2023 25 LSV Review

[Five Cent Worth]

Hey Fellas - I know I get the most from threads like this.  So in turn, I wanted to pay back with my thoughts on a similar thread.

While we have a thread with +35 pages debating used boat prices (!), the family decided we got a deal put in front of us that was hard to pass up.  Yea, rates are high.  And new boat prices are on a different trajectory then they have been pre-COVID era.  However, our family enjoys the water as do many of our friends.  It's not uncommon for us to have 2 - 4 boats surfing, tied up, etc.  The wife and I are in our early 40's, the kids are at the right age - some times you can't get time back.

Context: we upgraded for space, size, features and rough ride quality.  We started with a '17 21 VLX, have had two 23 LSV's and now onto a 25 LSV.

Note - my windows get tinted next week.  I feel like I am boating naked without tint.

What we are really enjoying:

• Thruster is awesome.  Game changer.  Never feel compromised in a bad spot.  Get to really peacock backing in everywhere....  
• Two sets of Rev10's - wow, big step up from two sets of Icon 8's
• Cool feel interior: huge improvement.  Feels better, more premium to the touch and certainly more effective in keeping things cool
• Storage: incredible amount.  Note my son standing in the port side locker
• Surf wave.  I noted above that our 23 LSV did fine for our bag of tricks.  However, the wave improvement is substantial.  Wedge at 2 and cruise set at 11.9 and I feel like we aren't even really dialed in
• Size - feels like a 25' boat, rides like a 25' boat, and surfs like one.  My 23 LSV felt like a mini boat compared to other 23' makes on the market
• The locker behind the driver seat fits your Yeti backpack cooler perfectly.  Such a space saver
• Rear Facing Seats: although not the design qlty of the X series by MC, they are much more functional than I expected.  Better than the XT series we looked extensively at

Things that are still a bit of miss:

• Lighting: it feels like a miss that there isn't an option between a $4k RGB offering and the white lights that feel very underwhelming
• Gel work: it has been noted all over here that boats aren't coming out perfect.  This one is the same.  The black has some orange peel and some serious defects.  LKN Marina is top notch and I am confident we'll get them worked out as we have on previous boats

Going backwards...

• You can't adjust the bass, mid & treble like you could before.  Your only options are pre-sets: rock, flat, etc....  Why...
• PTM Racks: they only swing in 120 deg vs the 180 deg.  All three of my previous models swung all the way.  Maybe I am doing something wrong

Hope this helps!  Mike

Edited August 6, 2023 by Five Cent Worth

[Kfry]

Great post thank you for keeping it honest.  

Which motor do you have an what are your impressions?

Also any issues with burying the nose at all?  Have a 23LSV and its our biggest complaint.

Thank you!

 

[samahickman]

Agreed! Thanks for taking the time to post and share your experience.

[NorCalSurfer]

With regards to the clamping rack, there is a Allen head screw on the bottom that stops the rack at 120 degrees. I believe this is to prevent boards on the rack hitting the speakers if you have 4 speakers, the lower speaker mount. You can remove that stop screw and they will go 180 degrees. I needed to do this to get the boat in the garage. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

Beautiful boat and good review!

There isn’t an equalizer option in the stereo screen? I know ours is a 2022, but we have the latest software and we have it. 

[Farmdog]

Nice review. 
Kfry, we have a 2022 25 LSV, the only time I have had water come over the front was when I had the tanks full and we were surfing and had a couple good sized cruiser boats kind enough to take off right in front of us and create rollers. But as far as when you turn around to pick up your rider, no water comes over the front. 

[CaptainMorgan]

23 hours ago, Five Cent Worth said:

The wife and I are in our early 40's, the kids are at the right age - some times you can't get time back.

amen to this!

23 hours ago, Five Cent Worth said:

• Rear Facing Seats: although not the design qlty of the X series by MC, they are much more functional than I expected.  Better than the XT series we looked extensively at

out of curiosity - what was the deciding factor between 25 LSV and say an MC XT24?  Malibu and MC are the only dealerships within 2 hrs of me, so if i can ever swing an upgrade it'd probably be between those 2.  I have friends with X24 and XT22 and both are great (especially interior/seats comfort), but i've never actually ridden in a Malibu so don't have good point of comparison.

[Five Cent Worth]

23 hours ago, Kfry said:

Great post thank you for keeping it honest.  

Which motor do you have an what are your impressions?

Also any issues with burying the nose at all?  Have a 23LSV and its our biggest complaint.

Thank you!

 

We have the M6.  Louder than I expected.  But sips fuel compared to the MC's we run with.

So on the dipping the nose - there is a far less propensity to do such.  At 25 hrs. haven't even come close to dipping it.  And yea, all the peeps on here will tell you that you have to know how to drive to keep the 23 LSV from dipping the nose.  They are right.  I could drive our 23 LSV almost blindly without dipping.  However, my wife, who only drives when I surf (<10% of time) isn't trying to be an 'expert boat driver.'  She just wants to get back to her Tito's.  She would accidently dip the nose all the time.  You add two adults to the front and it felt like it happened way too often.  So, long winded way of saying this was one of the main reason we upgraded.  The freeboard feels so much safer on our big lake.  

[Five Cent Worth]

22 hours ago, NorCalSurfer said:

With regards to the clamping rack, there is a Allen head screw on the bottom that stops the rack at 120 degrees. I believe this is to prevent boards on the rack hitting the speakers if you have 4 speakers, the lower speaker mount. You can remove that stop screw and they will go 180 degrees. I needed to do this to get the boat in the garage. 

Thanks for this!  Hadn't looked.  Mine need to get all the way in for storage as well (dry rack).  

[Slayer]

On 8/6/2023 at 8:22 AM, Five Cent Worth said:

Hey Fellas - I know I get the most from threads like this.  So in turn, I wanted to pay back with my thoughts on a similar thread.

While we have a thread with +35 pages debating used boat prices (!), the family decided we got a deal put in front of us that was hard to pass up.  Yea, rates are high.  And new boat prices are on a different trajectory then they have been pre-COVID era.  However, our family enjoys the water as do many of our friends.  It's not uncommon for us to have 2 - 4 boats surfing, tied up, etc.  The wife and I are in our early 40's, the kids are at the right age - some times you can't get time back.

Context: we upgraded for space, size, features and rough ride quality.  We started with a '17 21 VLX, have had two 23 LSV's and now onto a 25 LSV.

Note - my windows get tinted next week.  I feel like I am boating naked without tint.

What we are really enjoying:

• Thruster is awesome.  Game changer.  Never feel compromised in a bad spot.  Get to really peacock backing in everywhere....  
• Two sets of Rev10's - wow, big step up from two sets of Icon 8's
• Cool feel interior: huge improvement.  Feels better, more premium to the touch and certainly more effective in keeping things cool
• Storage: incredible amount.  Note my son standing in the port side locker
• Surf wave.  I noted above that our 23 LSV did fine for our bag of tricks.  However, the wave improvement is substantial.  Wedge at 2 and cruise set at 11.9 and I feel like we aren't even really dialed in
• Size - feels like a 25' boat, rides like a 25' boat, and surfs like one.  My 23 LSV felt like a mini boat compared to other 23' makes on the market
• The locker behind the driver seat fits your Yeti backpack cooler perfectly.  Such a space saver
• Rear Facing Seats: although not the design qlty of the X series by MC, they are much more functional than I expected.  Better than the XT series we looked extensively at

Things that are still a bit of miss:

• Lighting: it feels like a miss that there isn't an option between a $4k RGB offering and the white lights that feel very underwhelming
• Gel work: it has been noted all over here that boats aren't coming out perfect.  This one is the same.  The black has some orange peel and some serious defects.  LKN Marina is top notch and I am confident we'll get them worked out as we have on previous boats

Going backwards...

• You can't adjust the bass, mid & treble like you could before.  Your only options are pre-sets: rock, flat, etc....  Why...
• PTM Racks: they only swing in 120 deg vs the 180 deg.  All three of my previous models swung all the way.  Maybe I am doing something wrong

Hope this helps!  Mike

Beautiful boat!  Happy to hear you stepped up to the 25.  We love ours and have been considering ordering another.  

 

I'm disappointed to hear about the lack of mixing availability on the EQ.  That's a drag.  I echo all your comments on the 25 coming from a 23.  Everything is better.  We actually store boards in the port locker where your son is standing.  It's nice to be able to do so when we're not using the boat and boards aren't in racks or in the bimini.

Did you end up with the M6 or LT4?    

[styczinskia]

On 8/6/2023 at 7:22 AM, Five Cent Worth said:

Hey Fellas - I know I get the most from threads like this.  So in turn, I wanted to pay back with my thoughts on a similar thread.

While we have a thread with +35 pages debating used boat prices (!), the family decided we got a deal put in front of us that was hard to pass up.  Yea, rates are high.  And new boat prices are on a different trajectory then they have been pre-COVID era.  However, our family enjoys the water as do many of our friends.  It's not uncommon for us to have 2 - 4 boats surfing, tied up, etc.  The wife and I are in our early 40's, the kids are at the right age - some times you can't get time back.

Context: we upgraded for space, size, features and rough ride quality.  We started with a '17 21 VLX, have had two 23 LSV's and now onto a 25 LSV.

Note - my windows get tinted next week.  I feel like I am boating naked without tint.

What we are really enjoying:

• Thruster is awesome.  Game changer.  Never feel compromised in a bad spot.  Get to really peacock backing in everywhere....  
• Two sets of Rev10's - wow, big step up from two sets of Icon 8's
• Cool feel interior: huge improvement.  Feels better, more premium to the touch and certainly more effective in keeping things cool
• Storage: incredible amount.  Note my son standing in the port side locker
• Surf wave.  I noted above that our 23 LSV did fine for our bag of tricks.  However, the wave improvement is substantial.  Wedge at 2 and cruise set at 11.9 and I feel like we aren't even really dialed in
• Size - feels like a 25' boat, rides like a 25' boat, and surfs like one.  My 23 LSV felt like a mini boat compared to other 23' makes on the market
• The locker behind the driver seat fits your Yeti backpack cooler perfectly.  Such a space saver
• Rear Facing Seats: although not the design qlty of the X series by MC, they are much more functional than I expected.  Better than the XT series we looked extensively at

Things that are still a bit of miss:

• Lighting: it feels like a miss that there isn't an option between a $4k RGB offering and the white lights that feel very underwhelming
• Gel work: it has been noted all over here that boats aren't coming out perfect.  This one is the same.  The black has some orange peel and some serious defects.  LKN Marina is top notch and I am confident we'll get them worked out as we have on previous boats

Going backwards...

• You can't adjust the bass, mid & treble like you could before.  Your only options are pre-sets: rock, flat, etc....  Why...
• PTM Racks: they only swing in 120 deg vs the 180 deg.  All three of my previous models swung all the way.  Maybe I am doing something wrong

 

100% agree with you on the lighting and stereo comments.

Lighting -

Wife rolls her eyes that the second the boat is home I replace all the white lights with something colored and add lights in to illuminate the floor. Also makes it look nicer IMO.

Stereo

The 2023 audio went backwards from 2022 in both loudness and sound quality. I heard there is a software update that will fix some of the DSP files, but dealership has said its not back to the level the 2022's were at.

Also think it is odd to go away from Bass, mid and treble adjustments as it was the only way to balance out the system.

[Five Cent Worth]

4 hours ago, CaptainMorgan said:

out of curiosity - what was the deciding factor between 25 LSV and say an MC XT24?  Malibu and MC are the only dealerships within 2 hrs of me, so if i can ever swing an upgrade it'd probably be between those 2.  I have friends with X24 and XT22 and both are great (especially interior/seats comfort), but i've never actually ridden in a Malibu so don't have good point of comparison.

More so the 25 LSV and the new 2024 XT 25.  

Two main factors:

• Overall deal - going back to the same dealer for the fourth new boat, you tend to get favorable pricing.  Also, them taking a Malibu trade to a Malibu dealership was more conducive.  MC was very aggressive on pricing
• Dealer - I think our local MC dealer has changed hands +3 times in 5 - 6 yrs.  At one point we had TWO MC dealers in Charlotte (who does this).  There are countless posts on here on how important the dealer is

We probably liked the MC slightly more.  Once we touched and felt the Malibu cool feel, we became much more comfortable with the 25 LSV.

[CaptainMorgan]

34 minutes ago, Five Cent Worth said:

More so the 25 LSV and the new 2024 XT 25.  

Two main factors:

• Overall deal - going back to the same dealer for the fourth new boat, you tend to get favorable pricing.  Also, them taking a Malibu trade to a Malibu dealership was more conducive.  MC was very aggressive on pricing
• Dealer - I think our local MC dealer has changed hands +3 times in 5 - 6 yrs.  At one point we had TWO MC dealers in Charlotte (who does this).  There are countless posts on here on how important the dealer is

We probably liked the MC slightly more.  Once we touched and felt the Malibu cool feel, we became much more comfortable with the 25 LSV.

good point on the trade in value staying within Malibu - and 4 boats from a dealer will probably pay dividends when you need their attention.  Glad its working out for you

[Swatski]

9 hours ago, Five Cent Worth said:

We have the M6.  Louder than I expected.  But sips fuel compared to the MC's we run with.

So on the dipping the nose - there is a far less propensity to do such.  At 25 hrs. haven't even come close to dipping it.  And yea, all the peeps on here will tell you that you have to know how to drive to keep the 23 LSV from dipping the nose.  They are right.  I could drive our 23 LSV almost blindly without dipping.  However, my wife, who only drives when I surf (<10% of time) isn't trying to be an 'expert boat driver.'  She just wants to get back to her Tito's.  She would accidently dip the nose all the time.  You add two adults to the front and it felt like it happened way too often.  So, long winded way of saying this was one of the main reason we upgraded.  The freeboard feels so much safer on our big lake.  

Beautiful boat, and thank you for sharing your observations - great stuff!

We have had a new 2022 23lsv I was initially not too impressed with, actually started looking to upgrade. It has an M5 and seemed very high revving to the point of being annoying. Until I swapped the props, that is! It came with a 15' (3537?) "torque" prop from factory which was way underpropped to my liking. I switched it to acme 17x17 (2805) and the boat is a different animal. Absolutely better setup and all-around improvements, to me.  I'm still able to surf with full ballast plus PNPs and wedge any position. We surf at 10.8 at barely over 3k RPM now. It's great! and super quiet. Fully ballasted the hole shot is slower but the cruise and top speed is awesome. Really feels like a different boat. 

I'd be curious what prop are you using in the 25, the M6 can not be that much louder than the M5 I would think, so it must be high revs?

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by Swatski

[Five Cent Worth]

Here is the EQ....  

[Five Cent Worth]

On 8/7/2023 at 5:59 PM, Swatski said:

Beautiful boat, and thank you for sharing your observations - great stuff!

We have had a new 2022 23lsv I was initially not too impressed with, actually started looking to upgrade. It has an M5 and seemed very high revving to the point of being annoying. Until I swapped the props, that is! It came with a 15' (3537?) "torque" prop from factory which was way underpropped to my liking. I switched it to acme 17x17 (2805) and the boat is a different animal. Absolutely better setup and all-around improvements, to me.  I'm still able to surf with full ballast plus PNPs and wedge any position. We surf at 10.8 at barely over 3k RPM now. It's great! and super quiet. Fully ballasted the hole shot is slower but the cruise and top speed is awesome. Really feels like a different boat. 

I'd be curious what prop are you using in the 25, the M6 can not be that much louder than the M5 I would think, so it must be high revs?

 

Standard - 17 x 155 - 3077.

On the previous three Bu's, I have never had to play the prop game.  I can't recall what RPM's we surfed at on the 23.  My comments are a bit anecdotal on noise.  But seems louder.  I'll look to get the dealers thoughts on this.  

Edited August 11, 2023 by Five Cent Worth

[Kfry]

[Kfry]

We pulled the trigger this week on a 2024 25LSV w/ LT4 after a dealer demo which we had strongly been leaning towards a NO.

The boat is seriously one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had!

All three waves (L/R/Wakeboard) were incredible with huge aspect and push.  I thought I would  be intimidated by the wakeboard wave but it was very user friendly and sealed the deal.

Stock ballast with PNP bags seems more than adequate.

Malibu fit and finish seems to be back to top notch as we couldn't find a thing wrong anywhere.

LT4 is amazing and runs so slow and quiet.

Steering is hands free both sides, no hydraulics.  We have Stern Turn on order but she just spins and tracks easily.

New Roswell Triton racks are fantastic.

The freeboard is huge and you can see it on the trailer as it makes my crew cab long bed dually look small now but interior dimensions are engineered perfect for seating and viewing.

Only complaint is minor and that's the previously mentioned EQ only setting on the stereo head but it sounds good nonetheless.

Coming from a 2021 23LSV we were very smitten with and I wish I would've done this sooner...

Truth is still on the water!

 

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by Kfry

[Slayer]

On 8/11/2023 at 3:41 PM, Five Cent Worth said:

Standard - 17 x 155 - 3077.

On the previous three Bu's, I have never had to play the prop game.  I can't recall what RPM's we surfed at on the 23.  My comments are a bit anecdotal on noise.  But seems louder.  I'll look to get the dealers thoughts on this.  

You should check out the "speed prop".  I have a 3077 as back up and use the 2805.  We went with this prop for lower surfing RPM and lower RPM at cruising speeds and haven't been disappointed at all.  Our dealer claims the surf wave is impacted by this prop.  This is in part validated on Acme's website.  However, we've not noted any appreciable difference between the 2 other than RPM.  It's been a winner for us. 

[Five Cent Worth]

On 8/11/2023 at 3:18 PM, Five Cent Worth said:

Here is the EQ....  

My boat went in for some warranty stuff and gel work.  They updated all the software as well.  This has not changed.  Has anyone figured out how the '22 has the proper EQ as well as the '24's but the '23 do not?

[23LSVOwner]

On 12/20/2023 at 10:09 AM, Five Cent Worth said:

My boat went in for some warranty stuff and gel work.  They updated all the software as well.  This has not changed.  Has anyone figured out how the '22 has the proper EQ as well as the '24's but the '23 do not?

Might be worth a shot:

 

 

[NCSurfing]

23 hours ago, 23LSVOwner said:

Might be worth a shot:

 

 

Mine is at the dealership being prepped for pickup in mid-Jan. I just sent this instruction to my service tech thus, I will keep you posted on the result.  I seriously can’t reconcile how there wouldn’t be EQ controls….