2005 vs 2011 23 LSV

[CaribbeanCruiser]

I am looking at 2 boats, a 2005 Malibu 23 LSV and a 2011 Malibu 23 LSV.  What are the main differences in these?  I know about the power wedge, but that's all I know.  Any help?

[wdr]

If I am not mistaken the 2005 were prone to damper plate failure. Do a search on here to confirm, I am sure others will chime in. The first obvious noticeable difference will be the towers. Performance wise the ‘12 will be the clear winner in all respects with the wedge and surf gates. It will be surfable right out of the box. The ‘05 if not already equipped will need extra ballast and an external stick on gate to improve the surf performance. I believe that the 2012 had a hull upgrade as well. Others can confirm. 2012 will also have more computer screens to deal with that have their own unique problems. My 2019 has had both replaced already at 300 and 500 hours respectively, under warranty thank god. The damper plate issue alone would make me shy away from the ‘05. Good luck.

[NWBU]

The 23 LSV hull was updated in 2008 and remained the same through 2013. 2013 was the first year of surfgates, and then they refined the hull and added more freeboard for 2014 as surfing was starting to become a bigger deal.

I don't think the hull change was too significant, and you're going to be either listing or using suction gates for either one. Power wedge is a nice upgrade since you can adjust the wave with it (more or less downforce on the transom). 

My 2008 surfed well and was a very dependable boat for the few years we had it, so I'm partial to that hull era. 6 more years of wear and tear might make the decision for me.

[redrooster]

I just bought a 2005 23 lsv wakesetter.  Check to see if the damper plate has been updated, it should have been.   If it has buy it and enjoy.  I have almost 1300 hours on mine. 

 

The 23 lsv is about 400 lbs heavier than the 21 and has a 55 gallon fuel tank, which makes it even heavier.  It throws a big enough wake to surf behind without adding ballast as it is.  I do have a flip surf gate, so that helps.  If you want an even bigger wake you can add bags. 

My friend has a 07 vlx 21 wakesetter with the auto wedge, and it's nice...but it's super easy to engage the manual wedge.  Simple is always better in my book.