really selling for in 14), I'm sure that would be something you'd have thought about at the time.  The non-SG boats have definitely depreciated more rapidly than the SG boats too (@Raimie and @teamerickson can chime in, but I don't think either took even a 10% hit on resale after several years).

 

Used market is crazy right now. I didn't take a hit except for what I paid in original sales tax on my 14. But... I didn't have flake/gel upgrades, a bumping stereo and tricked out trailer. I think SG boats with those 'extras' that don't really add to wake/wave performance take a more significant hit.

Non-SG boats did take more of a hit, but there are so many aftermarket solutions now that as long as you are selling with a surf system, generally you still aren't taking that much of a hit. I saw a 2012 A22 go for 45k. That was likely more than the original purchase price... or at least equal to it.

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1 hour ago, Raimie said:

but there are so many aftermarket solutions

 I think the best non surf gate for 40k, wait a year or two and put the Go Surf Assist on.  It sounds like the GSA performs just as well as the first gen SG on the same hull without the sticker shock.  The cleanest, lowest hour VLX for his money sounds like a good fit. 

Disclaimer:  I just ordered GSA after a couple years and can't wait for spring.

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5 minutes ago, wakesonthesnake said:

 I think the best non surf gate for 40k, wait a year or two and put the Go Surf Assist on.  It sounds like the GSA performs just as well as the first gen SG on the same hull without the sticker shock.  The cleanest, lowest hour VLX for his money sounds like a good fit. 

Disclaimer:  I just ordered GSA after a couple years and can't wait for spring.

or build your own SG system for half the price of GSA.  

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