Wakesetter

How would you rate the Malibu Wakesetter in boarding and slalom performance. 1 being lowest 5 being highest.

It's a 3.5 for riding and a 2-2.5 for slalom.

It's the best value in Malibu's line for an all purpose boat, but depending on how plan to use it, there may be better choices for you.

Without getting into year, mods (i.e. wedge), weighting, and drive type; the wakesetter has a top notch wakeboarding wake (especially the VLX). I would rank the VLX as 5. As for slalom, the VLX probably would be a 2 or 3. The DD wakesetter would fare a little better at a solid 3.

Mike asking about the standard Wakesetter specifically. It's hull has always been the same, and it comes with the Wedge and forward MLS.

Look at the 21 and 23 xti's, I think they might be ok

hull on DD wakesetter is same as VLX so with the appropriate weight you can get a similar wake. I have to agree that VLX wake is a 5 so logic would tell you that the DD could get a 5 but will probably get a 4.5 simply because the engine is not in the back. VLX is probably a little more pimped on the interior side of things.

this being said, take away the wedge and I say the 5 becomes a 3.

So what are you trying to say chris. Would suggest not even looking at the 2003 Wakesetter. I would have a 335 Monsoon engine upgrade. Also Tim what do you mean by "DD" wakesetter

DD = direct drive.

you have wakesetter, wakesetter xti (21 and 23 foot,) wakesetter VLX, and wakesetter LSV

go to http://www.malibuboats.com for more information about the differenet models

One of the great things about Malibu is that somewhere in their 17 boats there is the perfect model for each buyer. That's also a huge problem as it can make it seem impossible to sort things out.

Every body has provided great information for you Mike, but all of their opinions are based on their needs, not yours. How do you plan to use the boat? What percentage of the time will you spend skiing, boarding and cruising? How many people will you normally have on board? Do you like the direct drive interior layout, or is a v-drive more appealing to you?

Give us as much detail as possible, and that will help us provide you with the most accurate information so you can demo the boats that are right for YOU, and not someone else.

Mike,

Look at the Wakesetter, great boat, very good price.

Yeah thats basically what itrigued me in the first place. The price is great for that quality of boat. I've actually demoed a 2003 Wakesetter. Very Nice. However I have not demoed any others. I'm thinking of demoing a 2003 Sunsetter Lxi but I'm told wakeboard performance isn't as good.

The Sunsetter LXi won't perform as well for wakeboarding because that's not what it was designed for. It uses the Diamond hull which creates more lift and makes it harder to sink at slower speeds. The advantage is that for slalom skiing, it doesn't get much better then the Sunsetter LXi in the 22' walkthough class. Like I said, it really depends on what your needs are.

How much better would you say the VLX is than the base Wakesetter with an engine upgrade.

vlx has the wraparound layout. more expensive driveline, slightly nicer interior. do you have the opportunity to look at these boats side by side?

Better in what sense? The VLX has a more social layout, though won't handle quite as well. With the engine upgrade the performance will be very similar.

I don't necessarily need a party boat I'm just looking for the best possible performance.

It should do very well in that regard. I don't think you'll have any regrets.

I went around and around on the DD vs v-drive issue. Since we only ocassionally open water slalom, I chose the the VLX. In my opinion it's easier to run the VLX with no ballast for skiing vs loading the Wakesetter up with extra sacs to get a larger wake for boarding. the VLX is not a ski board but the wake is pretty comparable to alot of I/O's. Without a doubt it's a great wakeboard boat. And I like the storage, standard EFI motor, and seating of the VLX.

the big questions, is it worth the extra $5-10k.

What exactly is the difference between the D Drive and the V Drive.

mike, see my last post