Which Wakesurf Boat Wave Is Better? Centurion Or Malibu? | Boardco

[@joetaber8259]

As a former Malibu owner, and a current Centurion owner, there’s no comparison between the two. Centurion is the best wave. I’m addition, the deep V hull (vs flat meant for skiing hull) along with real physical ballast (vs wedge) the wave is not totally impacted by chop like the Malibu.

[@matthewharris9873]

A little misleading here, Malibu offers two hulls one for Wakesurfing/Wakeboarding (Wake Plus) and a multi-sport (Diamond) which includes skiing. The Wake Plus hull is a deep-V as well and not flat as suggested above. Also, on the 22 LSV for example, the total hard tank ballast is 4,000 lbs, plus 1,100 with the added rear PnP bags for a total of 5,100 lbs. The wedge is on top of that to add another simulated 1,500 lbs of ballast. I have never been on a Centurion boat so I can't say which wave is better but I find these videos are all pretty biased. On my 22 LSV if you want to adjust the wave you don't just have the surf-gate. Since I am running 5,100 lbs of ballast fully loaded it is easy to dump a little in the rear to make the wave more mellow and longer. And then as you are running you can always add wedge if you need more height/push to the wave. Lastly, most all Malibu's have the HI-FLOW ballasts which have a similar filling speed to the RAM Fast. I can fill all my had tank ballasts (4,000 lbs) in less than 2 minutes max. Would be great in these videos put up all the specs, make/model, year, speed, wedge, PnP Yes/No, hull design, etc. so people know what is actually being compared. I'm assuming this boat has the Wake Plus hull as the Diamond Hulls are pretty few and far between.

[@BoardCo]

@@matthewharris9873 The 25LSV here was a 2023 model with full PNP bags and the Wake Plus hull. Surfing was at 11.2mph on both boats. The Wake Plus hull is NOT a Deep-V hull. Is it deeper than the diamond hull? Yes, but it is running about 5 degrees of deadrise at the transom where the Centurion Fi in this vide is running 20 degrees of deadrise. Also, the 4,000 lbs. of ballast that Malibu reports as the "max ballast" on the 22 LSV includes the 1,100 lbs of PNP bags and 1,500 lbs. of "simulated" ballast from the wedge at a setting of 7. Not trying to discredit anything, the information you provided is valid; but it can sometimes be confusing for consumers as Malibu jumps through a lot of hoops to not report ballast numbers (something we cover in a different video). With that said, we really try to be as unbiased as possible, and we are happy to listen to any suggestions on how we can make videos less biased without having to jump through a bunch of unnecessary hoops.

[@matthewharris9873]

@@BoardCo Huh, that is new info for me. If that is the case, I agree Malibu's description is pretty deceiving as "Max Factory Ballast" should not include PnP bags that do not come installed from the factory. I understand they are pre-installing the lines but definitely not what I assumed. Same with the power wedge that is "simulated ballast" I would not assume that is included in max factory ballast. I tried very hard to find the weights of the quad tank ballast system on the Malibu boats but came up empty handed. Based on the info you provided it sounds like the 22 LSV only has 1,400 lbs of hard-tank ballast which seems super low. Either way, thanks for providing the speed, ballast, and other settings as that is helpful and seems like a pretty fair comparison in this case.

[@BoardCo]

@@matthewharris9873 Thanks for the feedback! We covered this in other videos but, as far as we understand, Malibu includes PNP in "Max factory ballast" but has the dealer install them in order to get around the capacity ratings put on by the NMMA (national marine manufacturers association). This is the reason why a Malibu 23 LSV is rated for 16 passengers vs. a Centurion Ri230 is rated for 14 passengers even though the Ri230 is bigger and deeper. The Centurion adds PNP bags from the factory and it is included in the capacity ratings. The sad part is that trying to figure out this information is hard, even when you are looking for it.

[@kyledehrussoczy-wirth9331]

This is a great video. I’d love to see a Mastercraft comparison too. While you’re at it, grab a Supra and Tige as well!

[@MrCamoBro]

For the price a Centurion is hard to beat! Malibu looks nice, but for performance I’ll pick a Centurion any day.

[@cadehassel3242]

Honestly, it appears that my 2022 23lsv has a significantly bigger wave, which makes me think it could’ve been set up much nicer for the Malibu than in the vid. Centurions are amazing as well so just need to see how it feels

[@finewinedine]

These videos irritate the hell out of me. It's not that they're so obviously super biased, it's that you don't disclose that you are a Centurion and Supreme dealer and you are getting paid to promote them. If you're making a puff piece, it is pretty sleezy not to disclose it. You don't say a single good thing about the Malibu.

[@BoardCo]

Yes we are a Centurion and Supreme dealership. We are not paid to do these videos, but rather we hope to do an educational comparison video. While this video is biased towards centurion for the surf wave, you will find that another video we did is actually biased to Malibu for its wakeboard wave. Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4STfoaio9Sie7M

[@finewinedine]

​@@BoardCo You skipped the first half of the video where the rider says "The Malibu wake is like hitting a wall and the Centurion has a nice ramp and is way easier to ride" . The Malibu is hands down a better boat for wakeboarding. Centurion, I would agree, is a better surfing boat. I've seen a several of your videos comparing Centurion and Supreme with other brands, and I they all strike me as biased. Granted, the riders have give the biggest bias. I just think the whole idea of presenting a video as a "comparison" without first disclosing that you sell one of the boats is misleading.

[@goodson77784]

yeah he did

[@ThunderWarrior77]

it's funny that the boat you sell has the best wave...😂

[@goodson77784]

maybe that's why he sells them!

[@Drunken_Hamster]

Thank you for being one of the few who films at 30fps. 24fps truly looks like trash in most situations, and given how the majority of people use "default settings" and follow the 180-degree lie for the shutter speed, 60fps doesn't look good, either.

[@BoardCo]

You're welcome :)

[@Travis8126]

Malibu all day long, they have always been one of the best boats on the water with the best resell value.

[@ChadYungblood]

Best resell value? haha thats a joke I havent heard in a long time. The resell on malibu drops faster than nautilus and master craft combined. check your facts bud

[@TheArtofRighteousness]

The Centurion is amazing. I have an Ri 230 that puts up a thick wave. The boat itself is super nice and high end. Probably the best value of all wake boats and I’ve ridden behind Malibu, Super Air Nautique and Mastercraft.

[@mattg2306]

My dad bought a ri230 a few months ago, such an awesome boat

[@jboneill]

Let’s goooo

[@BoardCo]

🤙

[@cameronkanuka3189]

That Malibu wave looks a lot smaller than our 2012 MXZ puts out with GSA. Had a 2023 Centurion last year, didnt love it. Lots of unnecessary adjustments and a bluetooth that always acted up

[@ChadYungblood]

Dude what boat did you have? I have NEVER seen a Malibu surf as good as a Centurion if it is run by someone that knows how to set up the wave. Maybe you had a user error?

[@danielpak3743]

@@ChadYungbloodthis guy clearly works for boardco😂😂😂😂😂

[@allancongrave7045]

@boardco A better comparison would be to compare against a Malibu M220 or M240. You state that a LSV is a multi use hull; the M series hull is not and would prove a better comparison for a Centurion. You should also test waves when turning as a straight line test is probably not the use case for many surf boat owners. You’ll see a bigger difference then. Lastly, most Malibu owners will tell you non-surfer side rear ballast is better left at 50% than the 80%-100% you’re testing. This cleans up the wave tremendously (but you probably know this 😃). Good video but lets compare against a Malibu M series or change the title of the video to Centurion or Malibu LSV? (since you correctly point out hull is such an important factor).

[@BoardCo]

What you are saying here has some validity. The reason we tested a 25 LSV vs. a Fi25 is these are the most comparable boats. This LSV that we tested has the wake plus hull which is directed specifically at wake sports and not the multi-use diamond hull. It is essentially the same as the M220/M240 and if there are differences Malibu doesn't publish anything about them. The M240 is bigger and deeper and a direct competitor to the Centurion Ri245. We would love to do a comparison test with these two, but getting access to the boats is quite difficult. I agree with draining some ballast out of the side you aren't surfing on and it definitely does produce a better wave. This is something we cover in this video. The reason we ran it straight down the middle is that we set up each boat with the manufacturer settings and ran it the way they recommend. Malibu doesn't recommend listing the boat to the side because it goes directly against how they market the Surfgate system and how easy it is to set up the wave.

[@BeakNC]

did Nate just drop a Teahupoʻo blast? dude....about the most absurd thing spoken of all time. hilarious

[@rhiannawilkin642]

Funny we turned our Fi25 in with 1200hours great long wave with all the xtras bells and whistles.m including 700lbs of bags. Ordered a malibu lsv26 2023 still surfing it stock sitting at almost 400 hours since April when we piked her up. NO extra weight surging at 2500rpms. Centurion was a week week bit longer. Thus Malibu has pull from the back from the side from the flats with a nice thick hard sharp wave that pulls and pops you when you want it. Centurion for the length Malibu for everything else...I ride my boat with a 25' ride off the ski spike in the back of the boat...So biased found that out at worlds.

[@johncarnevale4856]

I don’t believe this was an unbiased video….lol. I have spent a lot of time on both of these boats and Malibu LSV 25 is hands down the better surf boat at 100% ballast (including optional rear bags). The LSV 25 wave is longer and has a much bigger pocket than Centurion and is completely adjustable on the boat and partially adjustable via a wrist band that the surfer can use to increase/decrease the wave and switch sides!! Also, the Malibu is WAY more comfortable by a HUGE margin…..the boat doesn’t have to list to one side to create a wave, is way quieter and has a much more open feel. I will say I do like the ability to trim with the Centurion so you don’t have to move people around when cruising…that is my only complaint about Malibu….need to add interceptor tabs to be able to trim….ludicrous. I would suggest anyone test out both before buying and make sure ballast is set to 100% and wedge set at 3 to 4 when riding on the Malibu….wave is virtually perfect.

[@BoardCo]

Thanks for the comment! We actually didn't set up the Malibu wave, we had the owner of the boat set up the wave so that it would reach its full potential for an accurate comparison between the two.

[@JustaDudeonYutube]

Please include fuel consumption based on different rpm, speed, wake settings, loads, etc. What is average fuel consumption for wake boats?

[@BoardCo]

That is a great idea. We will be sure to include those details in our next comparison video - stay tuned!

[@thesecond6175]

The driver is sitting on the gunnel of the FI when surfing goofy. Everyone is sitting opposite ride side on the Malibu. Seems like a fair comparison. 😂

[@ChadYungblood]

You can't see anyone in the boat during the entire video so thats a bold claim bud. Sounds like someone is upset about owning an inferior wave!

[@thesecond6175]

Looks like you didn’t watch the video bud.

[@leshunter4409]

Mitch, I enjoyed your video as usual. We have a '21 Fi25. Could you tell me what settings you ran for that goofy side surf wave? It was really clean and long. We all surf regular except my niece. We struggle to get her a nice wave. Any information is appreciated. For what it is worth, our previous boat was an axis A24. This centurion is head and shoulders our favorite boat ever.

[@BoardCo]

Thank you! This was on a 2023 Fi25 so the settings are different than what you would want to run since the hull was changed in 2023. Here are the settings to set up a similar (though a bit smaller) wave on a 2021 Fi25: Ballast: Starboard Ramfill / Transom PNP / Rear PNP / Center Tank: 100 Port Ramfill: 80 Bow PNP: 0 Stinger Plate: 30 Quicksurf Plate: 65 Speed: 11.0 Hope that helps!

[@kittelmatt]

I’ve got a 2022 Ri265 on trade w/90 hrs if anyone is interested, let me know!

[@calvinbethel1431]

Captain error. You can make any wake you want with any high end boat. However it is an art. Constantly changing wedge lift, ballast weight but most importantly speed

[@BoardCo]

There are definitely differences in all boats, though the more ballast the better always holds true. There is no replacement for displacement.

[@stevenparsons4373]

I wasn't impressed by either wave honestly. My 23ft MB throws a better wave than both these boats and it's not close.

[@ChadYungblood]

Lol if that had even 1 ounce of truth then I would buy an MB but thats never happening.

[@ValentinGucci-eu4ij]

Definately Malibu!!!!!!!!!1

[@BoardCo]

Wakesurf or wakeboard?

[@seadweller8458]

Any Boat can surf if you just spend some time and dial it in. Not every Boat can put up a good wakeboard wake though no matter what you do.

[@ChadYungblood]

Idk man, there are a lot of good Surf boats, but not many come close to the centurion ri245 wave

[@seadweller8458]

@@ChadYungblood There is not a direct drive made on the planet that you cannot surf behind. Will always pic a boat with a good wakeboard wake over a surf specific boat any day of the week.

[@ChadYungblood]

@@seadweller8458 WHAT DIRECT DRIVE are you surfing behind??? even wakeboard boats aren't direct drive. THEY ARE A V DRIVE. Do you even know what you are talking about?

[@BoardCo]

Check out the new Fi series boardcoboats.com/pages/centurion-Fi-series-boats

[@curtmatson7426]

Way too biased, your just trying to sell boats and not giving a fair comparison with paid actors. I only look for advise from an independant source that has nothing to gain. Clearly the Malibu LSV is the leader in tow boat sales, understand why you target them. Malibu provides performance, dependability, latest technology for a solid price. Centurion are way over priced for the value they deliver. Maybe you should seek out a Malibu dealership :)

[@ChadYungblood]

Bud must be smoking something. Centurion runs every wake surf tournament world wide... why? Maybe because they are THE BEST. Malibu has horrific build quality, and a ballast system that guzzles gas unlike any other boat. You want to be like the kids in outer banks? Sure, buy a Malibu. Want a real surf boat? Buy a Centurion. Oh and didn't you hear? Malibu is losing their biggest dealer network (14 different dealers across the US.) and they are being sued. Not a great time to be a malibu dealer....

[@JRM1247]

Agreed. It isn’t the best selling wakeboat for no reason. The bigger thing that should be pointed out is whoever is setting up that 25, has no idea what they’re doing. Got a 25 lsv too and hell, how are these guys setting it up to get that bad of a wave lol