SSV vs. VLX

Well after riding behind our I/O for another weekend, the girlfriend and me have decided to get another boat. The two we are going to look at tomorrow are the SSV and the VLX. I have not ridden behind either one. Can someone give me a comparison of the wake and anything else you can think of?

They both have excellent wakes, don't bash me boys, but look at the hardware on the boats, the VLX is a little stronger in the fit and finish. I looked at both boats before hooking up with a local malibu dealer. Look at things like the hardware on the rear hatches (flimsy on an 01 Supra, which was the last Supra I looked at). The decals were bubbly on the Supra I looked at, it just seemed the overall quality testing at Malibu was better. I might have looked at a bad example, but I saw 3 of them.

Have no experience with the SSV but I recently purchased a VLX and you would love it. very clean wake starting around 18 mph and stays clean on up. Size is good right out of the box but you can add weight and wedge to go bigger. Boat rides nice, very quite and solid.

I'm obviously somewhat biased but I haven't been that impressed with the fit and finish of the SSV's. However, I have been pretty impressed with their potential as far as the wake is concerned. I think both boats are more than capable of a great wake.

Bottom line, the SSV will most likely cost you less, for that I think you make a couple comprimises. On the same hand I think they also have a couple things going for them. Adjustable wakeplate, plenty of room for more front ballast then you can use, competitive pricing.....

Test both boats (and some of the other if you have the opportunity) and decide for yourself what's a priority to you.

I am biased and suggest you also try to look at a Supreme. We have a 2002 V Pro Sky and when I did my shopping it compared very well the the Supra and Malibu lines.

Just my $.02

WakeNup, Ryan E;
I believe the 2001 Supra's - 2003 Supra's have come a long way. The fit & finish has improved since 2001. Just like on my 2001 Moomba compared to a 2003 Moomba, I can't believe how much nicer some of the features are. This does not make me dislike my boat though in anyway.

Best thing to do is to setup test drives with both dealers.

I personally like the Supra's a little better and Skier's Choice has been great to me with my Moomba. My next purchase will be a Supra Launch SSV or a Launch. I'd be thrilled either way. Those V drives are expensive .

Malibu makes a great boat. At our last tournament a Malibu VLX was used and everyone kept saying how sweet the boat was.

I hope next year to be able to get Supra to sponser one of the tournament's. I think we just missed out this year on that opportunity. They do make a great product in both Supra and Moomba. The wake on the SSV is very good.

Kahuna, I agree that they are both awesome wakes, and that I would own a Launch probably if I did not own a VLX. Skier's Choice is an excellent company to deal with. I have not seen the 03 Supra's or Moomba's, the INT League in SC uses one.
Ryan, try em both, get a feel for which dealer is better in your area, as this is a big plus. Everyone wants to be your friend when you are about to plop down 40g's but what separates the men from the boys is the service after the sale. Talk to people who have a year or two old boat and find out about the dealer.

Having been behind both boats in a 2002 model I can say that the SSV wake is much bigger with no ballast. The malibu needs a lot of weight to make a wake the size of the SSV with the factory ballast.

As far as fit and finish go I didn't see a noticable difference between either 2002 models. The biggest difference was the price and what each came with for that price.

I opted for the SSV and couldn't be happier, its so much more comfortable and the wake is better than the old pro air nauti.

I have riiden behind both 02 and 03 models (SSV and VLX) I disagree about the comparison of wake size with stock ballast. The malibu was easily equal to the supra in stock form and stayed much cleaner when more weight was added. Supra was nice but the Malibu was better. Supra had more interior room but interior fit, finish and comfort went to the Malibu as well IMHO.