99 Tige21 V-Dr vs. 99 Malibu Sunsetter VLX

When in doubt go to the forum right...ask the pros.

I am on the verge purchasing one of the two boats mentioned boats. We(and I mean my kids) mainly wakeboard with some tubing mixed in and a little skiing. I was kind of set on the Tige, however I have found this sunsetter, which seems to be a good deal.

Q1. There is not a wake plate on the malibu where as the Tige does have the taps. In your opinion is it a big deal not to have the wedge? I was kind of planning to put sacs in the back anyways. Do you need the wedge on the Malibu?

Q2.Would the Malibu ride nicer as it apparently has a deeper hull?

Q3. What are the advantages to having a Malibu rather than a Tige?


Thanks for the help!!

Q1 - the wedge is nice w/o weight... but when the load is loaded down it isn't as needed.... TAPS is awesome

Q2 - will cut through chop better, the wake will get taller but not as long/less transition... the deep hull means more verticle displacement

Q3 - Advantage maybe more dealers around to help if you run into issues, but if there are both dealers near you not really any sort of advantage that I can see... except adding a wedge down the line

If you've got a family I would go for whichever has more room/storage... if you're piling your kids and their friends in the thing you'll want some space... either way the wakes will be pretty good with some weight and/or taps

Hey Nick, thanks,

Other than the malibu wedge, could I install a basic manual adjustable wake plate?? have seen manual ones on a couple of Centurions? Should a person not mix brand name products ie. taps on a malibu or should it be a wedge that I buy specially for the Malibu brand.

Looks like I am going to buy this boat from Munson's in IL. Would anyone know of a pro shop CLOSE that might have wake plates, towers, and tower accessories? I will be heading back up to Canada via I-94 and I-29 ?

This may not be a big deal but i think the Tige will have a 3 piece sun deck while the malibu will be 1 piece. I could be wrong though.

if you go with the malibu dont worry about a trim plate. you wont need it. and for all of your accessories. im sure you can pick them all up on the internet

Centurion uses a thing called Switchblade -- but is really expensive (~$2500)
http://www.switchbladewake.com/p/how_it_works.php

If you get the Malibu you can get the wedge installed from any sort of Malibu dealer

Redline Watersports in Madison, WI(Right off I-94) said they can the wakeplates from mastercraft, which may/may not fit your boat...best bet is to call them and talk to someone in the service dept. they know their stuff
608-838-0838

How much were you looking to spend on a boat, Redline has some used V-drives for some awesome prices... I would check out their inventory
www.redlinewatersports.com

Hey thanks for the tips. I think I am getting a pretty good deal....'99 Sunsetter 200 hrs for $18,5k. I just sold my 99 tige 2100i and really looking forward to a V-drive. Salesman was saying spending the money on a wedge is not the end all and be all. We have 2 440's we were going to put in the back and we'll see about one in the ski locker.

I guess the next step is to read up on auto balasts. After spending way too much time farting around with the pump and the hose and disconnecting this and disconnecting that, by spring time it will be auto only.

that is a good deal... really good....

wedge is really nice because its so simple... but my friends bu we just run lots of ballast, don't even use his wedge

I would look into an integrated bow sac, helps plaining out 100%

good luck man

Take the Malibu! You can put the 2-440's in rear, but you will also need a "BIG" sack in the locker. We used a 500# in locker and a 375# in walkway and no wedge. Wake was awesome.

I have only had direct d's before, but I kind of had in mind 2-440 at the back and maybe 1-440 in the locker. I guess only trial and error.

I know there has to be links on do it yourself auto ballast, but would anyone have an idea or know where that link would be? What I want is a switch to fill and a switch to empty, and i also want to fill all 3 bags separately.

Buy the 'BU and turf the Tige eh!!!!

Lakes should be frozen in a month so lots of time to think about it.

On that malibu hull I have heard most ride without the wedge and like it more that way. I learned this through a TON of research and searching regarding whether or not to spend the coin on adding the wedge to my boat. I personally have a 00 wakesetter without the wedge and here is my setup:

500lb sack in the nose, locker sac (approx 300 ish), 440's in the corners. I also run about a G in lead. evenly dispersed. I am currently running the 537 prop (from acme I believe). Boat cruises around 3300-3500 rpms at about 26 mph depending on people.

With that said, it is setup for serious wakeboarding 100% of the time. If I was doing the family thing I would leave it at stock ballast. If I am planning on going to a lake to chill all day (usually with several peeps), or significant amount of cruising, I pull out the lead and fill a 1000lb sack in the cabin if need be when the time comes.

In regards to the auto ballast, all my sacks are on switches, including the bow. I ran a manifold in the locker with a self priming pump that runs a line up to the bow cup holder area. There are plenty of DIY threads on WW, just do a search.

hey thanks for that. I have in the back of my mind.. 6 pumps, one to fill one to empty, and probably 2 hole through the transom to draw the water in (1 hole for the 2-440's and the other for the sac at the front) with an emergency shut off as close to the transon as posible.

Right know I'm so excited about the boat that the only thing that's going through my head is how or what to spend more money on!!!

We were going to drill through the hull, then just figured to make everything auto except we toss one pump over the side to bring water in...we open the back hatch anyway to see how full everything is... its a rule4000... 4000 gph, and its amazing... fills two 440's, a 680, and 1000lbs bow sac in around 10 min, it has a 2" water outlet and it fills that no problem, greatest thing ever.... we don't often fill the center sac (just overkill), but the system is so easy and fast it was worth not drilling into the hull..then just two pumps to bring water out through the bilge holes... makes things far cheaper not needing two-way pumps

let's see some pics.

the boat is away until Jan.

Malibu has the better wake, loaded or unloaded. Not even close.

Yup not even close. Malibu by far without a moment of hesitation.

Why?

- Better wake
- Better build
- Better resale
- Better reputation
- Better aftermaket support

Dont bother with a bolt on Wedgie. Just weight her down and skip that entirely.

(Message edited by juniorhawk on November 08, 2007)

I have a 2000 tige 21v and my uncle has a 2000 malibu sunsetter, i have spent a lot of time behind both. I run about 1500-2000 lbs. in my boat and the wake is sick. My uncle just uses the wedge and one ballast bag, the wake has great shape but is small. I assume that running more weight in the sunsetter will create a bigger, good shaped wake. However, the wake is also narrower because the sunsetter is about 5 inches narrower, than my tige. I do not know for sure if the hulls are the same on the 99's and 00's, but i m pretty sure they are similar. You really can't go wrong with either one ( i am assuming that the sunsetter is a V-drive) if it is you can't go wron with either one. Both are great boats and you can always get a good wake by playing with weight.

I'd ride behind either of 'em