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Thinking about upgrading to another ski boat


kds221
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Well after owning a 1999 Moomba Boomerang for 8 years I think its time to move on. My family has grown and many of you know that the boomerang is very tight on room. It’s been an amazing slalom boat. I have an opportunity on buying my neighbors immaculate 1995 Malibu Sunsetter. He’s the first owner and has taken exceptional care of it. I’ve wakeboarded behind this boat before but never on a slalom ski. Could anybody chime in on how the wake is on these boats at 34mph? He’s going to put the boat in for the first time in 4 years to pull me skiing this weekend. I just want to get some opinions on what to expect.
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will be relatively firm and bigger than most dedicated slalom boats, but passable depending on your expectations. If you need a bigger family direct drive, there is a huge difference between a sunsetter (LX) and sunsetter Lxi, which came out in 99. HUGE difference. There's a nice one in wisconsin with a tower for 17 I think on SIA.
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@kds221 - To get more details on that boat, I suggest you visit the Malibu Crew forum and search for threads on it. The Sunsetter has a very satisfied owner feedback vibe, so worth reading up on specifics.
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I skied behind a 95 Sunsetter LX a few years ago, but I was at 28, 30, and 32 mph. The wake was definitely not that of a Response, but I still managed to have a good time.

 

If you have to have a bigger boat, and have a budget in the mid-teens I would assume, you may also want to consider a 92-95 prostar 205. It feels a little smaller, but the wakes seem a little nicer.

 

I assume that most Sunsetter LXi boats in any reasonable condition will be out of your price range?

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Actually the boat was put in once in 2018 and has been stored in a heated garage all year round. I haven’t really been shopping around at all. This all just came about last weekend when I heard it was for sale. The deciding factor will be on Saturday when I get to ski behind it. I’m on a river and do nothing but free ski so I’ll probably never use it on a course.
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That boat has the SV23 hull, which became known as the "wake" hull. I'm not familiar with the Boomerang, but the 95 Malibu will be decent, not great. As mentioned above, the Diamond hull under that boat or the Sunsetter LXi is a marked improvement in ski wake.

 

If you ski at 34 MPH at 32 off, it will be great, but if you are at 15 or 22, you might not love it.

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The running surface of the 95 Sunsetter and equivalent Response is essentially the same. There is an additional one foot in length mostly "out of the water" towards the front and the sides are flared to get the extra width leaving essentially the same footprint width wise as well. The difference is weight. It's about 500ish pounds heavier. I've skied that model quite a few times, and I'm happy to report the wake won't be your limiting factor. No, not quite as good as the Response, but more than adequate for an enjoyable experience.

 

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Thanks for everyone’s input. I appreciate it. Maybe I’ll keep the moomba for the rest of the season and wait for something a little newer to come up. I’m still going to ski behind It this weekend but after hearing everyone’s word I might not be too impressed. I’ll definitely chime in here Saturday on what I decide.
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