| ozonerider |
05-05-2005 2:55 PM |
I just got an X-Star but did plenty of shopping beforehand. I'm not bashing any other boats here, just giving some points that were important to me in my decision-making. Your thought processes may be different and you should definitely check out everything you're interested in both on and off the water. With that disclaimer, here's my 2 cents worth: <BR> <BR>Malibu VLX: What I really didn't like about it and the LSV was that the bow ballast tank is raised above the rest of the floor. It's like having a permanent bow filler cushion installed. I didn't like the idea of people having to crawl up into the bow area, and wanted a "walk up and sit down" arrangement. The second thing I didn't like was the placement of the speakers on the dash pointing up towards the sky. While the salesman said this was so the sound "reflects off the windshield for a more direct sound" it also meant that the visual reflection of the speakers off the windshield was to me very annoying. <BR> <BR>Tige 22V and 24V: Neither come stock with ballast system, and if you order one with ballast it definitely takes up a LOT of the available storage space, as well as looks pretty much "added on". The main deciding factor was that the dealer in our area is just getting into the wakeboard boat business (hasn't had the Tige line for even a year yet), didn't have a local maintenance facility or to my knowledge factory-trained technicians, and was pushing in favor of "cobbling up" aftermarket parts (tower, Perfect Pass, stereo system) onto the boat instead of ordering factory options. I guess his markup is better if he adds the stuff on himself, but I would definitely prefer having all my warranty coverages with the factory. Bottom line, no confidence in this dealer! <BR> <BR>Super Air: I didn't like the walk-through feature, would rather have a full-width sunpad. Also felt the towers looked a little dated, IMO. <BR> <BR>MB Sports: No comment, I didn't look at them but they are getting pretty popular out in this area. Nice looking boats, though. <BR> <BR>To be fair, things I don't like about the X-Star: The bow is pretty low, you have to be REAL careful not to dunk it. Fully ballasted, it doesn't turn all that well and you have to be careful coming around to pick up a fallen rider in these narrow sloughs in the Delta. Besides that, I love it, it's the "best boat on the water", blah, blah, blah... <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/lol.gif" border=0> <BR> <BR>Hope that helps.
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