Thinking of making a switch...

[Lakenut]

My current VLX is the favorite out of all of them (love the colors, interior, and power wedge).

Um....Why are you wanting a new boat?

[CLOUT1]

I have to agree with the other posts...for the amount of money your talking about, you have to drive the MC...catch a plane, the $500 you'll spend for an overnight will be well worth it!!!

[sandor]

My mastercraft dealer wanted to sell me the X15 for the same price as a VLX, but I sill orderd the VLX

[Malibudude]

Why are you selling?? How many new boats do you need? If you like your current one, why dump tens of thousands more into a brand new one?

Just had to ask...

You sound like my wife. There really is no good reason.... I just like buying new boats. Plus, with the resale value (if you buy them right) on these boats, selling and getting a new one is actually a lot easier on the wallet than with most toys.

Take the extra money that you'd need for an X-15 and pay down your principle on your home loan okay that's just the pragmatist in me. You don't have any real solid reason to change other than I just want a new boat. You can't ride behind it, selling to friends is always dangerous and the fact you'd be gaining nothing is perplexing to me. Unless you can convince the CEO you're dead in the water w/ oh my a one-year old boat..... Of course whatever your choice is you’re certainly

[JeffK]

In an effort to shed a little more light on the subject, check out this article on the gorilla fins.

[Henken]

If your are truly serious about this. I would hit your buddy up for a weekend demo. I'm sure this isn't something he normally would do but with your boating experience and if he's a close friend, it might be an option. Having an hour or two on the water without the pressure of a salesman, might allow you to see the pros and cons without being influenced.

[Malibuman]

If you got such a great deal on the VLX that you wouldn't be hurt by trading, why wouldn't you buy another Malibu? Only reason to switch would be if you got the same great deal from MC and don't know many that would. One of my friends went from Malibu to MC sales and he was $10k more than the VLX, both boats at cost.

[Muffintop]

Same price for MC15 vs VLX? EIther the VLX price is way high, or he's losing money on the X15... or they tried to tell you the 310hp would be fine in the 15 and a s/a trailer would work too

[relentless]

i have no experience in a x15 but i have ridden in the best x they have to offer the xstar stock. it was nothing to gouk about i would prefer my sunscape 21lsv over what i would have to think a stock x15 would put out as far as wake goes.

[jcbatt]

As a followup my original post, we spent some time looking at th X15 up close last weekend, and we were suprised at how much we liked it. Here were our thoughts:

Exterior - we liked the clean, non-tribal graphics. Its a good looking boat, but I wouldn't say its any better looking than the VLX (esp w/ the new block letter "wakesetter" graphic). Some things (like the pop-up cleats) that are optional on the VLX are standard on the X15.

Interior - Very, very roomy. Because of the squeezed sundeck, there is definitly more interor room than the VLX. It also seems "deeper" inside. The seat widths are a little thinner, contributing to an even roomier feeling interior.

Whoever said storage would be a concern hasn't looked closely at an X15 vs. a VLX. There is a LOT more storage in the X15. It goes much deeper into the floor. There isn't anywhere I can fit a wakeboard (w/ bindings, etc) in any storage compartments on my VLX - I could easily fit 2-3 in the X15 storage. Also, because they put little access doors from the bow, the big storage areas are much more accessible. Now, the downside of the storage is that it seems less "finished" than the Malibu. There aren't nearly as many flat floor surfaces, and you can see a lot more of the wires (under the driver's dash for example). I guess this is the tradeoff they decided to make to have EVERY possible storage area accessible.

The driver's seat is much higher, especially when using the bolster. I can't overstate how big a deal this was to my wife - she drives 80% of the time, and usually has to sit on our seat back, so the higher seat is very important to her. Also, their heated seat option gives you heat on both the driver and passenger seats. My wife also really liked the snap-in carpet option. The interior is definitly not as plush as the VLX, but seems like it may age better. I do like the vinyl and interior color options better on a Malibu. I didn't think I was going to like the dash area on the X15, but in person, its actually very nice and well-laid out. I still like the look of the VLX dash a little better though (especially with the colored shroud option). The only thing I wish the X15 had more of was hinged seats - thats one thing I like a lot on the VLX.

Tower - nice, though I think I like the Illusion X folding design better. The board racks however are heads and tails better than anything available for the VLX. They swivel in, and have mechanical "clamps" instead of straps. An excellent design. Their bimini seemed a little cheaper-buit than the one on my VLX.

Trailer - the MC trailers are beautiful, with standard disc brakes, electric backup lock-out, LED's, swingaway tongue, cage roller, oil bathe hubs and boat buddy

Obviously all of the above doesn't touch on performance, and frankly, I probably won't get to water-test one. We are now leaning more heavily towards making the switch. When we spent the time looking at it, the clean exterior looks, interior room, driver's seat, and storage went a long way in pushing us that direction. We'll make up our final minds shortly, and I'll post if we decide to definitly order one. If we do get one, I'll also post a full performance review in the spring.

Now I know a lot of you probably think I'm an idiot for not driving it / riding behind it first, but I'm not too worried about it. As long as you buy these boats right, and get desirable color combos and equipment, I've had excellent experience with resale. Thus, if we don't like it, we can always sell and come back to a Malibu.

Oh, btw, I haven't even been able to get my account activated over on TMCowners for 2 weeks to ask questions, etc. This site is hands-down the best there is.

[NorCaliBu]

If you do switch...I'll be sure to post this quote over on the other TMC.

Oh, btw, I haven't even been able to get my account activated over on TMCowners for 2 weeks to ask questions, etc. This site is hands-down the best there is.

I still think you should fly to Florida and test drive / test ride one.

[SacRiverRat]

JC,

Nice detailed "objective" writeup. Thanks for taking the time to detail it out.

[larrys]

Just a thought on not water testing...

I purchased my first 23LSV without water testing. I am currently on my third. I have also driven several 247s. My buddy purchased an X45 at the end of last season. I had an opportunity to drive his boat and pull a few boarders. I must say, there is no comparison in the way the Malibu and MC (X45) drive. I would compare it to a Porche (Mailbu) and Station Wagon (MC X45). After leaving the MC X45 I thought, I would hate to drive it all day long. It took a lot more effort to drive. I could really feel the rider pulling the boat around and it was harder to keep on a straight line. Maybe do to lack of fins? I will say that the design, interior, fit and finish of the MC compare depending on what you are looking for. Both having their pros and cons. If I had purchased the X45 without water testing, I would have been very disappointed. I know you are not looking at the X45... But, I always thought... If the boat is coming from MC and at that price, it must be a great boat! Maybe the smaller MCs driver better? But, I can say, every Malibu I have driven has been a pleasant experience!

[jcbatt]

larrys - I hear you about the handling, and frankly, it is something I am concerned about, but I don't think a test drive i going to make a huge difference for me. I think it'll take 50-60 hours in a boat for me to really develop an opinion on overall ownership "feel" (thats everything about the boat), and I know noone will let me test drive one that long!

[johnsvt]

I would say to do it. MC builds a great boat if you hate it you could sell the boat and probably not lose your a**, if the dealer is giving that good of a deal.

[larrys]

larrys - I hear you about the handling, and frankly, it is something I am concerned about, but I don't think a test drive i going to make a huge difference for me. I think it'll take 50-60 hours in a boat for me to really develop an opinion on overall ownership "feel" (thats everything about the boat), and I know noone will let me test drive one that long!

I here what you are saying... It took me about 5 minutes to realize I didn't want to spend 50-60 hours driving that boat.

[Madmanacrossthewater]

VLX:

Passengers: 11

Dry weight: 3,600 lb.

Draft: 24 in.

Load capacity: 1,654 lb.

Fuel capacity: 46 gal.

Storage capacity: 101 cu. ft.

Bow: 10 cu. ft.

Center: 46 cu. ft.

Rear: 45 cu. ft.

Platform: 13 sq. ft.

Interior gunwale height: 29 in.

Sun-pad area: 26 sq. ft.

X-15:

Passengers: 14

Dry weight: 3,425 lb.

Draft: 26.5 in.

Load capacity: 2,325 lb.

Fuel capacity: 45 gal.

Storage capacity: 116 cu. ft.

Bow 11 cu. ft.

Center: 43 cu. ft.

Rear: 62 cu. ft.

Platform: 14 sq. ft.

Interior gunwale height: 32 in.

Sun-pad area: 18 sq. ft.

Looks like you either want a big sunpad and less storage, or small sunpad and more storage. X-15 is deeper, according to the gunwale measurements....by 2".

If you want a new boat that bad, driving it won't change your mind.

[NvBoarder]

Ok I have to admit I didn't drive the VLX before I bought it. I did all the off water research I could do and made my decision with my gut feeling. Go with your gut and you will be happy. When it comes to the top three BU, Nautique, MC they all make great boats. Good luck and enjoy

[relentless]

i have owned a x30 and it was great the first half of the season and that is when it started to fall apart. it spent about 2 out of the 3 remaining months in the shop. half of that i think had to do with bad management on their part but still. then we bought a used BU and it was in the shop once geting a biminie put on for 2 days

[edwin]

FWIW, I had a MC before my first Malibu. That boat is still the benchmark for which all subsequent boats have been measured. Our SLXi and now RLXi have served us quite well but I wouldn't hesitate for a second to consider a MC for our next boat. My experience is that they make a first rate product...good luck!

[D-GOOSE]

Why don't you go with the MC this yr and I'm sure with your track record you will be looking for a new boat next yr or the one after. This way you could find out for your self (resale value would not drop much on a MC) how the MC perform. Then you can give us a full report on your thoughts. JM2C

[Trentster]

Sounds like you have already made up your mind. Now come the bets. I bet you are back in a Malibu next year! The good news is that you won't get hurt either way. They both have great resale.

I personally just don't think you are comparing apples to apples. I would never go from the flagship wakeboat of one manufacturer to a non-flagship wakeboat of another. Now if you were going to an X-Star that would be different, but an X-15? This leads me to believe that wake performance isn't that important.

Trentster

[jcbatt]

Sounds like you have already made up your mind. Now come the bets. I bet you are back in a Malibu next year! The good news is that you won't get hurt either way. They both have great resale.

I personally just don't think you are comparing apples to apples. I would never go from the flagship wakeboat of one manufacturer to a non-flagship wakeboat of another. Now if you were going to an X-Star that would be different, but an X-15? This leads me to believe that wake performance isn't that important.

Trentster

I just can't bring myself to like to the looks of the picklefork. I did spend some time in an 05 X-Star a couple years ago, and I was frankly disappointed in the interior room (cockpit seemed compact - it has a huge bow, but so what) and the wake looked just so-so. So may be I am cruising for a huge disappointment with the X-15 wake - time will tell. The best rider I have ever seen in person rides behind an 06 X-2 at our local lake, which is a boat that a lot of people have complained about the wake on. So, who knows... I think there is something to be said for working on technique rather than relying on bigger and bigger wakes if you're like me and merely average (at best) at wakeboarding. Of course, this may just all be a huge rationalization too.

Believe me, if we do decide to go with the X-15 (and we are leaning heavily that way), and it turns out that we don't like it, I will definitely be back in a VLX in 08.

[Trentster]

I'm no pro either! I'm just a big dude (235lbs), and I like the bigger wakes for going wake to wake. I can ride 80-85 feet, go big, and still land wake to wake.

Enjoy the Mastercraft, the big five are all nice!

Trentster

[chathamsolutions]

I love that new boat smell, but it takes me a couple years to get the new boat to feel like mine. I can't imagine trading after one summer. IMHO, I would not sell your 06 VLX for an X15 without a good test ride. Go to FLA if you have to, but drive one first.

I agree.

Interesting thread. Sounds like you've made up your mind. You probably won't be disapointed, MC makes a great boat. I loved the X-2 I boarded behind a few years.