Boating — December 2018

SEE THE

VIDEO

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATIONnaut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. sound

rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level

1000 6.00 6.90 0.90 6.66 7.67 462 531 0 79

1500 7.65 8.80 1.80 4.25 4.89 294 339 1 81

2000 8.78 10.10 3.20 2.74 3.16 190 219 3 85

2500 10.86 12.50 5.40 2.01 2.31 139 160 5 88

3000 16.60 19.10 7.90 2.10 2.42 146 168 7 89

3500 21.12 24.30 8.90 2.37 2.73 164 189 8 95

4000 25.63 29.50 12.70 2.02 2.32 140 161 4 96

4500 30.67 35.30 18.60 1.65 1.90 114 132 3 96

5000 32.76 37.70 23.70 1.38 1.59 96 110 3 100

5500 34.41 39.60 31.30 1.10 1.27 76 88 3 103

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

High Points

XL-shaped MaxBallast hard tanks

and optional plug-and-play ballast

bags help add the weight needed

to build massive waves.

XSurf Gate system allows you to

sculpt the wake to the rider’s pref-

erence without moving ballast.

XSurf Band lets riders control the

Power Wedge and boat speed from

the water.

XSeating capacity for 18 people

means everyone gets to watch

riders surf the huge wakes.

Specs

· LOA: 24'5" · BEAM: 8'6"

· DRY WEIGHT: 5,500 lb. · SEATING/

WEIGHT CAPACITY: 18/2,538 lb.

· FUEL CAPACITY: 77 gal.

How We Tested

ENGINE: Indmar Monsoon 575 6.2L

PROP: 17" x 17" 4-blade Acme Nibral

GEAR RATIO: 1.76:1

FUEL LOAD: 70 gal.

CREW WEIGHT: 380 lb.

Price

Unavailable (at press time)

MALIBU

Wakesetter 24 MXZ

seating that folds out from

the transom, passengers can

watch the wave action behind

the boat. The G3.5 tower eas-

ily folds down yet, with its

stainless-steel construction,

is durable enough to with-

stand a heavy load. When it’s

time to go home, the ballast

tanks drain in minutes. The

boat will climb onto plane in

under 5 seconds, then max

out at a top speed of nearly

40 mph, so you can surf longer

and still get home fi rst.

Wow. That’s all we can say about the wave

generated by the Wakesetter 24 MXZ. OK,

we actually have a lot more to say about it,

but that’s a good start.

Here’s the more in-depth analysis:

The wave the 24 MXZ threw during test-

ing was absolutely massive with so much

power and push. That is partly because

the 24 MXZ has a hull that’s engineered

to maximize wake and wave size. But

don’t forget about Malibu’s technology

and hardware. The 24-foot boat features

Malibu’s Integrated Surf Platform system,

which consists of Surf Gate surf tabs, the

hydraulic Power Wedge II, and an inte-

grated ballast system. When working in

concert, these features allow the boat to

displace so much water that a really heavy

but consistent wave is created to either

side. The wave’s pocket size had a ton of

length and a fun lip at the end. However,

the most impressive characteristic of this

boat’s wave is its height. We’re not exag-

gerating when we say it was waist-high. It’s

like surfi ng an ocean swell.

Like all Malibu models, the 24 MXZ

off ers the Surf Band, which riders wear

on their wrist in order to control the wave

right from the board. With the Surf Band,

you can change the position of the Power

Wedge and speed up or slow down — even

transfer sides. And thanks to Surf Gate,

there’s no need to move weight from side

to side. All of these next-level, customiz-

able features, combined with the dynamic

wave-generating hull, make wakesurfi ng

behind the 24 MXZ better than ever.

The accouterments are better than

ever too. The MaliView touchscreen in

the dash is intuitive. Passengers (as many

as 18 of them) will love the entertainment

system and the stylish yet comfortable

seating arrangements. With the WakeView

PHOTO: COURTESY MALIBU BOATS

MALIBU BOATS

Loudon, Tennessee; 865-458-4578; malibuboats.com

To watch our

video review of

the Wakesetter

24 MXZ, scan

this tag or visit

boatingmag

.com/bbg18/

malibu24mxz.

C

BOAT BUYERS GUIDE WATERSPORTS

CERTIFIED

TEST

RESULTS

BOAT BUYERS GUIDE 2018 | 55 | BOATINGMAG.COM

PHOTO: