Axis A24 vs Malibu 24 MXZ

[4mc]

Anyone upgrade from Axis to Malibu?  What is the big pro of Malibu vs Axis.  Have been planning to order 2022 Malibu 23 or 24MXZ.  Neighbor suggested looking at the axis and indicated they are adding a touch screen this year and also a 25 ft.  model. 

Thoughts?  

 

[LakeWAninja]

I’m in the same boat. I have 2017 LSV23 now and looking to upgrade to something heavier with deeper hull and fuller / firmer wave and more storage. The Malibu’s real advantage over Axis is the computer tech, fit and finish, and ego.  The hulls, engines, surf technology, stereo options are all the same.  I’m seriously looking at the T250 because it’s a better boat than my LSV, and it’s $80k less expensive than the 2022 LSV 25.  The 2022 LSV 25 is going after the Nautique market at $200K, and the Axis is going after the mid market where the LSV used to focus.

[MakeNWaves]

Ego?, not sure. Tech stuff, for sure (until all the screens start delaminating in 4-5 years). We laugh at most of the Malibu’s (25LSV and M235 excluded) with their surfers basically wakeboarding with a rope. The Axis A24 has a kind of hardcore image, at least around here.

[dwc032]

18 hours ago, MakeNWaves said:

Ego?, not sure. Tech stuff, for sure (until all the screens start delaminating in 4-5 years). We laugh at most of the Malibu’s (25LSV and M235 excluded) with their surfers basically wakeboarding with a rope. The Axis A24 has a kind of hardcore image, at least around here.

What are you laughing about?  There the best selling tow boats in the industry for a reason. They out sell the competition 2-1. I’ve owned a Malibu for over 25 years. I will own a Malibu for another 25 years. Don’t hate on the people that want that tech. Heck, I have buddies with old Centurions and Supremes. We just love being on the water and I don’t laugh at anybody. You afford what you can afford.
 

For me, I don’t want push buttons and toggle switches. I want huge screens and good tech. My 20 23 MX is beautiful, we are going with a 24 MXZ in 2023.  The pickle fork suits are big family. 

Edited July 16, 2021 by dwc032

[LakeWAninja]

43 minutes ago, dwc032 said:

What are you laughing about?  There the best selling tow boats in the industry for a reason. They out sell the competition 2-1. I’ve owned a Malibu for over 25 years. I will own a Malibu for another 25 years. Don’t hate on the people that want that tech. Heck, I have buddies with old Centurions and Supremes. We just love being on the water and I don’t laugh at anybody. You afford what you can afford.
 

For me, I don’t want push buttons and toggle switches. I want huge screens and good tech. My 20 23 MX is beautiful, we are going with a 24 MXZ in 2023.  The pickle fork suits are big family. 

Agreed, Malibu’s are amazing boats. BTW, where do you surf in Bend? 

[dwc032]

52 minutes ago, LakeWAninja said:

Agreed, Malibu’s are amazing boats. BTW, where do you surf in Bend? 

Everywhere. Prineville, billy, cultus, lake of the woods, Haystack, and a couple others. If your in the area, shoot me a PM. 

[CaptainMorgan]

This thread is interesting as Wife recently asked about my "plan" for our boat (i.e. keep forever, upgrade to a newer Axis, or look at a Malibu); when she asked what we would get for stepping up to a Malibu i answered with a generic statement like "some extra features and nicer overall fit & finish" --> and she said, "what does that actually mean?" and i didn't have a good answer.  I've never actually sat in / rode behind a Malibu, and ideally i'd go to a dealership and poke around, but stock is so low that's unlikely.

So ignoring the is-it-worth-the-money aspect (personal decision for everyone), i've been trying to list out what a Malibu (eg. 24Mxz) could/would have over a new A24.  My initial list from watching YouTube videos and cruising TMC site is below, would love to hear owners opinions/additions/corrections, particularly on things that aren't on a build sheet that get done behind the scenes because its a Malibu. {note: i put an ** on things that could maybe be done aftermarket to an Axis}

- I think both can have same engines, surfgate/PW3; very similar hulls and wakes/waves (not identical, but probably close)

- a Malibu could/would add:  touch screen control / presets for everything, faster ballast fill / auto ballast control, flip down swimstep, cabinet, fancier/power tower, stern turn**, cool-touch vinyl, power drivers seat, soft-grip in storage lockers**, nicer tower, walk-through transom, more hinged seats**, more wireless phone chargers?

what did i miss?  

[Livinlogs]

Everything you said plus more color options, overall nicer materials everywhere, more model choices , like 23 mxz, more trailer options . Love Malibu. 
But, I’m in my third axis, T250 , couple things I wish mine had were addressed for 22. Still wish I had fast fill ballast and maybe a better looking tower. But then I’d have a Malibu . 

[familyfun]

We had a 23lsv (Axis did not exist at that time), then moved to a T23, and are now moving to a 2022 25lsv.  We liked both the 23lsv and the T23, no complaints about either.  We bought the T23 at the time because we did not want the bells and whistles you get with the Malibu.  We wanted a simple, less expensive, reliable boat that surfed well (we were coming from a 23lsv that was pre-touch screens)  As other have said, the Axis and Malibu are similar in mechanics, functionality, and wave.  The wave is physics.  Boat length, weight, displacement, wedge, surf gate etc define the wave.  Axis and Malubu are very similar/the same in that respect.  We liked our T23 wave and I actually liked the simplicity of switches.  Never had any issues with them.  We are moving to the 25lsv for, frankly, no real good reason.  Money was less of an issue this time around, so we simply decided to go for the fit/finish, and the bells and whistles this time.

So I think it boils down to your priorities.  If your priority is performance, and cost, then Axis is the way to go.  You may have to weight things differently, but you can achieve equivalent waves to the Malibu.  If your priority is performance and creature comfort, then Malibu is the way to go.

[PNWcubbies]

We recently upgraded from a 2018 Axis T23, to a 2022 Malibu 25LSV. The Axis was our first boat, and as we learned how our family and friends particularly use the boat, I knew what I wanted if I ever upgraded. When the new redesigned 2022 Malibu 25 LSV came out last year, I knew it had everything I wanted. Since owning the boat for about 4 months now, I can tell you that it is a significantly nicer boat. The fit and finish is superb, and the Gx tower looks much more substantial than the Axis. I am pleased with the purchase, but the cost of the boat was well over $200K, which puts you into the G-series Nautique territory. I've surfed behind the G25 Paragon, and it is an amazing wave with a ton of push. But I've also driven the boat and helped them set up their wave, and I found it much harder to tone down the wave for a beginner rider. If you are looking for the best wave out there, my personal opinion is that Centurion makes the best wave. But I love the Malibu, the attention to detail, and the way the boat drives. Plus, Centurion tends to tank in resale value for some reason after a few seasons, so I was hesitant to pull the trigger on a new one.

But back to the topic at hand, my Axis T23 made a great wave. It was a ton of fun with family and friends, and I'm pretty sure there isn't a single person that ever rode on our Axis that was thinking, "this boat sucks, you should get a Malibu." I'm pretty sure nobody that comes out with us this summer will be thinking, "woohoo! I'm having so much more fun now that I'm in a Malibu!" If anything, the Axis owners out there should be shaking their heads at us Malibu owners for wasting money. But again, it came down to the new features available on the 2022 re-design, which is why I made the jump from Axis to Malibu. If your priority is fun on the water, and cost is an issue, save yourself the money and just get an Axis. You won't be disappointed. But I do think that resale should be a part of the equation, and every Malibu owner I've known has had zero problems selling their boat after a few years.

[TAQ44]

Incredibly well said….

[drewski300]

It's like any luxury item. Once you have heated seats in your car....you will never own a car without them (Living in MN, LOL). Once you have heads up display....you wonder how could you ever drive without "knowing" your speed. Same goes for boats. At the end of the day, both brands produce a great wake!

Ask a dealer to take you out in one! Our dealer has on-the-water demo days every year which gives you an opportunity to try them out. We also had a dealer bring over a boat last summer and we surfed on it for an hour. It made us realize pretty quickly that we wanted to move to a Malibu from a T23. Just be prepared that the monthly payment will be more and so will the repairs!

[CaptainMorgan]

Appreciate the thoughts above...but sounds like beyond the few specifics I listed, the actual description of "better overall fit and finish" remains nebulous. 

Guess it needs to be experienced to be appreciated...or I need to specifically avoid the experience it so I dont know what I'm missing and save the considerable cash 

[hethj7]

I haven’t been on a brand new Axis lately  but part of the fit and finish in the past was Malibu seats were mostly all on hinges where Axis wasn’t, Axis had some underseat area open and viewable from the cabin area, and the skybox seating for wakeviewing was just a manual bench that could be moved around the cabin be the rail system on Malibu.  The dash historically on Axis, outside of not having screens, has typically left something to be desired for most users related to the design and even quality of materials used.  Again, with the latest Axis iteration some of these items are moving much closer to Malibu from what I can tell. 
 

 

[shawndoggy]

27 minutes ago, hethj7 said:

I haven’t been on a brand new Axis lately  but part of the fit and finish in the past was Malibu seats were mostly all on hinges where Axis wasn’t, Axis had some underseat area open and viewable from the cabin area, and the skybox seating for wakeviewing was just a manual bench that could be moved around the cabin be the rail system on Malibu.  The dash historically on Axis, outside of not having screens, has typically left something to be desired for most users related to the design and even quality of materials used.  Again, with the latest Axis iteration some of these items are moving much closer to Malibu from what I can tell. 
 

 

Still few hinges (but T220/T250).

The open seat bases are no more.

The skybox bench does slide now, but doesn't have the flipping seatback feature.  It's kinda slick for (a) easily accessing transmission area, and (b) allowing shorties to have a step to get to the tow rope on the tower.

IMHO the biggest difference is in the upholstery.  Malibu's upholstery is much more intricate and "high end" looking, with complex patterns.  This would include the dash/observer's glove box area too, of course.  Those are  vast plasticy expanses or bare gel on axis, vs fancy trim panels on malibu. The rest of seem to be tied more to features than F&F.  Fewer/smaller Screens (but see garmin screens on 2022s), helm/observer's storage access from bow, power tower, folding swim platform, battery option 3 (the factory install of blue sea acr system -- strangely not available on axis?).  I guess "features" fall under "finish"?

vs our 2016 axis, the newer axis boats have come quite a long way.  

[bigskydoc]

I go out on the Malibu Just Ride Tour almost every year, and my dealer usually brings along an Axis or two to the demo.

It is hard to put your finger on exactly what all the differences are, as they are mostly small touches.

More billet, better upholstery, etc.

But when you go back and forth between the two, you definitely notice the difference, in an overall, holistic way.  When I go from the Malibu to the Axis, I feel like I am sitting in a rinky dink boat.  If I jump straight into the Axis, without being in the Malibu first, that feeling just isn't that noticeable.  

That is no dig on Axis.  They are a great product at a great price point.  It is just to point out that the difference is noticeable when jumping from one to the other.  Whether it is worth it to you or not, is something only you can decide.

[Shea]

I've always been a Bu owner and love them.  Never been on an Axis before.  Heading down to my friends place in AZ this weekend to hang out and surf behind his 2022 A24.  Will report back with my thoughts on it vs a Bu.  Looking forward to the sunshine & a good surf session or two! 

[Sixer]

I have always thought the seating in the Malibu line is more comfortable and has a nicer feel over the Axis.  I don't know if they use different foam materials for the seats or if it's just me, but Malibu seating is just different.  Little details are different too.  Not sure if it is still this way, but Malibu used to have stainless cupholders, Axis were plastic. Sidewalls in by the cupholders are different too.  Malibu just feels more plush, more attention to detail.  I think Axis boats have come a long way in the past few years, but IMO the Malibu does have a more luxurious feel. 

[Reveille]

I have owned both Axis and Malibu.    The Malibu has a nicer finish for sure.   Also you have cool touchscreens.   However, they sometimes freeze up or have to have software updates.    Axis switches never failed.   

But Axis bags leaked overtime.   Have hard tanks in my Malibu so less issues with those.

 I personally prefer Malibu have m220 now.   But Axis is not that much different performance wise.   

[bigskydoc]

Anyone who buys a Malibu will be happy they spent the extra money to have a nicer boat.  Anyone who buys an Axis will be happy they didn't waste money on unnecessary bling.

They are both right!

Except for those folks who are perpetually unhappy, and will find something to complain about no matter which they buy.

Those folks are just wrong!

[Shea]

Hello Crew! 

Been down in AZ surfing the last 4 days and had my first Axis experience, 2022 A24.  From a straight up wave performance perspective, no difference that I could tell, but the rest of the experience is vastly different.  Here are a few things that really stood out to me. 

-Controls:  Mainly, you can't see all the information you want access to while operating the boat at a given time.  Meaning, if you want to see engine & trans temp vs wedge & surf side you have to move to a different screen.  I think this was the biggest complaint from my buddy as well who owns the boat.  He had a 2021, and although it didn't have a touch screen, he had all the info you would want to see available in front of him at all times.  

-Finish:  No comparison.  I don't feel the need to get into each and every detail I noticed, but I was actually shocked given that Axis is not exactly a cheap boat.  They are still pretty darn expensive and I feel Malibu should be working to provide a better interior experience for Axis owners given the price point.  

-Tower:  It's functional, but it angles in toward the interior of the boat way too much IMO.  This combined with tower speaker placement just doesn't work for someone who is tall.  I can't tell you how many times I hit my head on the two tower speakers.  If he had 4, I would have had to duck under them every time I went back and forth.  I'm 6'3, not exactly a giant.  When I stood behind the speakers I was literally staring at the back of them. 

-LT4 & Cruise Control:  Now, this may be an issue across the board with the LT4, maybe it's just with Axis, or maybe something isn't right with my buddies boat.  When taking off with cruise control on, you have to bring the speed up at a painfully slow rate or the engine just completely cuts out for a second or two.  This is annoying, but manageable with a boat full of solid surfers.  However, one day we had a couple beginners.  They had zero issues standing up, but having the engine cut out on them, and/or having to deal with all the wash behind the boat was very difficult for them.  I will be very interested to hear if others with an LT4 have experienced this both in Axis & Malibu.  I also noticed it was extremely hard to keep the cruise control engaged and keep the boat from going way over set point, or way under.  Even after the cruise had engaged and the boat was at a given set speed.  My buddy has had a number of Axis boats, and I've had a number of Bu's.  Neither of us have ever experienced this, but neither of us has ever owned the LT4.  

All that said, I had an unbelievable time with great friends and enjoyed the heck out of the experience with them, being on the Axis, and surfing a huge wave.  I agree with @bigskydoc.  If you can't go out and enjoy the heck out of an Axis boat, then you are likely a perpetually unhappy person.  

[bigskydoc]

I've spent a few days surfing with the LT4 in a M240 and a M220. The only time I had issues with it where when I tried to come up to the cruise control speed manually (when bringing up a new surfer).  I did have a few times when the cruise control didn't "catch" as I went over speed, and I had to back off to get the cruise control to take over. 

Whenever I did my usual of just slamming on full throttle from the idling start, the cruise control performed perfectly.  

If I have issues with the LT4 in my M220, I'll report back here, assuming the M220 gets here before this summer. 

[Sixer]

I noticed that a few years ago when using the speed control with the paddle wheel.  My issue was fixed by using the GPS speed.  Seems odd on a new build, especially since most new boats have been built without the paddle wheel d/t supply issues.

[Chattwake]

The reality, to me, is that the axis line delivers incredible performance, which, from a wake and wave standpoint, is equal to the Malibu line.   That’s was the point when the brand was started back in ‘09 by Adam.  You don’t sacrifice quality in terms of hull design and power.

But, you have to save cost to keep the price down.  Hence, with axis, the interior is less complex in terms of vinyl panels, the electronics are much more basic and analog (which is not a bad thing in terms of ease of use), and some of the interior components/appointments (hinges, glove box doors, etc.) are less costly to procure/manufacture.  

I have owned a bunch of malibus and axis boats.  My friends own a bunch of malibu and axis boats.  Both are awesome.  What it boils down to is whether you want to spend extra coin on creature comforts and styling. The beauty is you have lots of options.   There are people out there who feel the need to justify their decisions by minimizing or trivializing the differences between the brands, or making the brands seem light years apart, and I totally get that.  However, the important thing is to be respectful of each other’s choices because no matter what, we are all spending am absurd amount of money on a hobby.  Hahahaha

Cheers y’all!  Let’s have a great season!

 

 

 

 

Edited May 1, 2022 by Chattwake

[wakefrankNL]

On 4/19/2022 at 5:55 PM, shawndoggy said:

Still few hinges (but T220/T250).

The open seat bases are no more.

The skybox bench does slide now, but doesn't have the flipping seatback feature.  It's kinda slick for (a) easily accessing transmission area, and (b) allowing shorties to have a step to get to the tow rope on the tower.

IMHO the biggest difference is in the upholstery.  Malibu's upholstery is much more intricate and "high end" looking, with complex patterns.  This would include the dash/observer's glove box area too, of course.  Those are  vast plasticy expanses or bare gel on axis, vs fancy trim panels on malibu. The rest of seem to be tied more to features than F&F.  Fewer/smaller Screens (but see garmin screens on 2022s), helm/observer's storage access from bow, power tower, folding swim platform, battery option 3 (the factory install of blue sea acr system -- strangely not available on axis?).  I guess "features" fall under "finish"?

vs our 2016 axis, the newer axis boats have come quite a long way.  

Sorry to have to partially disagree @shawndoggy. I really think the quality of the upholstery has gone down. I come from a 2014 23LSV in to just now a 2020 23MXZ. Maybe it is the model line but the upholstery seems much thinner. Both have same hours but the LSV showed no wear and tear I have three claims on warranty regarding seems already. Especially areas people step on while entering and leaving but also in the bow where hardly anyone sits. They are all on the cushion beads. Like they were not stitched properly.

First Pics are from the bow but two others are much worse. Claimed and will be send by Malibu.. hopefully..

Edited June 1, 2022 by wakefrankNL