Malibu sportster why so cheap?

[kcross]

I have skied behind some Malibu responses from the mid nineties and newer and love them, but I was wondering why when it comes to buying a boat are the responses so much more than the sportster. My wife loves the idea of getting a sportster because it appears they usually have an open bow, but why are they so much cheaper. I can find a lot of them with relatively low hours for ten to fifteen thousand.

[oldjeep]

Sportster is a closed bow, Sportster LX has the playpen type open bow.

[aspski]

sportster was a more bare bones version of the response. They didn't have all the options that the responses did, but are still good sold boats.

[jhughes]

I have a lot of experience with both. Sportster is a different/narrower hull, previously used for the Malibu "Tantrum" model. Extremely barebones appointments throughout. Even down to having only 2 vs. 3 tracking fins. Came as an open or closed bow. Small, hard wake coveted by barefooters. A comparable year Response is worth every incremental dime over the Sportster IMO, but the Sportster is still a good little boat.

[Kelvin]

Most had carbed engines as well.

[andjules]

I owned one for a while and enjoyed it (have also owned a Response and a Sunsetter). I'd disagree a little with @jhughes - while the predecessor Tantrum was "extremely barebones" (bench seats, weird dashboard), I thought the sportster was "basic" in ways that didn't matter that much - 4 gelcoat colours instead of 5, simpler upholstery, etc. It was carb'd. The wake was not as soft as a 98' and later Response (when the Response moved to the better-for-slalom "diamond hull"), but a little nicer than the original (95-97 Responses) given it was a few hundred pounds lighter. Like the Response LX, the Sportster LX is a walk-over bow, so even though the boat is a little narrower than average, the observer seat is still more comfortable with two than most walk-through bowriders.

[skihacker]

My first ski boat was a tantrum, very bare bones but skied quite well, great on gas, absolutely useless windscreen and pretty useless in bigger water.

[powbmps]

One of the guys I ski with has a 2002. Great ski boat. Same basic features as a Response, but 4" narrower. No trunk, so only ski storage is on the floor. 310 HP carb'd motor, and only 2,250 lbs. Fast boat for sure.

[DW]

@kcross : the MalibuCrew website has a resource section which includes specifications and links to brochures for review. Worth a look if you are considering one. As noted, one purpose of the Sportster was to offer a ski boat at a lower price point. It is considered an excellent barefoot boat and rides on a narrower version of the SV23 hull.

[WIRiverRat]

I used to own a sportster as my first boat. From a purely skiing boat I thought it was awesome. Wakes were tiny, plenty of power, spray was pretty minimal, and I was able to pull people in to 38off with no issues tracking. If you want an inexpensive slalom tug you won't go wrong. Creature comforts were pretty minimal in that boat. Seat cushions are much thinner than the response, carb'd engine (some of the later years were available with EFI), trailer was much cheaper with only two bunks and no brakes. I did have the LX with an open bow but would almost never let anyone sit up there as you would instantly take on water with any wave coming near you.

If you are in the market for a no frills ski boat at an affordable price it would be near the top of my list.

[kcross]

Yeah What I am looking for is a good ski boat that has an open bow at a reasonable price so me and the wife can reach a compromise. I will usually just be skiing the course so what I really care about is having a good boat with good tracking and a soft wake. Unfortunately my wife is insisting that we need to have an open bow for the two times out of the year she will want to go to public lake with some friends. I think I will keep the sportster, and the sunsetters in mind. In my perfect world though I would like to still get a response or a prostar though mainly because that is all I have skied behind so I am biased. Thanks for all your help guys.

[Bulldog]

I have a 2005 Sportster LX. It has an amazing wake, the interior quality is the same as any response of that year except for the rear trunk. The engine is a indmar 320. Reliable and easy to work on. This boat has been amazing. I love it.

[jcamp]

I LOVED my 2001 sportster. Fast, fun to drive and one of the best looking boats of all time. But I would definitely not call the wakes soft.

[6balls]

I know the one on my brother's lake that we know best is significantly louder of exhaust than the Response next door. Fast boat...gotta be nuts with the EFI I've seen a few with the hammerhead 365 for sale over the years. Lower freeboard may be an issue if you've got kids compared to the Response Lx.

Even the Response open bow is on the tiny side...the sportster even smaller.

[skihacker]

My tantrum had no mufflers, I don't know if the sportsters did or not but mine was loudish, I didn't mind.

[jcamp]

No mufflers on my 01.

[herkyjerky]

i have 3 buddys that have sportys,great boats,and super fast,but i wouldnt say tracking is great,but not bad

[Miltaryman]

I wanna buy an older affordable Malibu for straight-up recreational slalom. Which is gonna give me the most bang for my buck as pertaining to small, soft wakes and handling? Sunsetter, Response, Sportster, or Tantrum? Caveat: it has to have a play-pen or open bow.

[skihacker]

Tantrum is same hull as sportster but was only made as a closed bow, sportster lx and response lx were the playpen, response lxi and sunsetter were the hallway open bow.

[6balls]

@Militaryman Sportster lx and Response lx both have playpen open bows. The sportster is, well, sportier cuz it's smaller. Lower freeboard, materials not as nice. Often times hard to find a sportster with EFI, and it won't track as nice, either.

 

Sunsetter is great for a bigger boat, high freeboard and handles nice and has good wakes given it's size, is a walk thru open bow. Tantrum no open bow.

 

I would say Response Lx. Nice boat.

[Bulldog]

I have a 2005 Sportster LX and Love it....great boat all around.

[Miltaryman]

Whats different on the Sunsetter Euro F 3?

[nam1975]

The playpen open bow is pretty worthless. ok for a small kid or 2. But not adults. Get a walk thru Sunsetter or Echelon if you want something much more useful.

[DW]

@Miltaryman - Malibu introduced the SV23 hull on the '93 Echelon and followed through with that hull albeit minor mods with the Response. '93 and up on the SV23 hull is wood free so no worry on rot. Your Euro F3 question - that is the previous generation hull that does have wood stringers and is not quite the ski wake of the SV23 hull. Sportster and Tantrum are smaller & stripped down versions of the Echelon / Response to hit a slightly lower price point. They are excellent barefoot machines. Sunsetter is a longer version of the SV23 hull and if you need the space a great choice. I would target an open bow Echelon (walk through hull) or Response LX for an all around great ski & barefoot boat.

I suggest you go to the Malibu Crew website, lots of info there using the search feature and owner feedback to same question. Good luck and happy hunting.

[Miltaryman]

Sorry for all the questions, hopefully it will help others down the road as well.

I read on someones reply in this thread that the "diamond hull" on 98' and newer Malibu Responses was the way to go for the best slalom wake. Is that feature available on other Malibu models? In addition, would a 94' Echelon 20 walk thru open bow have the same hull dimensions as a 94' Sunsetter w/the same walk thru open bow? Thanks!

[6balls]

@Miltaryman if you want family space, a walk thru open bow, a boat that performs smaller than it's size--go with a Sunsetter on the diamond hull.

 

Hard to find but here ya go:

 

https://www.ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?endless=summer&topic=Search&category=Boat_3Event&postid=60946

 

 

[DW]

@Miltaryman - the SV23 hull updates, diamond & diamond cut are subtle changes over the years. There is a much bigger wake difference as you evaluate the different models to fit your needs. Example being the Sunsetter v Echelon. The Sunsetter is a foot longer.

[Sethro]

@Miltaryman be certain on the year of the Sunsetter. It didn’t get the SV23 hull until 1995. The Sunsetter was a foot longer and 3 inches wider, but the sides are flared from the bottom up and most of the length is out of the water at speed…..so it’s basically the same wetted surface area while skiing as the 93-97 Echelon, just 400-500 pounds heavier.

[Miltaryman]

Seems like most of the better priced Malibu's Ive found are on the opposite coast (west). East coast prices up & down the coast are higher...Whats the opinions on the Tige 21|? Are they comparable to the Malibus?

[VermontSkier]

@Miltaryman the Tige 21i do not get good reviews for slalom wake. I had a friend considering purchasing one this summer and there was not much good to be said about it in terms of wake quality.

 

https://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/25745/2005-tige-21i-ski-wake

[braindamage]

‘99-04 Sunsetter LXi is the best for slalom and reasonable open bow playpen. Not so easy to find and they go quickly.

[UWSkier]

I have a Response LX and I've used the bow once in 3 years of ownership. Sure, you can put people up there, maybe two kids or small adults, but you'd better be on really flat water if you do. It has excellent wakes though. I'd put it like this assuming you want Diamond hull (you do).

 

Response LXi '03-'06 has the best wake and open bow with walk through

Response LX '98-20teens has 9.8/10 wake quality of the LXi with playpen (unless you find an LXr)

Sunsetter LXi '99-04 has wakes that are probably 9.6/10 of the LXi but it's a BIG boat. It's a bit of a mystery why that boat has such amazing wakes.

Sunsetter (LX) I think this was available for a year or two on the Diamond hull but was mostly on the SV23 "wake" hull. A Diamond version of this skis the same as the Sunsetter LXi

Sunsetter XTI 21 also available with a Diamond hull as an option and would ski the same as the Sunsetter LXi. These are pretty rare in Diamond hull form.

End run Echelon even more rare, there were a handful of Echelons built on the diamond hull right before they axed that model. These are unicorns.

Honorable mention, another unicorn, the Response FXi. This is a deep, wide, 20' boat that skis really well. Only made for a couple years and rarely seen in the wild.

[Clydesdale]

@kcross before you decide on open bow see the current post re Malibu lawsuit. I agree with the sunsetter recommendation.