UWSkier

5 minutes ago, APB said:

You can go to almost any dealer and order an optioned down boat. Options are the problem.

For a lot of people a ski boat is a status symbol and luxury item. Nautique, Malibu and MC have positioned themselves to be very profitable in that marketplace. on the flip side of the coin…think basic white f250’s….. dealers order them optioned down and they always sell. It would be cool if there was an industry/club base model(tournament options only) boat. Centurion did not succeed because 1. It wasn’t a top three and 2. The marketing couldn’t compete.

I know a lot of boat owners/skiers that want a new boat but the price is holding them back. I’m one of them.  It’s unfortunate and I think a brand should capitalize on it. There are skiers out there that just want a great pull that meets all certified standards. 

Nautique should have done w the old 200 hull. Instead, they muddied the waters with an all new 200. 

I know this is all been talked about, but man I don’t understand why it can’t happen. If we are ever fortunate enough to have one of the big three do it for us… God, I hope people support it. I think it could be a great way for Malibu to increase their tournaments presence … Especially with how great people skied at the Malibu open. Let’s give that boat a chance and get people behind it! Where it’s priced right now… It will never be a player. Clubs, schools, tournament organizers and skiers will take the more tournament used option any day.

 

 

 

Malibus are used at quite a few sites in Europe.  Hazelwoods, French Malibu Open, Jollyski, etc.  Not sure why they're not more popular here.  BUT, as @Broussard mentioned, Malibu did exactly what you said when they released the current TXi back in 2017.  It was a basic boat, that from outside of the boat (for the image-conscious), looked EXACTLY like the "high end" TXi.  I don't know if the price delta was just too small or what, but they barely sold any of those.

Those who have said that the used boat market cannibalizes the new stripper boat market are correct.  I'd rather have a 5 year old boat with all the nice stuff than a brand new boat that looks like a bath tub with an OG, round ZO gauge.

4 hours ago, mbabiash said:

Doubt he would’ve made it to wakes from this angle. 

I believe he would have.  You could see from the video he was looking downcourse at the ramp.  He could have swung his S out a bit wider and a bit earlier.  Seems like it was a bit of a situation where he wasn't quite sure what to do.  Not much time to make the mental calculation when blazing past 1 ball at 43... I imagine. lol

3 minutes ago, Slalom.Steve said:

@UWSkierI still have my old '16 in the basement (on the '22 now). You wanna buy it? 🙂 

Nah. Mine was a custom Eddie-made special. Wouldn't have same sentimental value. 

14 minutes ago, Horton said:

@jhughes the 16 Vapor is a classic

wish I'd kept mine

14 minutes ago, BraceMaker said:

Two sides to every coin right?

As much as some people like driving I know several people (myself included) who often don't get to ski the course because our drivers find it stressful.  My wife for instance has bad eyesight, she has difficulty picking up on the course far enough out to get centered up and that stresses her out too much to find it enjoyable. This could be a game changer.  Even if it just tried to do a straight path from 55 to 55 that would generally get her on track confidently so she wasn't so nervous about it.  I could probably ski 2-3 more times a week if this tech was on my boat.  Maybe even more.  There are so many other people around me that can pull people behind a boat but I wouldn't have drive the course right now.  That's your target audience not people who pull L/R and have drivers rating they don't need it.

 

Can see this point, and this use case, I suppose.  If it behaves like lane-keep assist and gently works with the novice driver, I can see a place for it as an OPTIONAL technology, rather than one that's mandated.

Voltaire said "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

Shakespeare said "Striving to better, oft we mar what's well."

I think this sport is full of good, well meaning people who can't help but ignore ancient wisdom.

Auto-steer removes part of the human element of a sport that's already seen as cold, individualist, and robotic.  Good driving is a skill unto itself, and for me, personally, I enjoy driving EVERY BIT as much as skiing, sometimes even more.  If I'm just going to be a passenger to the robo-driver, count me out.

I have zero fault with people trying to solve unique problems, but at some point, don't we all inevitably just become cable skiers?

1 hour ago, Horton said:

@TFIN and I have talked about how she might not be the best woman skier of all time but the best skier of all time. 

I honestly don't think there's any debate, considering the results achieved, life outside of skiing, injury recovery, etc.

Feels like Malibu has some pretty easy marketing fodder from this weekend if they choose to capitalize on it.  When's the last time two WRs have been set in a single tournament?

Though I suppose at the rate Joel is going, he'll break his own overall record 2 more times this season.

41 minutes ago, markn said:

@Broussard The TWBC graphic kept showing the Malibu TXI as 360 h.p. 6.0 liter monsoon.  Was that an error or are they using 6.0 liter now?  Thanks.

They were showing the ProStar as 6.0L last week too.

Malibu hasn't been offered with a 6.0L since I think 2019.  Whenever they made the switch to their own engines.  Choices are M5 (5.3) and M6 (6.2).

5 hours ago, Cooper_Trelawney said:

When was the last time we've seen 2 World Records and so many PBs in one tournament?  Especially considering the lake is not in Florida and the majority of the skiers aren't regularly skiing behind Malibus (conjecture).  Even the jumps were huge although there wasn't a very good headwind situation, it was mostly flat.  I'd say this was a big success for Malibu and Lymanland.

I didn't get a chance to watch.  2 WRs and a bunch of PBs?  I know about Reg, but who else did WR or PB?

The "gearing" is similar though as the TXi runs a 11.5 pitch prop.

3 hours ago, buechsr said:

The point is, with it, being a one to one transmission, RPMs are slightly lower and slightly lower on the torque curve, unlike the Mastercraft and nautique which are higher in the torque curve. Therefore, it could give the perception that it is a slightly softer pull, hence a move up to the Bs.  

But it’s hardly “soft” or underpowered, just a different feel for them.  

It’s not a deficiency necessarily that Malibu doesn’t use a reduction transmission. They never have, even when, for example, the power slot begin usage for Mastercraft long ago.  Malibu was able to save weight and generally run a few miles an hour faster than MC and cc, and hence was the preferred inboard barefoot boat for a long time, save for the specialists like Sanger.  

The real difference will be in jump.

Jump scores looked good to me. 

Would be cool if these were clickers like you have on high end powersports shocks for compression and rebound damping.

Oh, conditions are rough out there and the risk of stuffing the tip on a roller is high, remove two clicks of tip engagement.

Water's cold and ski's not smearing?  Add two or three clicks of smear.

Might see if any of Hazelwood's previous gen TXi's with their special lightening modifications are still available.  They would take a standard Malibu TXi and remove a bunch of weight from the rear, making for excellent wakes.

4 hours ago, DW said:

FW even commented on it.  What does he train behind? (yep rhetorical question).

What octane are they running? 🤪

This boat is a 6.0L per the twbc graphic. Is that accurate? 

Are you sure it's your piriformis?  And if it is, are you sure it's tight and not just weak?  When does it hurt?  I went through a ton of rehab and PT for my piriformis and have it all loosey goosey, but I still have hip pain.  Turns out I have cam impingement and a torn labrum.  BUT I DID have piriformis issues in the past and this is what fixed me right up.

Figure 4 Piriformis stretch

Pigeon yoga pose stretch

Side lying leg clamshells with a resistance band - lift and hold for a 30 count instead of going up and down

Side lying leg raises with a resistance band

Back bridges with a resistance band

PLANKS PLANKS PLANKS

One leg woodpecker drill

I can't find video or pics for this, but my PT had me do it and it kicked my ass.  Put 4 pieces of tape on the wall in a square about 1 foot by 1 foot.  Stand on one leg about a foot from the wall.  Keep your abs tight and don't bend at the back.  Touch your nose to each piece of tape 10 times without bracing yourself or putting your other foot down.  Don't break your nose.  Also great for slalom balance. 

Do you guys find that these things work themselves loose frequently?  They're not very tight when they run in.  In my Vapor front boot, I can tell they're loose if I feel a clicking/ticking sensation in my foot.  Usually it's because they're too loose and my toe is not making good contact with the toe bar anymore.  I have my release wishbone as tight and as far forward as I dare try it.  Think of maybe wrapping them in teflon tape before running them in.  Thoughts?

2 hours ago, Mastercrafter said:

I have this tendency to hear things and then way over-implement them. This was Monday’s attempt to get off my back foot after listening to Spraymakers on the way to the lake.  Nailed it.  

I have a common saying after those.  "That was going great right up until it wasn't!"

On 8/23/2023 at 8:26 PM, jedgell said:

Yes, I’ve skied it several times, including a tournament last weekend. Great boat, in new condition. I haven’t driven it, but an owner of a 200 said it tracks better than his boat.  Like any of the Big 3 it skis great. A bit if a bump at 22, but then 28 and shorter it’s fine. 

On 8/24/2023 at 7:28 AM, tru-jack said:

thanks everyone., really appreciate you comments.  I did chat with the owner and he seemed to be a great guy, and   He too mentioned both he and his ski partner with the 200 felt this tracked better, which is really encouraging.  very tempting....  will re-introduce the topic with my wife, but this time wait until she's had a few glasses of wine and make sure not mention the fact that one daughter starts university next week, and the other next year...

You guys have just broken rule number 1 of boat threads on BoS.  One must first pay homage to the utopian craft known as the 200 before making a single disparaging comment or comparison lest you suffer the wrath of the Nautique fan clan.  Repent, before they start burning jump skis on your front lawn.

I'm just happy Malibu is still in the game.  But I have to wonder if we'd have a new TXi by now if it weren't for what happened to Chad...

I do the glide with my back heel up, and I try my best to timber to 10 and 2, but the concept of having the weight on the balls of my feet is something I just can't make myself feel.

That place is awesome.  Like the Lambeau or Wrigley of waterskiing.  My PB was there for a couple years.  I kinda felt bad breaking it somewhere else.

38 minutes ago, igkya said:

New filter didn't resolve the issue.  Cleaned the spark arrestor yesterday which was really dirty and on the 2nd set, the problem seems to have gone away, or at least is not as bad or frequent.

some carb cleaner down the throttle body throat and on the IAC might not be a bad idea if a cleaned spark arrestor helped.  Get all the gunk off the butterfly, in any of the orifices, etc.