Question about malibu wedge

(fergie23) · (fergie23) **Join Date: Sep 2004** 11-03-2005, 9:27 AM

Contemplating buying a vride with wedge and center ballast--most people I have talked to reallylike the wedge and the shape of the wake they get from it. Any thoughts on wake using the wedge and also about possible problems caused by the wedge (i.e. the pictures everyone has probably seen with the wedge ripped out of the hull). Looking for any experiences with Malibu and the wedge...thx!!!

swass 11-03-2005, 9:33 AM

There is no objective answer to your question. Some people love it; some people hate it. Since you're the one buying the boat, I recommend testing it out to see if YOU like it. If you can't do that, I recommend getting the boat with the Wedge plate only; that way, you can add the Wedge later if you choose to do so.

As for the second question - I'm not even gonna go there.

(acurtis_ttu) · (acurtis_ttu) **Join Date: May 2004** 11-03-2005, 9:34 AM

I used to ride behind an 04 LSV, I liked the wedge, it did make the handling a little sluggish, but nothing major. As far as ripping it off, if you hit a submerged object hard enough to tear it off, wedge or no wedge your boat is f*cked.

(madchild1) · (madchild1) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 11-03-2005, 9:35 AM

wedge, rear ballast, mid ballast and after delivery replace the hard tanks with pro-x vdrive sacks and plumb in some auto bow ballast under the seats.

you'll have a kickin wake!

(ronnie) · (ronnie) **Join Date: Sep 2001** 11-03-2005, 10:08 AM

www.themalibucrew.com

(wakeworld) · (wakeworld) **Join Date: Jan 1997** 11-03-2005, 11:03 AM

I think the Wedge is fantastic and I use it when I ride with just the stock ballast. I also think it would be great to have for resale value.

That being said, we just did a TV shoot last week and we had so much weight in the boat that the Wedge wasn't even necessary and all the pro riders were stoked on the wake without it.

I was especially proud when Mike Schwenne made the chest high gesture and pointed at the wake while he was riding. When he finished his ride, he said, "That wake is absolutely huge!" :-)

ssgoody2000 11-03-2005, 11:03 AM

Adam has it right, But then again any boat weighted down with 1500 lbs. plus is going to be somewhat sluggish. If someone tore the wedge off the boat, I promise you that wasn't the only thing he tore off the boat, since the prop and rudder both draft further down in the water than the wedge does. That makes it driver error!!

(mbrown) · (mbrown) **Join Date: May 2005** 11-03-2005, 3:03 PM

Can TJK please inject some BS here so we can have this thread turn into a MC bashing Bu thread...? We all know it's coming.

Tracy the wedge is safe and effective; however, base it only on your opinion- Do You like the wake with the Wedge? If so, get it.
I love it and so do thousands of Malibu owners. Even a few MC owners fabricated their own wedge brackets and put them on their 205s. (that's why you need a hull number to buy a new Wedge)It can't be all bad like some will have you believe.

(fergie23) · (fergie23) **Join Date: Sep 2004** 11-03-2005, 3:11 PM

I loved the wake when I demo'ed with the wedge---think I will be getting it for sure.

(big_ed_x2) · (big_ed_x2) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 11-03-2005, 3:15 PM

Personally I only like the wedge on the LSV.

Machew,can you post a pic of a MC 205V with the wedge???I doubt it!!Maybe on a pro star 190,205V don't need or want a wedge.

I also heard of the wedge just ripping of but ofcorse not on regular basis. In a year and a half I heard of 2 incidents.

If you like the wedge....get it b\c no matter what happens,you'll be covered.

(Message edited by big_ed_x2 on November 03, 2005)

(jetskiprosx) · (jetskiprosx) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 11-03-2005, 5:00 PM

The wedge is great! We used ours all the time with no problems...until the end of the summer. The bolts sheared off on our wedge and it bent up under the platform (I am sure everyone has already seen pictures of what it looks like) We are one of the few who have had this happen and its unfortune, but we will be getting a new wedge no doubt about it. The wedge made a great deal of difference in our wake and we loved it. Our boat is 6 years old so it was out of warrenty. We even sent our wedge to Malibu Merced and they inspected it determining that our foil had a slight bend in it which caused the bolts to shear off. The wedge did exactly what it is designed to do in a failure. It is made to break at the foil so it doesn't rip it right out of the transom. Although it has happened before...only once IIRC.

As mentioned earlier in the post, if you have questions about Malibu's some of the most helpful people can be found on www.themalibucrew.com

(Message edited by jetskiprosx on November 03, 2005)

(dls) · (dls) **Join Date: Nov 2004** 11-03-2005, 5:20 PM

I've got the Wedge on my 04 vlx.with 2 fat buddie sacks in the back and 300+lbs of lead in the bow on top of the factory ballast we rarely use it unless someone wants an insane wake or we're surfing, it's great for that.
I'd say at the very least get the wedge plate.