I'm selling my I/O and am looking for a good inboard. Preferably a Malibu. My question is, can I get a good enough wake from a Response LX(with a wedge and a couple of sacks)for it to be worth the money. <BR> <BR>Also, are the '96-'01 Sportsters smaller (beam, draft, etc...) than the Responses. I saw a Sp this week and it didn't look as small as what I expected. <BR> <BR>TIA for the help.

Daniel one of the best wakes I have ever rode was a response lx. It had a water bed in the back and a fat sac in the front. Not a lot of room 3 or 4 friends and that is it. But had a BIG wake and it was narrow. Good luck!

Cool, thx

Sportsters are smaller (taken from the Malibu site): <BR> <BR>Sportster <BR>Beam 86" <BR>Draft 16" <BR>Fuel Capacity 38 gallons <BR>Hull SV23 <BR>Overall Length 20' <BR>Seating Capacity 6 persons <BR>Weight 2250 lbs. <BR> <BR>Response <BR>Beam 90" <BR>Draft 16" <BR>Fuel Capacity 35 gallons <BR>Hull SV23 Diamond <BR>Overall Length 20' <BR>Seating Capacity 6 persons <BR>Weight 2450 lbs. <BR> <BR>You'll note that the 2 are built with different hulls. The Sportster is their entry level boat - a good boat, but you'll find it pretty small &amp; there's next to no storage compared with a Response (especially if you go with an open bow). It also will ride rougher than the Response - the Diamond hull is known for performing pretty good in rough water conditions. Hope that helps.

I didn't have a response, but I had a Sunsetter with the diamond hull and the wake was really firm. It wasn't as big as my Wakesetter VLX's wake, but it definitely did the trick!

I just rode behind an 03 response with 5 people in it and the wedge. I tried to ride at my normal length of 70ft and 23mph and was disappointed, but then I went old school and rode at 21mph at 65 feet....pretty damn good for a little boat. Another Idea is to find out what year malibu changed the hull design to incorporate the diamond hull. Diamond hull designs make an incredible slalom wake but also makes it hard to get a really good wakeboarding shape. If you can find a response previous to that year, you should be even better. Jeff Heer used to train behind one of those when he was competing on the pro tour full time. Anyone know what year Malibu changed the hull design in the response?