Malibu Boats to launch all-new Aussie-only ski boat

An all-new Malibu ski boat – conceived, designed and built by Aussies, for Aussies – is about to make a big splash on the wakeboarding market.

The Albury (NSW) boat-maker, which also builds craft under the Axis Wake Research sub-brand, confirmed today it will launch an all-new boat (due on the market next year) that will sell nowhere else in the world… Unless, of course, it takes Australia by storm, a sign to Malibu’s US parent that it just might be ripe for export.

The surprise announcement was made by Jack Springer (pictured, above left), the chief executive and director of the Tennessee (USA) based boat brand, who was in Australia this week for a series of meetings with the brand’s far-flung boat making outpost.

“We’re visiting this plant [in Albury] seeing how things are going and looking at a new product that we’re going to be unveiling for 2019 that was concepted and built totally in Australia,” Springer told boatsales.com.au.

He said the new boat did not reflect any Malibu product that was on currently sale in the USA.

“It is a ski boat… It is really designed and built for the Australian environment,” he said before declining to comment further.

Until now, Malibu’s Australian boats have been largely clones of US products, but modified with a narrower beam to make them legal to tow (US boats use a 102-inch (2590mm) beam while the localised versions trim that to around 98-100in (2500mm)) to comply with Australian regulations.

“We’ve been very focused since we acquired Malibu Australia in 2014 in making sure that we’re considering the Australian market,” Springer said.

“When we come out with a new 20 VTX or a 21 VLX or a boat like that, we know that the trimming requirements and the requirements of Australia are different to the USA.

Springer said a close working relationship between Malibu’s US and Australian divisions had allowed the Albury-based factory to test the water with a new product.

“They’re [the Australian team] listening to some of the feedback from consumers and dealers about what a boat in Australia really needs; they place that into the boat.

“This particular one… I would rate that a phenomenal job of listening to the customer and saying ‘alright, we’re going to build these features into a boat’,” Springer stated.

He said if the new boat attracted enough Aussie customers, it could be in line for export.

“I think part of the equation is we see how it [the new boat] does here, but absolutely, I’m a very strong believer that if something works, then we ought to try and do it everywhere we can,” the Malibu boss said.