Talk me off the fence... ;-)

**TravisFling** · 06-22-2009, 09:11 AM

RE: Talk me off the fence... ;-)

I have a 1989 Nautique that's more reliable than most other boats I've seen. Nautiques have legendary quality and amazing resale. Industry leader.

**SNMike** · 06-22-2009, 09:20 AM

RE: Talk me off the fence... ;-)

The 230 is 9K more, but IMHO you will retain much more resale value than the BU, thereby off setting the difference. Also, very few people will look down their nose at a used CC than the other brands due to reliabilty and build quality. Just my $0.02.

Good luck.
Mike

**sstexan** · 06-22-2009, 09:22 AM

For $340 you will be able swap the hard tanks for bags in the rears. Goes from 225lb each side, to 750lb each side. Plus, the bags lay much flatter when deflated for more storage space. It took me 30 minutes to install each side.

With this setup, surf wake is awesome. The Nautique is the only way to go... JD Powers states it all...

Every other boat wakeboard boat is second tier over the Nauti.....

Good Luck with the sale....

**lion90** · 06-22-2009, 09:26 AM

Originally posted by sstexan

For $340 you will be able swap the hard tanks for bags in the rears. Goes from 225lb each side, to 750lb each side. Plus, the bags lay much flatter when deflated for more storage space. It took me 30 minutes to install each side.

What did you do for the extra weight in the front? I was torn between replacing the hard tanks in the rear vs adding 400s on top of the stock tank as recommended in the Fly High Nautique kit. I guess if your remove the rear tanks, the ballast still works despite the fill gauges not being connected?

**sstexan** · 06-22-2009, 09:34 AM

I had 4 adults and 4 kids on board. Had all 4 kids and 1 adult sit up front and the other adults on the surf side(drivers). The wake would probably get longer with more weight in the front, but it is still tons better than my old super sport weighted down to the max.

No, the gauges do not work with this setup. Was not a concern to me.

Gauge works as follows.....

When my foot has 6-8 inches of water up the leg on the platform it is full!

**lion90** · 06-22-2009, 09:37 AM

Cool, I was just making sure that the ballast pumps don't rely on the status of those gauges to function. What year is yours?

**crex** · 06-22-2009, 10:31 AM

Of course most people here will recommend the Nautique since this is a Nautique forum. But we had a very similar decision in front of us. We had looked at the Malibu 23LSV, Mastercraft X35/X45, and the Nautique 230. All are great boats. But the Mastercraft was just too much money for what didn't seem to be anything better than a Nautique (and a few things worse) so that one was out. So now it was down to the Nautique and the Malibu. Malibu has a nice fit a finish, but I didn�t like that side seats weren�t molded into the fiberglass, not sure that really matters, just a preference. Next we felt like the PCM setup was better than the Indmar. PCM has a great reputation. Next was the 5 year warranty. And last but not least. We really liked the looks of the 230. So we bought the 230 and have never for one second thought we made the wrong decision. We adore our 230.

**DanielC** · 06-22-2009, 11:17 AM

I have 2123 hours on my 1997 Ski Nautique. Used it in ski shows last weekend, will use it again on Tuesday.
If I need them, I can get parts for my 1997 Ski Nautique. Can you get parts for a decade old Malibu?
In these economic times, do you want a boat company that has been around since 1925, or a company that has overproduced their product, and has had to lay off their workers.

**reeder** · 06-22-2009, 11:43 AM

Very good question. I went through this decision in 1999. It was between the Nautique, Malibu and Mastercraft. Since then, I have had a 99 Air, 01 Air, 03 Super Air, 05 Super Air.
I made my decision on 1. Resale values. 2. Quality and performance. I have yet to be disappointed. Just to keep things in check, I re evaluated in 2003 going to a V-drive. It was between the 03 SAN and the 03 VLX. It was still a no brainer for me.

A good test for you would to be go to each dealer and drive a year or two older Super Air and VLX with a lot of hours on each. Feel the difference in the handling, vibration, and rattling noises in the boat. My experience is that the Nautique will handle better, be much quieter, and feel much more solid than the VLX. Make sure each one has a good number of hours on it.

One last note, just this past weekend, we came across an 08 24LSV that was stranded. We stopped to help and took one of the owners back to the ramp in my 05 SAN to get some jumper cables out of his truck (we thought the batteries were dead, as they had been relaxing to music for a while).
As we went full throttle back to the ramp, over rollers and choppy water the owner asked me if my boat was new. I told him it was almost 5 years old. He mentioned that it was so smooth and tight. It rode and drove much better than his 08. I have heard this time and time again about Nautiques quality. I really think it holds a lot of water, especially when you are talking about a used boat. Any new boat can drive good for a little while!

Yes a case can be made that maybe his prop was dinged etc, but more times than not, I think if you drive the two boats back to back (Nautique and Malibu) most of the time, the Nautique will prevail in performance, handling, durability etc..... ok, I am a little biased, but I tried to make my point sound unbiased!

Just my 2 cents.

**xrichard** · 06-22-2009, 11:57 AM

I have a 210, not a 230...but I'll chime in anyway. I think the most important thing is to decide what your priorities are.

If cruising/lounging/family time are key, then I lean toward Malibu. In terms of interior looks, room, and comfort, I think Malibu is the leader of the pack and the VLX is a great example of how to make the most of a 21' boat.

If wakeboarding (and wake size/shape) is the most important consideration, then I lean toward Nautique. I think the VLX has a mediocre stock wake and requires a ton of extra weight to build to a decent size/shape. The VLX wake (stock or with additional ballast) doesn't compare to the wake on a 210, which has several steps to narrow the wetted surface and let the stern sink into the water. Some will say the wedge addresses this, but it only works well if you put it part way down--then it acts as a huge drag on the boat in order to pull the stern into the water. Personally, I think it's a bad "solution" to address the fact that the VLX hulls are difficult to sink.

In terms of build quality, I think they are comparable except Nautique uses PCM and Malibu uses Indmar. I've had both Indmar and PCM, and it would take a lot to get me to go with a builder using Indmar. PCM is light years ahead in terms of smoothness and (perceived?) build quality.

My understanding is adding the FlyHigh additional ballast is the same on the 210 as the 230. I added it to my boat...it was easy to do and works well.

**SkiTundra** · 06-22-2009, 01:39 PM

For me build quality, resale, and mfr reputation were important and CC is the leader (IMHO) in all 3. Another aspect is the character of the company. CC has a long history of very high integrity in every aspect of the company from the quality of their product to how they treat customers to how they treat their vendors to how they treat their employees. Everything about CC screams integrity and good values.

**gride300** · 06-22-2009, 01:43 PM

i'd never buy anything with an indmar engine. they suck

**lion90** · 06-22-2009, 03:17 PM

Well, just put the deposit down on the 2009 230 that my dealer had left over. Provided the sale of my boat doesn't break down, I will have it by the weekend.

http://www.singletonmarinegroup.com/...ype=N&picpos=0

**SkiTundra** · 06-22-2009, 04:04 PM

Congrats! That is one very nice looking boat. I'd love to have that carpet in mine.

Talk me off the fence... ;-)

Talk me off the fence... ;-)

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