Help me decide

I have demoed 08 Malibu VLX and 08 Mastercraft x-2. Like both very much and have quotes for both optioned the same as close as one can. Both dealers are equal. Three family members have different views on which one they like. While I cannot go wrong with either one, I am having a hard time deciding. Love to hear your thoughts on this decision. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.

Go with what your wife wants...
If it's great everything is great.
If it's not you have someone to blame when you're having a beer with your buddies.

If all is equal, get the cheaper one and tell you're wife with the money you saved she might be in for a 'bonus' if she treats you well in all the right places!

questions like this get people all riled up on Wakeworld for some reason... well because it's a this vs. that and instead of just stating the positives people tend to just talk smack on the boat they don't like.

YOu may get some good responses here but if you don't then my suggestion is to listen to Art above

if not, you might want to check themalibucrew.com for what people like/dislike about the vlx and tmcowners.com for what people like/dislike about the x2.

I've been in both and PERSONALLY (ok everyone) did not like the wake of the X2 but loved everything else about it. The bow is incredibly roomy. I currently have a VLX and my PERSONAL opinion is the fit and finish of the X2 was better (not by leaps and bounds or anything) but i like the stock wake on the VLX a lot better.

Both seemed great I demo-ed both, I also demo-ed the Nautique (couldn't justify spending $10,000 more for that product) a supra (Don't waste your time) and a Tige (surprisingly very impressive boat!)

The fit and finish on the Malibu and Mastercraft is great but the Mastercraft doesn't have tracking fins on the X-2 so it's very noticeable that it rolls over on its side when weighted down. So if you don't decelerate right before the turn the boat gets kind of squirrelly.
On the Malibu the boat drove better then the X-2 but when the Wedge was deployed the visibility was horrible and barely made a difference in the wake. The Tige had one of the best rides in rough water that I have ever witnessed (not just out of tournament boats but also cruisers ie. Cobalt) This boat did have a great wake and it was an all around good experience for my family because of the depth of the boat and the amount of storage that wasn't being taken up by the ballast tanks. If I weren't thinking about my kids just learning how to wakeboard and the amount of storage, I would probably think about getting their factory ballast, but ballast in this boat didn't seem necessary.
So I would suggest a Tige! probably not the Mastercraft, and I wouldn't get the Wedge if you get a Malibu, it also makes the surf wake useless!

hhhmmm,
well at this point, you're definitely comparing apples to apples, in these situations i tell people to base their decision off of the dealer. in some circumstances someone is totally in love with the boat, they buy it, and then their dealer treats them like crap, and then theres others where, they didn't get the boat they necessarily "wanted" (price..)..yet the dealer treated them excellent and they have nothing but good things to say..i think with this decision you should revisit both dealers and see which one "fits" you better..thats my .02 on this one..

a dealer is only as good as the product they sell, but I think your right that even if they have a good product doesn't necessarily mean that they are good people to work with. I do agree for the most part! Kudo's!

Ive put a lot of hours behing the wheel of both boats. If everything else is equal, personally I'd go with the VLX. It drives better, takes ballast better, and I prefer the wake. You really cant go wrong with either, but IMHO the VLX is a better boat.

-Steve

P.S. If the choice was between a VLX and an XStar, I'd take the XStar

-Steve

(Message edited by kingskrew on September 27, 2007)

My family has a 2004 LSV which is the same hull as the VLX and the wedge does wonders for the surf wake. When I first started I tried it with the wedge and without the wedge. I was able to surf without the handle and with stock ballast with the wedge and also noticed the wake grew nearly a foot in height. without the wedge it looked like a big pile of mush.