SEE THE
VIDEO
SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATIONnaut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. sound
rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level
1000 5.13 5.90 0.80 6.41 7.38 277 319 0 73
1500 6.08 7.00 1.60 3.80 4.38 164 189 2 78
2000 7.73 8.90 2.80 2.76 3.18 119 137 4 82
2500 9.30 10.70 4.70 1.98 2.28 85 98 6 82
3000 17.99 20.70 5.90 3.05 3.51 132 152 7 89
3500 21.81 25.10 7.40 2.95 3.39 127 147 6 90
4000 26.16 30.10 9.20 2.84 3.27 123 141 4 92
4500 29.37 33.80 12.50 2.35 2.70 102 117 3 91
5000 31.28 36.00 15.60 2.01 2.31 87 100 2 92
5400 32.93 37.90 19.60 1.68 1.93 73 84 2 94
MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEEDHigh Points
XThe 12-inch touchscreen com-
mand center gives the driver easy
control over boat systems.
XExtended swim platform lets
riders slip into and climb out of the
water with ease.
XG3.5 tower stores your quiver and
folds down for garaging.
XWet Sounds stereo system with six
speakers carries tunes throughout
the boat and out to the rider.Specs
· LOA: 21'0" · BEAM: 8'2"
· DRY WEIGHT: 4,000 lb. · SEATING/
WEIGHT CAPACITY: 13/1,833 lb.
· FUEL CAPACITY: 48 gal.How We Tested
ENGINE: Indmar Monsoon 410 6.2L
PROP: 15" x 13" OJ 4-blade Nibral
GEAR RATIO: 1.50:1
FUEL LOAD: 36 gal.
CREW WEIGHT: 380 lb.
Price
$79,995 (with test power)MALIBU
21 VLX
7-inch screen helps the driver work all the
surf settings. Once everything is set, all
the driver has to do is take the wheel and
give the rider the best session possible.
While the 21 VLX shines at 11 mph surf
speeds with full ballast, it also put up solid
numbers with empty tanks and running at
speed. With no ballast in the hull, we were
able to push it onto plane in 4.3 seconds
en route to an almost 38 mph top speed,
very speedy for an inboard-powered tow
boat. The open-bow cockpit and wrap-
around benches in the main cockpit can
accommodate up to 13 people, so the whole
crew can get in on the action, be it surfi ng,
skating, or cruising around the local lake.
The all-new G3.5 tower comes standard
too. Throw in the trailer and the 21 VLX
becomes an absolute steal.Wa kesu r fi ng is all the rage, but that doesn’t
mea n people a re ready to ha ng up their sk is,
wakeboards and wakeskates just yet. Many
crave the ability to do it all. The Malibu
Wakesetter 21 VLX is designed for just that
crowd: watersports enthusiasts who want
to do everything possible be-
hind a boat. You can order the
boat with either the multi-
sport Diamond hull, based
on Malibu’s tournament ski-
boat hulls, or the Wake Plus
hull, if you’re focused more
on surfi ng.
For su r fi ng, this 21-foot
crossover produces a wave
with the quality to compete
with the best boats out there.
It comes standard with the
Integrated Surf Platform, in-
cluding the wake-optimized
hull design, Quad Hard
Tank Ballast system, PowerWedge II hydrofoil and the revolution-
ary Surf Gate. The boat throws a long and
powerful wave. We were really impressed
with the length of the pocket and ability to
drop back unbelievably far with the wave
still having a ton of push, an uncommon
trait for a smaller-size boat. But because
of Surf Gate, combined with the Power
Wedge II, all the boats in the 2017 Malibu
lineup throw clean, consistent and mas-
sive waves. And with the Surf Band, which
you wear on your wrist while surfi ng be-
hind the boat, you can control and tweak
the wave to your liking while out on the
water. The driver can easily command all
settings from the 12-inch in-dash touch-
screen display at the helm. An additionalPHOTOS: COURTESY MALIBU BOATSMALIBU BOATS
Loudon, Tennessee; 865-458-4578; malibuboats.comTo watch our
video review
of the 21 VLX,
scan this tag or
visit boating
mag.com/
bbg18/
malibu21vlx.
C
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RESULTSBOAT BUYERS GUIDE 2018 | 82 | BOATINGMAG.COM