Looking to buy/order a 2019 at Boat Show next week

[shawndoggy]

On 2/1/2019 at 5:29 AM, Ronnie said:

You can “make” any boat get terrible GPH with it being overpropped and over weighted. This is just another made up selling point by a smaller, competing boat mfg. I work the boat shows every year. A lot of those conversations with buyers is dispelling the silly things the other mfg’s tell people about competing brands. Some of those points are ridiculous at best. I’ve had many Malibu’s, most of them 23’s. Propped and weighted correctly, you should expect ~5 GPH surfing.

I’m with @Fman... I think you are low by a couple of gph. 

I totally agree with @TallRedRider that fuel burn shouldn’t be a concern from an expense side. For me with a 42 gallon tank (T22) it is most definitely a factor in how long our day lasts (no fuel on our lake). 

[bbattiste247]

On 2/4/2019 at 8:57 PM, kayt425 said:

Like i said in the original post, I really don’t care about the money aspect of fuel efficiency, but i may care about how it would change my trips to Lake Powell if I’m burning through too much fuel on the daily...Sure we all just open up our wallets for our boating passion and spending time with family & friends.  But i was just wondering if the Centurion videos truly held any weight.  It looked like they were legitamely hooked into an Analytics software  to track the engine performance.  If another boat burned half the fuel and performed similar I would be interested to learn more because the hassle of fuel at Powell for me would be relieved a bit when not with the houseboat.

However if it is just a bunch of marketing nonsense then would hate to have that sway my decision.  I have been out on a 2018 Malibu 23 for a demo ( with the Raptor 450) and the RPMs were 4000+ during surfing and the engine was screaming.  Turned me off a bit.  But the salesmen didn’t seem to have a clue what he was doing so, I’m going to talk directly to the sales manager or the owner next time.  Not the 22  year old kid who had no boating experience whatsoever.  Worst demo experience of my life.  But i chalk it up to the kid not the dealer/brand.

Again appreciate the feedback.  I may be in the Malibu fold here soon.  Thanks!

"I have been out on a 2018 Malibu 23 for a demo ( with the Raptor 450) and the RPMs were 4000+ during surfing and the engine was screaming."  

If this is the case, than they had that boat propped way to high. With the proper prop, a Malibu 23 lsv with a 450 should not exceed 3500 RPM while surfing even at speeds close to 11.5 mph.

[IXFE]

3 hours ago, bbattiste247 said:

"I have been out on a 2018 Malibu 23 for a demo ( with the Raptor 450) and the RPMs were 4000+ during surfing and the engine was screaming."  

If this is the case, than they had that boat propped way to high. With the proper prop, a Malibu 23 lsv with a 450 should not exceed 3500 RPM while surfing even at speeds close to 11.5 mph.

Bingo!

My 2018 23 LSV turned 3400 rpm surfing at 11.2 mph. 

[The Hulk]

10 hours ago, IXFE said:

Bingo!

My 2018 23 LSV turned 3400 rpm surfing at 11.2 mph. 

And the 25lsv with 17" prop is similar so it must be more economical for A bigger wave! Go 25lsv if you want to save on gas! Ha

[Fman]

On 1/31/2019 at 10:46 PM, kayt425 said:

I know that when buying a 100K++ boat fuel costs shouldn't be a huge concern, but since i boat at Powell several times a year, filling up a tank and having it last a while is a big deal to us as we don't want to run into the marina for fuel too often.  We are going to buy a 23 foot boat.  Seriously considering malibu and Centurion this go round.

Anyway, is the fuel consumption with Malibu vs Centurion really as bad as some of the online videos make it out to be?  Centurion is claiming their boats are burning half or a third of the fuel...If true that if a big deal to us.  If the difference is negligible then we don't really care.. but with those claims Centurion has peaked my interest.  With the wedge engaged it makes sense that the malibu would burn through fuel quickly.

Malibu is our favorite boat as far as design and interior storage and design...but do not want to fill up twice a day at powell.

 

One other factor for fuel consumption is elevation,  Powell is 4000'ish... you will get reduced fuel economy the higher you go in elevation.  I notice at sea level vs 2000' I get on avg 1 GPH less up at 2000' running 2277 prop.

I would honestly say if you are good with a boat using 6-8gph then you will be in a realistic spot for a 23 LSV.  This equates to around 7-8 hours of run time per day surfing. You definitely should not be filling up twice a day.

[JeffC]

Ok, dont laugh out loud at me... I do track hours and fuel, and everything else I can think about using the boat.  Or at least I used to be. 

In 2017, I averaged 5.94 GPH for the season.  That was a a mix of everything - surfing, cruising, heading in and out of coves, etc.   I would guess 50-60% of those hours were loaded up with ballast and surfing, but that is nothing more than a wild a$$ guess. 

On multiple occasions, I have burned a full tank of gas on a Saturday of surfing.   Lets face it, surfing burns decomposed dinosaurs at an alarming rate.

I am hoping to get to Powell sometime sooner than later, and gas consumption is a concern... if for no other reason than the quantity of gas that I have to figure out how to port in.

[The Hulk]

1 hour ago, JeffC said:

Ok, dont laugh out loud at me... I do track hours and fuel, and everything else I can think about using the boat.  Or at least I used to be. 

In 2017, I averaged 5.94 GPH for the season.  That was a a mix of everything - surfing, cruising, heading in and out of coves, etc.   I would guess 50-60% of those hours were loaded up with ballast and surfing, but that is nothing more than a wild a$$ guess. 

On multiple occasions, I have burned a full tank of gas on a Saturday of surfing.   Lets face it, surfing burns decomposed dinosaurs at an alarming rate.

I am hoping to get to Powell sometime sooner than later, and gas consumption is a concern... if for no other reason than the quantity of gas that I have to figure out how to port in.

maybe next year Malibu will have an option so you can substitute the rear hard tanks for extra gas tanks!

[Pnwrider]

5 hours ago, The Hulk said:

maybe next year Malibu will have an option so you can substitute the rear hard tanks for extra gas tanks!

Everyone would fight for the first set of the day! 

[AJwakedevil]

9 hours ago, Pnwrider said:

Everyone would fight for the first set of the day! 

That would be a first for my crew.  A good way for me as the boat owner to avoid the first 60deg set in the morning here in mn. 

[TallRedRider]

@kayt425, What did you decide to do after seeing boats in person at the boat show?  You won't offend us if you went another way, there are a lot of people here who own and have owned different brands.  Just curious where your decision making led you.  

[cptotr]

I’m confident now that the dealer is everything. Having had a bad experience with a new dealer after switching brands, I can now see how important a good dealer really is. I would choose an inferior boat from a great dealer over a great boat from a bad dealer. Season is too short to have to deal with poor service after the sale. 

Edited March 1, 2019 by cptotr

[kayt425]

I’m honestly torn on this decision.   I was hoping to have my order in already but with it being winter and not able to demo boats its become a tough decision.  I really am leaning toward Malibu, as my dealer and Malibu is really going the extra mile to make my wife and I feel welcomed back to the malibu fold.  However, The Ri237 (and centurion in general) is pulling me hard.   Each boat has a few little things that i like and a few i don’t.  Both dealers are amazing.  My wife and I will make our final decision very soon.  Rough water ride at Powell may be the deciding factor!  That’s where we do the majority of our boating.  I hear that the newly designed 23 is deeper and handles the chop a bit better, but my ‘14 really beat us up so its hard to know.  I let you all know what we decide!  Thanks for all your help and input.  

[IXFE]

11 hours ago, kayt425 said:

I’m honestly torn on this decision.   I was hoping to have my order in already but with it being winter and not able to demo boats its become a tough decision.  I really am leaning toward Malibu, as my dealer and Malibu is really going the extra mile to make my wife and I feel welcomed back to the malibu fold.  However, The Ri237 (and centurion in general) is pulling me hard.   Each boat has a few little things that i like and a few i don’t.  Both dealers are amazing.  My wife and I will make our final decision very soon.  Rough water ride at Powell may be the deciding factor!  That’s where we do the majority of our boating.  I hear that the newly designed 23 is deeper and handles the chop a bit better, but my ‘14 really beat us up so its hard to know.  I let you all know what we decide!  Thanks for all your help and input.  

I can’t speak for the Ri, but I’ve owned both the old 23 and the new one... the rough water ride is much better in the new 23. I moved to Texas a few years ago and we get caught in choppy water a lot (my lake seems to always have wind). My 2018 23 LSV handled it great. I honestly don’t recall thinking it was an issue. 

Having owned a few of the “deep v” boats when I first got into boating, I won’t go back. The wakes/waves are way too weight sensitive for my liking.  YMMV