wakesetter vs vride 21.... help

I am looking at buying a new boat. I currently have a 2000 wakesetter vlx and its finally time to upgrade. Im tying to decide between the 2012 wakesetter and vride. now i know the v ride is essentially an older wakesetter. my question is is it worth the extra money? is it that much better? the price difference is about 17000 .

I want this boat to last as long as my last one did. The maliview system seems cool but is it really worth it? The hull is newer but the specs, size, are almost the same. Anyone know how the two hulls compare in rough water? The new wakesetter has a seat in the rear for putting on wakeboards but cuts out part of the sun deck. Thoughts?

thanks for any input you have. i know they seem like silly questions but for me this is a huge purchase so i feel like i should ask a lot of them

I personally would get the V ride. If you want all the bells and whistles and dont mind paying the extra money the Wakesetter is for you.

$17k is a lot to spend on fancy electronics and bling. V-Ride is the older Wakesetter hull anyways. If I were you and money was an object (which for most it is), the V-ride seems like the better value. Are these custom ordered boats or off the lot boats?

A loaded 23' V-Ride is the boat for me.. Wake + Space + Looks - Faaggotry/Gadgetry = Win

I would buy the Vride with triple ballast, skip the wedge all together, add some combination of integrated bow sack and lead to get get 500-750 pounds up front and piggy back 750's off the rear tanks.

While you are at it, have you considered an Axis A22? Wake is sick and it's way less expensive than a wakesetter.

the bells and whistles are cool but not sure if i really care about them however i don't want to regret not having them in a few years.

these are off the lot boats that have been discounted because its coming up on the end of the year.

i have looked at the axis. its a great boat however i really appreciate the malibu high end quality. the axis feels a little cheaper to me as far as interior materials are concerned.

thanks for the input so far I am really leaning toward the ride at this point. how much better will this hull ride in chop than my 2000 VLX?

This is just a guess but I woudl say marginally better at best. Neither the old hull or the newer one is really a deep V or straight flat like the 205V. Maybe from a bigger heavier aspect a little better.

Yeah, the hulls are going to be pretty similar. What you'll gain is in weight, build quality and having a new boat with less creaks/growns. Malibus are still flat bottom boats but thats' why you get a sick wake out of it.

Sounds like your mind is made up..

Some good advice on a subject like this is to simply flip a coin.. You'll know long before the coin lands which side you are hoping for.. If it's "truly" 50/50 - which it almost never is - you'll let the coin decide. Chances are - you'll know the second it leaves your finger what outcome you WANT. Choose that one.

dustin, between those two.. i would go with an MB F21, it is better and has faster ballast j/k. I just had to beat all the paid MB trolls to the punch.

I would go with the Vride. It has the v25 hull (vlx 05-08) which is an excellent hull and is basically like you would be getting a brand new 2008 VLX. Pros are that it has the basic electronics, switches and dash. It has potential for a killer wake, handles excellent and is a lot cheaper. From limited experience with 09+ vlx's, they may handle chop better, but nothing that I noticed. The wakes are the same to me except that it seems the 09+ needs a little bit more weight to get similar size. The really good riders can probably tell the difference in wakes though.

The new VLX's are so nice, so plush, look so sick, and the seat in the back transom is cool.

The Vride has glued in carpet... which I love, compared to the new VLX where you have snap in carpet (I think you can get it either way, snap in over fiberglass or glued on carpet over their modular floor) Anyhow, it is nice having snap out carpet to allow drying and easy cleaning, however the glued carpet floor and seat bases of the vride really makes for a quieter ride, less engine noise... it is noticeable. If you get the vride, definitely option for the carpet saver that goes over the floor. This will absorb most of the water that people bring into your boat and you can pull it out to dry it, it also helps decrease engine noise even more AND feels good on your feet.

Problem with the vride is that you apparently cannot have a front hard ballast tank. I do not see why this can't be done at the factory though. I was told it couldnt, but maybe my dealer did not know. If you buy off the lot, then it will not have bow ballast.

I would do what Polarbill says... NO wedge, 750's piggybacked in the lockers, T off the middle ballast through hull and put two fill pumps, one for the center tank and one for the sacks in the bow that you will need to install. Throw another 400-500 of lead under the bow filler cushion all hidden, throw another 200 or so in the cabin under seats. You will then have a wake that everyone will want to ride.

For the price, I would suggest looking at 2 more boats, the A22 and the MB21.

The MB's are very nice, but coming from a wake setter, you will not like the wake as much as the VLX, Vride or A22.

I see you already checked out the A22, but you are looking at 2012's. For the same price as a Vride, you should be able to get a 2013 A22. It has been reported that the vinyl is a lot better in the 2013's, I would venture to guess it is similar to the 2012 vrides.

Then only negative thing I'd say regarding the v-ride is the resale. At least around here it seems people think they can charge premium but they sit on C/L forever vs the Wakesetters seem to also draw premium and disappear pretty quickly.

Just an outside view though. I test drove the V-ride about 5 years ago and that thing drove awesome. Malibu's handle great and are pretty nice boats. I'd say either way you will have a winner...and I agree that the new 23 v-ride is something sweet.

V-ride vs axis (given they are the same price) would be axis all day though...at least it would be for me.

i was looking at an A22 vs. VLX and i got to tell you the wake on the A22 is flat out awesome. If your looking for an affordable boat that kicks ass Id look for a 12 A22 or agently used one.

Looked at all 3 today. Unless you want the bling I think the Vride is a no brainer. The Axis is a nice boat, but just not the style I am looking for. Was quoted the same price on a Vride demo as a used 2010 VLX.

I was in the same situation a couple years ago. After doing research on both of them, the VLX and 21 Ride are actually more different than I thought. The hull designs are different, beam width (98" to 100"), no quad ballast in Ride, completely different fit and finish, no maliview/MTC in Ride, exterior gel coat designs are different, standard HP 330 in ride compared to 350 in VLX, different rear transom (no seat on ride), less inboat speakers on ride, no portable table, no rear walk over transom plank on ride, etc... The beam width was a huge factor for me because I wanted a 21' boat with maximum space and passenger capacity.

I also chose the VLX because it was so well appointed and loved the fit and finish, gel coat lines, quad ballast, rear transom walkover, front bow grab handle locations for passengers, windshield style, maliview, MTC, auto wedge feature, snap out carpet, etc... both will produce great wakes. The Maliview is not a deal breaker, but I have to admit it is very nice to have and works great. The rider pre-sets are nice and easy to use, I also like the different screens available for ballast tank levels and cruiser control settings and displays. I also wanted a boat with better resale opportunity and value. The Wakesetter series always sell because people know they are getting a loaded up boat. There is a reason for the price difference, and not just because of the Maliview.

I would recommend you go out and seriously spend time in both of them and figure out what your priorities are for owning a boat. If the price difference is a huge factor than the Vride would be a better option, but imo, if you can afford the extra money, go with the VLX and get a loaded up boat with many more options.

Best of luck to you... you have a great problem to resolve, regardless of what you choose, all your choices are great.