Thinking of Buying a 2019 23 LSV - Pros and Cons?

[breakz77]

Honestly I've owned a few different boats and Malibu boats is one of the best.

 

Do keep in mind though that it's a boat and can have problems no matter which company you go with. 

They are all hand built and there's flaws in all of them if you look carefully.

 

 

[ajive]

Thought I should throw throw out this massive goofy wave from last night that I've managed to dial in on the '18 23LSV in case you are still debating.  You won't be disappointed if you go Malibu!

 

[Edstygar]

Both shops on Lake Geneva are affiliated with boat dealers that do not sell Malibu's. I have been searching also, tested X's, G's, LSV's, MXZ's and the Malibu seems to be the best wave for the $. I do like the the mastercrafts, but they are 20-30K more for the same wave. I currently have a 2010 VLX on Lauderdale Lakes and it has been great! It doesnt have surf gate, so I am just trying to decide if I should get something new(er) or install GSA. I am leaning toward GSA as I am finding out that even my 2010 can compete with some of the newer boats in wakeboarding and wakesurfing. The Ronix surf wedge and lead weight have been really helpful! The Malibu is a great value and has great wakes! 

[Brianborder]

70 hours on our ‘19 with the M6 motor and I’m thoroughly impressed.  Not one mechanical issue aside from the fuel tank grommet which was simple.  Other than that, this has been a phenomenal boat. 

[Raleigh]

On 7/10/2019 at 11:27 AM, cmargosi said:

Oh, and my wife hates to swim in the lake (she's afraid of fish--go figure), so swim step = easy pump out head for wife.  LOL!

OMG so is my wife. What the heck?!? I quit asking years ago... at least she's down to be on the water!

[BlindSquirrel]

Another +1 for the swim step, or the “ladies room” as it’s called on my brothers boat. 

[JWBeav]

Great topic as I am looking at either 2018 or 2019 23 LSV...curious, how much louder is the Raptor than the PCM engine?  And, does the 2277 prop help RPM’s at all?  Boats are prob $10k price difference and looking to justify the difference.  

[Slurpee]

Yes! 2277 is the prop unless you are at higher altitude. Here’s a raptor at 900’ elevation. The raptor is louder than the PCM. Only you can tell what matters though. Go drive them. I put sound insulation all around my raptor to really damp the sound. Expensive but effective project. The PCM is a hair bit more fuel efficient.  Call it 5% for the sake of argument.  The raptor has a Lot of power though! Gobs of it. 

[asnowman]

@cmargosi what did you end up doing? We initially wanted to go to a 23 lsv.

[JWBeav]

Slurpee, so what are you RPM’s at surf speed?  Have never heard of any problems with the Raptor in terms of reliability, just loud with certain props and RPM levels.

[Slayer]

20 hours ago, JWBeav said:

Great topic as I am looking at either 2018 or 2019 23 LSV...curious, how much louder is the Raptor than the PCM engine?  And, does the 2277 prop help RPM’s at all?  Boats are prob $10k price difference and looking to justify the difference.  

I love the Raptor engine.  No issues with it at all.  I haven’t been on a boat with the new M5 or M6 engine so I can’t compare noise levels.  I can say that it doesn’t bother me a bit.  It’s a little loud, but who cares?  It’s a strong engine.  

[Raleigh]

Just now, Slayer said:

I love the Raptor engine.  No issues with it at all.  I haven’t been on a boat with the new M5 or M6 engine so I can’t compare noise levels.  I can say that it doesn’t bother me a bit.  It’s a little loud, but who cares?  It’s a strong engine.  

I would quiet all things being equal but went on the Moomba with the Raptor and didn’t feel it was too loud. It is powerful!

[Slayer]

1 minute ago, Raleigh said:

I would quiet all things being equal but went on the Moomba with the Raptor and didn’t feel it was too loud. It is powerful!

I’m considering an upgrade to a 23LSV myself.  From the engine perspective, I’m not overly convinced that anything is particularly better unless you get the M6.  That seems like a better performer than the Raptor.  Again, I’m not at all dissatisfied with the Raptor.

[JWBeav]

So at 11.whatever surf speed what are people's RPM's?  I currently have an '07 with the standard Monsoon 350 and we run around 3200 RPM's with a 2419.  Engine has been bulletproof so far, main reason for upgrades would be to have everything automated versus using switches and installing the suck gate...that and picking someone up after they crash is tough with the gate on as it wants to push the rear of the boat towards the surf side.

It sounds like the new transmission ratio (which should improve torque) raised the RPM's which makes it loud.  Have seen the same complaint about the new M5/M6 engines as well from a few people on this forum. 

[pauley71]

I have the M5di and I owned two Raptor 410s. No comparison the M5 is on par with the 410 in performance  but MUCH quieter. 

Edit - I loved my Raptor but was waiting for the Cats to fail.  Otherwise solid. 

Edited September 25, 2019 by pauley71

[oldstv]

On 9/25/2019 at 7:11 PM, pauley71 said:

I have the M5di and I owned two Raptor 410s. No comparison the M5 is on par with the 410 in performance  but MUCH quieter. 

Edit - I loved my Raptor but was waiting for the Cats to fail.  Otherwise solid. 

 

When you say "waiting for the cats to fail, are you talking about the catalytic converters? I have had to replace both of mine because of the welds splitting.