Is an 07 Vride a good choice for someone like us?

[shawndoggy]

@-BS- can we at least agree that of every vdrive Malibu has ever produced, that the SV23 (which includes the 07 vride) is going to be the worst rough water ride?

[shiftman]

We do very little cruising, so fuel economy isn't an issue. Personally, I would love to learn to wakeboard and wakesurf but my wife wont operate a boat. As such, we cruise across the lake and hang out at the local sand bar. As previously stated, we simpy need a better "water taxi" than the one we currently have. I do admit that I struggle with the outrageous price tags of these boats, but do see the positives of the resale value as well (assuming that it doesn't fall flat at some point in the future).  

That said, I do agree with the poster that asked how long it had been since many had been in an 18 foot I/O when commenting on rough rides? I never envisioned that a v hull could ride  as horrible as this Stingray does. Then again, I have never ridden in a wakeboard board either.

I just love the Malibu look. Been enamored since I saw the very first one in 2014. A 2007 Wakesetter in purple, gray and black. Had a picture of it on my phone as a screen saver, but wasn't comfortable investing that much in our first boat. It was simply a spectacular boat. That said, as much as I "ohh ahh" over Wakesetters, my wife is slightly more partial to a Supra though...lol 

[oldjeep]

5 minutes ago, shiftman said:

That said, I do agree with the poster that asked how long it had been since many had been in an 18 foot I/O when commenting on rough rides? I never envisioned that a v hull could ride  as horrible as this Stingray does. Then again, I have never ridden in a wakeboard board either.

In my case 4 years ago - although it was a 19 ft I/O.   I just can't understand paying the kind of money a V-drive costs if you don't use it for watersports.  In the end it is your money and you wouldn't be the first person to buy a wake boat as a party barge and not use it for anything else.

[shiftman]

The cost is certainly an issue for amenities that won't be used. Probably why I have not already bought one.

[shawndoggy]

48 minutes ago, shiftman said:

We do very little cruising, so fuel economy isn't an issue. Personally, I would love to learn to wakeboard and wakesurf but my wife wont operate a boat.

Assuming she is physically able to do so, it's not THAT hard, especially with speed control and wakesurf devices.  My wife is about as far from a motorhead as you could possibly imagine and she learned to pilot the boat in her 30s.  Neither of us had any experience before we bought our first boat ('06 vride).  Maybe you can find another couple in your area who could show the two of you the ropes?

[oldjeep]

2 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

Assuming she is physically able to do so, it's not THAT hard, especially with speed control and wakesurf devices.  My wife is about as far from a motorhead as you could possibly imagine and she learned to pilot the boat in her 30s.  Neither of us had any experience before we bought our first boat ('06 vride).  Maybe you can find another couple in your area who could show the two of you the ropes?

x2   My wife had not really ever driven a boat when we got ours, even though she had grown up with them.  It took her very little time to get accustomed to towing and she is one of very few people that I trust to drive when I'm skiing in open water.

[Gavin17]

Has the op tested a v drive yet?  I think he has enough info to decide if he wants one after a test drive.  

[dlowry81]

Thought about replying earlier, but I'm in complete agreement with BS on his points.  Someone mentioned having ever ridden into 10 mph winds.  Please that is a calm day in Oklahoma.  I took my 1996 Sunnsetter VLX across Grand Lake (the lake that sunk someones Echelon on here recently) tons of times and it's not that bad.  As good as a newer wakeboat or a big Crownline or Cobalt, absolutely not.  But it will be worlds better than a 18' Stingray.  You guys are acting like his Stingray is a 23' Cobalt, which it's is far from.  Bottom line the OP just needs a test drive to see what he thinks.

[blk93jeepzj]

14 hours ago, shiftman said:

The Stingray was a bank repo that I bought without riding in it first. Rookie boat buying mistake. If there is moderate chop, your back will hurt after a day on the water. Absolutely horrible riding boat on anything but smooth water.

@shiftman I'm not going to say that this is a cure all but a couple of our lake neighbors have 18' stingrays. Both have stated that the best money spent on their boats have been a set of Nauticus Smart Tabs SX.  This has helped to keep the nose down and greatly improved the ride.  

[minnmarker]

2 hours ago, oldjeep said:

  I just can't understand paying the kind of money a V-drive costs if you don't use it for watersports.  In the end it is your money and you wouldn't be the first person to buy a wake boat as a party barge and not use it for anything else.

I bought my boat from a guy who did just that with it - nothing besides cruise around.  So it really had very little wear on the running gear, tower, etc.  I see lots of Malibus, Master Crafts, and Centurions on my lake that do nothing besides cruise and pull an occasional tuber.  But they sure do "look good."

[shiftman]

1 hour ago, blk93jeepzj said:

@shiftman I'm not going to say that this is a cure all but a couple of our lake neighbors have 18' stingrays. Both have stated that the best money spent on their boats have been a set of Nauticus Smart Tabs SX.  This has helped to keep the nose down and greatly improved the ride.  

I put smart tabs on my boat within the first two weeks of owning it. They did wonders for the ridiculous amount of porpoising that these boats do, but added nothing for the harsh ride. It is simply a light boat.

[shiftman]

1 hour ago, dlowry81 said:

Thought about replying earlier, but I'm in complete agreement with BS on his points.  Someone mentioned having ever ridden into 10 mph winds.  Please that is a calm day in Oklahoma.  I took my 1996 Sunnsetter VLX across Grand Lake (the lake that sunk someones Echelon on here recently) tons of times and it's not that bad.  As good as a newer wakeboat or a big Crownline or Cobalt, absolutely not.  But it will be worlds better than a 18' Stingray.  You guys are acting like his Stingray is a 23' Cobalt, which it's is far from.  Bottom line the OP just needs a test drive to see what he thinks.

You and others are correct. I need to do a test ride for comparison. My main intent of the post was to find out opinions on the Bride.

[blk93jeepzj]

4 minutes ago, shiftman said:

I put smart tabs on my boat within the first two weeks of owning it. They did wonders for the ridiculous amount of porpoising that these boats do, but added nothing for the harsh ride. It is simply a light boat.

Well then I think you have done all you can for that boat.  Good luck with the search.  

[-BS-]

12 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

@-BS- can we at least agree that of every vdrive Malibu has ever produced, that the SV23 (which includes the 07 vride) is going to be the worst rough water ride?

It's the smallest, lightest boat in Malibu's wake lineup........so, yeah obviously.  But I'm telling you that compared to an 18' Stingray, it's a freaking lake limo.

Just think about the difference between the 08 Vride and the 09 Vride with only 6" length, 4" beam and 500# added.........

Now imagine your adding 3 1/2 feet to the length,  8-10" to the beam.......and 1500# to the weight ......because that's the difference between an 18' Stingray and a 07 Vride.  And that's not even considering the difference in tracking (which is going to be huge) OR seating comfort (huge) OR steering/throttle feel (way nicer) OR the ability to flip a couple switches and add another 500-1000# to the equation....

I think this crew forgets that 99% of 18' fiberglass runabouts drive like corks.  Heck, the OP said his Waverunner handles big water better.  

 

Hey , @UWSkier  That outboard's smoother ride doesn't really equate to the I/O game.  Once you get the center of gravity that far back, it's a whole different deal.  You've basically abandoned the running surface. That's why guys get the offshore brackets, etc......   But that 19 footer is a sharp lookin boat!  I like the sporty, sharp lines and the separate swim step.  Reminds me of the older Blue Water I/O's with a much longer (more vertical) stem.  I've always said that if I wanted to step into a more affordable boat, it'd be something really similar to that.

 

 

[shiftman]

3 hours ago, blk93jeepzj said:

Well then I think you have done all you can for that boat.  Good luck with the search.  

Thanks. It is a nice boat with a horrible ride. 

[boardjnky4]

The V-Ride is an awesome boat. You'll enjoy it. Definitely get out on a test drive and see for yourself. They handle VERY differently than a typical runabout.

[Ccceric]

We went from a 21' Rinker IO to a 21v Tigé and were SO disappointed with the ride, but the rest of the benefits of the v-drive totally out weighed it.  Such a more usable boat, higher quality across the board, and so much safer.  I was back in an IO the other day and somebody walked to the swim platform and they immediately turned the boat off for safety.  That is something I haven't even thought about in years with a V-drive it just isn't a concern.  Now we just upgraded to a 247 LSV and what a difference that is from the 21V Tige.  The first thing we did on the test drive was stir up the lake and drive through the waves, ahhh so smooth.  Maybe not IO smooth but who cares!  What a boat! Talk about the whole package!  

So OP I would drive the V-drive and see what you think, I doubt you would regret purchasing the Malibu, and your wife will probably even drive it.  My wife loves to drive now, and wouldn't ever drive the IO.  I will say though, beware of the learning curve, it takes some time, but is totally worth while.  They don't steer in reverse, and the low speed handling is nearly non existent.  But with practice you will be much smoother and more in control than you ever were in the IO.  I had a guy tell me the other day that those wake boats must really handle well, they are always so smooth at the docks.  I really think that it just takes more finesse, and the controls are much better.  No more clunk in to gear, and one finger steering.  

 

Good luck.

[shiftman]

Thanks to everyone who provided the much needed input. It is greatly appreciated.

[formulaben]

My 2 cents: I'll never go back to an I/O for the simple fact that we spend so much time around the swim platform.  Go test drive the boat and see for yourself.  Sure, the ride is a bit harsher than a typical I/O at speed but slow down a bit and it's not bad.  While an I/O allows a decent skipper to trim for certain conditions, the ease of the inboard makes driving easier for the Missus, your novice friend Bubba, and the rider behind trying to get a decent tow... 

[shawndoggy]

If you like the wakeboat look and want an inboard, there are better riding boats from other brands with deeper v hulls. Centurion avalanche, any MB made after 2011, and master craft x25 come to mind. 

The deeper v hulls are polarizing in the wakeboat community because that hull shape definitely changes the wake for Watersports, but I don’t think anybody disagrees (except maybe @-BS-?) that they ride better in rough water. 

[dlowry81]

You're not going to come close to the Malibu quality with a Centurion in that budget and you won't touch a post 2011 MB for the price of that Vride either.

[-BS-]

6 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

If you like the wakeboat look and want an inboard, there are better riding boats from other brands with deeper v hulls. Centurion avalanche, any MB made after 2011, and master craft x25 come to mind. 

The deeper v hulls are polarizing in the wakeboat community because that hull shape definitely changes the wake for Watersports, but I don’t think anybody disagrees (except maybe @-BS-?) that they ride better in rough water. 

Jeesh. Shawn.  I'm not out to disagree with anyone.  Never was. I was simply trying to respond to the OP's specific post/situation/inquiry 

OP has an 18' Stingray and said he cringed at the cost of the inboards he was looking at, right?  He specifically referenced the look of the Illusion tower and the older Wakesetters as a reason he was interested in the Vride, correct?

The F21 and X25 are both pickleforks.......with traditional towers......... that are going to run around/about DOUBLE the cost he cringed at, right?

I honestly don't understand how we got to a place where we're suggesting 60k pickleforks for him and calling me out for not agreeing.......but hey: It's TMC in the year 2018, I guess.   

BTW: I suggested an older Centurion in (literally) the second sentence of my original post.  But for the guy that was worried about freeboard and taking water over the bow.......that seems like a really odd suggestion.  Quality doesn't compare to the Vride either, but yeah, again.... I agreed that's one of his options.

Anyway.  Happy Thursday!

 

 

 

 

[Gavin17]

An x25 or v ride would be a tough choice lol. 

[Pnwrider]

I’m on team @shawndoggy on this one. I’ll add my .02 since I owned the same hull you are considering. If your main goals are cruising to the sandbar, I’d be looking at a pontoon boat or a 21-23’ io (cobalt, chapperal, etc). Others have covered the difference trim makes. I’ll add with a pontoon or io you can simply trim the motor up and nose into the beach. With a vdrive, it’s bow out with an anchor and a sand spike on shore tied to the stern. The rough water ride of my 03 vlx (same hull as the boat you’re considering) sucked. No debate. My new 23 lsv is better, but nowhere near the equivalent cobalt. I boat on a big, rough lake. If I didn’t want to surf, I would own an I/o no question. 

[shawndoggy]

1 hour ago, -BS- said:

Jeesh. Shawn.  I'm not out to disagree with anyone.  Never was. I was simply trying to respond to the OP's specific post/situation/inquiry 

OP has an 18' Stingray and said he cringed at the cost of the inboards he was looking at, right?  He specifically referenced the look of the Illusion tower and the older Wakesetters as a reason he was interested in the Vride, correct?

The F21 and X25 are both pickleforks.......with traditional towers......... that are going to run around/about DOUBLE the cost he cringed at, right?

B, that was sarcasm -- I just tagged you in the post and you DID argue with me.  Or argued about not arguing?  I dunno. 

there's a 21' traditional bow MB too (overpriced example with ugly gel scheme here: https://kpr.craigslist.org/bod/d/2010-mb-sports-21-b52-wide/6624191863.html).  @IXFE had one. They are rare (MB just wasn't making a ton of boats then) and thus not a lot of comps, but I'd think you could definitely find one in the mid-high 30s with some patience (probably not in July, but in Sept-Oct).  If the argument is now pricepoint, that is.  

what of the pickle?  were those excluded from consideration?

there's also the likelihood that a vride with IX tower and 750 hours is a creaky mess.  Looks cool tho. (I know, I know, that's why I bought one too!)