2011 21 VLX potential purchase...opinions please

[69charged]

16 minutes ago, justgary said:

Please show a better view of the manifolds, mostly from the sides.

I'm looking for rust showing between the manifold and riser.  That is an indication that the water jacket may be rusted too much to live much longer.

I'm also looking for the OEM socket head cap screws instead of hex head that might indicate replacement in the past.

I’ll be able to do that for you tomorrow. The boat is 6 hours away, and we are attempting to leave at 6 in the morning. 
You’re referring to the actual bolts holding the manifold to the block?

 

I really want to pull this thing home tomorrow provided I get t for the price I like. But I’m also starting to think even if I do buy it, I should let them take it out of winter storage, and pick it up in a couple months when it’s ready to hit the water. I can’t imagine there’s much to do to get it water ready, but let them do it? 

Edited February 16 by 69charged
Added more conversation

[Cole2001]

Pick it up in the spring. Boats aren’t like cars, same day sales and deliveries are very uncommon. They can deal with summarizing it, detailing and making sure it’s ready to go. That way you’ll know it’s 100% good to go and you won’t be calling them in a few months asking why something isn’t working. 

[DRB10SEVEN]

6 hours ago, 69charged said:

Yeah. We actually looked at a 247 LSV a couple years ago. Was a gorgeous boat, and was not a bad price. I couldn't believe I was saying it, but I told the wife that it was just too big.  For the lakes we will go on, it was too much boat. We sat in it, and we were like " holy crap this is huge!!" after being in my 1988 17' Bayliner for a couple years.  

Haha yeah it feels like a stretch limo. I love it! We were looking at a bunch of 23 LSVs when we were shopping around, but I sort of had my heart set on a 247 just because I thought they were so cool. Our crew is usually 6-8 people minimum, and on the holiday weekends we have 12-14. I used that to justify going with a 247 lol.

Just to clarify, I wasn't trying to convince you to get a 247, I was just using my experience as an example. The point I was trying to make is that if the Malibu really gets you excited more than the Nautique does, I wouldn't ignore that feeling! Not to mention that black and white VLX will look like a million bucks sitting in the water. But again, that is coming from a fan boy of those generation Malibus!

[69charged]

23 minutes ago, DRB10SEVEN said:

Haha yeah it feels like a stretch limo. I love it! We were looking at a bunch of 23 LSVs when we were shopping around, but I sort of had my heart set on a 247 just because I thought they were so cool. Our crew is usually 6-8 people minimum, and on the holiday weekends we have 12-14. I used that to justify going with a 247 lol.

Just to clarify, I wasn't trying to convince you to get a 247, I was just using my experience as an example. The point I was trying to make is that if the Malibu really gets you excited more than the Nautique does, I wouldn't ignore that feeling! Not to mention that black and white VLX will look like a million bucks sitting in the water. But again, that is coming from a fan boy of those generation Malibus!

Yeah. I understand that. I know you weren’t trying to convince me. All good. 
I also like the look of them when the windows are tinted. I think they look meaner. Not sure how practical it would be though. 
Eventually, if we buy it, I would like to redo the interior. I really like the dark graphite carbon fibre look fabric of todays boats. But my wife really likes the tan colours. Especially the sea dek materials. I like that colour as well, as my jeep has the saddle brown leather, but I wonder if it will be too much? 
I guess I have to get the boat first!! 😂

[DRB10SEVEN]

33 minutes ago, 69charged said:

Yeah. I understand that. I know you weren’t trying to convince me. All good. 
I also like the look of them when the windows are tinted. I think they look meaner. Not sure how practical it would be though. 
Eventually, if we buy it, I would like to redo the interior. I really like the dark graphite carbon fibre look fabric of todays boats. But my wife really likes the tan colours. Especially the sea dek materials. I like that colour as well, as my jeep has the saddle brown leather, but I wonder if it will be too much? 
I guess I have to get the boat first!! 😂

Tinted windows are great, I've been wating to do mine in 35% since I got my boat. That's funny you say that, my wife says the same thing about interior colors! Tan/brown interior can look super classy if done right.

[justgary]

16 hours ago, 69charged said:

You’re referring to the actual bolts holding the manifold to the block?

The four bolts that hold the risers (the humps) to the manifolds.  Look for rust at that connection.

[69charged]

Ok. So we bought the boat. Didn’t quite get the price I wanted, they took 2000 off the asking. And then threw in 2 surf boards. The boards in Canada are worth about 6 and 800 I think he said. We left it there for them to get ready in the spring. They will make sure everything works as it should, wet test it and all that stuff. 
the interior was a touch rougher than the pictures could tell, but he made a suggestion to just get all the lower seat cushions redone for a few years till we feel the need to redo the complete interior. All the seat backs and everything in the front is actually in really good shape. So I think we will go that route when we get it in the spring. I looked as best I could at the manifold connection and did not see any rust. He said he looked at the service records and it showed that one of the 2 actuators had been recently replaced. As for the screen, he turned on the batteries and we played around with it a bit and everything worked, and he said if it goes in the first summer, he’ll get me one, as his buddy owns the Malibu dealer. After that, I guess I’ll be on my own to repair it or replace it. I was satisfied with that answer. 
There are a few scuffs here and there on the exterior, which they said they will polish the whole outside. They have their own gel coat and fibreglass repair shop. Guys were in there today working on a beautiful nautique. I’ll post pictures when I’m not driving 6 hours back home now!!! 
Thanks you to all that have helped. In the few days since I first posted, I’ve already learned a ton from everyone. 
I truly appreciate it. 
Clarence. 

[Bozboat]

59 minutes ago, 69charged said:

Ok. So we bought the boat. Didn’t quite get the price I wanted, they took 2000 off the asking. And then threw in 2 surf boards. The boards in Canada are worth about 6 and 800 I think he said. We left it there for them to get ready in the spring. They will make sure everything works as it should, wet test it and all that stuff. 
the interior was a touch rougher than the pictures could tell, but he made a suggestion to just get all the lower seat cushions redone for a few years till we feel the need to redo the complete interior. All the seat backs and everything in the front is actually in really good shape. So I think we will go that route when we get it in the spring. I looked as best I could at the manifold connection and did not see any rust. He said he looked at the service records and it showed that one of the 2 actuators had been recently replaced. As for the screen, he turned on the batteries and we played around with it a bit and everything worked, and he said if it goes in the first summer, he’ll get me one, as his buddy owns the Malibu dealer. After that, I guess I’ll be on my own to repair it or replace it. I was satisfied with that answer. 
There are a few scuffs here and there on the exterior, which they said they will polish the whole outside. They have their own gel coat and fibreglass repair shop. Guys were in there today working on a beautiful nautique. I’ll post pictures when I’m not driving 6 hours back home now!!! 
Thanks you to all that have helped. In the few days since I first posted, I’ve already learned a ton from everyone. 
I truly appreciate it. 
Clarence. 

Congratulations, it’s going to be great. Ask if you have questions or need help. 

[69charged]

Home now. Is there an easier way to insert images? Did I read somewhere about becoming a supporting member and you can insert? 

[ahopkins22LSV]

6 hours ago, 69charged said:

Home now. Is there an easier way to insert images? Did I read somewhere about becoming a supporting member and you can insert? 

Congratulations on the purchase! And yes, if you are a supporter you can upload directly from your phone or PC. You also gain access to the supporter discount page for multiple sites. 

[69charged]

I saw the rubber surround on the tower speakers was cracked. So those will need replacing. He fired up the stereo for us, and they worked, but….

I will order or build the extra cooling for the manifolds. It also had no extra sacs in the lockers or the front. Not sure yet what to do there. I’ll get it out on the water first and start building from there. 

Edited February 18 by 69charged

[69charged]

On 2/16/2024 at 2:35 PM, pawter1970 said:

Here is the surf set up for that boat that works well:

- 2 x 750 in rear trunks, purchase the piggy back systems/kits on wakemakers.com for that boat, they come with all the hoses which will connect to the hard tanks (hence why it's called piggy back), the added bags will fill first and drain in the hard tanks. Draining will take longer due to gravity.

- put 100lbs of lead bags under the corner seat on each side and put 100-150lbs lead somewhere in the front bow. 

-Set your MLS pre-sets to all ballast full (100%) and power wedge all the way down. 

- Speed at 10.4 or 10.6, you will notice that you will need to play with the speed on the goofy side due to the prop rotation, the goofy side will have a much steeper wave so you will need to go slightly faster to smooth it o

-Yes buyu  wake shaper device, easy to put on and versatile. 

This would be a good setup that I may copy, but I should get it out there and play around with stuff first. I like to have a firm grasp on things and how they work together before I usually start modifying stuff. Especially if we want to surf. 
Thanks Pawter. 

[69charged]

This one better shows the seat cushions. Like I said earlier, the seat bottoms were actually in worse shape than the ad pictures could show. Hence why he recommended to get all the bottoms done. Which I like that idea. 

Edited February 18 by 69charged
Better picture

[pawter1970]

Congratulation on getting the boat!!

The tower speakers are 6x9's inserts and they eventually crack due to the weather, easy to replace. You'll notice a thin black seal gasket when you take the speaker can cover off, it will mostlikely be really dry and broken. You can use some sealant product from the hardware store. 

Get the 750's for the rear trunks as you will need those for sure, and you'll want those properly plumb in the system, it's important to have those bags with the venting hoses, and get 6 or 8 x 50lbs lead bags which will allow you to play around with dialing the wake. 

Have fun and let us know if you have any other questions. 

[DRB10SEVEN]

22 hours ago, 69charged said:

This one better shows the seat cushions. Like I said earlier, the seat bottoms were actually in worse shape than the ad pictures could show. Hence why he recommended to get all the bottoms done. Which I like that idea. 

We did this to our 247. We paid to reupholster all 3 of the back seat bottom cushions that everyone steps on, as well as the front center filler cushion since it looked like someone had removed it and left it sit in a garage or something because it was badly mildew stained. I think it was around $1000 for that work. I had a local guy I trust do them, I am sure I could have saved some money if I had shopped around a little. My wife and I are super happy with the way they turned out. When you fix the bad/torn areas, it makes the whole interior feel and look nicer!

My encouragement would be to focus on the major eyesores and trouble areas, and don't get discouraged or overwhelmed with a bunch of little issues or small dings/scratches. If I were to nitpick every little issue with my boat, I would be frustrated and miserable, but when we are out using it, it looks and runs great!

Congrats on your new boat! I can't wait to see pictures of it out on the water!

[69charged]

28 minutes ago, DRB10SEVEN said:

We did this to our 247. We paid to reupholster all 3 of the back seat bottom cushions that everyone steps on, as well as the front center filler cushion since it looked like someone had removed it and left it sit in a garage or something because it was badly mildew stained. I think it was around $1000 for that work. I had a local guy I trust do them, I am sure I could have saved some money if I had shopped around a little. My wife and I are super happy with the way they turned out. When you fix the bad/torn areas, it makes the whole interior feel and look nicer!

My encouragement would be to focus on the major eyesores and trouble areas, and don't get discouraged or overwhelmed with a bunch of little issues or small dings/scratches. If I were to nitpick every little issue with my boat, I would be frustrated and miserable, but when we are out using it, it looks and runs great!

Congrats on your new boat! I can't wait to see pictures of it out on the water!

How did it work out for matching fabrics and colours? Our only concern is all the bottoms not matching, slightly being off shade or whatever. Although I will say it’s a small concern. I’d rather them slightly not match versus leaving them the way they are. 

[DRB10SEVEN]

23 minutes ago, 69charged said:

How did it work out for matching fabrics and colours? Our only concern is all the bottoms not matching, slightly being off shade or whatever. Although I will say it’s a small concern. I’d rather them slightly not match versus leaving them the way they are. 

He matched the color very well. He stopped by with his book of color samples and we went though them and picked out the colors together. We matched the shade of cleanest seats in the best shape. Obviously when you put brand new seats in next to the older ones, they do look fresh comparatively. After detailing the boat and using it for a weekend or two, they settled in and match very good.

The part that was harder to match was less the color, and more the texture. We had a carbon style pattern on part of the seats that was impossible to perfectly match, but we picked a texture very similar that was the correct color. In the boat you can hardly tell, and once we were out on the water I never though about them again. Nobody else would notice unless they were looking for it. Looks to me like you don't have any texture on those seats, so you should have no issues!

[69charged]

Yeah. Sounds good. I’ll be going to see 2 different places tomorrow. Just to try get a sense of their work. I don’t have the seats with me as we left the boat at the dealer. But my son and I are going out west riding sleds next weekend, so I am going to get the shop to remove those 6 seat bottoms and I’ll pick them up on my way back home. Then I can get them done, and they will be ready when the boat is. I’ll admit, I’m pretty picky on getting work done by others so I really want the stitching to match, and all lines to be crisp and straight. So, gotta check out the work! 

[Cole2001]

Before you take the seats somewhere ask the dealer who they or even SWS use. They might know who specializes in older Malibu upholstery, the hardest part is sourcing the material. 

Edited February 19 by Cole2001

[69charged]

45 minutes ago, Cole2001 said:

Before you take the seats somewhere ask the dealer who they or even SWS use. They might know who specializes in older Malibu upholstery, the hardest part is sourcing the material. 

Good idea. Never thought of that. I’ll do that tomorrow. Holiday here today. 
Thanks for the idea!! 😁

[windy1]

three seats done last winter three more done this winter. The shop said they cant promise a perfect match but it's a perfect match. 

[MidwestVTX]

I had a 2010 version of this boat and it was great for everything.  The 750's in the trunks work great, and it helps to have some weight or people up front.  One other upgrade I really liked was a 1939 prop (from my stock 537).  It had more than enough power with the 750's and a 350 Monsoon, and barely lost 1 mph.  The 1235 would probably be good too, but I got the 1939 for skiing and cruising.  Very cool to see that they make better alternatives to the screen now too.  My 2010 had switches.  

[Stringbean]

On 2/18/2024 at 9:10 AM, 69charged said:

This one better shows the seat cushions. Like I said earlier, the seat bottoms were actually in worse shape than the ad pictures could show. Hence why he recommended to get all the bottoms done. Which I like that idea. 

Congrats on the purchase! 
B.O.A.T = break out another thousand 

Looks like your first boat dollar will be to those cushions, beautiful boat otherwise!

looks like someone spent money on the rest of your stereo with those M2 Rockford speakers. Not many company’s make marine 6x9’s to my knowledge. But if you want to hear the music while behind the boat the Rockford pre loaded cans with the horn are exceptional. Will be putting a set on my boat for sure but they do come at the cost of 2-3 boat dollars. The none horn options and 6.5” are cheaper for sure. If you want to have some consistency to your system and keep it all Rockford. 
 

keep us updated! 👍

[69charged]

So, got the seats redone and back. Don’t have the boat yet. We go get it on May 4th. Seats look good. Better than they were that’s for sure. He had to replace a bunch of foam so of course the price was a bit higher. 
I thought the corners could have been a bit straighter. Or curved better. Those will work themselves out with use I’m sure. 
Don’t get me wrong. Not complaining in anyway. We are redoing the whole interior later on so it will all be different anyway. 
Couple pics