A Malibu Boat Visit for Christmas

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Christmas stories have marked the holiday season for us for the past several years. This year we asked Malibu enthusiasts to share their Malibu Christmas stories with us. We chose the best story submitted and are rewarding the writer with a remote control Malibu boat for Christmas.

Matt Beilstein, a Malibu Crew member from Grove City, PA submitted his Christmas story in response to the contest we posted. His story had nothing to do with unwrapping a new boat on Christmas Day or even a new boat at all. Matt wrote about the Christmas he visited his 1988 Malibu Skier in storage and just how much that simple act meant to him.

We bought out first Malibu in late August of 2008. It was a beautiful 1988 Malibu Skier. It was a cherry of a boat and a true Malibu classic. It immediately became my baby. When I wasn't on the water in our boat, I was spending my free time working on modifications and taking care of the boat. That fall I decided the best place to store it was 500 feet underground in a local limestone mine that is used to store antique cars, boats, and RV's in the winter months. It stays 55 degrees underground all year long and would be safe from the Western PA salt and snow.

We pushed the season as long as we could that fall without wetsuits (they soon became first year boat owner Christmas presents. We threw in the towel when the water hit the 40's and I winterized the boat. My crew spent a good weekend with me waxing and detailing the boat before I towed it to the mine to tuck it in for the winter. I spent another hour underground making sure I had enough dry rid in there for the winter and even loaded up the boat with charcoal to absorb any odors that might occur over the winter. My wife thought I was nuts and would remind me it was only going to be down there for "four months". She just doesn't get it.

I left the boat with the sad feeling that all Malibu owners share when we tuck our boats in for the season. I went back to work anxiously awaiting spring with my Malibu desktop reminding me of the coming summer months.

Well December came and as Christmas approached my wife and I took vacation from work. We enjoyed time off and I spent a lot of it here on TheMalibuCrew trying to push through the winter with the "support group" here on the board. It's no doubt the first winter as a Malibu owner is the worst and the longest!

Well the day before Christmas Eve my wife said, "do you want to go see the boat?". "Heck yeah I said!!!" as I ran out to the garage and gathered up some Babes and a bottle of 303 and some Dry Rid refills. She knew I was missing the boat and said it was a good Christmas gift for me to just see the boat.

We loaded up in the car and drove the hour to the mine. The guy at the mine guided us back the mile into the side of the mountain where the boat was tucked away in the dark. I work for a mining company so I told the guy he was fine to leave us there as I knew how to find my way out of the mine. I pulled the cover off and we sat in the boat in the light of the headlights. It was priceless. Sitting in our Malibu ski boat 500 feet below the earth's surface two days before Christmas.

I then spent a half hour detailing the boat with Babes and then put a good coat of 303 on the vinyl. I dumped the water out of my Dry Rid containers and refilled them. My wife helped me to put the cover back on the boat and we headed home.

I was so happy she decided to suggest a boat visit just before Christmas. What a cool idea and it certainly helped me to get though my first Malibu winter! That's my all time favorite Christmas gift and it makes an awesome story that is told over and over!

Matt told us a little more about how he came to be such a fan of Malibu boats. "My uncle owned a Malibu Sunsetter while I grew up and my brother and I looked forward to the "Malibu Weekend" of the summer when our uncle would invite us out on the lake for a day of fun. I would ski until I couldn't even stand. Once I graduated college, got married, and bought our house I knew I had to have a Bu of my own!"

This story really touched our hearts becuase it describes just how powerful a connection people can feel towards water sports and in this case a Malibu boat. At Malibu we feel so priviledged that our boats, new and old, can rank so hi in importance to Malibu owners like, Matt.

We would like to thank Matt for taking the time to share this Malibu Christmas story with us. Santa is bringing you a Red Remote Control Malibu Boat. We hope you enjoy it! Merry Christmas!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Matt Beilstein | Malibu Skier | 1988 Skier | Christmas Stories | Christmas Gifts | toy boat | RC boat | RC Malibu boat | Rockin Christmas | wakeboard boats | ski boats | win | Malibu Contest

Best Malibu Christmas Stories Win RC Boat Under the Tree

We started the tradition of sharing Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Family Christmas Stories several years ago during the first Malibu Boat Rockin' Christmas Event and we want to keep it going this year with your stories. Submit your Malibu Christmas Story by December 15, 2010 and you may have a chance to put a Malibu boat under the tree. A remote control Malibu boat that is. We are giving away three remote control Malibu boats to the top three Malibu Christmas stories.

Do you have a family Christmas story that’s told over and over especially during the Holiday Season? I’m talking about the kind of story that new friends and family members are excited to hear and then retell as a statement of their place in the family’s inner circle. We have retold a few great stories like these over the years for some of our Malibu Family members. Remember the great Christmas story from Idaho Watersports customers the Taylor's. They surprised the kids with a Malibu boat on Christmas morning. Or how about Sabrina Dierksen, Wilson Watersports, customer who surprised her husband with the Malibu boat of his dreams. Then there was the Isner Family from Seattle who surprised their dad on Christmas morning with a wakeboard boat that would help him really do a back roll. These are all great stories, but we know there are more out there.

We're hoping the incentive of adding a Malibu boat under the tree might encourage some of you to share your stories with us. A remote control Malibu boat, that is. Malibu Boats is prepared to send a new remote control Malibu boat to each of the three best Malibu Family Christmas story authors.

Post your stories on the Malibu Boats Facebook Fan Page, add them to the Malibu Christmas Story thread on TheMalibCrew.com or email them to blog@malibuboats.com. These stories can be about anything that is Malibu Boats and Christmas related. Have you every taken your Malibu out on Christmas? That could be a great story. Was your family surprised with a Malibu boat on Christmas? That could be another fun tale to tell. Or maybe you have a story about another way you enjoyed your Malibu boat during the Christmas season. Have you towed your boat in local Christmas parade? We would love to read any and all of these stories. There is no length requirement, make these stories as long or as short as you see fit. They will be judged on content not composition. The three best stories, as judged by a panel from the Malibu Boats Factory, will be rewarded with one remote control Malibu boat each. Eligible story entries must be received by December 15th, 2010.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Christmas Stories | Christmas Gifts | toy boat | RC boat | RC Malibu boat | Rockin Christmas | wakeboard boats | ski boats | win | Malibu Contest

Christmas Wasn't Soon Enough For Sabrina

We started the tradition of sharing Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Family Christmas Stories last year during the Malibu Boat Rockin' Christmas Event and we are keeping it going this year with fun family stories like this one from the Dierksens.

Sabrina Dierksen and her husband Dustin grew up boating and going to the lake. They both started wakeboarding in 2005 and they’ve been hooked ever since. As their skills improved behind a small Baja and riding occasionally behind a friend’s Malibu boat, they started dreaming of a bigger wakeboard-specific boat. So Sabrina and Dustin began to investigate the boat buying process and determine which wakeboard boat model would work best for them. They traveled to shows and talked to friends. They finally came to the decision that a Malibu boat was the wakeboard boat for them. They decided to search for something used. That task proved difficult. There weren’t many available and the resale was fairly high on the Malibu boats they did find.

Finally the drawbacks of owning a small non-watersports boat took their toll. Sabrina had had enough of not being able to bring along more friends and family. Dustin wanted to move into more advanced wakeboard moves. So Sabrina decided to buy a new boat as a Christmas present to Dustin and herself.

“I was tired of having a crappy boat!” Sabrina explained. She was making decent money and had recently paid off her car so they could more than afford the payment. And a new boat wasn’t much more than they were looking at used. So she logged on to the Wilson Watersports web site.

The Malibu Boats Dealer in Edmond, Oklahoma, Wilson Watersports, lists the new Malibu boats they have in stock on their web site. It didn’t take long for Sabrina to find her boat. A click of the mouse on the Wilson Watersports. Sabrina purchased the "Wakesetter 23 LSV” link and there it was. She picked-up the phone right then and contacted Todd Wilson about her intentions to drive to Edmond and buy the boat. Todd agreed to hold the boat for her, but was a little skeptical that he would ever actually meet Sabrina in person.

Sabrina told Dustin she was planning a trip to Oklahoma City, OK to visit her college roommate with their friends Shane and Lisa Norris. She made sure these plans were made on a day Dustin was busy. Instead of Oklahoma City Sabrina, Shane and Lisa headed for Edmond, OK to Wilson Watersports. Sabrina purchased the Wakesetter 23 LSV she saw online. Todd and Laura Wilson, the owners of Wilson Watersports were amazed at Sabrina’s plan to surprise Dustin and were really excited to be a part of the surprise.

The boat went home to Shane’s shop from the dealership. It was supposed to stay in his shop until the big surprise was revealed. Sabrina’s plan was to wait until their anniversary, which is the 21st of December, and give it to Dustin as an anniversary/Christmas gift. But Sabrina under estimated her own excitement. There was no way she could wait. She decided to surprise Dustin that same day.

Sabrina called Dustin and let him know she was staying for a pizza at Shane and Lisa’s house in Drummond, OK. She encouraged him to join her and he agreed. Dustin didn’t find this out of the ordinary, since they hung out with Shane and Lisa all the time. Once the pizza was gone Shane lured Dustin out to the shop for something he just had to see. Once Dustin saw the boat his chin dropped, but the charade didn’t end there. Dustin’s best friend pretended the boat was his. Dustin immediately went back in the house to grab Sabrina. He had to show her “Shane’s” new boat.

When Sabrina entered the shop she looked at Dustin and said, “Merry Christmas it’s yours.” He was so surprised. Sabrina explained, “If we didn’t get it now, we were never going to do it!”

Check out Dustin and Sabrina's photo gallery on Malibu Boats Flickr Channel.

It’s been a few years since Sabrina surprised Dustin with this early Christmas gift. But according to her they are still having as much fun as ever with their Malibu boat. “We absolutely love the boat. We even bought wet suits so we could extend our season.” Sabrina continued, “We enjoy every aspect of boat ownership. We even planned vacations around going to the lake.” Sabrina explained, “We take two big trips every year with both of our families and no one is crowded. Sisters, brothers and their families even my 65-year-old step dad gets in on wakeboarding action! This boat definitely brings us together!”

This is a great Malibu Christmas Story Sabrina! Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Dierksen Family | Christmas Story | Christmas gift | wakeboard boat | Sabrina Dierksen | Wakesetter 23 LSV | wakeboarding | Dustin Dierksen | Dierksen | Christmas surprise | surprise | Wilson Watersports | Todd Wilson | Laura Wilson

The Taylor Family's Malibu Boat Christmas Story

We started the tradition of sharing Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Family Christmas Stories last year during the Malibu Boat Rockin' Christmas Event and we are keeping it going this year with fun family stories like this one from the Taylors.

Do you have a family Christmas story that’s told over and over especially during the Holiday Season? I’m talking about the kind of story that new friends and family members are excited to hear and then retell as a statement of their place in the family’s inner circle. Well the Taylors of Burley, Idaho have a family Christmas story like this. It’s a story they have told time and again for the past five years. They continue to tell it and those close to them demand the repeats because it is a story of true joy and family togetherness. This Christmas tale begins with a mother and father’s desire to bolster their family time with a surprise gift and it ends with a family completely surprised by a Malibu boat.

Derlin and Nancy Taylor were looking for a family activity to invest in back in 2005. They have a large family and enjoy spending time together. On a trip to Costco Derlin and Nancy were approached by a friend who offered them half interest in a Sun Valley timeshare. It definitely qualified as a family investment and they were excited about the possibility, but they quickly realized the condo would not accommodate their entire family. So that was out.

Two weeks before the Christmas of 2005, Derlin took a trip to Idaho Water Sports (@IdahoWaterSport)to rent a pair of snow skis for his son-in-law. While he was waiting in the dealership Derlin took a stroll over to the new Malibu boats for a peek. What he found was a red and white 21-foot Sunsetter 21 XTi complete with a decked-out wakeboard tower including all the bells and whistles.

Being a family of skiers the Taylors preferred a direct-drive boat and when he noticed the engine location in this XTi he was intrigued. After talking with the owner of Idaho Water Sports (@IdahoWaterSport), Gordy Hansen, Derlin also found out that this boat was one of the same models featured in the 2005 Malibu Boats brochure. It was already famous and Derlin decided to make it a star in his family too. He and Gordy made a deal for the boat that day and part of that agreement included Christmas morning delivery. The Taylor Family would be getting a Malibu boat for Christmas.

This had the makings of the best surprise ever for the Taylor family, but Derlin wanted it to be perfect. He had already set the stage for the surprising gift exchange with his wife Nancy. The two had agreed not to give each other gifts this year. So she wouldn’t be expecting anything, let alone a present like this one. Another detail that gave this surprise the making of “Best Ever” for the Taylors was the entire family was going to be with them for Christmas. Derlin explained, “My wife and I had agreed to not give each other gifts in 2005 because we were having our entire family home for Christmas which included 5 children, 4 in laws and [then] 8 grandchildren.” And this crew of 18 was completely surprised.

Gordy provided Derlin with a copy of the 2005 Malibu Boats brochure so he could place it under the tree for his wife to unwrap on Christmas morning. He marked the page of their new Sunsetter 21 XTi with a short note, wrapped the hardback Malibu book and hid it behind all of the other gifts. Derlin waited, for what seemed like an eternity, for Christmas to arrive and then even longer for his wife to get to her gift under the tree.

Finally, they had opened all of the gifts, but there was one left. Derlin handed it to Nancy and her displeased look prompted him to explain. Remember, they weren’t supposed to exchange gifts. “It’s just a book,” he said. She looked a little relieved, but still puzzled as she unwrapped the present. And now she had the whole family’s attention. Everyone was very curious. When the ripped paper revealed the cover of the Malibu Boats brochure, she screamed and immediately focused on Derlin for conformation. Did she really just unwrapped a Malibu boat for Christmas? He responded by directing her to the marked page and there she read his note, “Go look in the driveway.”

The entire Taylor family bolted for the driveway to get a look at their collective Christmas gift. Nancy and their five children, Brian, Cory, Derik, Jenny, Lindsay along with their husbands and wives converged on the Malibu. Derlin described the scene, “Everyone was screaming and yelling and when they saw the boat in the driveway they all ran out, got in it, turned up the stereo and danced. What a Christmas!”

When we asked Derlin why he chose to give his family a boat for Christmas this is how he responded. “We have been a water skiing family from the beginning and all our children ski.” Derlin continued, “Because it is such a family activity we consider our boat to be an investment in family togetherness.”

Thank you for sharing your Malibu Christmas Story, Taylor Family. Yours is one of our favorites.

If you have a Malibu Boat-related Christmas Story would like to share with us, please e-mail blog@malibuboats.com with your stories and photos.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Taylor Family | Christmas Story | Christmas gift | ski boat | family | boating | water skiing | Sunsetter 21XTi | Isner | Christmas surprise | surprise | Idaho Watersports | Gordon Hansen