I can't speak for Malibu, but I have the Nautique equivalent roughly. We LOVE our step over open bow boat. Obviously it's very important to know that there are times it can be used and times it shouldn't be used, and obviously, as a driver, it's another factor to take into account, and a basic accounting of common sense seems to work great for us. However, as I go through life, I'm beginning to realize how many really dumb people are out there, and the numbers seem to be going up as time marches along. More and more, we as a society "just can't have nice things" anymore. So at that point, it probably is about time, in the decline of our society, that boats like this not be built anymore. Really too bad, because we absolutely love it.