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m220 - My impressions...


geogilbert

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I have been really excited about this boat since the coinciding events of the unofficial announcement of the 220 and someone offering me a deal I could not turn down on my 19 LSV.  It too till last week for me to get on one and since then I have been contemplating writing this or not. Clearly I decided to write it. Ill try not to rehash what others have said. 

1st a shout out to my local(ish) dealer these guys are great, you put up with me being somewhat neurotic so thanks. I'll leave names out but, you know who you are and you guys are awesome. 

1) Function - 9/10 - For me function is all about Wakeboard wake. Ya, my wife keeps telling me I am a lot closer to 50 than I admit, but whatever, I'll ride till I can't then maybe I'll surf or fish or something...   

Setup: Full factory ballast, 4 guys, no PnP,  M6

Wake: Felt a lot like My 22 LSV and the A22 we ride often. We slam those pretty much to the breaking point. The 220 with just factory and wedge 5 was slightly smaller but a great shape. Considering, we are at the max of what the LSV or A22, T22 can do and we are just starting with the 220 I feel like the 220 with PnP and maybe some lead in the bow is gonna be really nice.  In translating from the earlier boats we started with the wedge in the 2 and 3 area and had a really nice beginner wake that had a nice long transition and shape without the bang at the peak. Would be really nice for beginners and folks that are not wanting to look down at the tower. Previous comments aside we did dial up a surf wake and it was pretty crazy looking but, others have covered this aspect of the boat and I trust their judgement better than mine. 

Power: The M6 had plenty to spare. Frankly, if i was going to run the setup we tested with, I would prop it up. With a bit more pitch we could lower the RPMs a bit and reduce noise and fuel consumption and still have power to spare. But that is all a trial and error to be figured out with a more typical setup. 

Overall it did what it is supposed to do well. 

2) Form - 6/10 - Yep, here is where it falls down. In the short time we were on the boat we found a laundry list of WTF were they thinking when they designed this. It was rather disappointing. I love Malibu but, this felt like they just missed a lot... here are some of the things we noticed some are nitpicky I agree but, they are also the details that separate a Mercedes from a Ford.  And at this price point these details should not have been overlooked. There is a lot of good here no doubt. But, here are a few of the things we notices that we just off.

Walkway - the cushion in the walkway feels like they just tossed in as an afterthought. Was not well shaped for the space and kinda loose . Felt cheap and needs to be put on a hinge or locked down. Also not sure what the plan was for the storage under that but not sure what you would want to put there. I have not seen what the flip up center walkway seat looks like but, it must be better than that. 

Bench seat / Rear View seats - okay there is a bench in the middle and 2 flip up seats on the sides. They don't line up... and the bench is not wide enough for 2 guys to sit in. Maybe 2 kids or a coupe would fit but it just is not wide enough without them lining up. How did they miss this?  Make the bench solid all the way across resolves a lot of issues. The supports on the backrest of the bench are also underdone only 1 side locks and the other then remains free. So as you bump it or lean on it, it torques and just does not feel solid. 
The table is kind cool, but due to the single locking strut it is a bit unstable if bumped. But again, a missed opportunity. It would be cool if it laid down into the back seat as a step down from the transom walkthrough that would reduce the need for the corner fold down steps.  

Glove Box - it is small, and not sure why? not a big deal mine always filled with junk anyhow. So I guess less space, less junk? 

Pass through observer to bow - they closed off the passthrough from the observer storage to the bow. Not sure why they killed this but, it looked like there was plenty of space. All in all it was nice but not really a big deal. 

Multiwheel -  Love the placement this is a huge improvement. Only strange thing is there is a wheel below that controls the seat height. That is very prime real estate for a not so critical function. Not sure what should go there but... 

Windshield Supports -  okay this is nit picky but, they are not symmetrical. Like they just got out the screw but and ran in screws where ever they hit. Just feels lazy, but on a similar note the tower locks now line up:) 

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Overall -  It is a big boat and definitely nice, just needs some refinement if it is to compete with a G21 or X22.  We ran this thing through the ropes as best we could in the few hours we had so happy to comment on more but, this post is a bit long in the tooth as it is. 

 

 

Edited by geogilbert
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Thanks for the review!!  

Not sure I would be as concerned with some of things like the walk way & glove box.  If comparing to a MC, look at the glove box difference in a NXT and a X (NXT is like a cavern)  Interesting observation on the windshield and multiwheel.  

We actually don't mind that the surf bench doesn't line up on with rear view seats in our 23 LSV.  It's easier to get around the boat when deployed.  It's actually just enough off set where the crumb crunchers can get around.  I could see it being better for a bunch of adults, though.

And not sure if you have priced a X22 or G21 out.  I can say without a doubt, a 2021 X22 is every bit of +10k - 15k more than a baby M.  And it's surf seat isn't going to line up with it's rear view seats either.

I have spent +20 hrs on a X22 this summer.  Amazing boat.  Any comments on how the interior felt compared to the MC cool feel?  

Edited by Five Cent Worth
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I'm shocked a dealer would even demo that with no added PNP. That boat needs the PNP. Put the bags in and go demo again and I bet you will come back with a different review on the wave. Wave is a beast on the 220.

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George have you demoed a Supra SA?  If I wasn’t building a new lake house next year we would have ordered a new SA instead of an A22. We split time behind my old VLX and a SL this summer and the wake on the SL was every bit as good as a G23 if not better. Most say the SA is better than the SL. Going SA would get you to the size you need to be at for your location. Not sure what kind of dealer support you have for Supra down there though. 

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Fit and finish on the Supras blows Malibu away in my opinion as well. That’s why when I break the $100k threshold it won’t be on a Malibu. If you remember, I was a hardcore Malibu guy too. 

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The new SA for 2020 is crazy nice. When I first saw it was blown away, definitely a steep price tag for a 22’ tho.

The Malibu is nice but one thing I really don’t like is the upholstery and how it looks as if there are a bunch of square cushions as seats. Just my opinion, obviously others will disagree but that’s with anything. 

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Any comments on how the interior felt compared to the MC cool feel?  

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It was identical to the 2019 material best I can tell. It was not terribly sunny or warm so hard to say. I did like the material on the 16-18 BU's that felt woven. Not sure why they stopped using in 19. 

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4 hours ago, Tjards said:

I'm shocked a dealer would even demo that with no added PNP. That boat needs the PNP. Put the bags in and go demo again and I bet you will come back with a different review on the wave. Wave is a beast on the 220.

Well, here in Ohio it is time to Wax teh snowboards and think about heading to Utah... no more water this year. 

But ya, we could tell there is a lot more potential for the wake. 

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19 minutes ago, geogilbert said:

Any comments on how the interior felt compared to the MC cool feel?  

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It was identical to the 2019 material best I can tell. It was not terribly sunny or warm so hard to say. I did like the material on the 16-18 BU's that felt woven. Not sure why they stopped using in 19. 

IMO because it is so hard to clean. 

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10 hours ago, geogilbert said:

Any comments on how the interior felt compared to the MC cool feel?  

----

It was identical to the 2019 material best I can tell. It was not terribly sunny or warm so hard to say. I did like the material on the 16-18 BU's that felt woven. Not sure why they stopped using in 19. 

Thanks.  The MC cool feel is top notch.  And we love the rear lounge seats.  Just wow, they are proud of that X22....

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Ya, the X22 is pricy, and the delta in actual $s is big but, as a % the gap is not really all that large. 

 

But, ya those back seats are awesome, that is another Malibu "Feature" I cant figure out why is still around. Those 2 rear storage and seats, they just fill with water so most everyone I know drills holes in them and I am not sure what you would put there any how. 

Edited by geogilbert
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1 hour ago, geogilbert said:

Ya, the X22 is pricy, and the delta in actual $s is big but, as a % the gap is not really all that large. 

 

But, ya those back seats are awesome, that is another Malibu "Feature" I cant figure out why is still around. Those 2 rear storage and seats, they just fill with water so most everyone I know drills holes in them and I am not sure what you would put there any how. 

That was super easy for us to figure out.  Everyone's sandals go there!

Actual dollars drive our budget vs percentages.  ~155k for a M220 vs ~175k for a X22 is what I am seeing.  Big numbers for a 22' boat.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/27/2020 at 11:26 AM, geogilbert said:

Bench seat / Rear View seats - okay there is a bench in the middle and 2 flip up seats on the sides. They don't line up...

Was looking at some M220 at some of the regional dealers.  Can you confirm?  Did they make a design change or is this off by a bit?  Hard to tell.  Curious.  

220.GIF

Edited by Five Cent Worth
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On 10/28/2020 at 12:12 PM, geogilbert said:

Ya, the X22 is pricy, and the delta in actual $s is big but, as a % the gap is not really all that large. 

 

But, ya those back seats are awesome, that is another Malibu "Feature" I cant figure out why is still around. Those 2 rear storage and seats, they just fill with water so most everyone I know drills holes in them and I am not sure what you would put there any how. 

We used these for flip flops mostly.  Didn't matter to us if they got wet.  

  • Like 1
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On 10/28/2020 at 11:12 AM, geogilbert said:

 

But, ya those back seats are awesome, that is another Malibu "Feature" I cant figure out why is still around. Those 2 rear storage and seats, they just fill with water so most everyone I know drills holes in them and I am not sure what you would put there any how. 

We put shoes in there as well but the main reason I love them is because how easy it makes oil, filter and impeller changes as well as winterizing those rear areas.  

  • Like 2
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4 minutes ago, wedge88 said:

We put shoes in there as well but the main reason I love them is because how easy it makes oil, filter and impeller changes as well as winterizing those rear areas.  

That's a great point @wedge88.  I have a friend who's got a Tige' and it's a horrible PITA to access that stuff for winterizing on his boat as it has no access there.  He's got the R21 or whatever they call it.  It's a 2019 that's for sale now, but working on that thing is simply terrible. 

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14 minutes ago, Slayer said:

We used these for flip flops mostly.  Didn't matter to us if they got wet.  

We use it for ropes and handles.  Why are yours getting wet?

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3 minutes ago, hunter77ah said:

We use it for ropes and handles.  Why are yours getting wet?

We kept our ropes and handles in the bin beneath the middle seat on the VLX, or under the corner seat on the port side.  

They get wet because the flip up seats on the transom hold a ton of water.  We considered drilling holes like @geogilbert said, but decided against it.  The other reason they collect water is that's the location where water is always dripping off people coming in and out of the boat.  Hopefully it will be mitigated on the '21 23LSV we ordered by way of the walk through.  We shall see.  

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1 minute ago, Slayer said:

They get wet because the flip up seats on the transom hold a ton of water.  We considered drilling holes like @geogilbert said, but decided against it.  The other reason they collect water is that's the location where water is always dripping off people coming in and out of the boat.  Hopefully it will be mitigated on the '21 23LSV we ordered by way of the walk through.  We shall see.  

That makes sense.  We have holes in the corners of ours and don't have any issues.  We usually towel off on the platform to reduce the amount of water in the boat.  I thought it was more of a swamping issue when towing.

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3 minutes ago, hunter77ah said:

That makes sense.  We have holes in the corners of ours and don't have any issues.  We usually towel off on the platform to reduce the amount of water in the boat.  I thought it was more of a swamping issue when towing.

No, never had that issue.  We try to get people to towel off on the platform, but with 4 kids who always have friends out with us, that's not always the case.  We try, but fail sometimes.  

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 11/6/2020 at 6:22 AM, Five Cent Worth said:

Was looking at some M220 at some of the regional dealers.  Can you confirm?  Did they make a design change or is this off by a bit?  Hard to tell.  Curious.  

220.GIF

Am I seeing this correctly? Do those line up to for a mor or less bench all the way across? 

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15 hours ago, geogilbert said:

Am I seeing this correctly? Do those line up to for a mor or less bench all the way across? 

That's why I posted.  You noted that they didn't line up.  I wasn't sure if there was a design change made?

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