Malibu Boats Voted Manufacturer of the Year

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) was announced as the 2010 Water Sports Industry Manufacturer of the Year by the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA) September 10th at the Wakeboarding Magazine Wake Awards at Surf Expo in Orlando, FL. This 2010 WSIA Leadership Award joins a 3rd consecutive NMMA CSI Award for Customer Service Excellence as well as 19 Boat of the Year Awards in the Malibu Boat trophy case.

Additional Links
Malibu Boats WSIA Award on YouTube
Malibu Boats WSIA Award on Flickr

Water sports retailers, dealers and operators overwhelmingly cast their votes for Malibu Boats as a manufacturer who continues to reinvent themselves with new product design and technology. Malibu Boats separated themselves from the pack with inspired innovations like the weightless fold-down Illusion G3, the acquisition of the Titan Wake Accessories and their bold move to bring tower production in-house. Other industry-altering firsts like the Patented Power Wedge, the MaliView Dash and Entertainment System and sport-specific hull design must have added up in the minds of voter. Couple these cutting edge products with Malibu’s recently released 2011 Sunscape and Wakesetter 247 LSVs as well as the new Malibu Touch Command (MTC) projective capacitive touch screen and Malibu was the obvious choice.

When asked about this latest award, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Malibu Boats, Paul Singer, had this to say. “I would like to thank the industry’s retailers for this honor! It’s a great feeling to be recognized as an originator of cutting-edge products, especially by those who know wakeboard boats best.”

WSIA honored the water sports industry's best retailers and manufacturers with a variety of 2010 Leadership Awards for outstanding efforts in advertising, promotions, and branding. Malibu Boats received the 2010 WSIA Manufacturer of the Year Award during the Wake Awards on Friday, September 10, 2010 at Surf Expo in Orlando, FL.

Visit your local Malibu Boats dealer to experience the Malibu Difference in the 2011 model line-up.

Tags: Malibu Boats | WSIA | awards | leadership | Manufacturer of the Year | Surf Expo | Wakeboarding Mag | wakeboard boats | ski boats | wakeboard boat | Wake Awards

Video of Team Malibu's Dallas Friday on Her Injury

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Pro Factory Rider Dallas Friday suffered a season-ending injury at the 2010 Dallas/Fort Worth Pro Tour Stop. This video, captured by Wakeboarding Magazine (@WakeboardingMag), features Dallas describing her injury and where she goes from here.

Dallas is one of the strongest competitors we've ever encountered. There is no doubt, she will obliterate expectations when it come to her recovery.

We're thinking of you Dallas and never forget that Malibu Boats is pulling for you on and of the water! Get well soon!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Dallas Friday | injury | pro tour | wakeboarding | wakeboard boat | recovery | Tantrum to Blind | Wakesetter VLX | Wakeboarding Mag | video

2010 Malibu Wakesetter VLX With Chad Sharpe

Wakeboarding Magazine posted this sweet video hosted by Team Malibu Boats Rider Chad Sharpe. The footage was shot at 2009 Surf Expo and focuses on the 2010 Wakesetter VLX and the changes you will see in the Malibu Boats line this year. Chad covers everything from the new Illusion G3 wakeboard tower to the new color-matched floor with snap out carpeting to the MaliView 6.5 color LCD to the Quad Ballast to the Patented Power Wedge.

Scroll down on this video page and Wakeboarding Magazine give you some insight into the 2010 Malibu Boats Wakesetter VLX with a 360-degree navigable shot of the boat's interior.

Malibu Boats (@malibuboats) found this information by following Chad Sharpe (@chadesharpe) and Wakeboarding Magazine (@wakeboardingmag) on Twitter. Visit Twitter and start following up-to-the-minute wakeboarding news today.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Chad Sharpe | Wakeboarding Mag | video | 2010 | Wakesetter VLX | 2010 boats | Surf Expo | 360 degrees

Malibu Riders Taking Home Wake Awards

Malibu Riders Dallas Friday, Brian Grubb & Matt Manzari took home huge Wake Award honors from Wakeboarding Magazine last week during Surf Expo in Orlando, FL. Dallas earned Best Rider and Grubby too Best Video Performance and Team Malibu Boats' Matt Manzari captured Wakeskate Move of the Year with a boardslide backside flip. Way to go Team!

Best Women's Rider
This female ripper kills it in all aspects including contests, exposure, photos, video sections and progressive riding. ’06 Winner: Dallas Friday / ’07 Winner: Amber Wing / ’08 Winner: Nicola Butler

5. Raimi Merritt
4. Melissa Marquardt
3. Nicola Butler
2. Amber Wing

And The Winner Is: Dallas Friday

Best Video Performance – Wakeskate
This is awarded to both the rider and producer, with consideration given to both the level of riding and filming/editing. This is a new category for 2007. ’07 Winner: Aaron Reed / DVS – N.A.R.L.A. / ’08 Winner: Danny Hampson Volume Wakeskate Videos

5. Ben Horan / Scene One / Fun Boots
4. Nick Taylor / Scene One / Fun Boots
3. Brandon Thomas / A.V.E. / Rewritten
2. Andrew Pastura / Scene One / Fun Boots

And The Winner Is: Brian Grubb (@BriankGrubb) / Billabong / Out of the Pond

Oakley’s Move Of The Year: Wakeskating
This award is for the single most impressive, sickest, innovative and progressive move pulled all year, with categories for wakeskating. The winner was chosen by the WAKEBOARDING Magazine. Wakeskate MOY Runners Up:

James Balzer - Toeside Wake-to-wake Kickflip
Russell Brightwell - 360 shove on Spillway Wall Ride
Russell Brightwell - Varial Flip
Travis Doran - Front Big
Justin Forest - Hard Flip
Brian Grubb - Bomb Drop Billabong Bus
Brian Grubb - Wake-to-wake Indy Back Big
Danny Hampson - Backside Big Spin
Reed Hansen - Wake-to-wake Heelside Frontside 540
Reed Hansen - Wake-to-wake Backside 540
Ben Horan - Backside Tail Slide to Backside Big Spin
Dieter Humpsch - Wake-to-Wake Frontside Flip
Kyle Hyams - Backside Big Spin Down Spillway
Chris Kallas - Wake-to-wake Backside Big Spin 360
Matt Manzari - Board Slide Varial Flip
Andrew Pastura - Backside 360 Kickflip
Andrew Pastura - Switch Grapeflip
Andrew Pastura - Switch Front Big Heel Flip
Grant Roberts - 360 Shove
Stu Shinn - Wake-to-wake Shove Catch Shove
Nick Taylor - Backside Big Spin
Nick Taylor - Switch Flats Backside Flip

And The Winner Is — Wakeskating: Matt Manzari, Boardslide backside flip

Visit WakeboardingMag.com for more information on the Wakeboarding Magazine Wake Awards.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Wakeboarding Mag | Dallas Friday | Matt Manzari | Brian Grubb | Team Malibu | Wake Awards | Surf Expo | pro riders | wakeboarding | wakeskating

Wakeboarding Mag Asks Malibu's Brian Grubb 20 Questions

1. How did you become pro? I guess just riding and being in the right place at the right time. Hanging out with Byerly and those guys. I was wakeboarding at the time, and I did a few pro events and made a little money doing that, but that's about the time I started wakeskating too, and I wanted to see where it took me, and that's when I started hanging out with Byerly and he helped me out a lot along the way.

This interview was posted by Wakeboarding Magazine, written by Craig Kotilinek and the photo was taken by Spencer Smith.

2. What made you switch over from wakeboarding to wakeskating? Probably the biggest thing was riding at the cable park and hitting rails. We'd seen it in the mags growing up, but I only really started hitting rails when I went to the cable park. That's when I really started to fall in love with the sport and I really wanted to start pushing it to the next level.

3. What was your favorite trick when you first turned pro, and what's your favorite now? My first trick that I really got consistent and thought was a hard trick was probably the toeside shove indy. My favorite trick now is a wake-to-wake backside big spin.

4. Who is your favorite rider and why? My favorite rider is Scott Byerly. I watched him growing up since I was really little and then being able to meet him and ride with him and become really good friends with him over the years is really cool. And even to this day he's still ripping. He hasn't lost it a bit.

5. What is the hardest thing about being a professional wakeskater? Probably all the travel, but that's also the best thing. We get to go all over the world and do all these crazy trips just because we're riding our boards. We're away from home a lot and it takes its toll, but it's definitely worth it.

6. What would you be doing if you weren't a pro wakeskater? Oh man I don't even know. I went to college and got a degree, but I haven't had any desire to use it at all. Liberal Studies from UCF; it's pretty much an undecided degree. I'd be living in Orlando, though, and doing something.

7. What is your biggest goal to accomplish this year? This year I really want to win Worlds. I haven't won it for a couple years — or actually about five years — and I really want to win it this year. I've been second for a lot of years, but I really want to win it one more time and I think this will be my year.

12. What's one thing you couldn't live without on a daily basis? I like riding everyday, so maybe my Malibu.

14. Who are your sponsors? Hyperlite, Billabong, Red Bull, Malibu, Von Zipper, Kustom Shoes, Watermans Sunscreen and Performance Ski and Surf.

18. What's your favorite way to ride? PWC, cable, boat? I like riding behind my Malibu VLX the best. I like going big. I like hitting double ups and hitting big wakes with long ropes. The higher you can go the better. I like hitting rails and stuff too, but if I had to pick one thing to do exclusively, it would be riding behind the boat.

To read this entire interview visit the "20 Questions with Brian Grubb" article on WakeboardingMag.com.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Brian Grubb | Wakeboarding Mag | 20 Questions | interview | wakeskate | wakeskating | wakeboard boat | Wakesetter VLX | Team Malibu