23 LSV test

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trailerboattest

STORY JOHN WILLISPHOTOS JOHN WILLIS; JACK MURPHYVIDEO STEPHEN DWIGHT

Malibu Wakesetter 23LSV

Wake In FlightJOHN WILLIS SAMPLES THE NEW MALIBU WAKESETTER23LSV AND DISCOVERS THAT WHILE IT MAY NOT MAKEYOU WALK ON WATER, ITLL SURELY MAKE YOU FLOAT

ABOVE IT.

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The 23LSV is one of theagships of the Maliburange and this ever popularmarine machine just goteven better with the release

of the 2014 model in all its nery. Wakesetters have been leading the wayin watersports for many years with acontinuing evolution that culminatesin this apex watersports weapon. Ski, wake or surf, this one does it all intypical Malibu style and grace. In fact,shes maritime eye candy, but withenormous heart and soul.

We joined Channel Nine and PrimeTVs Discover Downunder team atthe Brett Sands Watersports Centreon the mighty Murray at Echuca/Moama. Malibus marketing anddealer development manager DavidThorpe brought team rider ThorryHeaney to join former barefoot waterski champion Brett Sands andhis youngster Bo McCallum to puton an impressive display of extreme watersports skills. We even got DiscoverDownunders star presenter andformer Olympic and Commonwealthswimming champion Brooke HansonClarke out wakeboarding for the rsttime since recently giving birth. She was stoked to say the least, and oncompletion of the frivolity, proudlyannounced to her hubby Jared: Honey, were buying a boat!

STYLE COUNCILThe overall presentation of the Wakesetter 23LSV is simply gorgeousand recent additions for 2014 havemade it even more functional. Makeno mistake; this is a big boat withplenty of volume rated to carry upto fteen passengers in comfort.The previous model had an enviablereputation as one of the bestperforming 23 footers, hence the

running surface of the 2014 DiamondHull is almost untouched. There isfresh styling in the remodeled deck,enhanced by thoughtful renementof ttings, seating, layout andaccessories. As expected, qualitycomes standard and is consistent withrecent Malibu offerings.

Some of the marked improvementsinclude a revised dashboard, thenew Wakeview adjustable seating,renements to the Surf Gatemechanism and a full length rearpreparation seat. Malibu has perfectedpassenger seating with the new ip up Wakeview two pop up seat cushionsthat provide rear facing backrestsfor each side of the lounge. The

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: With Surf Gate engaged, David Thorpe makes surfinglook easy on his personal Malibu wave; gorgeous lines and the unmistakeableWakesetter logo ensures everyone on the river will be envious of you; free flowinginterior is a hallmork of contemporary Malibus and the new Wakeview seating systemworks a treat.

mechanism is a little stiff but its superstrong and wont let you down. I haveseen some other attempts at this ideathat have been quite imsy but notMalibus. It allows two more sets ofeyes on the riders, as well as those inthe bowrider zone which now featuresconvenient swing down armrests.

The new interior architecture alsoprovides deeper storage options, afull width preparation seating acrossthe transom, a fully adjustable Isottasports steering wheel and plushbolstered helm seat to thoroughlyspoil the driver. Hop behind therevised dash and youll nd yourselfin the lap of luxury, enjoying its sportydemeanor. I also noted that Malibuhas dropped the vented windscreenfrom the LSV in favour of a cool newdesign that complements the boatsfresh styling.

The outward appearance is simplygorgeous, in a lavish, glitzy andspeedy sort of way. I really liked themetallic Stratosphere blue and white

gelcoat combination. The fresh newgraphics and colour combination issimple yet very classy and adds a realtouch of prestige. Out back, the widertransom seating combines well withthe optional Decadence inlay mat onthe removable platform, to provide thestaging area for tonnes of fun.

The team at Malibu continuallyredenes the limits of their packagingto present a superb product that takesthe guess work out of purchasing. Allof the features that we have grown tolove are still included in the 23LSVincluding the Illusion G3 tower witha pair of swivelling board racks andbimini, and the optional Surf Gatefeature now includes as standard ahorn and indicator lights (if towerlights are installed) for alerting therider to an upcoming wave change(left to right or vice versa). Malibuand Rockford Fosgate sound systemsgo together like Jack and Jill and thisone had a thumper complete with ahuge sub-woofer, remote, amps, eight

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With its generous rear verandah andpanoramic wrap around glass screen, theSL 28 provides fine waterfrontaccomodation with an ever changing view

Highs Simply stunning Big party boat Great wake and wave Operator controls Seating and upholstery

Lows With a towing weight on trailer

of around 2700kg before fuel,you might be up for a new towvehicle

At 2.59m beam, wide loadregulations apply

internal and another four rockin towerspeakers.

WAKE ME UPIt was terric to nally to see the LSVin its element on smooth water witha full complement of passengers and

professional riders onboard. Previouslymy testing has been on the big watersof Lake Hume and Port Phillip Bay, so it was hard to judge the true wake whenthe wind got into it. Thorry and Davidhave this boat set up perfectly as theyhave been using it daily on Malibus

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Just Ride tour, where they travel thecountry introducing newcomers to thevirtues of wakeboarding and skiingbehind a Malibu.

Empty the ballast, retract the Power

Wedge and ip in the Surf Gate andshes a noteworthy water skier. Flipdown the Wedge, ll the ballast andshes a sensational wake boat, and thenip out a Surf Gate for some red-hotsurng on a clean (and private!) wave with a crisp feathering lip.

A simple tap on the MaliView6.5in screen had the boat set up withThorrys preferred wake presets givinghim a high ramp angle and steep lipfor maximum trajectory. MaliViewallows touch screen control of all of

the operating functions of the boatincluding the ballast tanks, speed/cruise control and wedge angle toshape the riders perfect wake.

The Surf Gate was really impressiveon the clean Murray water and it gaveme a rst-hand appreciation of theshape and size of wave. The 2014 modelfeatures a faster actuator for speedyand precise control. Bo McCallum jumped on the inviting wave and blewus all away with his surng talents.

It highlighted just how good the

adjustable Surf Gate really is and Imnot going to argue Malibus claim thatits the best out-of-the-box surf waveon the planet. Check out the footageon tradeaboats.com.au and on Trade-a-

Boat and TrailerBoats Facebook pages.Our demo boat was tted with

the gutsy Indmar 6.2lt LS3 Corvette450. Youve got to love raw V8 power,especially this high performance

engine it rocketed us up and on theplane effortlessly even with a host ofguests onboard.

It has a really pleasant note and issaltwater-capable should you wish tocross over to the dark side in bays andestuaries. A fully enclosed freshwatercooling system is optional.

With a full host of ballast tanks the23LSV has the capacity to carry nearly550lt of water to increase displacementforcing a bigger wake.

Thats a lot of weight to push and

when you add a team of aqua revellersand the increased load from the Power Wedge, even the big 450hp Indmarknows its working.

HOME GROWNI must commend Malibu Boatsfor its commitment to Australianmanufacturing. They have resistedthe temptation to simply import boatsdirectly from America and insteadproduce the full range of Malibus atthe impressive Albury (NSW) based

premises.I highly recommend a full factorytour for prospective purchasers, asMalibu Australia takes boat buildingtechnology to a whole new realm.

facts & figures


PRICE AS TESTED$138,986

PRICED FROM$99,994 (plus on road costs)

GENERALTYPE Monohull modified veeMATERIAL FibreglassLENGTH 7.01mBEAM 2.59mWEIGHT 2700kg BMT

CAPACITIESPEOPLE 15REC HP 350 - 555MAX HP 555FUEL 261ltBALLAST 424lt (Std.)

ENGINEMAKE/MODEL Indmar saltwater-specific LS3 450 EFI marine V8TYPE Sequential fuel injected 6.2 litre V8with variable valve timingRATED HP 450DISPLACEMENT 6162ccWEIGHT Not suppliedGEAR RATIO 1.46:1PROP 13.5 X 16 4 blade CNC cut andtuned Nibral prop

MANUFACTURED & SUPPLIEDBYMALIBU BOATS813 Hope Court,Albury, NSW, 2640PHONE 02 60401174EMAIL [email protected]

How does it rate?

Average

1 SUITABILITY FOR PURPOSE2 INNOVATION 3 DESIGN AND LAYOUT4 QUALITY OF FINISH5 HANDLING AND RIDE6 STABILITY AT REST7 ERGONOMICS8 STANDARD EQUIPMENT9 VALUE FOR MONEY10 X-FACTOR


CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Uncluttered helm is a great place to be,

MaliView allows fingertip control of allthe 23LSVs boarder-orientedfunctions; the boarding platform andrear sunpad provides a great stagingpoint for the crew; Surf Gate extendsthe Wakesetters bag of party tricks.

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23 LSV test

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