M24

[CJAY]

5 hours ago, Five Cent Worth said:

Your point is valid.  Doesn't make much sense to me either.  But, I am at the top end of my budget with a 23 LSV so not sure I am a good data point.  Guys with this type of coin usually have a few boats and are usually pretty well off.

That said, I can't find any Nor-tech's, Sunsations, Midnight Expresses, etc for less than $200k used let alone new.  Man, are they sweet, too!   

They are sweet, but that's what I'm saying.  You start getting north of 200K and you're competing with a whole different type of boat.  Wake boats should never be in the rarefied air.  There isn't one thing on either the new G or m240, or even the pavati, that competes with the luxury, fit and finish, and use of those boats.  Just seems like a strange place to try and sell a boat that isn't really built to do anything but surf

[CJAY]

 

19 hours ago, hethj7 said:

I am not a hater but doubt the M235 outsold expectations considering it has now been discontinued 3 years after launch. 

It kind of the ASR of the malibu lineup.  Tige did the same thing.  Put out a relatively expensive boat, wasn't near as good as other boats in their line up, then quit making it and started a refresh with the RZX line that is actually a good boat, but super expensive for a tige.  

Edited October 23, 2019 by CJAY

[hethj7]

Yea, the M235 may have served its purpose in showing there is a market for a premium line, it just may be that in doing that Malibu determined it needed to be 24’ instead and the 240 truly is the update of the 235.    
 

I am curious to know how long Malibu’s project cycle is - how long from the time they decided they wanted to launch an M240 to get through design, procurement, production, and launch?  

[Chappy]

On 10/18/2019 at 11:04 AM, Five Cent Worth said:

Me too.

 

On 10/18/2019 at 10:40 AM, Fffrank said:

All personal preference.  It's one of my favorite features of my friends G23.

Me too, would love this for Bu

[Chappy]

On 10/22/2019 at 1:55 PM, TenTwentyOne said:

R7 Surf MSRP starts at more than 180k, before you check any boxes.....

With all boxes checked, MSRP is well over 230k by the time you include the trailer. You’ll be paying about 180k for a loaded R7 after negotiations.

So..... I don’t think it is safe to assume that the R7 is a better value than something like a 25LSV, Ri257, X26, or other similarly sized inboard.

 

This!  Cobalt may be the most overpriced boat ever made for what you get!

[Eagleboy99]

4 minutes ago, Chappy said:

This!  Cobalt may be the most overpriced boat ever made for what you get!

I have a couple of friends with Cobalts and the construction quality is better than pretty much any inboard.  For a while they built the Hydrodyne inboard and while the hull sucked, the build was incredible.

[robbieg247]

1 hour ago, hethj7 said:

Yea, the M235 may have served its purpose in showing there is a market for a premium line, it just may be that in doing that Malibu determined it needed to be 24’ instead and the 240 truly is the update of the 235.    
 

I am curious to know how long Malibu’s project cycle is - how long from the time they decided they wanted to launch an M240 to get through design, procurement, production, and launch?  

Almost all Malibu’s are on a 4 year revamp . You can look at it 4-5 years it’s a model revamp 

[hethj7]

11 minutes ago, robbieg247 said:

Almost all Malibu’s are on a 4 year revamp . You can look at it 4-5 years it’s a model revamp 

I know this.  I guess I am just in the minority here since I view the M240 as a new model vs a revamp/update of the M235.   I can’t think of any other boat in their lineup where both the size and name changes and we just go “oh, they refreshed the boat”.

I really am not trying to hate on the M235.   It is a phenomenal machine.  I just can’t believe it outsold expectations so Malibu refreshed it as an M240.   I would bet the G23 outsold expectations and no one expects Nautique to refresh it as a G24 and drop the G23.     

 In the end I guess it doesn’t  really matter.  
 

[granddaddy55]

6 hours ago, Eagleboy99 said:

I have a couple of friends with Cobalts and the construction quality is better than pretty much any inboard.  For a while they built the Hydrodyne inboard and while the hull sucked, the build was incredible.

Luved the swim step, layout and reversible co captain chair/couch and rear surf seat reversibles snd obvious build quality and rough water ride , layout with convenient side walk thru , great bimini coverage that really made cabin feel like a cabin 

huge issue in the surf edition :

ALMOST ALL under seat locker storage was filled with hard tank ballast , there is only a tiny bit of storage in an under bow seat locker, none in the cabin or stern 

 

Edited October 24, 2019 by granddaddy55

[robbieg247]

9 hours ago, hethj7 said:

I know this.  I guess I am just in the minority here since I view the M240 as a new model vs a revamp/update of the M235.   I can’t think of any other boat in their lineup where both the size and name changes and we just go “oh, they refreshed the boat”.

I really am not trying to hate on the M235.   It is a phenomenal machine.  I just can’t believe it outsold expectations so Malibu refreshed it as an M240.   I would bet the G23 outsold expectations and no one expects Nautique to refresh it as a G24 and drop the G23.     

 In the end I guess it doesn’t  really matter.  
 

247 lsv is basically the same boat as the 25 lsv . Same idea as the m240 

[Chappy]

20 hours ago, Eagleboy99 said:

I have a couple of friends with Cobalts and the construction quality is better than pretty much any inboard.  For a while they built the Hydrodyne inboard and while the hull sucked, the build was incredible.

I live in the #1 Cobalt market in the country and I have been in tons of them.  I stand by my statement that are the most overpriced boats on the market for what you get. In that segment of the market there are 3 or 4 other manufactures building similar boats for a third less than Cobalt.

[UWSkier]

On 10/23/2019 at 5:54 PM, hethj7 said:

I know this.  I guess I am just in the minority here since I view the M240 as a new model vs a revamp/update of the M235.   I can’t think of any other boat in their lineup where both the size and name changes and we just go “oh, they refreshed the boat”.

I really am not trying to hate on the M235.   It is a phenomenal machine.  I just can’t believe it outsold expectations so Malibu refreshed it as an M240.   I would bet the G23 outsold expectations and no one expects Nautique to refresh it as a G24 and drop the G23.     

 In the end I guess it doesn’t  really matter.  
 

The Wakesetter VLX started as a 21 footer, then became a 22 footer for a spell

[IXFE]

8 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

The Wakesetter VLX started as a 21 footer, then became a 22 footer for a spell

Kinda like the Ford Mustang...

[hethj7]

8 hours ago, UWSkier said:

The Wakesetter VLX started as a 21 footer, then became a 22 footer for a spell

Alright, alright I give in .   The M235 sold like hot cakes and I love its redesign for 2020!

[TenTwentyOne]

On 10/23/2019 at 8:54 PM, hethj7 said:

I just can’t believe it outsold expectations so Malibu refreshed it as an M240.  

 

That’s because it didn’t........ not by any stretch of the imagination.

You can’t have the entirety of the northeast dealerships together in one massive Malibu display booth at the NYC and Boston boat shows and 1) have 0 M235s on display for the last 4 years in a row. 2)Have them all talking as a group and saying that they sold only 1 unit combined (pretty sure it was East Coast Flightcraft). 3) Have them all state that customers don’t seem to like the look as much as the rest of the line, and that they scoff at the price difference for what you get.....

Doesnt take away from the fact that it’s an awesome boat....... but even beyond the extremely poor sales for that model in the northeast, I believe it is fairly well known that a similar trend was seen nationwide. Sure, I bet there was multiple units sold in pockets here and there, but there is no way that boat “outsold expectations”, unless Malibu had unrealistically low expectations.......

[IXFE]

1 hour ago, TenTwentyOne said:

That’s because it didn’t........ not by any stretch of the imagination.

You can’t have the entirety of the northeast dealerships together in one massive Malibu display booth at the NYC and Boston boat shows and 1) have 0 M235s on display for the last 4 years in a row. 2)Have them all talking as a group and saying that they sold only 1 unit combined (pretty sure it was East Coast Flightcraft). 3) Have them all state that customers don’t seem to like the look as much as the rest of the line, and that they scoff at the price difference for what you get.....

Doesnt take away from the fact that it’s an awesome boat....... but even beyond the extremely poor sales for that model in the northeast, I believe it is fairly well known that a similar trend was seen nationwide. Sure, I bet there was multiple units sold in pockets here and there, but there is no way that boat “outsold expectations”, unless Malibu had unrealistically low expectations.......

Eh... that’s anecdotal. I can share anecdotes too. DFW sold the poop out of that boat. Two were delivered the day I picked up my 25 LSV last spring (and this was the last year of production). It’s always the center of the boat show here and they sell several over that weekend every year. Even employees of the dealership own them (not demos). I was once told they sold 15+ a year down here at just one dealer (again this is an anecdote, not data... just like yours)

here’s another... spring 2016 and I’m at the factory. That was just six months after introduction and I had the same attitude as most of you back then... “Too expensive; who’s buying this thing?”  Shocked me to see 10-12 in production that very day.  I actually had lunch with Jack that day and we talked about the M.  He explained why they built it, the approach they took (the engineers had no cost target, completely free reign) and implied what they expected volume wise.  It wasn’t meant to be a volume player. At that time (early in its run), orders/production was way ahead of expectations.  In short, they never expected it to outsell the G... if that was the goal they would have priced it competitively  

 here’s another... in Portland they didn’t expect to sell many and approached it cautiously. Over the years it’s outsold that pessimistic early thinking in that market. 
 

Look, does it sell like an LSV or a G23. Of course not. But a boat doesn’t need to do that kind of volume to be considered a success, especially one that carries a margin structure like an M235. Speculating on whether it exceeded management expectations or not is kinda silly. Who really knows what that mysterious bar is?    Let’s just say this... Malibu is a public company. Do you think they’d resign the M boat and raise the price even higher if the M235 wasn’t seen as a profitable venture that met or exceeded expectations?  Do you really think Malibu is purposely trying to lose money? Obviously they believe the M240 is good for the shareholder. And they’re not guessing this time... they have the M235 as a proof point (ie they liked what it did for them). 

Edited October 25, 2019 by IXFE

[23LSVOwner]

1 hour ago, TenTwentyOne said:

That’s because it didn’t........ not by any stretch of the imagination.

You can’t have the entirety of the northeast dealerships together in one massive Malibu display booth at the NYC and Boston boat shows and 1) have 0 M235s on display for the last 4 years in a row. 2)Have them all talking as a group and saying that they sold only 1 unit combined (pretty sure it was East Coast Flightcraft). 3) Have them all state that customers don’t seem to like the look as much as the rest of the line, and that they scoff at the price difference for what you get.....

Doesnt take away from the fact that it’s an awesome boat....... but even beyond the extremely poor sales for that model in the northeast, I believe it is fairly well known that a similar trend was seen nationwide. Sure, I bet there was multiple units sold in pockets here and there, but there is no way that boat “outsold expectations”, unless Malibu had unrealistically low expectations.......

From what I heard they built 1200ish over the 3 years of production, so take that as meeting expectations or not, depending on your view.

[granddaddy55]

10 hours ago, IXFE said:

Kinda like the Ford Mustang...

They even had a cobra version in grey and blue combo of that ‘76 gas saver post embargo era version  ? Model with a small v8 ( probably the 289) .  Kind of remembered it, not sure as I’m getting old 

Edited October 25, 2019 by granddaddy55

[oldjeep]

Local dealer seemed to sell a lot of them.  (235's) .  Have 2 used ones in stock right now.  

Now I can't imagine anyone buying this one a second time, but I guess someone loved that color scheme once

https://mninboard.com/boats-for-sale/2018-Malibu-Wakesetter-M235/US-MB2V5839K718/

[23LSVOwner]

15 minutes ago, granddaddy55 said:

They even had a cobra version in grey and blue combo of that ‘76 gas saver post embargo era version  ? Model with a small v8 ( probably the 289) .  Kind of remembered it, not sure as I’m getting old 

IIRC the only Mustang 2 V8 option was a 302.

[granddaddy55]

Just now, 23LSVOwner said:

IIRC the only Mustang 2 V8 option was a 302.

Do you remember seeing the little Cobra , we had one in town though I’m sure there were others 

[23LSVOwner]

30 minutes ago, granddaddy55 said:

Do you remember seeing the little Cobra , we had one in town though I’m sure there were others 

Yep.

[granddaddy55]

50 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Local dealer seemed to sell a lot of them.  (235's) .  Have 2 used ones in stock right now.  

Now I can't imagine anyone buying this one a second time, but I guess someone loved that color scheme once

https://mninboard.com/boats-for-sale/2018-Malibu-Wakesetter-M235/US-MB2V5839K718/

🙋‍♂️
 

my experience with the M was a 1 hour surf  for 4 surfers , so I was in cabin for 45 minutes , awesome with 1000 lb bow bag on seats , combine that with what seemed like a small cabin the boat seemed cramped for 23.5 feet, guess it was the big bow where that massive sac was 

Edited October 25, 2019 by granddaddy55

[TenTwentyOne]

@IXFE and @23LSVOwner - You two have your thumbs on things when it comes to details like these. No reason for me to argue with your info. I am sure it’s accurate. Just a bit surprising to me, given the impact (or lack thereof) of that model in the NE.

The market covered by the dealers that attend NY and Boston is huge. 9 states and several hundred small lakes. Malibu puts together a cooperative effort between dealers, and they are all placed in a giant booth. I attend both shows every year, and they had literally every single model in the Malibu/Axis range on the floor, every year, except the M235 (if I am being honest, the appearance of the Response was spotty). I have honestly only ever had one real life experience with the M235, and that was at the factory in 2016. 
 

Regardless, your information proves that the unpopularity of the M235 in this quarter of the country must be an anomaly.

[asnowman]

43 minutes ago, TenTwentyOne said:

@IXFE and @23LSVOwner - You two have your thumbs on things when it comes to details like these. No reason for me to argue with your info. I am sure it’s accurate. Just a bit surprising to me, given the impact (or lack thereof) of that model in the NE.

The market covered by the dealers that attend NY and Boston is huge. 9 states and several hundred small lakes. Malibu puts together a cooperative effort between dealers, and they are all placed in a giant booth. I attend both shows every year, and they had literally every single model in the Malibu/Axis range on the floor, every year, except the M235 (if I am being honest, the appearance of the Response was spotty). I have honestly only ever had one real life experience with the M235, and that was at the factory in 2016. 
 

Regardless, your information proves that the unpopularity of the M235 in this quarter of the country must be an anomaly.

I know Eastcoast has already sold 3 M240s, as of 2 weeks ago, when i was out on one. They said their goal was 10 this year, but also hadn't anticipated selling 3 in the first 2 weeks after the release.

@TenTwentyOne let me know when you are headed to the boston show