SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

[Skiing-PT]

I have narrowed down my boating choices to these 2 boats. I have a family of 6 with multiple interests i.e. skiing, boarding, tubing. We almost always have friends with us, so we need a decent size boat. I know this is a nautique site, so convice why to get the 220. Thanks

[NautiDave07]

RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

Lose the 220 and test drive the 236 it is a crossover that has the same hull as the 230. You can only really match that up against an LSV. It is not an apples to apples comparison. The 220 will have a lot less storage as well as kind of a wierd interioir layout not to mention the 220 is kind of hard to weight properly. Do yourself the favor and test drive a Nautique 236

[NautiDave07]

RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

I see you are in Ky I will take you for a ride in mine if you want and it is for sale

[Skiing-PT]

RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

I like the 236 but the prices have been a little high. Where are you at in the Bluegrass State and tell me more about your boat.

[Fwat220]

RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

I have a 2007 220 SANTE and love it. I don't think the interior is weird at all in fact I think the layout is sick. If I leave the rear seat in place or move it to the center I can fit a bunch of people on it comfortably and having nearly everyone facing backwards. As for it being hard to weight properly that is a crock. The interchangeable rear facing seat makes moving people from side to side to weight the boat properly a cinch. If there are just three of us we put the spotter on the interchangeable rear facing seat for that exact reason. We installed a 600 lbs fat sac in the bow (under the seats) and are planning on installing the two fat sacs in the rear lockers (additional 800 lbs). Those sacs are integrated into the existing ballast so we use the three existing pumps and are all hidden. It is a sick set up and makes a nice hard wake for wakeboarding and makes a nice surf wake.

I chose the 220 SANTE over a Malibu VLX for the following reasons:
Nautiques come with a 5 year warranty and they stand by it.
The PCM engine is solid and has been since the beginning of time.
The interchangeable rear facing seat is sick. With it facing backwards we have 6 people in the boat facing backwards with one person in the bow facing backwards watching the action.
The tower seemed more stable to me as it has four points of contact rather than two.

[tdc_worm]

RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

while i do agree that it is not an apples to apples comparison, i do disagree that the 220 has less storage than a 236. i own both. 236 loses storage space to the 220 where the cooler sits under the starboard seat and to the warming tray above the engine. the 220 loses space to the 236 because it is 4.5" narrower. the 236 has a decided storage advantage in that the rear storage is easier to access and is the best design in the industry, hands down.

the wakes are VERY different between all three boats. what i know about them:

08+ LSV:
--WIDE, very wide. forces you to ride a shorter line if you are intermediate or lesser rider, which results in less set up time. beginner riders will have to charge the wake to clear it.
--nice adjustable transition. the power wedge works and can adjust the shape on the fly.
--very meaty, you will not punch through it.
--shape is very rampy w/ a great landing zone.
--wake is not sensitive when using the wedge--it seems to hold the boat level very well.
--throws a great surfwake as you would expect any 102" beam boat to.
--more difficult to plumb extra ballast in to.

220:
--next steepest wake to the legacy 210, but doesnt have the (ACL blowing) trough
--narrow; think long lines and lots of set up time.
--somewhat finnicky w/ weight. the reversible bench seat easily mitigates this if your crew is aware.
--surfwake is very steep...easy to air off of.
--easy to plumb in extra sacks

230/236:
--wider than the 220 w/ a longer landing zone.
--has a great transition w/ a lip at the top that will boot you
--ultra meaty, even w/ stock ballast
--throws a little foam ripple down the lip that can mentally affect the rider...doesnt affect the boards release
--surfwake is amongst the best, not as steep as the 220
--less weight finicky than the 220...more finnicky than the lsv
--easy to plumb in extra sacks

if i were looking to buy any one of the three boats above, i would go look at a malibu w/ 500+ hrs on it and compare it to a CC w/ the same amount of hours. i am fairly confident that will help you narrow you choices. between a 236 and a 220, its a toss up...i am not sure there is $15k more value in the 236 than the 220, but that decision is up to you....

[Gasman87]

Re: RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

WOW !!!! I LOVE THE 220 AND I COULDNT HAVE SAID IT ANY BETTER !!! IN MY OP AS LONG AS YOU GET A NAUTIQUE YOU WILL B HAPPY !!!!

I have a 2007 220 SANTE and love it. I don't think the interior is weird at all in fact I think the layout is sick. If I leave the rear seat in place or move it to the center I can fit a bunch of people on it comfortably and having nearly everyone facing backwards. As for it being hard to weight properly that is a crock. The interchangeable rear facing seat makes moving people from side to side to weight the boat properly a cinch. If there are just three of us we put the spotter on the interchangeable rear facing seat for that exact reason. We installed a 600 lbs fat sac in the bow (under the seats) and are planning on installing the two fat sacs in the rear lockers (additional 800 lbs). Those sacs are integrated into the existing ballast so we use the three existing pumps and are all hidden. It is a sick set up and makes a nice hard wake for wakeboarding and makes a nice surf wake.

I chose the 220 SANTE over a Malibu VLX for the following reasons:
Nautiques come with a 5 year warranty and they stand by it.
The PCM engine is solid and has been since the beginning of time.
The interchangeable rear facing seat is sick. With it facing backwards we have 6 people in the boat facing backwards with one person in the bow facing backwards watching the action.
The tower seemed more stable to me as it has four points of contact rather than two.

[ceharris21]

RE: Re: RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

i do not own a nautique yet however i have three friends that each own a malibu 2-21vlx and 1 23lsv..and i have spent alot of time behind all of them and i have to say everything said about the lsv is spot on as a beginner i had a hard time getting wake to wake however the 21 was alot easier to board behind...not saying malibu builds a bad boat but i have been researching nautiques for well over a year and there is no question that i will buy a nautique because it offers everything the bu doesnt and more...just my opinion

[innov8]

RE: Re: RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

We don't need to convince you to go with a Nautique, if you do your homework and demo both boats, then IMO, you will end up with a Nautique.

Nautiques sell themselves, not a better built inboard boat on the market!!

[SkiTower]

Re: RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

if i were looking to buy any one of the three boats above, i would go look at a malibu w/ 500+ hrs on it and compare it to a CC w/ the same amount of hours. i am fairly confident that will help you narrow you choices.

I believe this should be a major point for anybody. Off the showroom, it can be personal preference or more to the point what you're accustomed to. Unless you're someone who dogs these boats, how they last should sell you.

[TRDon]

RE: Re: RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

I felt the same way about my SN2001 back in 2003 when I helped the local nautique dealer at the on the water demo day and drove a new moomba. Moombas are lightyears better now but i told the dealer back then that I would put my 17 year old boat up against his anytime, anywhere.

Looking at older boats can help determine how the newer boat will hold up absolutely. I am on my 3rd nautique before I am 30. Not because I wear them out, but I know they will take care of me throughout the years like my previous ones have.

[NautiDave07]

RE: Re: RE: SAN 220 vs. Malibu 23LSV

My 2000 model had who had unknown amount of hours on it when I sold it end of 07 always weighted and pretty hard before I bought. In all five summers I had it I was never stranded! I just5 replaced wear and tear maintenance items and a starter which was the biggest ticket it ever cost me. Reliability and quality is what sold me on Nautiques for life.