Malibu Response LXi

I relinquished the sports wheel attached to Malibu's Australian-made Wakesetter 21 XTi and jumped into the plush helm seat of its new-for-2003 Response LXi. But for the two boats' parentage - they are designed in America and built in Albury under licence - these purpose-built watersports packages couldn't be more different.

What distinguishes the boats from each other is their wake patterns. While the aptly named Wakesetter has devices intended to make waves, the Response LXi is more your classic towboat. Its smooth, flat wash will tickle the fancy of slalom and tournament skiers if not the soles of barefooters.

Dressed to the nines, the boat was true to its name in that it solicited a response. With a fire-engine red gelcoat pack, the boat caught the eye of fellow skiers assembled at the boat ramp and passing on the Hawkesbury River.

Like a Ford GT, the bright hull colour and go-fast graphics have been conceived to turns heads. But on the water the Response LXi makes a point of dishing it up to the driver. The boat could be pulled around into turns without washing off a lot of speed or the prop breaking free. The same could be said of the boat at high speed. In fact, at any speed this red devil is a darling to drive.

The sweet handling is due, says the Malibu promotional blurb, to something called Instantaneous Response Technology. Wade through the brochure and you will find lots of impassioned terms designed to separate this skiboat from the US-made pack. But for the skiboat enthusiast, the differences are clear.

ON THE WATER
The Response LX, one of the company's most popular boats, was the basis for this 2003 model. Whereas the 20ft Response LX has a full-width dash, the new 20ft 6in Response LXi has a walk-through design that provides additional seating up front.

There are also changes to the deck and refinements to the underwater sections. This latter detail is what delivers the double whammy of a smooth wake out the back for skiers and great pleasure at the helm. The LXi's running surface is 8cm wider than the 20ft model.

The so-called SV23 Diamond hull and deck were computer generated and delivered via a CNC router for gunbarrel accuracy. Even against the sun, the hull seemed as fair as a quiet bend of river at first light.

You can add an optional wedge for wakeboarding, though it's not this boat's market. The extra beam and space are consistent with a boat intended for family and social ski use. So, too, the wide walkways around the enginebox that make the layout nice and free flowing.

On the styling front, the Response LXi remains sleek, low profile and unmistakably a skiboat. However, the looks don't come at the expense of practicality. The postless three-piece windscreen, for example, offers great views and strength due to a sturdy stainless steel top rail.

Upholstery is another highlight. The white, grey and red-piped vinyl hits it off with the Regal Red hull. The boat arrived on an equally impressive Malibu Momentum trailer that had been upgraded with Malibu mag wheels, chrome drawbar, stainless side steps and more.

Practicality also shone through in the way the bimini top provided shade, yet the framework didn't have to be collapsed to use the walk-through bow. Overall, I judged the new Response LXi to be a great boat for long summer days of waterskiing.

INSIDE MOVES
The first hint you get that the Response LXi is different to the pack is in the elliptical stainless steel bowrail. Most boatbuilders would use no rail at all or fit recessed handholds between the bowrider seat backrests that whack you on your back.

The bow seating is big enough for two adults and includes illuminated side storage bins, an infill cushion and drop-in windblock panel. There is no timber in the boat; instead the seat bases are made from a stabilised, rot-free plastic.

The bow seats have terrific back support and storage below for safety gear and an anchor. There are two drinkholders close at hand and a navigation light - a split number - included in the package.

The companionway through the windscreen had been tapered to create extra leg and hip space on the observer's side. In fact, the observer gets a lounge big enough to seat two people, with ergonomically designed backrests that guide you to your position.

Underfloor is a central ski locker with a rubber mat and there is an icebox within reach of the helm. A big storage locker hides ahead of observer's lounge behind the backrest that opens on a hydraulic strut. Inside is a battery in a box. There is also a glovebox and drinkholders.

For 2003, all the through-hull fittings have stainless steel ball valves that prevent the ingress of water. This way, you can leave your Response LXi in the water without wondering whether it will still be floating the following day.

REAR GUARD
The central enginebox is padded, fitted with a skipole and equipped with three oversized drinkholders. Just forward of this is Malibu's patented swivel head ski pole. There are side nets for paddles and dual deck fillers so you can pull into the servo and top her up post haste.

Among the other deck features of note are strategically placed non-skid tread steps and solid fittings holding up the bimini top. The removable aft lounge (best left out for tournament work) is a beauty that can seat three people. Security is boosted with handy grabrails.

A big lockable aft locker with 3m2 of storage space offers a home for your skis. The aft "garage" is lockable and its split folding lids lift on gas struts. Divisions help keep wet gear separate from towels, hampers and suchlike.

The transom corners have cool stainless steel engine vents and there is a terrific full-width removable teak or fibreglass boarding platform with a rubber tread pattern - the perfect skier's launch pad. A handy swim grabrail is provided.

Malibu couples its centre-mounted inboard motor with an exhaust system that includes inline mufflers. Silent Rider mufflers and stainless exhaust tips are listed options.

The motor runs through a 1.25in shaft and all the running gear - including three track fins - is custom-made from bronze. The bronze propeller is precision cut using a CNC router.

A water-dampening system is employed to lessen shaft whirring, while noise suppression is also attained via the boat's foam-filled panels and monocoque construction. Like all Malibus, the Response LXi is 100% GRP construction. The only timber to be found is back in the forest.

PLEASURE BENT
The Response LXi and 335hp Multipoint Monsoon EFI petrol V8 motor (a branded Indmar product) - upgraded from the standard 310hp carbie engine - provide both eye candy and a music to the ears once you turn the key.

Ahead of me lay a matt-black non-glare dash with French stitched vinyl covering, a sexy black adjustable sports wheel with padded sections, and Morse rack and pinion steering that was direct but not flighty.

The Morse leather-wrapped throttle was a nice touch, so too the fully adjustable helm seat with, get this, mechanical lumbar support and an optional heater element. The gearbox was a Hurth 1:1 model that shifted without a big clunk.

The Malibu-branded electro-mechanical gauges from Borg-Warner feature large 12.5cm easy-to-read displays and at-a-glance water and air temperature readouts among the engine stuff. The switch panels have automotive styling and backlighting and there is a big rear-vision mirror.

A trick detail hid under the driver's side armrest: a Clarion stereo with MP3 plug-in and remote. This way, you can download tracks and burn a CD from the internet. Compile your own ski album, and add optional sub-woofer, amplifiers and remote and the landlubbers will hear you coming.

The boat also has a circuit-breaker panel with pop-out trip fuses instead of the usual cheaper fuse arrangement. I looked behind the dash at a neat array of wiring. Full marks for the driver's sidepocket for holding personals such as the mobile phone, car keys and wallet.

TOP SHELF
I didn't don the skis for fear of folly, mind you, but I did note a clean wake tailing behind the Response LXi. And I can report nothing but pleasure from behind the wheel. The high windscreen offers terrific views and there was very little distortion in the curved safety glass.

The boat is quiet when up and running. With 2000rpm on the Monsoon motor, the sweet hull sat happily at trick skiing speeds of 31kmh. Social skiing speed at 48kmh was noted at about 3000rpm. Barefooters will want the boat to be wound out to 68kmh and 4000rpm on the motor. Flat out, I touched 85kmh at 5000rpm, according to the speedo.

The boat's 155lt fuel capacity should suffice for a good day's skiing, providing you don't carry on with too much of that top-end stuff. Stated capacity is eight persons, though the boat will work best with four to six.

My only complaint is that Malibu seems to have gone crazy with the phraseology in its rather boyish brochure. The pages are littered with fancy handles, odd descriptions and over-the-top acronyms that only serve to confuse those who inspect this obviously great boat - behind the helm or out the back, the Response LXi is a skiboat that speaks for itself.