2004 VLX Vs A New Boat

[Cannon]

HI & Greetings From New Zealand

 

I have a 2004 VLX with 650 hours on the clock, I'm in the process of giving the old girl a bit of an overhaul, with wrapping, new upholstery and maybe some new carpet. The reason I went this way of doing it up is that for me to upgrade to a newer boat it will be well over $100kNZD probably more like $150k to get to a new vlx or the like. My question is, is how much better would a new boat/hull design realistically be to what I have? I appreciate that the surf gates are automated (I currently have a Ronix 8 Shaper but looking at DIY Surf Gates) and some of the new mod cons are cool, but would it be night in day (like driving a car from 04 compared to 2020) or would it be much of muchness unless you are a pro wakeboarder and surfer - which my young family and I are not.

 

Whats your thoughtS?

 

[hethj7]

Performance wise the new hulls will be better.  But at the same time, very few of us ride at a level that could even take full potential of the hull you have.  What I will say is that when we moved from our 2000 VLX to a 2016 LSV, we spent many more days on the boat.  Automated ballast, surf gates, wedge just make the day much more enjoyable than messing with toss over pumps or manual gates.  The screens, the stereo, the vinyl, the flooring, the cup holders, etc etc are all just nicer.  More storage is nicer too, but the newer hulls, while still feeling great on the water, aren’t as nimble as yours.  Yes, you can update many of these things on your current boat for less money. Only you can decide what value you see in the newer stuff.  But for my family, without a doubt we spend way more time on the water now with a new boat.   

 

[Cannon]

Yeah my thoughts exactly... New is always Nice :D

Thanks for your feedback!!!

[Juice75]

Cannon, I have a 99 Sunsetter VLX (same hull as your boat) now, and I'm about to upgrade to something around an 08 LSV, or maybe a VLX.  My boat is in great shape, but I'm looking for something newer for two reasons:  size and ride.  I can't speak to the brand new boats, but I spent some time in an 08 LSV.  The ride is substantially better.  We board on a river where everyone surfs, so our 99 gets tossed around a bit.  The newer hulls cut through the rollers a lot better.  Also, the wider beam and longer boats give a lot of extra room.  

As far as the vinyl goes, I don't really care for the newer stuff.  It feels cheaper than what I used to replace mine in 08.  My ballast is fully automated as well, but I do lose storage since it's not under the floor like Malibu started in 05.

Instead of getting new, another option would be to make a small jump to an 05 VLX.  You'll get a much updated hull, more room and under floor ballast.  If you go with an 06, you could get a power wedge as well.  Just food for thought without having to drop $150k.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Juice75

[Cannon]

19 hours ago, Juice75 said:

Cannon, I have a 99 Sunsetter VLX (same hull as your boat) now, and I'm about to upgrade to something around an 08 LSV, or maybe a VLX.  My boat is in great shape, but I'm looking for something newer for two reasons:  size and ride.  I can't speak to the brand new boats, but I spent some time in an 08 LSV.  The ride is substantially better.  We board on a river where everyone surfs, so our 99 gets tossed around a bit.  The newer hulls cut through the rollers a lot better.  Also, the wider beam and longer boats give a lot of extra room.  

As far as the vinyl goes, I don't really care for the newer stuff.  It feels cheaper than what I used to replace mine in 08.  My ballast is fully automated as well, but I do lose storage since it's not under the floor like Malibu started in 05.

Instead of getting new, another option would be to make a small jump to an 05 VLX.  You'll get a much updated hull, more room and under floor ballast.  If you go with an 06, you could get a power wedge as well.  Just food for thought without having to drop $150k.

Yeah good thinking juice. Over here we don't have that many second hand Malibu's so choice is pretty few and far between.

 

I think I will roll with my boat during the season and maybe upgrade to a 16 or so next year

[Cannon]

Which bu is considered for the best surf wave?

[Nitrousbird]

2 hours ago, Cannon said:

Which bu is considered for the best surf wave?

25 LSV or M235.

As for your '04 VLX, I have the same hull.  The downsides to this hull are the narrow 93" beam and freeboard compared to the newer boats.  A newer 21' boat with a 98 - 102" beam feels massively larger without being any longer.  

Build quality won't be any better on the newer boats...worse from a QC perspective.  Newer tech is nice but less reliability.  I'm still trying to convince my wife that we should upgrade, as we typically have a small crew and our boat looks and performs well.  

[windy1]

I loved my 04 VLX. wakeboard wake was good and the surf wave was decent. I love my 2011 even more with a power wedge and added plumbed in ballast. The surf wave is waaay better than my 04. I recently got a surf ride on a new 23' Axis and without even dialing it the surf wave was outstanding and a lot bigger than my 2011.

[Cannon]

So noticeable hull improvements on the more modern boats. Now that makes me wanna go buy new