(Merced, CA) - Following in the big comfortable footsteps of the Wakesetter 23 XTi, PowerBoat Magazine's 2002 winner, Malibu's Wakesetter 21 XTi took the torch and ran away with the 2003 Tow Boat of Year Award. On Saturday May 3rd the Wakesetter 21 XTi captured the 9th Tow Boat of the Year Award for Malibu Boats since 1992 and the second Boat of the Year distinction for Malibu's new XTi line of boats.
The sheer number of awards Malibu has claimed from PowerBoat Magazine baffles the mind. The landslide began in 1988 and the honors just keep coming. In 1992 Malibu brought home the Ski Boat of the Year Award for the Euro Skier and now, eleven years later, that first prize has grown into 9 PowerBoat Magazine Boat of the Year Awards.
In 2002 the engineers at Malibu took a chance on an industry-first design that crossed direct-drive performance with v-drive comfort. The innovative 2002 Wakesetter 23 XTi was scrutinized by PowerBoat Magazine Performance Testers and overwhelmingly validated with the 2002 Tow Boat of the Year Award.
Since well enough is never left alone at Malibu Boats, engineers went back to the plant, locked themselves in a brainstorming session and developed another industry topping boat design. The result was the 2003 Wakesetter 21 XTi. This boat concept was patterned after the 23 XTi, but infused with its own distinct personality.
When asked about the evolution of the XTi, Shane Stillman, a member of the Malibu Boats Research and Development Team answered, "The XTi concept rocked the industry right out of the gate, but that didn't stop the creative wheels from turning." Stillman continued, "After the evaluating the 23 XTi development process and the gauging customer response we came up with a whole new set of ideas and eventually they took the shape of the 21 XTi."
Stamped with the title "Scaled Excellence" by PowerBoat Magazine, testers raved, "Like its longer sibling, the Malibu Wakesetter 21 XTi blends style and elegance in a fine all-around tow boat."
Designers shaved two feet off the length and stuffed the performance of a direct-drive power plant and the seating of a v-drive into Malibu's professional SV23 Wake Hull. The Wakesetter 21 XTi was born with more agility and a deeper commitment to wakeboarding excellence without sacrificing skiability or comfort. It only stands to reason that Malibu would throw the 2003 Wakesetter 21 XTi into the Tow Boat of the Year ring.
PowerBoat Magazine summed up their review of the Wakesetter 21 XTi with one statement. "...it's a well crafted tow boat with great all-around performance, abundant features and a neat seating arrangement."