Malibu and nautique

[cguse13]

I am on the bu forum still too as we'll as mastercraft all great sources of info. It goes with out saying each forum is most loyal to its brand but helps hearing all the boasting. For me 35k is a lot for a toy that's used 6 months a year although its great family fun and get a lot of pleasure out of it. Just finding the one that doesn't make me wish I had something else or regret the winters.

[LR3w8kbrdr]

Let me say that I sold my 05' Vride last yr with 285hrs on it for just under $30k. Was is really good condition. Loved the boat, very wide wake.

Oh and even though the illusion tower looks better IMO, everyone on the malibu forum was discouraging me swappin out the titan tower. Lots of stress cracks around the base on those illusion towers.

[cguse13]

See now that's good info .. To me a bu vride 05 model should be at or under 30 in great shape..

[Quinner]

If the illusion is the reverse arch tower, not a big fan in my experience. With the tow point in front of the board racks the rope very easily gets caught up in them when coming around for a skier, even more so if boards are in them.

[LR3w8kbrdr]

If the illusion is the reverse arch tower, not a big fan in my experience. With the tow point in front of the board racks the rope very easily gets caught up in them when coming around for a skier, even more so if boards are in them.

Illusion tower

[xrichard]

I've been in and behind both boats quite a bit. There are big differences wrt the wake and interior...almost the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to wakeboard boats.

That generation SAN210 has a very steep wake with a very short transition. This makes for big vertical pop but a very small landing zone. It can be difficult for beginners--it's easy to get bucked and thrown out of shape. If you're good, though, there is no better (IMHO) especially when it comes to inverts. When I was younger, it was by far my favorite wake. Now, after multiple injuries and getting old, it's a bit hard on my knees. The Malibu shape of that year is a much more gentle wake--not as steep, smooth transition, no trough. It's better for beginner/low-intermediate especially for toe-side (...which many find more difficult as the wake gets steeper). Back in the day, I used to like learning tricks behind that boat and then take them bigger/more-vertical behind my Nautique. IMHO, it's a more relaxed style but requires a lot more weight and edge than the SAN to get the same pop...and you'll never get the vertical shape the SAN has. (In between the two is the current generation SAN210...which turned out to be perfect for me these days.)

The interior is also very different. The SAN interior is horrible. Not only is it small, but the utilization of space is awful. Look at the observer seat in that boat and think about how much space was wasted. Plus, IMHO, the sloping seat bases are a huge miss...the idea was nice (that you can sit down in them comfortably), but they're comfortable in one position only. The Malibu interior is much bigger and has a much more functional and efficient use of space.

Quality...I'd give it to Nautique by a small amount. Driveline...I think PCM puts out a better product than Indmar. Interior...about the same with respect to materials. Hull layup...there's no doubt to me that you hear and feel more chatter/flex on the VRide when in rough water. General NVH...again, the Nautique has an edge. BUT, I don't think any of these differences are so big as to base your decision on them.

So, if I were in your position, I'd think about how I'd use the boat. If the primary use was family outings, teaching kids out to wakeboard, surfing, tubing, casual (beginner to low-intermediate) wakeboarding, etc., then I'd lean toward the VRide. If I wanted the best wake for vertical pop, advancing to inverts (or if my fundamentals were already solid), etc., and was not concerned about space for more than four-five nor about storage, I'd go for the SAN. For me, the old SAN210 was once the end-all/be-all. Now, it would be a very difficult choice between the two.

[xrichard]

EDIT: one thing I forgot to mention is handling. The SAN210 is a bit of a pig at low speed...it takes a large space (at idle speed) turn turn 180 degrees compared to the Malibu. But, at wakeboarding speed, there is no comparison between the two. The Malibu is easily pulled by riders where the Nautique tracks straight with no (or little) driver input. And, at speed, the Malibu turns like a pig relative to the SAN210 (...and, no, we don't power turn, but on the California Delta, we often turnaround at speed because we come to a 5mph zone on a given slough...and the turnarounds are often very tight. There are a lot of areas where I'd turnaround at speed in a loaded SAN210 that I wouldn't even try with a loaded VRide.) For my use, the SAN210 wins wrt handling...the VRide isn't even close.