Tommy’s Colorado Celebrates New Location

By Dano The Mano

Kicking off the year for me, after what felt like a long winter, was a rail jam out west in Colorado. Back in March, I received a phone call from the guys at Step Up Productions telling me to prepare for a trip in early April and a weather possibility of anything! When I found out we’d be doing a rail jam for the grand opening of Tommy’s new location in Colorado, I was stoked!

Tommy’s has been around the towed water sports industry since 1981. They have always been out at the frontline of the industry, one of the top Malibu dealers and one of the most recognized names in water sports. The new location is just outside of Denver, in a town called Golden, which also happens to be the home of the Coors Brewing Company.

Upon arrival at Tommy’s, I was blown away with their new facility. It is huge! There’s a massive pro shop with all the top brands and plenty of floor space to display the brand new Malibu and Axis boat lines. The staff was like family and everybody was either a rider or enthusiast. The rail jam was set up in the massive lot outside the shop. April in Colorado can go either way, but we were lucky as we had almost perfect conditions from set up, during the event, and tear down.

The day was packed with fun, free giveaways, awesome sales, music, food and of course the wakeboard rail jam. Local riders and employees like Pat Kennedy, Cole Barone, Dan Malone, Hunter Schleper, and Lucas Snider joined some of the Step Up Productions athletes: Justin Teich, Chris Garvy, Larry Taylor and Kyle Alberts for action packed demos all day long. Local pro Tino Santori even stopped by for a few pulls across the setup! The wake event was capped off with a nighttime contest under the lights. The semi-finals featured the top four riders with only two making it to a head-to-head finals battle. Chris Garvy and Hunter Schleper shared a third place tie, while Lucas Snider and Justin Teich took turns attacking the rails trying to take top honors and their share of the prize money. In the end Lucas edged out Teich to take the win.

In addition to throwing a great event at this new location, Tommy’s has announced two new locations in Michigan and Florida. If they are anything like the Colorado location, I only see a bright future for both! Here are some photos from the event, and hop on Instagram and search #TommysGrand for more.

Also check out Tommy’s Colorado online here: http://gettommys.com/tommys-colorado/

A big thank you to Malibu and Axis boats, Ronix, Slingshot, Hyperlite, Liquid Force, HO, Radar, O’Neill, Dragon and everybody else who made this event such a success.

Tags: Malibu Boats |

Malibu and Axis Make Big Impact At Surf Expo

(photo: BillDoster.com)

Surf Expo is undoubtedly the industry's biggest weekend of the year. In 2011, Malibu Boats dug deep with intentions to make a big impact. With the launch of two new models, the Wakesetter 22 MXZ and Response TXi, all eyes were on the boats and the team was psyched to show them off.

The trade show kicked off with a bang on Thursday morning, with our booth featuring a sparkling metallic, dark blue/white MXZ and a metallic Charcoal/Reuben Axis A22. Besides talk of the perfect wakes, plush amenities and the spacious bow on the MXZ, anticipation was creeping for the 8th Annual Wake Awards that evening. Malibu went big, securing an 80-person VIP list and coming on board as a title sponsor.

Excitement set in early, during the WSIA Industry awards, where Malibu won "Best Ad Campaign." Ad creative and photography was a big focus this year, and it was an honor to take home this coveted award. Special thanks to Larry Meddock of the WSIA and our incredible photographer, Tom King. Also, congrats to Chessie Marine for their hard work resulting in the "Break Out Dealer Of The Year" award as well as Tommy's Slalom shop for winning top honors as "Retailer Of The Year." "Best Promotion" went to Active Watersports, which made a clean sweep for all three retailer awards going to Malibu dealers!

Friday's action was shared between the trade show and Malibu's on-water demo day in Windermere, just minutes from Surf Expo. Team rider Brian Grubb brought his all-black 23 LSV, which is still one of the most appealing boats on the water today. Over 20 dealers showed up from places all over the world like Argentina and Poland to get a first glimpse of the new MXZ and TXi. Eddie Trogdon, an active INT League member was on hand and we also saw appearances from owners like David Henderson and his son Hunter, (8), who just took first place in the Junior Boys division at the WWA World Championships.

The Response TXi already made its mark at the Malibu Open in August, but here, the dealers got a chance to take it for a spin, including Mark Watts from Liquid Sports in Orlando as well as Tommy Phillips from Tommy's Slalom Shop in Denver, Colorado. Tommy was impressed with his continuing tests of the Response TXi. "The TXi handles like a dream, has no wake at 15 and 22 off and very little fluff," Tommy said. "All the skiers at our ski school think it's their favorite boat of all time and I would agree. The drivers seat feels secure and you have command of the boat. There is no glare off the dash like other boats and the simplicity of the operating system is a big plus."

With deep roots in wakeboarding, going back to literally day one, Tommy knows what his customers are looking for in boat design and he likes how the MXZ accommodates everyone. "The MXZ has great wakes for all levels," Tommy said. "Very rampy, clean and smooth! The bow space is maximized and we had four people comfortable up front and they could see all the action as Chad Sharpe put on a show. Deep storage allowed us to have ten people comfortably on board with lots of gear stowed. The auto pull up feature will turn new boat owners into pros at driving their family and friends."

The Auto Pull-Up feature Tommy speaks of is another unprecedented innovation from Malibu and Indmar, and implemented into the line by Danny Gasper, Malibu's Director of Product Design. It allows a rider or skier to record the rate of acceleration they prefer, and the driver just punches the throttle and you will get the same start every time.

The MXZ's Hi-Flow ballast pumps were also a hit. The hoses were enlarged to 1-1/8" with an 1100 GPH pump, which allows an increase in filling speed from 40-50 percent. The riders on hand were impressed with the wake without having to add any additional ballast. Phillip Soven actually got to take this gem home with him.

Dealers came into Saturday's trade show amping on the new boats, and it was a great plus to be able to have them share the on-water experience with others. Lani Farmer also attended the WSIA meeting on Sunday morning, where the board of directors discussed and voted on multiple issues affecting our waterways and industry.

Overall, the Malibu staff and dealers considered Surf Expo weekend a home run. The factory is busy churning out new orders and the sales team are getting geared up for boat show season. Look for new videos from demo day in a matter of days! For any questions, please email Kevin Michael at kevinmichael@maibuboats.com



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Tags: Malibu Boats | Wakesetter 22 MXZ | Response TXi | Wakeboard Boat | Brian Grubb | Phillip Soven | Chad Sharpe | Ski Boat | Hi Flow Ballast | Surf Expo | WWA World Championships | WSIA Awards

Shane Carwin's New VLX!

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) very cool photo is of Malibu Boats sponsored athlete, Shane Carwin's new Wakesetter VLX, sent to us from Tommy’s Slalom Shop.

Thank you Brian from Tommy’s Slalom Shop and Shane Carwin for sharing this awesome shot with us!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Still Making Wakes in Mixed Martial Arts

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Sponsored Athlete, UFC heavyweight contender, Shane Carwin (@ShaneCarwin), Meets Junior Dos Santos for the Number One Contendership Spot in the UFC.

UFC Heavyweight Contender, Shane Carwin, Who has been onboard with the Malibu Boats family since 2010 agrees to represent Malibu Boats for another year and Face Junior Dos Santos for a shot to compete for the UFC Heavyweight Title. A huge fan of Malibu Boats, Carwin is pumped to continue to bring the Malibu brand of fun and performance to the Mixed Martial Arts Octagon. Malibu Boats reciprocates this admiration as fans of Carwin’s integrity and determination as much as his 12-1 record. Carwin is looking to punch-up his wakeboarding and wakesurfing with his family this summer behind his new 2011 Wakesetter VLX. But, before that can happen Malibu Boats will be pulling for Carwin, in a different way, as he fights Junior Dos Santos, June 11, 2011 at UFC 131 in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Malibu’s own Shane Carwin will enter the Octagon with Dos Santos on June 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at Rogers Arena to battle it out in UFC 131’s Main Event. Both with records of 12 wins and 1 loss, the Carwin Dos Santos bout should be an epic battle . Ranked #4 and #2 heavyweight contenders respectively by MMAfighting.com, the winner of the fight is expected to face off against current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez.

When asked why he continues to choose Malibu Boats, Carwin responded with this statement, “My family and I love being on the lake and spending time together. We all ski, wakeboard and just enjoy the water. When looking for a boat I wanted a brand that worked as hard as I do to be the best. Malibu is not only the best performing boat they are the only boats good enough for my family and me.”

Carwin’s record is impressive, but that is not the only reason Malibu is still so excited about this relationship. Just like the other talented individuals that make-up the Malibu Boats Family, Carwin is as strong on character and determination as he is fierce in the Octagon.

Paul Singer, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Malibu Boats, had this to say about the addition of Carwin to the Malibu Crew. "Shane has a level of dedication that is impressive whether it revolves around his family, his sport or his fans so he made an immediate impression on us in the cage and out.” Singer continued, "The fact that he has dreamed of owning a Malibu boat and wanted to bring us along in his journey in the Octagon was icing on the cake. Both vessels of extreme performance, strength and precision, Shane and his Wakesetter VLX create a strong team."

Carwin fulfilled his mother’s goal for he and his brother, two times over, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and a second degree in Environmental Technology. Carwin was also National Runner-Up Heavyweight in NCAA Division II Wrestling two years running and NCAA II Wrestling Heavyweight National Champion in 1999. In his spare time he managed to become a two-time All-American in football. He was focused on family and driven then. He remains that way today.

Carwin works as an Engineer as he pursues his Mixed Martial Arts career with UFC, but his devotion still lies with family. Carwin’s wife Lani, his son Kamden and their baby girl Alexia remain the priorities in his life. They are all looking forward to another fun summer in their Wakesetter VLX from Tommy’s Slalom Shop in Denver, Colorado. Malibu Boats will keep you updated on Carwin and his family as they wakeboard and have great times in their Malibu boat this summer.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Shane Carwin | Mixed Martial Arts | MMA | UFC | UFC 131 | Junior Dos Santos | Cain Velasquez | UFC Heavyweight Title | Wakesetter VLX | wakeboard boat | Tommy's Slalom Shop