Hammerhead yes or no?

(psudy) · (psudy) **Join Date: Dec 2003** 10-20-2008, 8:37 AM

Question for Malibu owners. Do you see the hammerhead as necessary? Does it suck a lot more gas than the monsoon? How do you feel it would affect resale when oil prices are jumping up again? I am looking at a couple LSVs. One has the hammerhead and the other has a monsoon. The Hammerhead has less hours, but I really like the color of the one with the monsoon.

(liljohn) · (liljohn) **Join Date: May 2007** 10-20-2008, 9:00 AM

Put the 1235 prop on the monsoon and go have fun in your new boat.

(jarrod) · (jarrod) **Join Date: May 2003** 10-20-2008, 9:35 AM

The bigger your motor, the bigger your wake potential.

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/1/636973.html?1224518375

(dadthedriver) · (dadthedriver) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 10-20-2008, 9:41 AM

We were running the Monsoon with the 1235 prop and 3000Lbs of ballast in our VLX and it was not enough power. It would take for ever to get up on plane. If I had it to do again I would get the Hammerhead.

(ord27) · (ord27) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 10-20-2008, 9:42 AM

my Xti had the monsoon
I ran the stock prop on it
when we loaded it down or had a group with us, the boat struggled
a diff prop might have fixed that issue.....donno

now we have the hammerhead with the 1235 prop

awesome combination!
we love it and will do it again if we ever trade for a newer boat

my dealer claims that I will not recover the cost during resale

Even if that is true, I would do it again

(liquidmx) · (liquidmx) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 10-20-2008, 10:14 AM

Paul, it really depends on your skill set and where you are / want to be. Most people will never need the amounts of weight to push the monsoon to its limits. However if you plan on riding at the expert level or higher you will want the bigger wake (which will be easier to get with a Hammerhead). Keep in mind the amount of weight required to accomplish this will require you to be adding a SUBSTANTIAL amount of wake over stock. According to your profile you are riding behind a cobalt currently...so going to an LSV with all 4 tanks will be a HUGE jump already.

Personally its your call. Monsoon if you dont plan on running lots o weight, or hammerhead if you want the option to.

(psudy) · (psudy) **Join Date: Dec 2003** 10-20-2008, 10:19 AM

Well the cobalt isn't really a watersports boat. I had an Xstar before that, but I am intermidiate at best. I guess I am more concerned about resale with high gas prices. Anyone know the difference in consumption? equally weighted with factory ballast?

(ord27) · (ord27) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 10-20-2008, 10:21 AM

also remember that it isn't always about the ballast weight. Sometimes it's about the number of people.
11 or 12 people in my VLX is alot for a stock prop and monsoon. That many people in a LSV might not be an issue......donno really

for me it was to err on the side of WTF

go hammerhead!

(05mobiuslsv) · (05mobiuslsv) **Join Date: Apr 2006** 10-20-2008, 10:25 AM

I hope you're talking about the newer 383 HH motor and not the old HH. Look at the torque specs on the monsoon and HH motors, they are almost identical. The hammerhead has about 20 extra pounds of torque that's it and produces the extra hp in the upper rpm range. Wakeboarding you'll be running under 3500 rpm, and wakesurfing you'll be running under 2500 rpm. The monsoon is better on gas especially with the 1235 prop. So unless you'll be barefooting or skiing in the LSV you don't need the HH. The monsoon with the acme 1235 prop will do the job and get better fuel economy. Both great motors and will treat you right.

(ord27) · (ord27) **Join Date: Oct 2005** 10-20-2008, 10:45 AM

Paul, another point on the hammerhead

the '07's and older didn't come with the cat manifolds
and you can't add them either

the hammerhead without the cats does put out a fair amount of exhaust

if it were me, and the monsoon had cats but the hammerhead didn't, I might just go with the monsoon

the cats and the malivue will be the determining factor for me when it comes time to trade in or not trade in

(eyekahn) · (eyekahn) **Join Date: Aug 2007** 10-20-2008, 11:18 AM

Depends on how much weight you are running. W e run about 4500 in an 07 vlx with the monsoon and 1235 and it takes a while to get on plane. Get the HH.

(psudy) · (psudy) **Join Date: Dec 2003** 10-20-2008, 11:41 AM

I am looking at '05s. Do you know if the Monsoon had cats?

(malibudude) · (malibudude) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 10-20-2008, 11:57 AM

No replacement for displacement... :-)

The OJ 468 is a great prop for the Monsoon, but w/ the HH you don't need to prop down much if at all. With a fully loaded boat people/ballast it's nice to have that's for sure. Is it absolutely necessary...no but when you open up the throttle it'll put a grin on your face..

(liljohn) · (liljohn) **Join Date: May 2007** 10-20-2008, 12:22 PM

cats didnt come out till 07 on the monsoon and 08 for the H.H.

(my_malibu) · (my_malibu) **Join Date: Feb 2008** 10-20-2008, 4:34 PM

true the hammerhead does put out it's share of exhaust but would not switch to the monsoon
Running a 06 vlx ( with HH ) with factory ballast, 2000lbs in sacks ,and 10 people in the boat
have friends running close to the same set up but with the monsoon.
I'll pull away from them every time load or not .
monsoon seems to work harder to plane
the monsoon is better on gas but I'll gladly paid an extra $20
my .02