What do we want to see for 2023 and years to come?

[Sparky450]

On 6/22/2022 at 3:28 PM, ahopkinsVTX said:

My wife is requesting molded in cup holders on the swim platform. Can’t really argue with her on this one.

Happy Wife. Happy Life!! 😂😂😂

[TenTwentyOne]

On 6/22/2022 at 11:02 AM, IXFE said:

Wish more dealers did this. All too often I see them simply using fake-a-lake to “water test” a new (or even recently serviced) boat. 

This, for sure. 99% of the dumb little issues happen in the first 1-20 hours on boats. After that they are pretty darn reliable. We usually try to run them for 3-4 hours on the water before delivering them. That usually takes care of most issues.

It's a little funny/ironic, that with the way you, @IXFE,  and I (and some others) upgrade from our 1 year old, low hour boats, every year........ The folks that we sell to end up getting a better, more reliable, well sorted boat.

That said, next year I will have the pleasure of running the boat for a second year. I hit my limit on the price increases and didn't order a new one for this fall. 

 

As for A/C- After owning a boat that had dual Air conditioning/heat pump units (my MC 300), I would definitely like to have it again. The A/C was really nice on super hot/humid days, and the heat pumps worked better than the regular heaters on those chilly night rides. The other bonus being that I could have the heat running with the engine off.

[hethj7]

You still got the 300?  I loved that build!

[IXFE]

On 6/24/2022 at 8:47 AM, Ronnie said:

I know where the new stuff comes from in China. Are you saying they are making the layered product in house or cutting itin house? Which ever, it's not the same quality as SeaDek.

 

On 6/24/2022 at 10:44 AM, COOP said:

Correct. 

And I agree, its not the same.

I have a actually seen the area and machine where it’s made (not part of the public tour). I’ve also seen the sheets of raw foam they use. It’s pretty cool.  And you gotta give Malibu credit for offering more and more color options each year. 

I’ve had SeaDek, Gatorstep, and the in-house factory stuff, and I honestly don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I really like the factory stuff. But if you don’t like it, why are you ordering it?  You know snap-in carpet is still free, right? I used to do the whole custom floor every year. I have even peeled the factory stuff off other locations, including the swim platform just to have the aftermarket stuff… I got the the point where the benefit of doing so did not exceed the cost/hassle. I also think these aftermarket guys are PITA to work with. 

Edited June 25, 2022 by IXFE

[TenTwentyOne]

3 hours ago, hethj7 said:

You still got the 300?  I loved that build!

Sold it. It was definitely a cool boat but I couldn’t keep it on my home lake. So I ran it on another lake for a year and moved it on to the next to enjoy it. It’s on the Chesapeake now.

 

[Ronnie]

6 hours ago, IXFE said:

 

I have a actually seen the area and machine where it’s made (not part of the public tour). I’ve also seen the sheets of raw foam they use. It’s pretty cool.  And you gotta give Malibu credit for offering more and more color options each year. 

I’ve had SeaDek, Gatorstep, and the in-house factory stuff, and I honestly don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I really like the factory stuff. But if you don’t like it, why are you ordering it?  You know snap-in carpet is still free, right? I used to do the whole custom floor every year. I have even peeled the factory stuff off other locations, including the swim platform just to have the aftermarket stuff… I got the the point where the benefit of doing so did not exceed the cost/hassle. I also think these aftermarket guys are PITA to work with. 

oh Thanks for letting us all know it’s not part of the public tour. 😏

As you know, I’ve ordered boats with snap out and ordered SeaDek to install after market. This is actually the first year in several years thst I haven’t installed some Seadek. Last year I only added one piece around the glove box. I don’t see that as a good option currently because of the supply chain for Seadek. Last I checked in the Spring, it was a couple of months to get the product.

I really haven’t had an issue with the flooring in past boats because I only keep the boats one season. This year though, the flooring is slick. I’ve already had people slip on the platform pad a couple of times. This current product probably would be ok if there was a rougher texture to it. 

[IXFE]

55 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

oh Thanks for letting us all know it’s not part of the public tour. 😏
 

It wasn’t a flex. Sorry if it came across that way. I simply wanted to clarify for those who wonder why they may not have seen that on their tour. It’s not secret or anything, just happens to be in an adjacent building. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[Gene3x]

On 6/25/2022 at 11:01 AM, IXFE said:

I’ve had SeaDek, Gatorstep, and the in-house factory stuff, and I honestly don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I really like the factory stuff. But if you don’t like it, why are you ordering it?  You know snap-in carpet is still free, right? I used to do the whole custom floor every year. I have even peeled the factory stuff off other locations, including the swim platform just to have the aftermarket stuff… I got the the point where the benefit of doing so did not exceed the cost/hassle. I also think these aftermarket guys are PITA to work with. 

I don't think you can get snap in carpet for the new boat hulls.  new 25LSV or new 24 MXZ etc...  Please correct me if I am wrong.  My wife prefers it.

[rennis]

On 6/25/2022 at 3:37 PM, Ronnie said:

. This current product probably would be ok if there was a rougher texture to it. 

Agreed.  I don't mind the looks of the material but it needs some texture to prevent slips/falls.  I've slipped on it a lot (no falls) and only have 15 hours on the boat. 

[CaptainMorgan]

i'd like to see higher surf-gate deployment speed.  the 7mph setpoint on my A24 is kinda low.  i'd love it at like 9 or 10mph (or user settable -- if that's already possible, someone please let me know how and ignore the words below).

Few reasons to my thinking:

(1) in congested 6mph zones, especially with wind/current (or just idiots nearby), i sometimes need to bump throttle to ~7mph for a few seconds and would hate to have a gate deploy and jerk us off course if it accidentally was still in surf left/right. 

(2) getting up to speed/staying straight when pulling up a surfer.  my boat has adequate (but not overwhelming) power, so deploying at 7 means i need max counter-steer to stay straight-ish while getting to speed (and that crazy countersteer probably inhibits getting to speed).  If deployed at 10mph, boat would almost be at steady speed and then minimal counter steering required as gate deploys.

[CaptainMorgan]

in addition to prop rotation selection, i'd love to be able to choose among different transmissions (i think M5/6's have 2:1 vs LT4 has 1.5:1?).  For folks like me at sea level, i'm hopeful that an M6 and a 17" propeller would do just fine with the 1.5 or 1.76:1, but rpm's would be significantly lower surfing, and cruise speeds could be much higher (basically i want the Lt4 rpm's and speeds being reported, but without the LT4 cost and especially fuel requirements...hoping that sea level would offset the power difference).

[Chappy]

On 6/21/2022 at 7:42 PM, TAQ44 said:

One thing I totally regret about joining this forum: LACK OF CONFIDENCE in the product. I’m legit terrified lately about how my new insanely expensive boat is going to completely fail me at some point early on. Any of you guys have some GOOD stuff to say about NEWER Malibus and their reliability? Nervous because I am the type of person who buys something to pay it off and own it. I don’t buy boats every year and sell them every other season for a new one to never be free of a payment. I’m sure some of you use cash but I imagine it’s the smaller amount of owners…

 I have a 2019 24 MXZ and have never had a single issue!

[Ronnie]

1 hour ago, Chappy said:

 I have a 2019 24 MXZ and have never had a single issue!

Exactly, all of the thousands of boats out there that have no issues don’t get the exposure that the ones that do have issues. 

[Slayer]

7 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Exactly, all of the thousands of boats out there that have no issues don’t get the exposure that the ones that do have issues. 

But they should.  Those of you with worry free boats should be in all forms of media touting that fact.  For those of us with many issues, in consecutive boats, it's not pleasurable.  It's even less pleasurable when you have a short season.  

[REHinH20]

The people with good boats are out on them, and don't have time to put "I'm so happy with my boat"!

[NWBU]

I try not to jinx myself either. So far the only issue on my M220 has been inconsistent pairing to the Bluetooth. I have my usual interior gel coat cleanup complaints but the dealer handles those later on.

[NewMalibu]

usable storage. I have had multiple Malibu's and though they get bigger with more 'space', the actual usable storage for the smaller things you need gets less and less. Ie, the glovebox in the new M220 is pointless. even if you dont use the wireless charger, I can fit 1/5th (not joking) of what I had in my previous 23lsv. Things like first aid kits, basic tools, basic required safety items, etc. even flags. I would love to spend the day with a Malibu Engineer and the list of things that we all take out to see if we could find intelligent and purposeful spaces for these items.

[hethj7]

On 6/30/2022 at 5:00 PM, CaptainMorgan said:

i'd like to see higher surf-gate deployment speed.  the 7mph setpoint on my A24 is kinda low.  i'd love it at like 9 or 10mph (or user settable -- if that's already possible, someone please let me know how and ignore the words below).

Few reasons to my thinking:

(1) in congested 6mph zones, especially with wind/current (or just idiots nearby), i sometimes need to bump throttle to ~7mph for a few seconds and would hate to have a gate deploy and jerk us off course if it accidentally was still in surf left/right. 

(2) getting up to speed/staying straight when pulling up a surfer.  my boat has adequate (but not overwhelming) power, so deploying at 7 means i need max counter-steer to stay straight-ish while getting to speed (and that crazy countersteer probably inhibits getting to speed).  If deployed at 10mph, boat would almost be at steady speed and then minimal counter steering required as gate deploys.

I think my 2022 now deploys at 9 vs 7 on the 2019.  I don’t know what year that changed.  
 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by hethj7
Added photo

[BarliBear]

On 6/24/2022 at 10:08 AM, hethj7 said:

@EchelonMike The 26LSV is confirmed for 2023, of course not with the transom options you are describing.  

Grab a Cobalt perhaps for what you describe, although I don’t know what their ski wake is like.  

Can Operate Boat At Lake Tahoe… Just got back from a week in Tahoe and Cobalt’s are definitely the boat of choice up there since cruising and surfing is all you can do up there.  I have no idea how they surf though as I’ve never seen anyone actually doing it. ‘

The counter rotating props is a terrific idea and improves efficiency at about a 40% clip. However, that’s a whole lot of extra gears, and growing up on a Century I/O I can tell you how much fun that is when there are issues. Then you see a surfing I/O in person and it makes your head hurt

 

As for Malibu changes: 

-A forward wake foil to replace ballast has to be in the future at some point.

-Prop rotating in the other direction wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Apologies to all you goofy foot surfers. 

-Redesigning the bar/sink area on the 25LSV. Not sure what to do with it tbh. Replacing that with a hard cooler tray like on the M-series and putting an open bin on top of it for towels and whatnot would be a lot better imo. 

 

In the end I know it’s fashionable around here to gripe about all things Malibu, but we love our boat. Nothing better than getting “hey, nice boat” from other owners out on the water. 

 

[BeachCowboy]

On 6/13/2022 at 3:59 PM, BeachCowboy said:

I've got one... make the Wakeview bench seat fold down to fold the backrest fully flat. Reason for this is... if anyone has ever brought young kids on a boat... they like to sleep quite frequently. Being able to lay put a space in the shade with a full 4+ft front to back that spans the whole back seating area, and under the general bimini coverage would be sweet.

 

I suspect this hasn't been done yet because the strength required to enable the backrest to sit at seating height would require strong supports, but that could be engineered in with a top bar on the backrest that can clip in to the tracks the seat slides on horizontally. 

 

 

Hey they actually just did this on the 26LSV!

My only complaint now is the stitching across the center rear seat in my M220. Creates a stress point right where people climb back into the boat several times an hour. Boat is less than 2 years old and I'm already seeing stress tears in the fabric seam due to this design 😒

[UWSkier]

On 7/12/2022 at 9:42 AM, BarliBear said:

Can Operate Boat At Lake Tahoe… Just got back from a week in Tahoe and Cobalt’s are definitely the boat of choice up there since cruising and surfing is all you can do up there.  I have no idea how they surf though as I’ve never seen anyone actually doing it. ‘

The counter rotating props is a terrific idea and improves efficiency at about a 40% clip. However, that’s a whole lot of extra gears, and growing up on a Century I/O I can tell you how much fun that is when there are issues. Then you see a surfing I/O in person and it makes your head hurt

 

As for Malibu changes: 

-A forward wake foil to replace ballast has to be in the future at some point.

-Prop rotating in the other direction wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Apologies to all you goofy foot surfers. 

-Redesigning the bar/sink area on the 25LSV. Not sure what to do with it tbh. Replacing that with a hard cooler tray like on the M-series and putting an open bin on top of it for towels and whatnot would be a lot better imo. 

 

In the end I know it’s fashionable around here to gripe about all things Malibu, but we love our boat. Nothing better than getting “hey, nice boat” from other owners out on the water. 

 

Prop rotating in the other direction makes backing and docking a pain in the behind.  I've spent enough time behind the wheel in classic Nautiques to hate this idea.

[IXFE]

Check another one off the list! 

[oldjeep]

7 hours ago, UWSkier said:

Prop rotating in the other direction makes backing and docking a pain in the behind.  I've spent enough time behind the wheel in classic Nautiques to hate this idea.

My brother in law just got to experience that last week with his 2021 200.  He has a lift so backing direction isnt a huge deal a week of parking at a dock when the boat backs the wrong way was a learning experience. 

Edited July 19, 2022 by oldjeep

[UWSkier]

29 minutes ago, IXFE said:

Check another one off the list! 

articulating tracking fin?  Like four wheel steering for a boat.

[Sixer]

What other boats are they coming out with for 2023??  I can't remember the details, but I thought they guaranteed 5 new hulls every year or something like that a few years back when they went public.  I suppose a couple of Axis boats will be in the mix as well.......