Experiences with mid-late 90's Malibu's vs. MCraft

In the market for a used boat with a budget around $22,000 and under. I see a lot of '95-'00 Mastercraft ProStar 190/205's and Malibu Sunsetter's that fall in this group. I was looking for some comments on these boats regarding wake, reliability, maintenance, etc... from some boat owners. I will be using the boat to mostly wakeboard, but want a good all around boat for family as well. Thanks for any info!

I can't comment on the Mastercrafts, but I've been in and around 2 different Sunsetters before purchasing my Wakesetter this year - they were '98 & '00 LX models. Both boats have held up well & are really good all around family boats. If you do go with the Malibu, make sure you get the Wedge (or at the least the Wedge plate) since it really increases the Sunsetter's versatility. The LX model is on the same basic hull that the current Wakesetter DD & VLX are both built on, so you have no need to worry about getting a decent boarding wake out of it (the LXI is a different hull entirely, more of a ski based hull called the Diamond hull). The LX hull was also 3-event tournament approved back in the mid-90's & while it doesn't have the ski wake of a Response or Prostar 190, it's pretty respectable for a 21' boat.

If you want any more info on Malibus, head on over to www.malibuboatowners.com, there's a wealth of info to be had there on this subject.

Tracie, when you say it doesn't have the ski wake of a Prostar 190, are you saying the Prostar 190 is bigger/better? By the way, I was born in Eugene, OR, Go Ducks!!

No, no the Sunsetter has a slightly larger, firmer wake at ski speeds than a Prostar 190 or Response - those boats are built to produce small, buttery soft wakes at 34-36 mph. At those speeds the Sunsetter has a slightly larger wake that is harder - if you're not a skier, I wouldn't worry about it. The flip side to that is that the PS 190 & Response can't get close to the Sunsetter in terms of producing a really good boarding wake at 19-22 mph.

Quack!

(Message edited by MB Girl on July 01, 2004)

I'm more interested in the boarding wake, skiers will be very few and very far between, if ever. We'll be wakeboarding behind this thing 3-4 times a week.

Then I think you'll be very happy with a Sunsetter LX.

(Message edited by MB Girl on July 01, 2004)

sunsetter
mastercraft prostar is a ski boat. The sunsetter is the family addition of the VLX, so i dont think the MLS is a standard option. But get the LX and the V-drive if u are going to wakeboard a lot.

You might be hard pressed to find a VLX in that price range, but it's not out of the realm of possibility.

MLS, tower, wedge are all not standard on the Sunsetter, but you'll probably find more than a few that have at least a couple of those options.

(Message edited by MB Girl on July 01, 2004)

Not too many V-Drives are in my price range. Would be nice, but would be hard-pressed to find one. A good, reliable boat that I can throw a tower on with a couple of fat-sacs and I will be a happy man.

Actually, I found a '96 Sunsetter VLX for a little over 20,000, but it is in TX.

Mastercraft Prostar 205V
-same hull as old x-star and modern X-2
I picked a 99 205V with Perfect Pass, Tower, 160 hours, and 335hp for 24k in GA. Man I love this boat

I have a 92 MC prostar 205. I got a smoking deal on it and it came with tower, racks, system, ballast, etc......Like someone said, it's a ski boat so it requires some weight to get a good boarding wake. It took us a while to get it dialed, but now the wake is awesome for boarding. We have to use about 2200 lbs of weight to rival a wakeboarding specific boat wake.

SFH

Get a 205V, you'll love the wake. I have a 99 X-Star, but it is actually the 205 V hull. If you can find a V-Drive, go for it!!

I bought a '99 Wakesetter DD (Same hull as the Sunsetter LX) with 63 hrs for $20,000 in Oct of last year. I put an OEM Titan tower on and then installed my own MLS for about $150. The wake is more than enough for anyone who boards with me. Check out the boat in my profile.

Daniel

I have a 95, PS 205, DD with 330 hours on it. I baught it with 100 hours on it. It has been nothing but trouble free. I do all the maitenance on it. I'm very anal about it and have had zero problems. I also have a freind who has a malibu wakestter than has also been trouble free and is a very nice nice boat. I would go with the one that is in the best shape has the best maintenance records and the best price. You can't go wrong with either one.

The 190 are ski boats and not wakeboard boats. For a true wakeboard boat you have to start with a v-drive.

I have a 1995 Prostar 205 with 950 hours of trouble free use. It gets regular oil changes and impeller replacement and it starts and runs like a champ every time out. I bought it for $10,000 with tower, lights, and killer system, so the deals are out there. I couldn't be more happier with this boat. I would love a newer model, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Oh, yeah, the wake rocks on this boat too. We run with 1000lbs of lead and have room for 8 comfortably. That produces a huge wake, usually run with 4-5 but can easily fit more. We bought it specifically for family fun and boarding, and it is perfect for that.

Wow, a lot of good info. Thanks to everyone who has given their info so far, it has helped A LOT. I must say this website seems to be full of more friendly and more helpful people than some other wakeboarding websites.

that 96 sunsetter in TX is a piece, literally falling apart, I would look elsewhere.



ok not really but my family is looking at it, we live in the same town.

It looks like a nice boat, hope you guys get it. I wish one of those would pop up in AZ.

D-Money,
Keep your eyes on Boattrader, Flipsell, iboats, boats.com, they do come up. Also, if you post a WTB on as many of these forums as you can, you might get some hits that way as well.

Yeah, I've been looking pretty hard, the V-Drives are out there, there aren't too many in my price range, but a few have popped up here and there. I've uped my budget to about $25-27,000, I didn't realize boat loans can be over 12 years, and the insurance isn't bad at all, so I can be a little more spendy. I'm just gonna be patient and the one will show up sonner than later.

Keep an eye also on the malibuboatowners site, classified section - sometimes you see a cherry pop up there.