Teased: 2022 Malibu Wakesetter 21LX breaks cover

The new model, which is expected to have its global reveal next week, will enter production at Malibu Boats Australia’s Albury, NSW-based manufacturing plant late this year in time for January 2022 delivery dates.

The boat, described as a crossover for its ability to suit a range of wake and tow sports, is a replacement for the Wakesetter 21VLX that will be retired from Malibu’s showroom at the end of this year. 

A big change is that the new model wears a restyled hybrid bow carrying more beam forward, which creates space for one extra passenger compared with the 21VLX it will replace. 

The Malibu Wakesetter 21LX will be built here with a beam of less than 2.5 metres to ensure it can be towed on Australian roads with no fuss – an important part of the Australian market design brief.

Importantly, the Malibu Wakesetter 21LX is expected to be light enough on a trailer, with fuel and gear on board, to easily tow behind a standard trade ute.

Malibu Boats Australia marketing and events manager Thorry Heaney told boatsales.com.au that given the popularity of the 21-foot size range among Aussie buyers, the Albury-based engineering team had significant input into the two-year US-led development of the new Malibu Wakesetter 21LX.

He said one of the main goals of the Australian team was to ensure the boat lived up to the high-end finish that customers here expected from a Malibu boat.

“The Australian consumer wants a 21-foot sized boat with premium features and aesthetic cues. The Australian engineering team worked with US-led development team to ensure elements of the premium LSV line of Wakesetter were included in the new 21LX,” Heaney said. 

“The Wakesetter 21LX had to carry Malibu’s new level of premium comfort when we introduced it to Australia. It had to be Malibu’s premium style,” he said. 

One thing that is different about the Malibu WakeSetter 21LX is that it will sit on Malibu’s ski-friendly Diamond hull, dropping the optional wake version due to a low take-up of the feature – buyers have shown they want the ability to ski, wake and surf all behind the same boat. 

“So we've used the T-cut diamond hull technology from the 20VTX, which is a crossover, and basically the US design team has been going forward and implemented that into the 21LX.”

Bringing more benefit is the hybrid style bow, which will carry more beam forward. As well as providing enough buoyancy for the Malibu Wakesetter 21LX to carry an extra passenger, the reshaped bow would also benefit users out on the water, Heaney said.

“When you have a hybrid between a square and a traditional-nosed bow, it moves the boat’s centre of gravity forward,” he said.

“When you have a hybrid between a square and a traditional-nosed bow, it moves the boat’s centre of gravity forward,” he said.

“Obviously you’d think if I've got the weight at the front of the boat the nose of the boat is going to sit lower, but because it's a hybrid bow it has that little bit more surface area, so it sits very similar if not higher to a traditional bow boat.

“When the 21LX is up on the plane there's more weight towards the front of the boat, which counters the weight of the vee-drive and engine in the back of the boat, this makes for a better ski wash behind the boat,” Heaney said.

Not only that, but the bow would be better at deflecting spray as it cut through wash, wake and waves, making for a drier experience for everyone on board.

“It's probably one of the best distributions of weight in a crossover series boat that we've ever offered in the market,” Heaney said.

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