2018 Malibu LSV - WTH

[blueroom]

I previously liked Malibu, and I am interested in boats in general, so I was interested in checking out a new LSV this weekend at a show.

Getting in the boat, I was bummed to see that their interior quality continues to go downhill, crooked and unevenly spaced upholstery stitching, poor attention to detail etc. I was amused at what seems like shag carpet under the drivers bolster, it's going to soak up some serious water and become mold heaven. Pic attached.

As I went through the boat a couple of features caught my eye. I thought a cubby in the cupholder area with a branded metal lid was a nice touch (pic). I opened it up and couldn't believe what I saw. The cubby was not trimmed out, with unfinished/rough fiberglass right on top. Not only is it ugly, but someone is going to get a great fiberglass splinter, or worse some glass under their nail. Pics.

It is a shame what has happened to the Malibu brand. These are not hard or expensive things to fix - a little better engineering, some tighter controls and good QC practice. But.... it makes the Nautique dealers job easier when a potential customer hops out of a Malibu and into a new Nautique.

[Nautiquehunter]

there has always been something about Malibu that seams off . Too much carpet and other coverings to cover poor fiberglass work . They are still using Indmar I would never buy anything with a Indmar engine.And lastly they are priced right up there with Nautique and MC. They are no where near the same class.

[Wake.BC]

I went through one of the very first 18 lsv’s and I was actually quite impressed. I don’t mind the carpet, you just have to keep your boat dry.

But the exposed fibreglass isn’t even acceptable... That’s definitely a sign of bad quality control.


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[Soul_surfer]

I noticed same things on Axis last year when I bought my 2017 Nautique.

first thing was the carpet everywhere that I wasn’t like.
I am pretty picky when it comes on finish for a 100k toy so I noticed almost everything..
sharp plastic, some carpet was cut above the cup holder so we see the lip, carpet under cushion wasn’t stick.
i always loved Malibu so going Axis was kind of a good choice but I rapidly turn backward.
That’s why I finish with a Nautique. Their fits and finish are just Irreproachable.

at least the Axis/Malibu salesman said that almost everything wrong can be repaired before I purshace.. but it give a good idea how they built they product.

[Evening Shade]

there has always been something about Malibu that seams off . Too much carpet and other coverings to cover poor fiberglass work . They are still using Indmar I would never buy anything with a Indmar engine.And lastly they are priced right up there with Nautique and MC. They are no where near the same class.

Just curious. What is it about Indmar that you don't like?

[72Miles]

When I bought my G I looked hard at a new 23 LSV. I do think they are nice looking boats. But in the time of one, yes one, 30 minute test drive, the list of stuff the dealer had to fix was up to 5. On a new boat! The two that stuck in my mind was 1 - the bimini wouldn't open, and needed to be adjusted; and 2 - the rubber on the swim platform had to be replaced because the sun had caused it to fade and start curling on the edges. The dealer told me, "Well that just because we have this this one a few months and it has sat in the sun". Well duh. It's a boat. They do that!

Absolutely no match for Nautique build quality. None.

[migs]

there has always been something about Malibu that seams off . Too much carpet and other coverings to cover poor fiberglass work . They are still using Indmar I would never buy anything with a Indmar engine.And lastly they are priced right up there with Nautique and MC. They are no where near the same class.

Right there with you! Id never own a boat with an Indmar either.

[charlesml3]

I noticed same things on Axis last year when I bought my 2017 Nautique.

first thing was the carpet everywhere that I wasn’t like.
I am pretty picky when it comes on finish for a 100k toy so I noticed almost everything..
sharp plastic, some carpet was cut above the cup holder so we see the lip, carpet under cushion wasn’t stick.
i always loved Malibu so going Axis was kind of a good choice but I rapidly turn backward.
That’s why I finish with a Nautique. Their fits and finish are just Irreproachable.

at least the Axis/Malibu salesman said that almost everything wrong can be repaired before I purshace.. but it give a good idea how they built they product.

Well to be fair here, the Axis is designed, built and marketed to be a "budget" wake boat (if there's really any such thing). The quality of the various components simply cannot be where a Nautique is and maintain the price-point they're after. It's impossible. They have to make compromises somewhere.

-Charles

[GMLIII]

Just curious. What is it about Indmar that you don't like?

Like Evening Shade, just curious what is the reason not to get an Inmar engine. I have never owned one but curious why it is inferior to a PCM engine, in a "Nut Shell" . Long detailed explanation not needed.

[migs]

In a nut shell - I had 2 previous boats with Indmars - not joking - was in the shop almost every other outing. If it wasnt one thing, it was another. Thought the first one was a lemon. Upgraded to a new one the following year - same story.

[GMLIII]

In a nut shell - I had 2 previous boats with Indmars - not joking - was in the shop almost every other outing. If it wasnt one thing, it was another. Thought the first one was a lemon. Upgraded to a new one the following year - same story.

Enough said. Thanks for letting me know your Indmar experience. Definitely a turn-off

[Nautiquehunter]

I have never owned an Indmar but I do a lot of reading on many boat forums . Red flags for me fuel pump issues,oil sump issues,Catalytic converters lt just seams when there is a problem its always Indmar. I own 4 inboards all PCM never any trouble with any of them.

[Wake.BC]

Never had any major problems with my indmar. Just a few little things that weren’t directly indmar under warranty.


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[Soul_surfer]

My last boat was an indmar 400, had few minor problem with it but overall good engines. But switching to a PCM made me think the same way, never go indmar again. They are built differently (thoughter). Raptor had some issue riding on throttle, had fuel pump replaced after a year, solenoid after 2.
ZR 409 have more power, more torque. is more quiet and feel less like a civic turbo if I can say it like that haha..
Just looking at the 2 and you see the difference, indmar have a little plastic cover that flaps and broke few times.. Just have to replace the bracket but still..
Raptor engine feels more « economic » for owned the 2 motors.
when I think about that, my dad owned a Nautique for 5years with PCM and never had problems,
my pcm either not one in 2 years.. my raptor had many when I think about it lol. Never realized but yeah always something broken,
not big things but always a little something sometime.

responding to Charles.
i know Axis is an economic brand and can’t be compared with Nautique.. that wasn’t the point.
just seeing sharp plastic and cup holder that wasn’t cut correctly was just unacceptable even if they have to « cut » somewhere.. it was still a 79K boat..
even Moomba had way better finish and more « economic ».

[xxrb2010]

You have to be careful about issues and non issues reported on internet forums. A few comments from people having issues or people not having issue does not make a trend. If someone is in the business of marine mechanic and see a lot of different engines, then he or she can talk a little about reliability. Malibu has been trashed online since their IPO for their quality going south. Is it a fact or just trash talk online? I do not know. I might be able to say the same about nautique quality as my nautique had every piece of electronics and more changed under warranty. Does it make Nautique quality bad, I do not think so. I might have had bad luck with my boat and thus cannot infer a trend from my issue.
To the pictures shown, again, is it an outlier? or all the boats manufactured by Malibu present the same type of default. Some Malibu owners would say that their boats have been flawless. Malibu even said, in their financial reporting, that their warranty claims on a % basis is going down. Some will interpret that as better quality control and thus better quality, some others would argue that the % basis is a wrong metric as the more expensive the parts the less the manpower is in term of % and thus in term of % basis. I am in that second category . Only Malibu huge dealers with many years of experience before and after the IPO know for sure, but I bet they would say nothing negative if true .