Nautique or Malibu?
 

Just got off the Nautique 230 with the guys from Scioto Boardshop in Columbus. The wake was impeccable and those guys can really ride. Theres also a new Malibu MXZ in the area. Whats the opinions between the 2 wakes performances?

Did Clayton go out with you guys today?

I've ridden both and my impression was that the malibu wake was huge, but really wide and super mellow. The Nautique was a bit smaller but has that kick which I prefer. I can't really say for certain though cos I only rode the MXZ twice and didn't know how it was weighted or if they used the wedge. Our VLX has a fairly wide wake and a bit less of a kick than the nautique I ride off most often, but not as mellow or as wide as the MXZ

Ughhh.
Should be a ban-hammer bannable offense for this kind of thread.
:banghead::banghead::banghead:

I'll be the first one to say it... Have you checked out the MB's lately?

First of all i would like to say that I own a mastercraft, but am a fan of almost every wakeboat i have ever ridden so i am not biased towards brand.

i have ridden both the mxz and the 230

i have only ridden 230s with the 409 engine and have only ridden mxzs with a 350 engine

first i will compare the boats with stock ballast
the 230 has a much better wake with stock ballast in my opinion. the wake is steeper with more kick to it. the mxz stock wake is very wide and the wake is too small to clear without a ton of effort at 75 or more feet

the 230 slammed has an extremely large wake with ridiculous amounts of pop, the boat planes easily especiaaly since nautiques come with a performance prop.

i rode the mxz with full ballast wedge and 8 people and it struggled getting on plane... a holeshot prop would have been a huge help and i feel that the wake could have gotten damn good with a few sacs.
my experience with the mxz wasnt the best, but i have heard very good things about it from my friends freddy wayne and mike dowdy, they said the wake was pretty awesome slammed out!

both boats are great, i just feel that the nautique is a bit more ready out of the box, but the mxz is probably just as good once dialed in


i think its funny how there are so many MB haters on wakeworld... MB really does make a great boat... awesome wake, awesome engine, awesome features, awesome price. some of you guys really need to lay off

here it goes

JB. thanks for your comparison, appreciate your knowledge and honesty. I have not ridden either boat, but will not pass up a chance to.

As for the MB comment, I agree with everything you said about them except for the "haters" part.... oh, and you forgot to mention the ballast fills and empties in less than one minute :)

MB boats are great, but there are a handful of MB owners/employees on here that incessantly throw "MB is a better boat for the money...bla bla bla" out in every forum that has nothing to do with MB. When a MC or Nautique question gets asked, you can guarantee that some MB employee will throw out a "MB is cheaper and just as well made as either of those boats, and the wake out of the box is the best, and the ballast fills or empties in less than 60 seconds."

It has just gotten old, so now anytime a X vs Y boat thread comes up, someone will throw out MB as a joke so that it prevents a real "try MB" comment from popping up and ruining the thread.

Just my opinion.

Hoping to get out behind jimmy's..... nautique soon, then i can render an option on the wakes. you're welcome to take a set behind my xstar sometime for another point of reference (both boats are kept at the same spot).

life is really, really rough when you're comparing the flagships of all of the big 3's. I always laugh when i see bretts or aaron's VLX, jimmy's nautique and my star out.

Matt V....................He will make you feel old if you are a day over 30!!

nautique all day every day

"the wake is steeper with more kick to it."
Isn't this why you buy a wakeboard boat?

For the little river we have in Columbus.....we do have some slammed out wavemakers!!
Will's X-Star Eubanks X-Star Kish's X-Star
Warner's - MXZ
Brett's - VLX Leckleiders VLX
DDD & B.A's - Super Air 210
Baby J's Super Air 220 Danny C's 220 PLowsh 220
Mine Super Air 230
Gilberts VTX MSmith VTX

All of em slammed with addition ballast and ready to roll!!

^^^^Ballin!

^^^Just a shame you guys have such a short riding season! Its like 75 degrees up there and we're almost in June.

O-H

we rolled out the boats March 12th for the 1st time

Are you guys still wearing heater tops? Pretty good to get it out March 1st. Im just curious bc im going back to Ohio here in a few weeks and debating what to pack. Water here is low 80s and we're around 90 every day.

Sorry to go off topic.

My vote is for Nautique though after owning a Malibu

we pulled 20+ riders yesterday and even our "Florida Boy" clayton skinned it......water temp in low 70's in spots.....just pick the right spot. No heater top needed!

Only bc he's a badass though and hasnt been down here in FL long enough.

It's funny seeing that list Jim, we do have a lot of nice boats on our little strip of water.

Ya, we will probably get 9-10 months on the water this year, not a short season at all. Take a 5-6 hour drive to TN and we could probably extend that into early November if the weather cooperates. If you are a Florida guy then you will probably want a heater top since it still gets cool in the evenings right now.

On topic, I looked at Malibu, Nautique, Mastercraft and Axis. They are all fantastic boats so just go with what you like after really checking them all out. The Malibu VLX fit me the best, so that is what I went with and we couldn't be happier.

I've ridden behind both the 230 and the MXZ. We currently have an MXZ.

Both wakes are exceptional. In the Malibu line, the MXZ offers the steepest wake.

I don't why you would buy a MXZ with a 350 in it if you're intending on riding with a lot of extra weight. As big as the 230 is, I would imagine that the 350 would struggle in that boat as well. The 6 liter is the minimum requirement in any wake boat these days.

I think the 550hp engine is somewhere between 9 & 12K more than the smaller engine.......

There are two engines in between. The Vortec 6 liter motor puts out 400 horsepower, which is plenty, especially if you re-prop. The LS3 at 450 horsepower is the next one up (that's what we run). The 550 hp motor is the LS8. I'm not even sure that you can still get one.

MXZ wake below...

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/30967709" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

You know, honestly after clicking on the thread I expected much better from the Wakeworlders after this many replies.

This topic shouldn't have made it past 2 honest answers before it got torn up relentlessly, mercilessly and unforgivably until now.

Has anyone ever heard of MBs? You know, Ski Brendellas...

you saw that list of boats. we're in a pretty happy spot here in cbus.

Technically that boat is illegal to use on both O'shaughnessy and Griggs...max length allowed is 22'. I'm not sure if the cops enforce it or not...more likely to be enforced at Griggs as the patrol is out there far more often.

Closest dealer to Columbus is only 180 miles away. I've seen a total of one MB locally, and it was an older one with the flame job deal.

The 555HP motor is the LSA...same motor in the 2nd generation CTS-V and the new Camaro ZL1.

I've never ridden behind a Nautique, but am not a fan of the style and feel of the new ones I have walked around in. Not that I'm looking to blow my money on any new wakeboat...but from just sitting in and playing with stuff perspective, it would be a MXZ.