does anyone own an XTI?

i am looking...have been for a month or so at buying a new or lightly used 23XTI however it seems as if everyone owns the VLX or anything from malibu except the XTI.

why is this...am i retarded for liking the layout inside??what am i missing here.

if i get a new one i am ordering it with the diamond hull so we can get a good ski wake and wakeboard wake as well.
any opinions on that

b rad

My best friend has a 23 XTI and loves it.
It throws a decent wakeboard wake with stock ballast but needs more weight to be a real sweet wake. Waterski wake is really good for 23 foot boat that weighs that much.
I say go for it. You cant go wrong with a Malibu.

A good budd of mine has the 21 ft model. The only thing I dont like is the rear speaker upgrade that takes up the rear seat center. I wouldent go with the 383 eng. waist of money. But other than that the wake is awsome for both watersking and wakeboarding.

hey Brad
I have a 2005 XTi with 100 hours on it
it's for sale
I'm in Arlington

very nice boat . i sent you an email - check for that...after your year of owning this boat can you list some of the things you have liked and disliked about the 23XTI?

any other comments good or bad about the interior and boat overall from users??

b rad

(Message edited by superboy on November 05, 2006)

Brad
I emailed you back
mine is the 21'XTi
sorry

Brad a friend of mine has a 23XTI he may be selling (he's upgrading). I can tell you that this boat can do it all, boarding, surfing, footin'. It does require more weight than the stock ballast to make it "world class" but even the stock ballast will kick out a nice, clean wake (with the wedge).

I have friends with a 23 and a 21. They are great boats.

The rear speakers / stepover transom thing isn't an option - it's only on the 21', the 23 has a seat all the way across. I like them both but actually prefer the 21 layout myself.

The only issue is they are hard to weight if you run much extra ballast - the floor space gets used up very quickly. It's hard to get it balanced side/side with the walkway/storage differences around the motor, and there's very little room in the rear floor, and you end up putting a sack on the seats. I'd go so far as to say you're better off with a traditional direct drive layout if you run extra ballast.

I have a 2005 21 and agree with trace. When wanting to add extra ballast floor space gets used up very quickly and side to side weighting is a little tricky. The only other nuance that gets me is when you have 6 or more people on board getting from transom to bow is a little cumbersome because of only one walkway. The positives that I can give over a VLX or LSV are much better handling(turning performance is much greater than v-drive), easy maintenance(oil/filter, impeller, tranny fluid, if a DIY person), storage compartment next to engine is huge and seating layout is nice for lounging and viewing boarder or skier since there are several rear facing seats. The boat really is the best out there when wanting to go multi sport.

I am selling mine to get into a 23 LSV, mostly because my girlfriend tore her ACL this season and will be doing a lot more surfing in the future. I though it would be better to go with something with more ballast and the power wedge for the surfing. If interested, want to see picks, or want more info on my impressions of the XTi send me a PM.

I have a 21Xti and I love it. The V drives are great for room, but I like the easy exit/entrance from the back that I get with the XTI. Granted you do have only one walkway to get from the back to the front, but you also don't have people climbing over you rear cushions trying to Egress the boat from the rear.

As for wake, at 10-15Mph, full sac and Power Wedgie down you can surf on it, no problem. granted a 23LSV can provide a bigger one, but I am happy with the surf wake my boat puts off.

Your choice on a new boat should depend on:

1) The test drive
2) The test drive
3) The test drive

Did I mention the test drive? Please don't go out and spend 55+K on a boat cause you like the way it looks sitting on the trailer.

the info you guys provided was exactly what was needed and ya'll have done a great job of talking about the good and the bad concerning this boat. your experience with it is a great advantedge to share for a new boat buyer like myself. all i had heard about the boat came from the local dealer and between how great the boat is and how bad a MC is i needed some real dialogue before moving forward.

i have laked it up all my life but my kids were born and did not like it and we were way to busy and byebye boat - so now they are 11 and 13 and finally they are pumped up and ready to start living a little lake life so here i am finally able to buy a real boat instead of an ol stern drive.


hell i started out looking for a mastercraft under 30k and now here i am at 50k sooo....if you have the perfect boat lets hear about it.. but i think i may be close to it for me

thanks
b