2019 VLX Listing and Porpoising

[LelandBu]

I have a couple of annoyances affecting wake sports on our new 21 VLX. Love the boat but curious if others have similar issues or if I’m just being picky.

First, the boat lists starboard on plane quite a bit.  I need about 300 lbs. MORE weight on the port side to have it be close to level. Really makes for a mushy port side wakeboard wave. We all surf regular as well so it doesn’t help that cause either. Considering some lead to balance it but not if this isn’t normal behavior.

Second, the Zero Off seems crazy sensitive. It will fluctuate +- .5 mph while surfing and the engine continuously revs up and down by a few hundred rpm. It seems mostly steady as a surfer but really doesn’t work with any chop as it is exacerbated and starts to porpoise.  Wakeboarding isn’t quite as bad but still noticeable. 

Let me know if these are normal on the new boats or if I’m just being too picky!  Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[LelandBu]

Bump. Anyone having these issues?

[JeffK]

Not sure about the listing, but the porpoising is usually an issue with too much weight in the back and not enough in the front. 

[04 VLX WINDERMERE UK]

Re the surfing hunting, I suspect that is too much weight for the prop. What prop, how much weight and speed do you run while surfing? (our last two Malibu's different prop made it feel like a new boat)

With regards the wake while on the plane, it is very common that we will ask someone to change the from one side to the other of the boat, which changes the wake from been totally uneven to perfect.

[BLKnYLWbu]

We also recently got a 2019 21VLX and have a similar experience with a slight starboard list. Not sure if it’s from weight or the HA prop that came with the boat. Instead of having people switch around, I’ll try filling the port rear locker ballast a little to try and balance it out.

For surfing, we generally have a large crew & I’ll always have 2 people up in the bow. We run full MLS and 550# PnPs in the rear lockers and get a great wave for a 21’ boat. With bow weight, I have never had an issue maintaining speed and keeping the bow rise to a minimal. I’ve found starting in lift and dropping the wedge down once we are at surf speed helps mitigate any bow rise.

We are on a smaller lake and in between other surf boats and tubers, it can actually get pretty choppy on the weekends. So far we haven’t had any issues surfing through chop with our set up. I can see wanting a bow bag or leadwake bags when running with a smaller crew. If your zero off is bouncing around, it may be trying to fight the bow rise? I’d say try getting more bow weight first and see if that helps anything.