Options / Pricing List on 2021 Malibus

[wedge88]

1 minute ago, boardjnky4 said:

I'll tell you this much. The 23LSV is NOT twice the boat that an A22 is. Maybe I'm biased, but I took a 2021 23LSV out for a day a few weeks ago (first one at the dealership), and while it's nice, it doesn't outperform an A22 in any way. I just don't really "get it" for the most part. The interior is nice, sure. Touchscreens are nice, sure. None of that is worth the price difference of a WHOLE BOAT.

I agree.  We loved our A22 and we love our 22VLX but next round is really leaning Axis again.  I can buy a 24' Axis for much less than a 22' Malibu.  My favorite boat is the new 24MXZ but I don't have the job to support the cost (and I have a very good job)..

My family and I didn't have any less fun on our Axis.  Back in the day, warranty, power wedge, surfgate and motor options were key differentiators but now they aren't.  I can modify seats to hinge, push 5 buttons vs 1 and we can enjoy the boat for what it is.  My butt never got sore from riding in the Axis all day.  Larger boat, better wakes, more room, key options, for less money = the best choice for us.

That said, we'll continue to enjoy our 22VLX for another season and see where we stand next year.  

[Slayer]

I find myself in this quagmire also.  We are planning on a 2021 23 LSV.  If we went Axis, it would be either a T23 or A24.  We need to demo them all before finalizing our decisions, but honestly we prefer Malibu over Axis.  

[pauley71]

1 hour ago, boardjnky4 said:

A friend of mine just bought a 23LSV. I have an A22 (granted it's a 19 and prices always go up). He paid twice what I paid for mine, almost to the dollar.

He got fleeced .. haha  (definitely dealer dependent).  

I've had 4 straight 23 LSVs and would take an A22 .. ALL DAY .. for 1/2 the price (agreeing with you)

[boardjnky4]

2 minutes ago, pauley71 said:

He got fleeced .. haha  (definitely dealer dependent).  

I've had 4 straight 23 LSVs and would take an A22 .. ALL DAY .. for 1/2 the price (agreeing with you)

I know he didn't get fleeced, he got a decent discount. Not the 30% number that's been thrown around, though. And yeah, he got some decent options that elevate the price. 4 clamping racks and m6 vs my standard engine and bungee racks.

Edited September 2, 2020 by boardjnky4

[Five Cent Worth]

1 hour ago, boardjnky4 said:

A friend of mine just bought a 23LSV. I have an A22 (granted it's a 19 and prices always go up). He paid twice what I paid for mine, almost to the dollar.

Must be different on your side of the state.  Very nicely equipped '21 23 for ~130 - 135 and a '21 A22 for ~85 - 90.  ~45 is a lot, but not double according to my public school math. 

[boardjnky4]

13 minutes ago, Five Cent Worth said:

Must be different on your side of the state.  Very nicely equipped '21 23 for ~130 - 135 and a '21 A22 for ~85 - 90.  ~45 is a lot, but not double according to my public school math. 

The build sheet above (granted it's a LOADED boat) is msrp @ $210k, meaning out the door at 20% discount is $168k. $168,000/2 = $84k.

[Fffrank]

I know this topic has been beaten to death but are boat prices being driven by raw material / technology costs or is it simply supply vs. demand (ie factories can only produce X amount of boats per year and they are all being sold?)

I keep kicking tires on center console boats and I can't figure out the math.  Take a couple of high HP outboards ($60k) and some electronics ($20k).  Add around $10k worth of upholstery.  $10k worth of hardware/rigging.  Add a bit of fiberglass.  You've got $120k (retail) cost of parts?  That boats selling for $200-300k.  It's crazy.  It really makes the Malibu package look like a steal.

[boardjnky4]

25 minutes ago, Fffrank said:

I know this topic has been beaten to death but are boat prices being driven by raw material / technology costs or is it simply supply vs. demand (ie factories can only produce X amount of boats per year and they are all being sold?)

I keep kicking tires on center console boats and I can't figure out the math.  Take a couple of high HP outboards ($60k) and some electronics ($20k).  Add around $10k worth of upholstery.  $10k worth of hardware/rigging.  Add a bit of fiberglass.  You've got $120k (retail) cost of parts?  That boats selling for $200-300k.  It's crazy.  It really makes the Malibu package look like a steal.

One thing to consider is the cost of the 5 year warranty that is built into the cost of the boat.

Take a look at the average warranty repair bill and you will see exactly where the price of the boat is.

Edited September 2, 2020 by boardjnky4

[NWBU]

2 hours ago, Fffrank said:

I know this topic has been beaten to death but are boat prices being driven by raw material / technology costs or is it simply supply vs. demand (ie factories can only produce X amount of boats per year and they are all being sold?)

I keep kicking tires on center console boats and I can't figure out the math.  Take a couple of high HP outboards ($60k) and some electronics ($20k).  Add around $10k worth of upholstery.  $10k worth of hardware/rigging.  Add a bit of fiberglass.  You've got $120k (retail) cost of parts?  That boats selling for $200-300k.  It's crazy.  It really makes the Malibu package look like a steal.

If you follow Malibu or Mastercraft's public financials, their pricing to their dealers is driven by the first item (material/labor/overhead, etc.). Their gross margins are fairly consistent year over year, with increased profit as they take out costs through any number of areas, add higher margin options and as they increase their wholesale pricing to dealers (roughly 3%/year in recent years for Malibu/Axis).

The dealers then deal more directly with the supply vs. demand element in their pricing and negotiations, especially during Covid. They've all benefited by knowing that someone will buy the boat within a week, or days right now, if the current potential customer doesn't take it. Some have been more aggressive in their pricing this year than others.

[cmargosi]

21 hours ago, hethj7 said:

Not sure Malibu has much of a tax once all is said and done.  Go spec a like for like Nautique, Mastercraft, Centurion, etc. I know prices seem crazy, but it is across all brands.   I find Malibu actually provides great value compared to other brands.   

Yes, I agree all the premium surf boats have loads of expensive options.  I did just spec a Supra for fun, and their options seem less expensive, but the discounts available from local dealer were significantly lower % than what I got on my Malibu.  In the end, out the door, I do think the Malibu is a good value compared to the competitors.  If I compare my 23 LSV to a G23, it has a better wave and 99% of the creature comforts, but it was probably at least $40 k less out the door.  So that is definitely a compelling value.

[Slayer]

Question for anyone who's placing an order for a 2021.....

What are your dealers telling you about build slots?  I'm hearing from our dealer that they can't guarantee a mid April delivery on a September ordered boat.  Is anyone else hearing anything like that?  I'm having a hard time believing that a custom ordered boat is going to take that long to build.  Am I missing something??

[wedge88]

30 minutes ago, Slayer said:

Question for anyone who's placing an order for a 2021.....

What are your dealers telling you about build slots?  I'm hearing from our dealer that they can't guarantee a mid April delivery on a September ordered boat.  Is anyone else hearing anything like that?  I'm having a hard time believing that a custom ordered boat is going to take that long to build.  Am I missing something??

It depends on the build slots your dealer has available.  We have traditionally ordered our last boats in mid Oct meaning we signed the contract and paid the deposit but we always chose an early spring build slot (late Feb through early March and received our boats by first of April) but that was dependent on our dealer still having an early spring slot available for us to take.  Dealers only get so many slots and they vary over the course of the year.    Dealers have to use their slots when they're available or they risk loosing it the next year.  Malibu offers additional slots to dealers when another cancels or production is ramped up and that allows dealers more boats but also more slots in the future.

In short, only your dealer can confirm what slots they have available for 2020/21 at this moment.  If they say they may not have a slot and you want a new boat, then I'd get moving.  It was posted in the MBUU by the numbers thread that Malibu is thinking it could be 2022 before they can meet full demand and it didn't sound like they were going to expand production.  Maybe if the dealers come with a whole bunch of new orders to place, it will force Malibu's hand BICBW.

[ahopkins22LSV]

1 hour ago, Slayer said:

Question for anyone who's placing an order for a 2021.....

What are your dealers telling you about build slots?  I'm hearing from our dealer that they can't guarantee a mid April delivery on a September ordered boat.  Is anyone else hearing anything like that?  I'm having a hard time believing that a custom ordered boat is going to take that long to build.  Am I missing something??

I think there are just that many orders already. Like wedge posted, there was a post in the MBUU thread that states the most recent call said they were taking order further out than ever before. 

[Slayer]

@wedge88 & @ahopkinsVTX, I think you both are correct in your assessment.   I'm hopeful I can order a boat and get a mid April delivery.  Pushing that now.  I did get a list of the (4) orders they have in the portal, and none are particularly attractive to us.  

 

[NWBU]

15 minutes ago, Slayer said:

@wedge88 & @ahopkinsVTX, I think you both are correct in your assessment.   I'm hopeful I can order a boat and get a mid April delivery.  Pushing that now.  I did get a list of the (4) orders they have in the portal, and none are particularly attractive to us.  

 

I'm working on my 2021 order now and what I'm hearing from my dealer is consistent with what I posted on the MBUU thread from the earnings call, and what I read into what you were told. Dealers fall/winter slots are already filled with mostly custom orders, where these slots are typically mostly used for building the dealer's own stock boats. The spring slots are typically used to build their boat show and spring custom orders.

Essentially the dealers are seeing that they'll have trouble building up their own inventories for next summer, which becomes a real issue in a hot market. You'd be shocked how many boats dealers sell to folks just walking in off the street in the summer, even pre-Covid. Since those sell for top $, dealers are having to juggle how many of their fall/winter slots they keep for themselves vs. giving them all to custom builds that deliver in early spring.

From the dealer's perspective, it's locking in a custom Malibu sale for say 20-25% off MSRP vs. selling a stock boat next summer for 10-15% off. Repeat as necessary and there's a huge impact to the dealer's bottom line. There's more to it than that (relationships, repeat builds, volume incentives, etc.) but you'll see a lot of variety in how dealers will play this coming year. 

[Slayer]

4 minutes ago, NWBU said:

I'm working on my 2021 order now and what I'm hearing from my dealer is consistent with what I posted on the MBUU thread from the earnings call, and what I read into what you were told. Dealers fall/winter slots are already filled with mostly custom orders, where these slots are typically mostly used for building the dealer's own stock boats. The spring slots are typically used to build their boat show and spring custom orders.

Essentially the dealers are seeing that they'll have trouble building up their own inventories for next summer, which becomes a real issue in a hot market. You'd be shocked how many boats dealers sell to folks just walking in off the street in the summer, even pre-Covid. Since those sell for top $, dealers are having to juggle how many of their fall/winter slots they keep for themselves vs. giving them all to custom builds that deliver in early spring.

From the dealer's perspective, it's locking in a custom Malibu sale for say 20-25% off MSRP vs. selling a stock boat next summer for 10-15% off. Repeat as necessary and there's a huge impact to the dealer's bottom line. There's more to it than that (relationships, repeat builds, volume incentives, etc.) but you'll see a lot of variety in how dealers will play this coming year. 

I agree with your assessment.  Yet while I agree, this will be my first custom order.  To that point, if I can't get an ate winter / early spring spray date, I run the risk of being without a wake boat when the ice is out.  I'm not really thrilled about that idea, but in the same respect I understand it.  We will be listing our 22 VLX in the next couple of weeks for sale and hopefully it will move quickly.  

[NWBU]

Just now, Slayer said:

I agree with your assessment.  Yet while I agree, this will be my first custom order.  To that point, if I can't get an ate winter / early spring spray date, I run the risk of being without a wake boat when the ice is out.  I'm not really thrilled about that idea, but in the same respect I understand it.  We will be listing our 22 VLX in the next couple of weeks for sale and hopefully it will move quickly.  

Keep talking to them and see what they can do.

[sigar]

Once a dealer has a firm commitment (deposit in hand) they can go to their rep and try to get an earlier slot than presently allocated.  I ordered my 23LSV on 7/22 and I'm taking delivery this Saturday.  Prior to having the deposit in hand I was being told early October.  Money talks.

[Slayer]

3 hours ago, NWBU said:

Keep talking to them and see what they can do.

I will.  

2 hours ago, sigar said:

Once a dealer has a firm commitment (deposit in hand) they can go to their rep and try to get an earlier slot than presently allocated.  I ordered my 23LSV on 7/22 and I'm taking delivery this Saturday.  Prior to having the deposit in hand I was being told early October.  Money talks.

They have a deposit.  That's why I find this interesting.  

[UWSkier]

Since build slots are so scarce, I wonder if you'll see dealers prioritizing 25 LSVs, 24 MXZs, M2x0, etc that they can take a bit more $ on.  The guy wanting to order a bare bones TXi or 21VLX might get the "sorry, no slots" treatment just so the dealer can keep the lights on.

[ahopkins22LSV]

2 minutes ago, UWSkier said:

Since build slots are so scarce, I wonder if you'll see dealers prioritizing 25 LSVs, 24 MXZs, M2x0, etc that they can take a bit more $ on.  The guy wanting to order a bare bones TXi or 21VLX might get the "sorry, no slots" treatment just so the dealer can keep the lights on.

Maybe. I think Malibu plans on building a rough number of each model each year. For example, when we have ordered our VTX's, we have gotten earlier build slots than friends ordering 23LSV's or even T22's. Probably depends on the dealer though and who knows these days...

[Pnwrider]

On 9/2/2020 at 9:00 AM, boardjnky4 said:

The build sheet above (granted it's a LOADED boat) is msrp @ $210k, meaning out the door at 20% discount is $168k. $168,000/2 = $84k.

That’s not an apples to apples comparison though. When I ordered my 23 lsv I priced it against a t23 and a24 with very similar options across the 3. A lot of things that are standard on the LSV are options on the Axis. There are also a ton more options when ordering a Malibu vs an Axis. There was about a 25k price difference on the t23 and about a 15k difference on the a24 at the time. If I could have been in a similarly equipped Axis for half the cost, I definitely would have! 

[boardjnky4]

26 minutes ago, Pnwrider said:

That’s not an apples to apples comparison though. When I ordered my 23 lsv I priced it against a t23 and a24 with very similar options across the 3. A lot of things that are standard on the LSV are options on the Axis. There are also a ton more options when ordering a Malibu vs an Axis. There was about a 25k price difference on the t23 and about a 15k difference on the a24 at the time. If I could have been in a similarly equipped Axis for half the cost, I definitely would have! 

I hear ya, but a 23LSV with an M6 and fancy options isn't twice the boat that an A22 with an M5 (assuming both have pw3) is. THAT is my point.

Of course it's not apples to apples comparison. The questions is, does the price of the boat above justify being twice what an average Axis might be. The "double" thing is just to show the ridiculousness of the cost. Buyers will always justify the price in their own way.

Edited September 3, 2020 by boardjnky4

[calilsv]

31 minutes ago, boardjnky4 said:

I hear ya, but a 23LSV with an M6 and fancy options isn't twice the boat that an A22 with an M5 (assuming both have pw3) is. THAT is my point.

Of course it's not apples to apples comparison. The questions is, does the price of the boat above justify being twice what an average Axis might be. The "double" thing is just to show the ridiculousness of the cost. Buyers will always justify the price in their own way.

I have no dog in this fight, but boardjnky you keep comparing a a22 to a 23lsv.  Sorry but those 2 boats aren't even in the same class, it apples to oranges.  A t23 to an lsv23 maybe, but not the 22.

Another thing, If you just care about the wave and wake, and money is a deciding factor, an axis is the way to go. I just bought a 17 lsv and looked hard and a new t23 but I just couldn't do it.  The interior on the axis is about the same as my 07lsv quality wise, but I think the functionality and things like hinged seats on my 07 was better.  In the end I choose the plushness and features of a Malibu over the stripped down axis.  

Everyone's got their onions on whats worth it, in the end that's why Malibu makes both brands.

Edited September 3, 2020 by calilsv
added more

[boardjnky4]

Y'all. The topic of the thread is the cost of options. I'm stating my OPINION that the options ain't worth the cost, and I'd rather own a de-contented boat for significantly less, sometimes half the price. Doesn't matter if the boats are not optioned the same. That's the entire point.

I'll just be over here with my bungee racks and base motor, actually putting time in behind my boat. To each their own. Y'all got some beautiful boats, not being critical of your choices, the cost is just sickening.

BTW, you can compare an Apple to an Orange if you want. Apples taste better. /controversy  

Edited September 4, 2020 by boardjnky4