Wave test?

[Tallredrider]

Was just looking at their testing methodology again. They say "If Plug N Play was an available option and installed at the factory, then the recommended sacks where connected and utilized."

Because the Malibu boats have a plug-n-play option they added additional ballast sacks? So they are not comparing stock to stock. It's Malibu stock with "recommended sacks" vs. stock.

But because every Malibu owner I have ever seen or heard of uses the recommended sacks, not using them would be dishonest. There is not a factory recommended additional ballast for a Nautique.

[blueroom]

Hah, ya exactly my point. Cause the Malibus need additional ballast over what comes from the factory, and the "test" isn't apples to apples. It's factory, plus additional aftermarket sacks in the Malibu, vs. straight factory ballast in the G. You want to do a fair test, add lead bags to the G totaling the same amount of additional ballast added to the Malibu and then compare the waves. And the G would still have a ton of storage.

[SoCal G-Man]

Hah, ya exactly my point. Cause the Malibus need additional ballast over what comes from the factory, and the "test" isn't apples to apples. It's factory, plus additional aftermarket sacks in the Malibu, vs. straight factory ballast in the G. You want to do a fair test, add lead bags to the G totaling the same amount of additional ballast added to the Malibu and then compare the waves. And the G would still have a ton of storage.

You hit the nail on the head!

[Tallredrider]

I think you guys are drinking the Kool-Aid a little too deeply.

The bags are standard equipment on a Malibu, I've never seen or heard of one without them. Crappy rear storage space is also a standard feature for Malibu. The G23 is not designed for bags in the rear compartment, instead it has huge storage.

There are lots of reasons to question the test, but complaining that the Malibu had rear bags is just losing all pretense of objectivity.

[beamons]

I was quite interested in the perception on the TMC site and read a lot of the comments from the other perspective and was very impressed with the objectivity from the Malibu owners. While the design and aesthetics of Nautique are by far my favorite you cannot deny that there are other great boat manufacturers out there. I don't think that anyone on here would not want to see Ramfill on the 2020 Gs, cool touch vinyl or other great tech that comes out.

[greggmck]

Sorry, I would NEVER want to see Ramfill on a G. It sounds nice but in practice the downside is too great. E.g. One cannot empty the ballast if the engine or propulsion system were to fail. We surf 95% of our engine hours. Any failure would very likely leave me stranded with an 11,000 lb boat to salvage. Without pumps I say NO THANK YOU.

Sure there are limitations and it might be less than convenient, but I don't understand how people can complain about the difficulty of demoing boats and then spend $150,000 plus buying a boat without trying at least a few for themselves. We recently attended the Desert Plunge. https://events.eventzilla.net/e/2018...nge-2138918457 and https://www.facebook.com/events/2152...tab=discussion There are many such events like this one around the country. At this event one can demo 8 boats and dozens of surf boards over a 2 day period. We surfed boats from: Nautique, MB, Centurion, Tige, Supra, Malibu, and Mastercraft.

Then the group gets together and discusses the best waves. The Malibu and Axis were not even in the top five.

One factor in this "Wave Test" is that the perspective ALWAYS places the Malibu or Axis in the foreground and competitor in the distant background. That SCREAMS bias. One cannot take this comparison seriously because it has such a manipulation of the perspective of the size of the wave. But more importantly a good looking wave does not mean it will surf well. Especially when you factor in the variables such as Goofy or Regular, Surf or Skim and rider size.

The consensus at the Desert Plunge by beginner and top level competitors was that the best surf waves were on (in no particular order): Centurion Fi23, Ri257, Supra SE450, G23 and the MasterCraft X24. We all have opinions, only a few are formed with first hand experience and objectivity...

From my experience this Wave Test is only a highly biased attempt to sell boats.

[Wayward]

I also think that most peeps seem to forget that Ramfill only fills the ballast tank portion that is very low in the boat. Centurions still have bags on top of those tanks, and those bags are still filled with a pump. It was the first thing I noticed when I demoed an Ri257. First we filled the ramfill by driving around at a certain speed to get them to fill. Then we waited for the bags to fill. It took more than 10 minutes for them to fill.

My takeaway was- Yes, ramfill filled fast, but the boat was only half full, and we had to wait for the pumps anyway. So, the boat has twice as many different components to fill the ballast, and twice as many components to fail...… and they still don't actually fill any faster anyway.

I'd much rather see Nautique follow MC on their new FastFill system. Same reversible pumps we are used to, just double the size, and double the quantity of pumps. They fill more than 4k of ballast in 3 minutes, and it is reliable. It is 3 times faster than centurions ramfill setup, if you look at the whole picture.

[DocPhil]

Does the test include the bow ballast that all Malibu 23 feet and under need to avoid popping a wheelie while surfing?

[SoCal G-Man]

Does the test include the bow ballast that all Malibu 23 feet and under need to avoid popping a wheelie while surfing?

You make a good point. That is one thing I always point out to potential buyers I take for a spin.