Early 2000’s Malibu Response thoughts

[aupatking]

I ran across an early 2000’s Response sitting in a neighborhood in my town the other day. I’m curious about them from previous owners/drivers/skiers perspective. Pluses/minuses. I’m not getting rid of my 196, but maybe this would make a good river ski boat to live in our boathouse at home. 
Thoughts good/bad/ugly?

[Mastercrafter]

I regularly ski behind a 2001 Response, open water. GM 350 with Perfect Pass.  I actually really like the boat. Comfy, drives well, seems to ski well. It's got the weird open bow with "walk-over" dash which seems a little weird, but.. 

Cant really comment on tracking as everything feels straight when not going through boat guides but surely doesn't feel like it gets pulled around. 

[bananaron]

I had 2 of these boats.The first one was a 99 closed bow response that I bought out of Texas and the boat was like brand new.It seemed to track well and handle fine however I did not like the wake that much.Also had a 2002 LX open bow that was also like new and the wake seemed to be a little flatter then the 99.Remember these boats are shorter lighter and not as wide as an LXI.I PREFER the LXI over the LX. I think for me their are better boats for overall skiing then the LX ......

[UWSkier]

My boat is a 2001 Response LX.  Wakes are a little firmer than that of a 196 bubble butt at 15 and 22 but better than something like a Nautique 206 or MC 197.  From 28 and beyond, there's no wake.  Boat has good amount of storage with the trunk and under-seat area.  There are really no known issues with these boats other than the occasional leaking HDS box, which is a pretty simple repair.  The GM 350 Vortec is about as bulletproof as any engine ever put into a DD ski boat, and parts are plentiful, cheap, and there are tons of people who know them inside and out.

They're also great-looking boats. :)

If you have any questions, PM me.  I probably know more about these boats than will ever be useful... :)

Mine (foreground) and my friend's (background) in a completely unplanned encounter last Oct.

Edited March 14, 2023 by UWSkier

[MISkier]

They made this hull until about 2015.  I have a 2009 with ZO and about 400 hours.  @UWSkierdescribes it fairly well (although I would say infinitely better than a 197).  No HDS issue on my boat, so they may have improved it in the later years.  It's light and smaller than most everything else, but still drives decently well in the course.

I have some video from -22 to -32 at 34 mph, if you need to see the wake in action.

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by MISkier

[jhughes]

These boats are from a high watermark  era for Malibu and are great boats. Great looking, perfect proportions. Other than a leaky HDS box (easily repaired, Google it) they are tough to beat. 

[skibrain]

LXi a little wider boat, supposed to be a little softer wake, but I find the wake is virtually same between LX and LXi.  I ski regularly behind an 1999 LX, 2001 LX barefooter, and 2004 LXi. All perfect pass boats.

Much improved over the earlier Echelon. 

[MitchellM]

@GWaterski owns one that he lets me borrow at his great lake house.  It's a sweet boat.  Drives nicely and has a soft wake.  I think his is a 2000.

[Dacon62]

Had a 2001. Very nice boat overall. For its time the wake was very good. A bit of a bump at 22 but not bad at all. Good top end with the 325 HP monsoon so good for the barefoot crowd as well. 
topped out at 47 MPH. 
Decent ride too when the water got a bit rough. 
Malibu Australia manufactured a boat with that hull as late as 2021. Not sure if it’s still being produced??

Actually still a really good boat even by today’s standards although not as roomy as current boats.

https://www.boatsales.com.au/editorial/details/malibu-response-txr-australias-homegrown-ski-boat-115204 

[6balls]

Nice boat for slalom and footing.  With a wedge ok for wakeboard with a tower--not that I would try or recommend the latter 😃

Edited March 15, 2023 by 6balls

[03RLXi]

Previously had a 2002 Response LX with 310hp carb engine, Titan 2 tower, shower, heater, manual wedge, etc. Great boat but the step over dash from open bow with bimini in place was a PITA. Really ackward. 

Now have 2003 Response LXi with 340hp EFI engine,  Titan 3 tower, shower, heater, manual wedge, etc. Even better. Engine starts better and walk through is awesome.

The Responses look sleek and are well, 'responsive' to drive. 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by 03RLXi

[Ski_Dad]

I have an 03 Sunsetter LXi and these diamond hulls are very nice to ski.  I feel like it tracks well in the course but not as good as a Nautique 200. 

[WoodySkier]

I have skied a number of these boats.  If you are comparing it to a 196 in tracking, wake, and fit and finish, the 196 is better in all areas.  They are a little roomier than the 196.  You can usually find them cheaper than a Nautique of the same vintage.  One other thing that might not matter to some people, but if you don’t put a turn down exhaust on them they are LOUD.  We have a few on our lake and when people ski with them early in the morning they are considerably louder than the Nautiques and MasterCrafts.

[03RLXi]

Disagree with comparison to 196 finish. In that era the Nautiques had far more plain fibreglass surfaces than Malibu did and much plainer looking dash, etc.  Malibu had more vinyl, more luxury feel. Utility vs luxury. Some of that extra vinyl will have not aged as well plain fibreglass. The build of the Nautiques was more solid. Less screws direct into fibreglass.

Agree with the sound. Notably deeper sound, noiser at all speeds and there can be a real throb at low speed (1500rpm).  They have internal mufflers but no way near as effective as single Nautique outlet or dual Mastercraft outlet. 

 Aesthetics are personal choice. Older Nautiques are a Tupperware soap dish compared to sleek sportcar Mastercrafts and Malibus 😉  LOL  

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by 03RLXi

[UWSkier]

17 hours ago, 03RLXi said:

Disagree with comparison to 196 finish. In that era the Nautiques had far more plain fibreglass surfaces than Malibu did and much plainer looking dash, etc.  Malibu had more vinyl, more luxury feel. Utility vs luxury. Some of that extra vinyl will have not aged as well plain fibreglass. The build of the Nautiques was more solid. Less screws direct into fibreglass.

Agree with the sound. Notably deeper sound, noiser at all speeds and there can be a real throb at low speed (1500rpm).  They have internal mufflers but no way near as effective as single Nautique outlet or dual Mastercraft outlet. 

 Aesthetics are personal choice. Older Nautiques are a Tupperware soap dish compared to sleek sportcar Mastercrafts and Malibus 😉  LOL  

 

Agree.  I ski regularly with two 196s and my Response LX from the same vintage.  My vinyl has less cracking and it's generally held up better than the Nautiques, though the Nautiques are brick poohouses.  Maybe fit and finish of the Nautiques might be slightly better, but Malibu's attention to detail at that point in time was better than anyone else's in the industry, and it's something they've lost since then, sadly.

I mean, who else upholsters the hinge on the observer seatback so you don't have a bare metal hinge there?  One of the many many corners they started cutting later in the '00s decade.

On the noise, $30 bucks at Home Depot will have you running quiet, or you can swap out the factory mufflers, which don't really do much of anything, with something with additional baffling.

Edited March 15, 2023 by UWSkier

[MISkier]

@UWSkier, can you elaborate on the $30 noise solution?  I did get a comment from a top 20 Open Men's skier on the noise.  He is accustomed to skiing the Nautiques and the occasional Prostar and was a bit surprised by his first pass behind my Malibu.  He termed it "an assault on the senses".  I guess I have just acclimated to it over the years and I just don't think it is that loud.

[UWSkier]

44 minutes ago, MISkier said:

@UWSkier, can you elaborate on the $30 noise solution?  I did get a comment from a top 20 Open Men's skier on the noise.  He is accustomed to skiing the Nautiques and the occasional Prostar and was a bit surprised by his first pass behind my Malibu.  He termed it "an assault on the senses".  I guess I have just acclimated to it over the years and I just don't think it is that loud.

Since the migration ate the images in my post here, I'm going to link you to the Malibu forum where I wrote this up.  Watch the video with some headphones on.

https://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/forums/topic/72457-ghetto-exhaust-downturns-with-video/

Others here have done this as well with other elbows than the ones I used.

Edited March 15, 2023 by UWSkier

[DW]

Malibu did offer the silent rider exhaust although not many optioned that way.  As UWSkier mentioned, the system can be quieted down.  Slip in silencers are another way to add noise suppression.  Really good flappers also help.

The SV23 hull is very good, basically the same hull from ‘93 on to ‘16 with a few updates along the way.  TXI hull had some more significant changes to the same basic hull.

Another brand consideration may be GM or Ford power.  More food for thought.