Malibu M235...first impression

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  • Beg4wake
    Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
    • Oct 2014
    • 563

    • Radford VA

    • 2016 Nautique G23. Masters Blue/Gunmetal Flake

    Malibu M235...first impression

    I know this is a Nautique forum, which is EXACTLY why I'm putting this here! Ok...went to the boat show in Charlotte this past weekend. Was actually impressed at the number of wake boats and wake manufacturers there. The Nautiques from Race City Marine were fantastic, but they're Nautiques, so what else would you expect?! Supra had a lot of very nice boats including the new SA and one of the 25 Roush Edition SE550 (was a super nice boat, fit and finish wise)! I was fairly impressed also at how far along Moomba has come since the 2007 Mobius model I used to have. Tige also impressed me quite a bit with their fit and finish! I do have to admit, Mastercraft still holds the championship belt when it comes to fit and finish, however, I do still prefer the firmness of the Nautique interior cushion over the plush feel of the MC's (from experience, when the plush seats get wet, you sink all the way down till your butt is on the hard seat bottom). Also in attendance was Axis and Supreme, sorry no Wake Tractor! lol. But on to the point of this thread....Malibu...specifically the "all mighty" M235. Before I continue, Every Malibu there looked fantastic, elegant, and fully functional...EXCEPT the M235!!! I was actually excited to see what this "G Killer" had to offer. But once I stepped into the cockpit, I looked directly at my friend who had pretty much the exact same look on his face, which basically stated "WTH?!!!" IMO, it honestly looked like Malibu rushed things to get out a product just in time for it to hit the boat shows. EVERYTHING in the M235 felt sub par compared to other boat makes including Moomba and even the other Malibu's in their own booth!! The interior vinyl seemed to be of a cheaper grade, the paint looked very cheaply done even with the beautiful (sarcasm) lines of this boat, and absolutely NOTHING inside yielded to the fact that this boat would be worth a MSRP of over $200k! I even started bleeding from a bent fingernail from trying to lift one of the seats. The tower looked absolutely hideous. This boat was by far the biggest disappointment I've come across in all of my boat buying experiences. SO GLAD I WENT WITH A G23!!!!!! The only thing I liked about it was the helm display. However the same is offered on all Malibu's and I would much prefer a 23LSV over this piece of junk!



  • migs
    Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
    • Aug 2008
    • 702

    • San Mateo, CA

    • SAN 210 TE

    #2
    Just like when the new Xstar came out, no wake picks &/or videos are in circulation. When the G came out, the vids were popping out day after day like hotcakes. If you want to be a G killer, you better create a wake to compete with the G. Fact is no one is even close.
    Migs

    G21 - En route
    SAN 210 TE (Finally)
    06 Sky Supreme V220(previous)
    05 Sanger V210(previous)
    01 MC X1(previous)
    99 Air Warrior(previous)

    Comment

    • all2matt
      • Jun 2015
      • 77

      • bismarck, nd

      • '14 G23 450 Previous: 10 tige Z1 & 02 tige 20i

      #3
      they look awesome!!!!!! atleast from the all the pics Ive seen online but the fact they are 50K more than a G and with no proven wake/surf reviews (atleast that Ive seen) I think the majority of hardcore wake/surf fans that are not solely malibu diehards will take the wait and see approach. As for the millionaires that have money to blow without a test drive it will do well. they look great but proof will be finalized by the wake. Thus why I too bought a G23 after test driving a 22MXZ with its soft round surfwake :-( Now if the Tige RZX had been out for a yr and I had seen enough positive reviews AND a test drive/ride went well it woulda gave a G23 a run for its money with me.

      Itll be interesting this summer to hear/see actual riders compare the RZX, RI237, M236, and G23 along side each other under "real" water conditions.

      Comment

      • Tallredrider
        1,000 Post Club Member
        • Oct 2014
        • 1026

        • St. George, Utah

        • Red Metal Flake 2016 G23! Malibu 25 LSV 2019 2021 Centurion Ri237

        #4
        I tested out an RZX late last fall. Let's just say that I am happy to state I have another G23 coming. I think it has real potential, but we could not get the goofy side surf wave to work. The thing I love about my G is that I just fill up the ballast and both waves are good all the time. I know that I can add some lead or extra ballast here and there to get it a little better, but it works fine no matter what I start with. The RZX is going to require some 'setting up' which is stoopid for a 120K boat.

        There is an 81 page thread on the malibu crew about this G killer and IXFE did a detailed comparison of prices at his local boat show. When you start to compare similarly equipped boats, the difference is no where near 50K. I think he exaggerated a little to say they were pretty much the same, but some of the options on the M boat add to its price tag, like a $2,000 powered pocket door. When optioned close, I think they are going to be within 10K of each other. But his particular dealer who carries both brands, may be more aggressive with Malibu and less with Nautique. But that is the only 'same area, same dealership, similarly equipped' thorough comparison I have seen. You can start with the fact that the M will only come with the supercharged engine. And clamping board racks are going to be a few K more as well if you wanted them on your G. Initial buzz was that you could not option the boat down, but that is not true.

        This is the first review that I have seen who felt it was not all it was cracked up to be. But all of those others were on the Malibu forum, so what would I expect?
        Last edited by Tallredrider; 02-16-2016, 03:45 PM.

        Comment

        • Beg4wake
          Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
          • Oct 2014
          • 563

          • Radford VA

          • 2016 Nautique G23. Masters Blue/Gunmetal Flake

          #5
          I have to agree with the fact that actual proof of the wake will tell the tale for the M235. But I can personally say...the G23 and the M235 are NOT in the same price point, by a little more than $10k. I priced the 2 pretty much identically, and with only the exception of a 2nd set of racks, and the powered pocket door (G23 had a pull out pocket door), and the lighted signal system that tells you the surf side transfer is about to happen, the boats were $30+k difference!

          On another note...the G has a TON more interior room! The M235 felt like it had about as much room as my last 08 XStar had and felt VERY cramped!

          It's funny, I spent a lot of time with the MC dealership there (because I know a lot of them, and YES they give me a ton of crap for going Nautique), and they too were surprised at the M235! They said they were excited to see the wake a few days before the show because as they were demoing one of theirs, the Malibu dealer had a M235 out to demo...however they ended up having to pull it out because for some reason it would not plane out so it had to go to service. These same dealers that give me crap about going Nautique, also say they completely understand. Some of them, leaving names out of it, even admitted that they think MC has some R&D to do with the XStar to get it back in competition with the G on terms of wake and surf...bc as Tallredrider stated, the G is great right out of the box, whereas the XStar needs about 1000 extra pounds and needs that to be placed accordingly as well in order to have a great dialed in wake...even though all storage is then lost!

          Like I stated above...and probably the biggest shock to me...is that the M235 just seems like it wasn't even quite built to Malibu's standards when compared to just the other Malibu's there at the show. The other Malibu's were way nicer on the interior! Now the only thing about it I did like was the claimed 5400# ballast system!!
          Would still love to see the wake this thing puts out!
          Last edited by Beg4wake; 02-16-2016, 04:01 PM.

          Comment

          • thtrog
            • Apr 2012
            • 112

            • Asheboro, NC

            • 2014 G23 450

            #6
            The claimed M235 5400# ballast is with added PNP bags and 1500# wedge, the tanks are actually 2360#. As far as price, when introduced it was a take it or leave it optioned boat...that's when I walked away from being a Malibu promo owner. They have since backed off, I assume because of price pressure, but none a these lower optioned M235's exist. Did you open the rear hatches??? The access is crazy small and engine has a huge piece of billet aluminum in front of it. In the end, I'm super happy to be in a G23 and never looking back!
            Last edited by thtrog; 02-16-2016, 05:33 PM.

            Comment

            • Beg4wake
              Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
              • Oct 2014
              • 563

              • Radford VA

              • 2016 Nautique G23. Masters Blue/Gunmetal Flake

              #7
              Originally posted by thtrog View Post
              The claimed M235 5400# ballast is with added PNP bags and 1500# wedge, the tanks are actually 2360#. As far as price, when introduced it was a take it or leave it optioned boat...that's when I walked away from being a Malibu promo owner. They have since backed off, I assume because of price pressure, but none a these lower optioned M235's exist. Did you open the rear hatches??? The access is crazy small and engine has a huge piece of billet aluminum in front of it. In the end, I'm super happy to be in a G23 and never looking back!
              Yes I did! I was expecting a G23 like cavern back there but rear lockers were actually kind of shallower than expected. And like I said, all of the seats were very hard to lift up. At first I thought they didn't even have hinges because they were so hard to lift! I have nothing against Malibu at all...actually a fan of their boat...I just think this particular one is a rip off!! And this particular one must be an example of lower optioned unit, at least it did only have the single set of board racks on it.

              Comment

              • nohlan_4
                Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
                • Jan 2016
                • 413

                • Canada

                • 2013 G23 450

                #8
                Very interested at what the wake will be like, that will be the deciding factor but Malibu seems to have an uphill battle going on already. I'm happy i went with the tried and true G23 in the end.

                Comment

                • JoeA
                  Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
                  • Jun 2014
                  • 808

                  • Chickamauga Lake TN

                  • 2015 G23 550

                  #9
                  I have gone to two boat shows this year and I have to say that I do like the M235 and the wave does look very good, but no better than my G23.


                  I will also say that I still believe I have the best boat for me. If I just had crazy money I'd buy a Pavati or save some money and buy a Supra. Supra has really stepped up their game and yes I also bought a SE5550 before buying the G. Te surf wave on the SE was epic! Basically I could not convince myself to buy a first year boat and a first year engine by Ford. When I was at the Atlanta Boat Show they had a beautiful SA450 well optioned with the 440 for $107K. It sounds crazy but that was the best bargain on floor.

                  Back to the Malibu. They will sell a few M235s then people will realize that it's just another Malibu and not worth the money. I also anticipate that the same QA/QC issues will be present in the M235 although I bet if you paid $180K for a boat you won't be telling everybody about it on the web.





                  2015 G23 550
                  2013 Malibu 22MXZ

                  Comment

                  • JoeA
                    Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
                    • Jun 2014
                    • 808

                    • Chickamauga Lake TN

                    • 2015 G23 550

                    #10
                    Originally posted by nohlan_4 View Post
                    Very interested at what the wake will be like, that will be the deciding factor but Malibu seems to have an uphill battle going on already. I'm happy i went with the tried and true G23 in the end.
                    http://s124.photobucket.com/user/IXF...wxs4o.png.html
                    2015 G23 550
                    2013 Malibu 22MXZ

                    Comment

                    • OxDoc
                      • Aug 2015
                      • 109

                      • Oxford, OH

                      • 2016 Nautique G23

                      #11
                      The m235 was at our local boat show and I thought it was a pretty sweet boat. To me the fit and finish was close to the G, but no way would I pay a premium over the G to own one. I do agree with you that the wake is unproven, so only time will tell how it stacks up in the wake/wave area.

                      Comment

                      • Beg4wake
                        Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
                        • Oct 2014
                        • 563

                        • Radford VA

                        • 2016 Nautique G23. Masters Blue/Gunmetal Flake

                        #12
                        Good pic of the "wave"...but I still have yet to see some good pics/footage of the "wake"

                        Comment

                        • Beg4wake
                          Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
                          • Oct 2014
                          • 563

                          • Radford VA

                          • 2016 Nautique G23. Masters Blue/Gunmetal Flake

                          #13
                          I dunno...maybe it was just the one at the Charlotte boat show...but it just didn't seem that nice. Maybe just that specific one wasn't made very well...

                          Comment

                          • Beg4wake
                            Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
                            • Oct 2014
                            • 563

                            • Radford VA

                            • 2016 Nautique G23. Masters Blue/Gunmetal Flake

                            #14
                            Ok...finally found this video from Wakeboarding Mag...the wakeboard does actually look pretty good.

                            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueUyvQkXDWU

                            Comment

                            • swankster
                              1,000 Post Club Member
                              • Aug 2010
                              • 1052

                              • DFW, TX

                              • 2013 G23 450 2025 G23 Centennial Edition

                              #15
                              Spent about 20 minutes on one at the Dallas show and it was a nice boat. The thing I didn't like the most was the helm display. I felt it would take my attention away from driving. Also you need a super lift if your going to put it in a slip.


                              Sent from my iPhone using PLANETNAUTIQUE mobile app
                              2013 G23 450 with NSS (175hrs) and still have the original prop
                              2010 SANTE 230 343 (280hrs)
                              pre 2010 - various open bow boats and jet skis

                              Comment

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