5 Best Malibu Boats in 2025

While many boat companies are jumping on the wake surfing bandwagon, wake and ski boat purists know the kinds of high-performance boats they’re after.

For almost 40 years, Malibu Boats has been making exactly those sorts of boats, but with the features and quality to match any other luxury bowrider boats on the water. Malibu boats are inboard-powered tow boats for maximum performance on the water, and most are loaded with technology that makes them perfect for any sort of adventure: skiing, wakeboarding, or wake surfing.

The brand is also well-known within the professional circuit, and its Response TXi ski boat is a fixture at tournaments worldwide.

The Malibu History: Charting the Brand’s Watersports Dominance

Malibu Boats’ history started in 1982 when Bob Alkema founded the company in Merced, California. By 1988, Malibu had built a nine-percent share of the ski boat market. Before the decade’s end, Malibu opened a second production facility in Tennessee and collected its first award from Powerboating Magainze for Product Excellence. Malibu boats are also built under a licensing agreement by Malibu Boats Australia.

Today, Malibu Boats Inc. is publically traded (NASDAQ: MBUU). The company also owns Axis Wake, Cobalt, Pursuit, Cobia, Pathfinder, Maverick, and Hewes Boats. The company’s watersports heritage is on full display with its ski, wakeboard, and surf boats lineup. The brand is a fixture in the competition circuit. As of 2019, thirteen world records had been set behind the classic Malibu Response TXi ski boat. The company sponsors the annual Malibu Open tournament and their own Malibu Pro Team.

Crafting Waves: The Art of Malibu Boat Design

Malibu is one of the best-known boat brands in the tow sports industry. One of the many things that the company can attribute to its success and longevity is its early embrace of the wakeboarding and wake surfing craze. With that, the company pioneered many innovative boats with surf gates, a technology that it now licenses to others in the industry.

As traditional ski boats, Malibu designs their boats with conventional inboard powerplants. The company has created its own engine brand, Monsoon, designed in partnership with GM Marine, MacLaren Racing, Roush, and Davinci. These direct-injection engines come in three models: M5Di (5.3-liter, 360 hp/400 ft-lbs), M6Di (6.2-liter, 430 hp/460 ft-lbs), and LT4 (6.2-liter, supercharged, 606 hp/607 ft-lbs).

Malibu is also one of the few boat manufacturing companies that have boat design and hull shape options built specifically for different tow sports. The top-of-the-line M-hull and the Wake Plus hulls are designed to dig deep and create the perfect wave for wakeboarding or surfing. Their classic Cut Diamond hulls are designed for classic skiing and slalom applications.

Malibu takes pride in its work in the nuts and bolts of boat manufacturing. Its boats are solid platforms built to stand the test of time while providing tons of great luxury and tow sports features.

From Wakeboarding to Luxury Cruising: Malibu Boat Models

Malibu boat models are roughly divided into five series: M, LSV, MXZ, LX, and Crossover and Ski Boats. In addition to these model lineups, Malibu brands their wake surfing boats, which feature surf gates and other technology features, as Wakesetters.

M-Series boats are the company’s signature ‘ultra-premium’ boats, loaded with luxury, performance, and sports options. LSV stands for luxury sport v-hull, and these boats feature top-of-the-line features on a traditional pointed bow. MXZ stands for maximized, with top-of-the-line boats featuring a pickle-fork bow and the spaciousness of a deck boat.

LX boats are Malibu’s entry-level 21-footers that feature a hybrid bow, somewhere between a traditional pointed design and the company’s signature pickle fork.

Crossover and Ski category boats are classic tow sport boats built for competition, with few of the luxury and comfort features that private owners enjoy. The TXi is available in open or closed bow configurations and is set up for standard skiing. The Wakesetter 20 VTX is designed similarly but is equipped for all tow sports: wakeboarding, wake surfing, or skiing.

Riding the Wave of Technology: Malibu’s Innovations

Innovative boat technology, particularly wakeboarding technology, is at the heart of all Malibu Boats. The company was responsible for the now common surf gate system, a set of hydraulic tabs on the hull sides that shape the wake into a surfable wave. Additionally, the company uses a Power Wedge to help shape and customize a boat’s wake and fillable ballast tanks.

Malibu has also innovated its powerplant to make the watersports experience as fun as possible. They build their Monsoon engines, focusing on clean emissions, excellent performance, and low noise levels. In the 1990s, the company patented a fiberglass stringer and engine support system that reduced vibrations and engine noise.

Many other boat technology innovations have come from the company, including various towers for watersports and the popular E-Step powered fold-down swim platform.

More Than Just Boats: The Malibu Lifestyle and Community

Malibu boats are all about the boating lifestyle and the watersports community. Malibu Boat owners hold many meetups and impromptu gatherings around the country.

One of the highest-profile events sponsored by the company is the Malibu Open, an elite-level water ski competition held annually in Alabama.

The Malibu Pro Team also consists of many big names in watersports, like waterskier extraordinaire Regina Jaquess, who claimed a new world record at the Malibu Open in 2023.

Setting Sail with Malibu: A Journey in Watersports Luxury

Malibu Boats are probably already on your radar if you’re into the watersports lifestyle and looking for a ski and wake boat. But even if you’re a novice at the sports, the luxury boating offered by these vessels is sure to please everyone. Whether coastal or lake casual cruising or competition-level watersports are on your to-do list, Malibu Boats makes the perfect inboard sports boat to meet your needs.