1997 malibu sunsetter q's

I have found a 1997 Malibu Sunsetter with 250 hours, 320 hp monsoon engine, tower, etc for $18,500. I went to themalibucrew.com to check out the hull but all it says is sv23. Doesn't tell if it is the diamond hull or not. Anyone have any insight? Does this seem to be a decent deal? Also can anyone compare this to a sanger DLX or the PS205? Thanks for any info!

IRC, the 1997 Sunsetter only came in the wake hull. I believe they introduced the option for the diamond in 1999. I believe that is the same year the LXI came out. The regular LX still had the wake hull.

Kevin,
Thank you sir, just the info I was looking for! Now can anyone compare this to the MC 205 or the Sanger? Thanks again!

A buddy of mine has a 98 sunsetter, and the wake is pretty nice with some weight. Very clean. I think he was running 2 500 lbs sacks in the rear and a like 300 in the ski locker.

my buddy has either a '97 or a '98. It is a solid boat and can make a really nice wake. The 205 will put out a slightly nicer wake shape, but really you can't go wrong with any of those three boats you are looking at.

As far as comparing goes...the MC 205, BU SSLX, and Sanger D210 are all on tired and proven hulls. With weight, they can produce amazing wakes. The free board is much lower in the Sanger then in the MC or BU, but they will all give you great wakes.

The SSLX is on the same hull as the old VLX and current iRide and vRide. The MC 205, IIRC, is on the same hull as previous years X-Star and the current X1(is that right?) The Sanger D210 is on the same hull as their previous flagship wakeboat the V210 which has been around since 1996 (I think)

Hey thanks so much for the info! I am going to look at the boat today so we'll see how it turns out. I don't know if I'm crazy about the color (what was up with the mid 90's 'bu colors anyway)but would probably change the graphic. Thanks again.

Ryan, I have a 97 Sunsetter and the wake is great with some weight. I also updated the graphics, you can check my profile pic. That pic is with no weight though.

Ryan,

I have a '95 Sunsetter LX (teal of course!). Same boat as the 97. I have also ridden a PS205. Both are nice boats. I think the Malibu wake is better and requires much less weight, especially if you have the wedge. The MC makes a great wake, but just requires more weight than the Malibu. The Monsoon is a great engine as well.

I heavily considered the PS205 when we got our Sunsetter, and the key reasons I chose the Malibu was the interior space and the wedge. The Malibu is a much wider boat and you can fit 4 boards on the floor up against the sides of the boat. This is not possible on the MC. Also, the passenger seat on the Malibu will seat 2 comfortably, the MC passenger seat is much smaller. Both are quality boats...

I have no experience with the Sanger..

Good luck.

Here are some pics of ours...

Ryan, I just bought a 98 Sunsetter LX about a month ago. We were in the market for a Sport Nautique, but this boat just blew me away. The wake is really good with the wedge and some people, and it still amazes me how good the slalom wake can be too. The Monsoon is great, it sips gas and starts right up every time. The boat has plenty of storage, and is very comfortable too. The only downsides I have seen are that it's easy for people to drive the bow into a wave, and the boat rides like crap in rough water (we try to stay away from that anyways). If you get it there's 2 how-to articles on malibuboatowners.com the fuel-air separator and new fuel sender. Those are cheap and well worth your time. That price also sounds like a good deal if the boat is in good shape and has been well maintained. Good luck!