2008 Malibu VLX or 2008 Supra 22 Launch SSV

Hey eveyone...we have been looking at wakeboard boats and have narrowed it down to the 2008 VLX or the 2008 Supra 22 SSV. For those of you that have either of these boats, what do you like and what do you dislike?

Not looking to start a thread where people knock others' boats...but want serious replies as a boat owner about your experience.

What do you think about the wake?

Thanks

(Message edited by mark0157 on July 09, 2008)

Well I don't have either, but I'll give you my likes and dislikes of the two if you don't mind.


Supra

Pros
Well Built boat, decent ride, and from what I can tell awesome customer service.

Cons
I CAN'T STAND there seating layouts. Nor do I like their dash.... but hey that's all personal preference. I'm not fond of the wake... but that can be adjusted and I haven't got to play with it really.

Malibu

Pros
AWESOME INTERIOR....love the "bling" I love the illusion tower. Killer Wake, and I love the ballast guage set-up.

Cons
A bit of a rough ride. I do not like the way the seats are just screwed in, instead of just glassed in, as I've seen some problems in a few bu's due to this.

Thanks for the reply Tanner!

What does it mean when seats are glassed in?

he said he didnt want a bashing thread tanner!

LOL... but he also requested dislikes.

I thought I approached it very diplomatically!

I'm trying to tread lightly here Mark, or else we'll light some fires that will spread quickly. But since you asked.... glassed in seats are part of the mold. Therefore, they are one piece w/ the floor of your boat. I believe EVERY towboat manufacturer now does this, except BU. They're seats are a seperate piece that are dropped in and screwed down to the floor.

I'll leave it at that.

Well i have owned both...

I now own a SSV Geavity Games. Tanner pretty much hit the nail on the head and im an owner of both. I definately like the wakesetter waker better. Rampy and big.
I like the 22V wake, its way different allot more steep and harder at the top. Pops more. Just my .2
I know with the BU you get allot more bling if thats what your into. On the Supra not as much bling but it is a well built boat and here in tx the service has been great.

chris an 08 22 and an 04 22 are two completely different boats there is nothing the same about them.....

I own an 07 22, have friends with the 08 vlx. the 22 feels bigger. I like the wake better on the malibu. The malibu is more expensive.

fit and finish on both boats is very good..I like the dash layout on the supra better.

supra has the z-5 cargo top. The illusion tower is low. I'm 6'3"

I understand the differences, Ride behind a 22ssv allot and BU vlx allot, he was asking for opinions...

By no means am i bashing either boat. I personally like the BU better. Personal preference... my .2

i have owned a new hull 22SSV, not the old hull ssv that Chris H describes and these were also the two boats i looked at.... here is my take

the malibu handles better and is a sweet boat

the supra has a better "out of the box" wake and is very easy to load down and is also a sweet boat.... i will put a note on here that wakes are your own opinion and depends what kind of wake you like... the ssv wake is much steeper (pop up)totally different from the rampiness of a vlx. If you like Rampy then you will not agree with my above comment.... for me it came down to these items and the price of the supra was probably the biggest factor... bigger boat for less money and comes standard with all the features that you have to add to a Malibu... Finding a good dealer in your area should also be a big deciding factor...

Good luck and you can't go wrong with either of them....

Thank-You to everyone for your replies!! We are buying a boat for our family cabin and are at a stalemate between the two boats, so we are really interested in knowing how others like (or dislike) the boats.

As most of you mentioned, there are good things about both of them and wake is personal preference. The issue for us is that most of the users are beginners and they do not know what kind of wake they like to ride.

Everyone also has different priorities...some of us prefer a boat that is easier to drive, while others want the biggest wake possible...

go supra.

One thing to consider is the ballast system. On the VLX all the ballast is under the floor(except the 4th front tank, which is a must)so you don't lose any storage when the ballast is full. The Supra has bags that fill the front basement? storage area and the rear compartments. The new integrated PP, ballast and wedge settings are awesome on the VLX as well. The Illusion tower is also super solid, quite and the easiest on earth to fold down.

^^^Good point Brett, and since you have to swap out all the bags on the supra when you get it you really have no rear storage. That would make the choice easy for me, well it already did

consider warranty also. Supra have 5 years on nearly everything.

Nu bu, Bret is working on turning me. Honestly with such a great product it is not tough.

Both boats are awesome.

But, the guy said his crew are just beginning...he shouldn't be using any ballast at all. Maybe a few years down the road, he could look to upgrade the bags in the supra, or add fat sacs on top of the tanks to the 'bu.

The Supra's wakeplate is really going to help keep the wake clean at slow speeds for beginners, and assist with a nice rough water ride when cruising to the riding spot or just cruising around.

IMO, I would save the +/- $5K, by the Supra and rock your 5 year warranty.

Obviously, the above is a biased post as I am a Supra loyalist.

FWIW, if Supra were out of the picture, the VLX would be my first or second choice though.

If you want to be closer to the Supra pricing wait for the 09 Vride which is the same as the 08 VLX. If you wait a couple months you might be able to find a sweet deal on on 08 VLX that a dealer is sitting on but most of the time they are either funky color combos or optioned strange. If you want the ultimate go for the 09 VLX.

Here is the 09 VRide:



Dash of 09 VLX



Interior of 09 VLX



They are building 09s right now. If you are looking for something a little bigger they are offering a 09 Vride-23 that is the hull and deck of the 07 LSV. I'm heading to the factory soon so I'll get more info for those who want to know more.

More info can be found here: http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15720

Supra- best price point for the product-IMO.(I am a little biased) The VLX was my 2nd choice, but the overall price is what swayed me to the Supra 22. I assume you have lake tested out both boats, maybe take them both for a 2nd spin and see what you notice about each the second time around. Are both dealers in the area of equal customer service? Is one closer then the other to you? Write down your likes and dislikes of both and weigh them out. You really can't go wrong with either as they are both awesome boats.

So if price point was not a benefit and both were the same price or within a close range, would you pick one over the other?

Also, long-term, does one "hold up" better? For those of you that have older BU's or Supra's --how do they look after a few years (I realize how well you maintain your boat is a factor).

mark,
both boats will hold up long term if you take care of them..... you will only be fishing for opinions... Like others have said drive them and pick what you and your family like the best and as everyone keeps saying make sure you have a good dealer....
i know what you are going through, but as discussed you can't really make a wrong decision.... go with your gut and get a supra... ha ha..... seriously they are both great boats...

I currently own a Moomba LSV and want to upgrade to a bigger boat. I have been very happy with the manufacturer of the boat. When I upgrade, it will be the Supra 22SSV. My friend has a Malibu and paid BIG bucks for it $95,000. Compared to a fully loaded Supra for about $65,000.00. Just my two cents. Do not get me wrong. I love his boat. It is awesome. I am just partial to Skiers Choice.

X-STAR
I'm just joking so don't jump on me.

I do not own and never have owned either boats. I've have been in and behind each boat. I say it's a toss up. There are going to likes and dislikes but once you drive them both and spend a little time in them you'll figure it out. Best of luck on a hard decision.

isn't the wake on the supra a bit narrower than the vlx? might be a small factor to consider for beginners.

Mark - your boy got ripped off, 95k!

^^^^^^^ second that^^^^^^^^^^ or he is jsut blowing so much smoke up your a-- your head is on fire. dude you can walk out the door with an 08 vlx and be well under 65k loaded with extras.

Mark.. hope he didnt get it in vegas, I have seen 247's WAY cheaper then that at ProShop.

we ended up with a 2009 VLX and LOVE IT!!!

Thanks to everyone for your input!!

I got the 08 VLX and love it!!!!

I have the 05 VRide, which everyone knows is the old VLX hull. We love everything about the boat.

This weekend we had a chance to sit in a 22 SSV. One thing I loved about the boat is the fact that it has like 5 seating positions that face the rider, or about 3 more than any VLX. Plus I like that Z5 Cargo rack, way better than the Illusion. It would be an interesting boat...... if the Supra dealer in this area had any clue how to support the sport.

Our local Malibu dealer on the other hand, does so much for the area riders that it would seal the deal for me in a second. Definitely do your research on your dealer.

(Message edited by bill_airjunky on August 18, 2008)

I narrowed my choices down to the same two boats and ended up going with the VLX for three reasons.
1) Liked interior layout and finish better.
2) Liked the wake better
3) Dealer has a good rep and is 10 minutes from my house.

Also, the price was very close.

Have fun and I am sure you will not regret either boat

(Message edited by hdchapman on August 19, 2008)

Not that it matters since Mark already bought the VLX, but even if the VLX is 5k more at new purchase it doesn't really matter unless you are stuck with a hard budget. The VLX will always be worth that amount more than the Supra. Look at total ownership cost, not just the upfront cost.

Mark, post some damn pics of your new boat. We haven't seen many here.

Please

(Message edited by polarbill on August 19, 2008)

The VLX is a smaller boats...if your comparing apples to apples compare the 23LSV and the 22SSV. The VLX compares more towards the 21V.

Here she is!!

(Message edited by mark0157 on August 20, 2008)

Very, very nice.

Here's some more!!

Looks great. Did your dealer already have that ordered as a stock boat? They must not have had it in the show room before you picked her up.

Give us the low down on options... motor? bow ballast? sound pack?

How do you like the Malivue so far?

The dealer had already ordered it...we just got lucky that is was the colors we wanted. We saw pictures of her at the factory as it was being built...but yes, we bought her before we saw in person.

Monsoon 350
Sound Pack 3
Titan Alpha 1 Performance tower speakers (although we may switch to WetSounds Pro 60X next season)
3 Rockford 4 channel Amps
12" Rockford Sub
Lounge remote
Titan XS Spinner Racks
Docking Lights
Transom Underwater Swim Lights
Full MLS ballast

We are still waiting for the bimini and cover...but my brother wanted the boat by a certain date and Malibu and MNInboard made it happen!!

I LOVE the Maliview! It is so easy to see everything; speed, ballast monitoring, depth, pre-sets, etc. If you are thinking of a 09 Malibu it is a must.

The only dislikes so far is the engine is very loud in the cabin, much louder than the other 08's we test drove. Also the mute button for the stereo is a great idea, but pretty annoying because it just cuts the music off and cuts it right back in, wish it would fade out and fade in so I didn't scare the crap out of everyone in the boat.

The best thing is that we have an awesome dealer!! They have been phenomenal!! Thank you to everyone at Minnesota Inboard.

Great job on the options. Look into the Bullet 770s as another option to the WS 60xs. Others are complaining of the interior noise and it has been narrowed down to the panel that the rear speakers are mounted in. I think some Dynamat Extreme and Dynapad will eliminate a majority of it. The HSE Revolution will take care of the muting issue you are having. It automatically lowers the volume when you circle back to pick up a rider and then slowly increases volume once you pull the rider up. You never even need to use the mute button.

I hope you get a long season this year and get to enjoy it as much as possible. Congrats!

I like how people are out enjoying there new 09's and Malibu's website is still '08.

Those colors are awesome! Congrats.

Mark,

What things made you go with the Malibu over the Supra? Basically I am wondering what your reasoning for choosing the VLX over the SSV is. It may help other people in the future.

First of all, we bought it as a family boat for our cabin, so more than one decision maker involved, which complicates the process.

However, for me I felt that the Malibu handled better, the tower does not rattle and the local Malibu dealer is awesome. I also really liked the Malivue on the 09. I know some of the others involved preferred the open seating arrangement.

One thing I liked about the Supra is that it does come with a lot of standard items, such as docking lights, but we found it fairly insignificant to add these on.

As for the wake, the Malibu is nice and rampy...we have a lot of beginners that do not use any ballast, sometimes the wedge and it has been great. My cousin decided on his first time wakeboarding he had to attempt to jump the wake...he got some air before a not-so-graceful landing and face plant!!! His wife unfortunately ended up in the ER...mild concussion I think.