Malibu V-ride

I'm in the market for a new/newer boat this off-season. I spent a week last summer riding on my buddy's 06' SAN 210 and had a blast. A new one is definitely out of the question, but have been looking for something a couple of years old. Anyway, he was telling me that a friend of his just got a new V-ride and loves it. At $40,000 that is a strong option and from the sound of it, it might be the best bang for the buck for a new boat. I was wondering if anybody had any insight on these boats and why Malibu can sell them for $15,000 cheaper then their starting luxury boats w/ the sam interior, motor and dash?

$40,000 is pretty stripped down from what I understand. If you dont need all the bells and whistles (PP,bimini,wedge) you might come pretty close. On those boats seems like everything is an option. Chime in if I'm wrong.

You are correct, the V-Ride is the best bang for the buck, IMO. Make sure the $40k price includes a trailer, etc .. . I have a friend with an '06 V-ride and it is sweet. However, the $40k price did not include a trailer, cover, etc . . . He ended up spending $45k or so, with the upgrades. Regarding the interior finishes, etc. . . the V-Ride does not have all the bling that the VLX's do . . . different hull, as well. I went through the same process you are, and ended up buying an X-1 . . . it was a total wake factor for me. But, there is nothing wrong with the BU . . . sweet ride.

V-ride, X1, or SE Nautique... All good bang for the buck boats. They are usually advertised in the low $40s, once you upgrade a few things you get pretty close to $50k, add Taxes and you are usually over $50k. All nice boats, there are other good options out on the market as well. Sanger and Moomba are good price point boats too with very little sacrafice. The best boat is always the one that you can afford.

The vride doesn't come with perfect pass, but with Malibu's speed control system which is a little different but pretty good IMO. I believe you get 1 built in fat sack/tank (center MLS) but you will need to add the wedge and rear MLS to get a good wake. It comes with the Illusion x tower which is a very good tower with lots of options.

Everyone is different, but if I were to order a vride right now I would get the hammer head, wedge, full ballast (sacks in the back, not tanks), heater, and shower...and thats it. I would buy/build my own stereo, add my own board racks, and bimini and be set! Okay, my dreaming is over...

A new v-ride can be had for under 45 at boat show time. This would be nicely equipped. I may be wrong on this, but I think that is a few thousand cheaper than the other big 2.

bryan,
Check your Email

I have a 2004 VLX for sale ( same as a V-ride).

When I was looking for a boat, the v-ride was my first option, but once I saw the wake; I was very very disappointed. For around $40k, I would look into getting an '04 SAN 210, if wakeboarding is mostly what you're gonna do. DEMO FIRST!! Flame on, I'm ready.

JOHN,
What are you smoking.

The V-Ride is a 2002-2004 VLX Hull.
With stock ballast and the wedge it has one of the best and cleanest stock wakes out there.

Look at my profile.
That is my VLX with stock ballast, wedge ond only 2 people in the boat.
23 mph at 75 feet.

For reference I am 6'2" 200 lbs

My brother has an '06 v-ride. I think he paid around 42k with trailer. It doesn't have all of the Malibu chrome and junk, but it is a great boat, excellent handling and super wake. I think bang for the buck one of the best out there. I'll try to get him to chime in...

Love mine....great wake with stock ballast and wedge. Awesome surf wake with some extra ballast thrown in back and on rear seat.

I did not buy a V-Ride last year but I would have been glad to. Great boat, great price. I decided on a one year old used boat and a V-Ride with an illusion was not available used.

Good luck, you can't go wrong with a V-Ride or X-1 in your price range.

Well I test drove a V-Ride and I loved it. I previously test drove the Centurion Elite Air warrior and the Malibu kicked isn't butt. The Malibu had the 320HP stock motor and it flew out of the hole. Living in Colorado and having high altitude is like dragging one leg behind you and it was still incredible out of the hole.
The Malibu Precision speed control was a snap to use and held the speed perfect. None of that crap you deal with when you have PP. Here is the specs on the boat I looked at.

2006 V-Ride
320HP base model engine with EFI
Manual Wedge
Mooring Cover
Trailer with surge brakes
Illusion X Tower
500lb factory center ballast
Price $40,600 before I pitched a bitch. $39,500 after. This was mid season this year. Boat show price this year is 4000 off MSRP I believe. Current V-Ride is like 42k, so you can get for right around 38k before upgrades. I loved that boat and it was awesome in handling. Took it out on a rough day too and it really surprised me.

No stereo

I have a 2005 vRide. The boat is amazing. The biggest difference between the vRide and the higher end Malibu's besides the hull is the lack of chrome and the bling factor. If you can live with this save yourself the money and go for the vRide. The wake is excellent. My boat has the Wedge plus 900lb ballast (500 in the middle, 200 on each side of the motor). Throw some people in the boat and the wake is huge. I am 6'3" and I have no problem getting the wake well above my knees. The handling is almost as good as my friends Response. If you want an excellent boat for an even better price go for the vRide.

the only reason why the vride is cheap, is because it is stripped down... you are comparing apples to oranges if comparing a vride to a mc or nautie or even a 04 vlx

vride with the 320 engine ??? you have got to be kidding ?? you will take a major hit when you sell the boat. the 340 monsoon is the the most ordered motor for the malibu. the big 3 manufactures offer 3 motor choices... the most order and used is the middle engine in malibu's case it is the monsoon 340, nautie is the pcm 330, mastercraft is the pcx 350(you can get the nautie and the mc with a smaller engine and pay less... but you will not get the performance and you will take a hit when you sell it (double negative)

going without pp ???? again- you have got to be kidding ???? i would really make sure about "the Precision Pro Speed Control" ie throttle by wire. i seen mastercrafts and tige's system - and they dont work as advertised or as well as perfect pass..

here's a couple other things to consider (the 04 vlx was better imo)
-Malibu Monsoon 340 - 340hp (optional)
-Swim Platform - Fiberglass (optional)
-cheaper interior compared to the 04 vlx
-add ballast (optional)
-bow lifting eye (optional)
-Pylon optional
-Rubrail (optional)
-Depth Finder Module (optional)
-wedge (optional)

dont get me wrong... it is a great hull and wake.. but when you add everything up, your in the $50k range.. all the vride is a marketing scheme by malibu, just a lost leader to get you in the door...they may sell actually may sell a "handful" of stripped down vrides but thats it.... i seriously doubt a dealership would be order one without the options and the monsoon to sit on the floor...

i think it is safe to say, wakeboarding / boat ownership is expensive no matter what boat you buy...what malibu is doing is a very shrewd marketing move but you can do the same thing with mc and with nautique (signature)... a stripped down nautie 210 /211 or mc x-2 will be pretty close to a compareably equipped v-ride.

with a budget was $40-$42k and you wanted a malibu, a clean 04 vlx makes more sense than a stripped down 06 vride...



(Message edited by nautielove on November 07, 2006)

I'm not sold on the V-ride just yet. I'm going to test ride one today to see what it's all about, I've never been in a Malibu. I am curious about this and have heard some good things from owners first hand, but definitely need to find out more for myself. I appreciate all of the responses and realize they are others opinions so will take it for what they're worth. My experience in some of the newer wakeboard boats is limited, so just trying to get a feel for what's out there.

This might be kicking a dead horse but I'm also interested in taking a look at the X-1 if anybody has any thoughts on that it would be appreciated.

I went through the same analysis as yourself and bought the X-1 . . . Once again, it was a total wake factor for me. I just enjoy the wake better behind the X-1, and that was the sole reason for buying a wake specific boat. If you desire more storage or a larger boat, then the X-1 may not be the best choice.

Nautilove

I will have to say that the interior on my Vride is as nice if not nicer than every other boat I looked at before purchasing mine. Can't see where it is some stripped down cheap interior. I have looked at 04'Malibus and can't see where there interior is any nicer. The only thing mine is missing is some of the blinged out chrome stuff which I don't care for anyway. As far as the optional stuff vs standard.....I added the rear ballast tanks, ss rub rail, Monsoon (600$ I think), wedge, ss bow rails, pop up bow light, bolster heat. I deleted the stereo. With all of those options I was closer to 40k than 50K. By the way, I have never used perfect pass but the speed control that came standard on my boat works great for me so far.
I got more boat and for substantially less than any of the other manufacturers were willing to offer for similarly equipped boats. I purchased at the time of the winter boat show. When I say other manufacturers, I looked at CC, Mastercraft, and Centurion. I don't think Malibu is better or worse than any of the others...they all have there +'s and -'s. But, I feel like I got the most boat for the money I was willing to spend and have been very pleased with the vride after one summer and 100 hours.

I agree with Tim, even though I'm a M.C. owner . . . the V-ride is the best bang for the buck when comparing M.C., C.C., and BU. The X-1 is still my favorite, though . . .

the weight and quality of the vinyl and carpet of the vride is much less..ask the dealer...time will tell how it holds up...

not to get into a cat fight... but I really find it really hard incredible you got that bu with the options you listed with the trailer for under $48k out the door....I don't recall does it come with racks and bimini ? granted I haven't used the bu speed control but I have on the mc and tige and have found it lacking...

btw, I really like bu's..I almost bought one...when we in the market, the vride with the options we wanted (alot) was within $1.5k) of a loaded nautie...my friends have a 04 vlx and a couple 05 vlx's and they are great boats...in fact my wife prefers the bu wake to our nautie...

I just don't think the vride is that great of a deal when you add things up and there are other boats that cane be had for the same money...

Nautielove

Sorry but some of your facts are incorrect. The vRide uses 38 oz G&T vinyl just like all of the Malibus. The carpet on the vRide and the VLX may be different. I asked my dealer about it when ordering my boat...was willing to upgrade the carpet if the price was right...he told me that the carpet was the same? Not sure why he wouldn't have wanted me to spend more money. If they are different I guess he just didn't know. It seems to be holding up nicely after 100 hours. I am pretty anal about my stuff though.

As far as the price goes take it for what you will. I bought at the optimum time...just before the boat show in late January. For the boat show the dealer was offering some cash off as well as some options thrown in such as Tower speakers. I did not like the look of the tower speakers so got them to throw in the Issotta wheel and shift knob as well as ss rails in bow instead. I don't think I got any better of a deal than someone else could have. These boats are pretty much selling themselves these days.

I am not sure where you are located but I could not find any boat from the competition similarly equipped for anywhere close to the same price. I looked at a Centurion Avalanche which was pretty loaded. The sticker was like 56k or something like that. The Nautiques and the Mastercrafts were in the stratosphere. The only boat I found close in price was a stripped down Centurion Elite v C4. It was in the low 40k range. Maybe the prices are more competetive elswhere but where I live I didn't see it. When I looked at the Malibu they were listed at $39995 and that included a d/a trailer. I keep seeing that that price does not include trailer but it did for me at least.

SANGER

Sangers are nice boats. I just winterized and installed PP in an '05 215. I was very impressed with the construction, there is wood, but it is done right.

I was quoted $43K on this at the beginning of the summer..

Oh and by the way...I like the Nautiques too. One of my good friends has a 96 SuperSport (i believe I am right on the make) and I have been out with him a zillion times and had a blast. My experience on his boat is what made me want an inboard v-drive.

I am glad someone brought up Sanger! I looked at those too and really like them. The wood doesn't scare me...the hull has a lifetime warranty I believe. The only reason I shied away from Sanger is the fact that we only have one dealer in the area. (EastCoast) I was afraid something might happen and I would have a boat and no dealer to work with. Sweet boats though.

Call Scott Pellaton, his number is posted somewhere on these boards. I bet he would still make sure that you are taken care of in he event that the east coast dealer closed. It does have a Merc in it too, so you can go to any service place almost.

Sanger will take care of you and you shouldn't shy away from them for any reason!


An interesting article about Scott:
http://www.barefootcentral.com/WATN_scott_pellaton.htm

I was in the same situation as you... limited budget... Malibu was great.. Love'd it.. can't say how much I liked it..

Came down to the wire.. both the Bu V- ride and the MC X-1 boats loaded and were in the low 50k mark before taxes (CND)

Local dealer had a MC X-1 demo, and the savings were substantial. Bu dealer didn't have... only a VLX demo that worked out to almost 10k more...(is it had all the bells and whistles)

So now I am happy X-1 owner...

Wow...that high speed barefooting video is crazy! Those guys were nuts!

Greg

You made a great choice. The Mastercrafts are awesome boats. It always amuses me to see folks fighting over their particular brand of boat on these boards. To me they are all pretty sweet and have their own unique qualities. I just love being on the water and hanging out with my friends and can't wait for winter to get on out of here!

you can get it for that money, I've seen it first hand. It isn't totally loaded, but the one I saw for 41500 was a nice dual axle extreme trailer w swing away tongue, full cover, malibu speed control, ballast....
Nice boat. No racks, no bimini. Neither did my 75K$ 247 either...
And as far as the Malibu precision speed control goes, I have used extensively the PP wakeboard edition and I test drove two MC's (X45 and XStar) with the MC cruise control dealio and the Malibu was hands down the best. It was a contributing factor why I chose the 24 over the X45. It is rock solid.

tim,

when i checked in bu's the dealer informed me the carpet and vinyl was less weight than the 04 vlx...i dont know if malibu has switched over their weights but 40oz comes to mind...

it sounds like you got a pretty good deal..

when i was looking they didnt discount the vride in fact they were overcharging (paradise in so cal - i have posted the work up sales sheet online when this happened.... in the meantime, i dont know if they have changed their ways).

i have corresponeded with others from around the country about dealers price gouging customers and it pizzez me off big time (there was one thread about a dealer wanting $67k for a cc 211)...

i ma curious about the malibu speed control...what is the method ? (ie paddlewheel ?)..

Not sure of the method on the cruise, but I like it better than pp. It is very steady. Also, comparing the vride to the x-1, I have ridden extensively in both boats, I prefer the v-ride. The x-1 has a nice wake, but I like the bu wake, interior, exterior, speed control is much better, and the tower is much more functional for garage storage. Also, it has been my experience that Mailbu stands behind their boats much better than mc. That may be different in your area though, I guess service all depends on the dealer.

Nautielove

I am not sure how the speed control works but it became standard when they went to throttle by wire. Maybe someone else on here knows? It seems to work well enough for me but I am not a pro at anything I do behind the boat! Take that back...I can fall like nobody's business!

I have seen some of those crazy prices around here like you mentioned for the CC and others as well. The crazy thing is that the used boats are going for so much. I looked for two years and anything I found that was in acceptable (to me) shape was almost as high as a new one. (I was looking at late model boats) I finally went with new....I plan on keeping it for a long time and I like to know how something that expensive has been cared for.

Matt c- you said it, the dealer makes a huge difference... in this case I have to say the dealer was a big factor. since then Malibu restructured and pulled the sole dealer out of the right to sell Bu and appointed another dealer to sell.. They also own 6 marina's and now has a far better reach and market saturation.