Malibu Tantrum

[Justin]

A Friend is considering a Malibu Tantrum for a budget slalom boat. Can anyone with experience comment on it?

We know its a budget boat, bare bones etc. But really how are the wakes? Quality, ride and tracking?

Did a bit of a search here but wanted to re visit some opinions on it. It would be about half the price of a comparable Nautique bubble butt but hoping for comparable wakes and tracking.

[6balls]

1.) buy the bubble butt you will have no regrets...ever. I've had one for 10 years. Bought it for $17K even and if you look around you know what I could get for a prime example today. Not much depreciation there, and a great quality boat with great wakes and tracking.

 

2.) Tantrum I believe was built on the sportster hull--so should have a good wake, be very quick/nimble, but is very bare bones--like very bare bones.

[swc5150]

Meh, there are much better options out there. A '91-'94 Prostar can be found on the cheap, and that wake is world class.

[UWSkier]

Wakes are tiny but hard. Fantastic barefoot boat. It'll go like stink and be the most fun boat you've ever driven though. As @6balls noted, this was the Sportster before there was a Sportster. Same hull and deck with the hot rod interior.

[dvskier]

Tracks like a limp noodle!

[skihacker]

I owned one for quite a long while, probably 11 or 12 years, 800 hrs and no major repairs needed, I thought tracking was ok for it's size, only has 2 tracking fins. Wake is tiny but the edges are kinda stiff. The interior is really bare bones but as a result actually used to be our go to boat for a portable. There is no where to hide if it's cold.....or raining, or if the water gets rough. It's a lot of fun, sounds awesome (no mufflers) it drafts like 14 inches or something and is easy to tow.

[LOTW]

I didn't know that these existed, reminds me of my Moomba Boomerang. It was bare bones too but the price was right and it sat at the dock and got pounded by the waves and covered in algea but when it was calm, the thing was always ready to roll. I think the Tantrum would be just fine for the right price. Remember though, you get what you pay for, don't expect Nautique level boating.

[ALPJr]

I thought it was the Echelon or early Response hull. Scroll down to page 116 https://books.google.com/books?id=Dx42AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA116&lpg=PA116&dq=malibu+tantrum+boat+reviews&source=bl&ots=7YxQUG5zWp&sig=ACfU3U1xgIEkkjt9iPGYE_k4UayAjWTr-Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiX1ICZ8PPrAhUDn-AKHeJNCOE4FBDoATAIegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=malibu%20tantrum%20boat%20reviews&f=false

[skihacker]

I think if your budget is tight, the condition and hours and price make sense its a decent option, the tracking and wake never held me or my ski buddies back at all. It's a little narrower than the response, I don't remember the exact numbers but something like 80 inch beam for sportster/tantrum and 86 on the response.

[skihacker]

I found the malibu catalog from 97, the response was 20 foot, 90 inch beam, tantrum was 86 inch, drafts 16 inches and tips the scales at a whopping 2100 lbs. Fun to drive, was also pretty good on fuel usage compared to other ski rigs. I imagine the running surface very close to the response.

[6balls]

Moomba Boomerang was bare bones, too. Skied deep shortline behind one it was serviceable. Fun to drive...just a little boat with a big motor. Not quite as bare bones as the Tantrum, but close. I wouldn't want to own either one.

 

Bubble butt or as mentioned by @swc5150 a '91-94 Prostar. Mastercraft quality, great wake.

 

I think quality matters even more in the used market...particularly in the very used market. The really well built boats hold up. Sure some upholstery or some such here and there when it wears out, a steering cable...but otherwise just rock solid like the day they were built.

[andjules]

I'll echo what others have said here: at the right price, it's a great boat. I understand the comments about the wake hardness and tracking, but it's important not to overstate them: it's a tiny wake that's a teensy tiny bit harder than the 'diamond hull' malibus that came a few years later; and the tracking isn't as quite as good as some of the best tournament boats in history; however, they're both perfectly acceptable and if your crew is in the 26mph to (let's say) -35 off @ 36mph range, the Tantrum is an absolutely fine boat if it's what you can afford.

As to quality, it's right at the beginning of the 'modern era' for Malibu: the good news is there's no wood in the construction and good bones. Fit and finish on the details is not top of the line but the hull is solid.

[andjules]

@AlpJr you're both right in a sense. The Echelon and pre-98 Responses (and even the Sunsetter) were on the same fundamental hull design (Malibu's "SV23" hull) as the Tantrum & Sportster models. But as the hull hit the waterline, the Sportster & Tantrum were the narrow/lighter version, the Echelon/Response are the middle-width/middle-weight version and the Sunsetter was the even-wider/even-heavier. Again, the wet part of the hull shape is basically the same, but the real world slalom experience can be noticeably different (the Sunsetter isn't as fun to slalom behind as you'd think from reading the brochure).

[Justin]

Thanks for the responses. For the price I think it's hard to beat, like I said right now any bubble butt TSC Nautique is more than double what this Tantrum is. Mostly 28 - 34 mph, into 32' on a good day.