Finally Part of the Malibu Family

[NorCalSurfer]

My 21LX finally arrived. This is my first Malibu and couldn’t be more excited. I have to say Malibu is pretty frustrating when it comes to the LX and options. 
For example, no soft grip on the decks, no dock lights, no underwater lights, only a pair of Icon tower speakers, no seat heater, no clamping racks, no camera, etc. 

So I had the dealer add M240 dock lights, underwater lights, second pair of Icons and clamping rack. I also went carpet but didn’t  have it installed or any Soft grip installed as I’m going full GatorStep. They of course charged me extra to not install soft grip and carpet. The price difference is nothing and based on reviews of the soft grip I think this will be a much better choice. I sent in the templates today for GatorStep so I’ll be excited for that project. 
 

I did opt for the M6, can’t wait to hit the gas with that. 
 

i plan to tint the windshield, add Phender Pros, put 200-300 lbs of lead in the bow and do an extended sunshade. 

Edited February 25 by NorCalSurfer
Spelling

[ahopkins22LSV]

Looks great! The LX is a super nice boat, but it’s marketed to be the budget friendly option in the Malibu like up which is why options are limited. It’s performed is great though! We used one for an event a few years ago and people were very impressed with it, as was I. 

[EchelonMike]

You nailed the color combo.  Love it.

Interesting on the soft grip flooring; hard to believe that's not an option.  I could get my wife to do a boat upgrade for one single reason alone...have a boat without carpet.  :-) 

Enjoy the new ride!

[Five Cent Worth]

We had a 21 VLX to start.  An awesome boat that out surfs anything in comparable size.  

We also pulled the carpet and added the Gator Step.  Super easy to do.  

Congrats!!  

[NorCalSurfer]

4 hours ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Looks great! The LX is a super nice boat, but it’s marketed to be the budget friendly option in the Malibu like up which is why options are limited. It’s performed is great though! We used one for an event a few years ago and people were very impressed with it, as was I. 

Yeah that is what my sales guy was saying. My thought though is that I went 21 ft to get it in the garage and they have Axis for the budget friendly. 

[NorCalSurfer]

2 hours ago, EchelonMike said:

You nailed the color combo.  Love it.

Interesting on the soft grip flooring; hard to believe that's not an option.  I could get my wife to do a boat upgrade for one single reason alone...have a boat without carpet.  :-) 

Enjoy the new ride!

To clarify, you can get soft grip but the top deck rails is not an option which was a deal killer for me. So I optioned for carpet and I am doing GatorStep. 

[rennis]

Nice boat!  I like the upgrades too

[BlindSquirrel]

Looks Great! Interesting they don't have docking lights as an option... but are in the mold. Congrats.

[NorCalSurfer]

I was finally able to bring her home today. It was a bit nerve-racking as it’s a tight fit but it is confirmed, I got the biggest boat possible to fit in the garage. Mission accomplished.  

[ahopkins22LSV]

Looks even better out in the sunlight!

[NorCalSurfer]

42 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Looks even better out in the sunlight!

Can wait to see it on the water!

[Slurpee]

Very Clean! Love lots of white. 

Edited March 8 by Slurpee

[tlisotta]

Congrats!  Gorgeous boat!  I like that truck as well!

Edited March 9 by tlisotta

[rennis]

congrats!  you nailed it with the garage stuffer.  

[NorCalSurfer]

I had 35% tint installed and the boat detailed and ceramic coated. I must say, the gel coat quality is really bad. Pretty frustrating. I’ll be taking it to the dealership for them to look at it. 

[Sixer]

Sorry to hear that.  Do you have any good pics of the gel issues?

[Steve B.]

Can't see anything from the photo's, work of art for sure. Hopefully all will be made right. Wish I knew more about the process of all things gel coat. For example, is the flake in the gel, or applied after, etc., in a different "layer" ? 

Steve B.

[NorCalSurfer]

I was rushed to get it home. Ill take photos. I should have flaked the entire boat as it’s not visibly there. The white portions have really bad issues. It’s either built up gel coat or cracks in the gel coat. Coming from a Calabria that had gel coat cracks all over, I really wasn't expecting this. Also a super shiny detailed boat shows the issues even more. 

Edited March 16 by NorCalSurfer

[Stevo]

What was included in the “detail “ 

Detail in my mind is a polish and wax/sealant,
if you ceramic coated over get issues it will have to be re-coated 

[Sixer]

On 3/15/2023 at 8:55 PM, Steve B. said:

Can't see anything from the photo's, work of art for sure. Hopefully all will be made right. Wish I knew more about the process of all things gel coat. For example, is the flake in the gel, or applied after, etc., in a different "layer" ? 

Steve B.

Boats are made in a mold from the outside in.  They tape off one color area, spray it, dry it, then tape off the next color area (which can be underneath the 1st color too) and spray that.  Then they do the fiberglass and keep layering up.  Pull it out of the mold shell once it's all dry and put the 2 pieces together.  It's a pretty cool thing to see if you get to visit the factory.

[dalt1]

13 minutes ago, Sixer said:

Boats are made in a mold from the outside in.  They tape off one color area, spray it, dry it, then tape off the next color area (which can be underneath the 1st color too) and spray that.  Then they do the fiberglass and keep layering up.  Pull it out of the mold shell once it's all dry and put the 2 pieces together.  It's a pretty cool thing to see if you get to visit the factory.

Toured the Supra plant last Friday. Worth the drive. 

[NorCalSurfer]

Final GatorStep design has been approved. I should have it in a week and a half. 

 

[NorCalSurfer]

I have finally been able to install the GatorStep just as our season is getting started. It’s supposed to be 90 here on Sat and I have a full boat load of people planned. I’ve put on about 9 hours so far so we are calling it good. I will schedule for oil change for next week. 
 

Installing the GatorStep wasn’t the worst boat project I’ve ever done. I did a few pieces last weekend but got the rest done today. I’d say in total about 5 hours. 
 

Two pieces need to be redone but they aren’t a huge deal. Overall I am very happy with how it turned out.