Wakeboard Boat Review
Malibu Boats is giving the term “top of the line” new meaning with the Malibu Wakesetter 25 LSV. At 25 feet, this isn’t just the longest wakeboard boat Malibu has. It’s also one of the widest (102 inches) with the most standard horsepower (450 horsepower from the big-block 8100 Vortec). We could tell Malibu had fun putting this wakeboard boat together. It’s loaded with family comforts and wakeboarding features to make it the ultimate choice if you want to live large the Malibu Boats way. If only we could have stopped our intensive testing on it and instead thrown our clipboards to the wind and hosted a massive party on this immense Malibu Wakesetter 25 LSV.
Wakes
From such a big wakeboard boat, you can expect to go big off the wakes. The peaks have a great shape to them, and we were able to pop off them for good hang time. The steep transition takes a little getting used to. Expert riders may find they want to load this boat beyond the 900 pounds of factory ballast to get it digging into the water farther. The new optional Malibu Power Wedge helps dial in the wake shape with its five settings ranging from the equivalent of 400 pounds to 1,200 pounds of displacement. But rather than force this Malibu Wakesetter 25 LSV to perform like a smaller wakeboard boat, try just to let it be what it is – a big water-sports cruiser with its own challenges for a whole new kind of session behind it.
Handling
Whether Malibu Boats engineers are designing a 20-footer or a 25-footer, they put a focus on handling. The Malibu Wakesetter 25 LSV has an immense footprint that keeps it stable as riders try to tug it side to side. Of course, rack-and-pinion steering comes into play, as well as the new Precision Pro Speed Control, a standard feature that helps even green drivers hold speed. We’re grateful that Malibu Boats doesn’t mess around with the engine, offering the 450-horsepower 8100 Vortec standard to ensure everyone will have plenty of power to get this big wake boat out of the hole and on plane relatively fast.
Comfort
The sheer size of this wakeboard boat goes a long way, literally, in making it exceedingly comfortable. We could stretch our legs not just on the side benches but across the rear bench and in the open bow. But Malibu also lays out a vast amount of premium vinyl, padding and carpet to make this a luxury family boat that happens to have a V-drive engine and a wakeboarding tower. Storage and cup holders are everywhere, as are stainless-steel and billet accents. All you need is the optional stereo and maybe the portable head to make the Malibu Wakesetter 25 LSV so comfortable, it could be a live-aboard.
SPECS
Base price: $66,500
Length: 25 ft.
Beam: 102 in.
Seating capacity: 16
Fuel capacity: 80 gal.
Test Prop: Acme 14 x 20 4-blade
Test Engine: Indmar 8100 Vortec 8.1L, 450 hp
Top Speed: 45.2 mph 5,200 rpm
Accel. To 30 mph: 6.5 sec. 154.3 ft.
Accel. To 36 mph: 8.5 sec. 242.7 ft.
Noise Levels (db): Neutral 61 D 62 R, 36 mph 88 D 92 R
