Tyson Stages a Malibu Surf Wake Sit-in

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) boat owners, the Beach Family in Knoxville TN, captured this unique wakesurfing video behind their Wakesetter VLX wakeboard boat. Scott and Sharon Beach filmed their 12 year old son Tyson wakesurfing behind their VLX, but unlike most surfing videos the star of this one was sitting down! Amazingly enough Tyson was able to wakesurf sitting for more than 2 minutes - on a skim board no less.

Way to go Tyson! That was pretty cool! Thanks to Scott and Sharon for sharing the video with us. Keep having fun with your Malibu boat!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Sharon Beach | Scott Beach | Tyson Beach | Beach Family | wakesurfing | wakeboard boats | wakeboard boat | wakesurf boat | Malibu Family | boat owner

Eyer Family's Secret Hiding Place

Eyer Family's Secret Hiding Place
Originally uploaded by MalibuImages

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) photo was sent to us through the Malibu Boats iPhone App. Chris & Marci Eyer are the proud owners of this 2007 Malibu Response LXi Chris tells us “Our secret hiding place on the Pend Oreille River in Eastern Washington, taken moments before we headed out for a ski. Get water like this all day. Love this place”

Thank you Chris for sharing your “secret hiding place” photo with us! Hopefully it stays a secret!

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!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Eyer Family | Repsonse LXi | ski boat | ski boats | water skiing | Pend Oreille River | boat owner | Malibu boat owner | Malibu Family

Malibu Boats: Case Study in Social Media Excellence

Opened the Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Twitter account this morning to find this mention. @WebSavvyMrkting: @MalibuBoats: A Case Study in Social Media Excellence. Read my blog entry and personal experience @ http://b2l.me/aeqx57. We were excited to see the tweet and quickly surfed the link to check out Rebecca Gill's blog post on www.Web-Savvy-Marketing.com. While we recognized Rebecca's Twitter handle, as belonging to one of our Malibu Boats Family members, we didn't put 2 and 2 together until we read on...

Re-posted from Web-Savvy-Marketing.com
When I met my husband many years ago, I quickly became painfully aware of his two loves: hunting and boating. No matter how great his love for me, I could not interfere with his beloved hobbies. In 2008 we purchased a new Malibu Boat to continue his tradition of summer days spent on the water. Our Malibu Wakesetter was a major purchase and something I personally struggled with until I realized we spent every weekend on the boat and dragged along numerous friends and families with us. We are now known for our “super cool” Malibu boat that produces “monster waves” and our desire to get everyone and anyone surfing behind it.

Earlier this summer we experienced some problems with our Malibu Wakesetter. While it sat in service, by husband called the owner of Skiers Pier, our local Malibu dealership. My husband had know Ron, the owner, since he was a kid and Ron was a major factor in us buying our Wakesetter back in 2008. He had complete confidence in Ron addressing our concerns. I, in turn, vented my frustration on Twitter. My tweet was:

Skiers Pier please finish my @malibuboats Wakesetter so I could enjoy the sunny weather this week! Stuck in service hell for weeks. #fail

I did not expect any action on this, I was just venting. I spend the majority of my day on Twitter managing social media accounts for my clients. Complaining online is normal for me. My husband just about died when I stated what I had done.

But something magical happened. I say magical, because it is rare. Within thirty minutes I had a direct message on Twitter from Malibu Boats. They had already called Skiers Pier and left a message with Ron about my boat. They promised to help resolve whatever issues I was encountering.

Before I knew it, they did. In fact, Malibu Boats and Skiers Pier were so great at their customer service; my husband and I traded in our two year old Wakesetter for one that could hold three more people. Our “super cool” boat became even cooler because we could hold more people and spread our boating love even further.

While Skiers Pier may not have a clue about social media and Twitter, Malibu Boats makes great use of their Twitter account. And while Ron may not be a computer guy, my husband and son love him and he is one of the best examples of good old fashion customer service. That is a rarity these days.

After all this played out, I had to publicly thank Malibu Boats for their exceptional customer service on and off the computer. Skiers Pier could not have taken care of us as well as they did if Malibu Boats was not supporting their efforts from afar. I may be quick to vent on Twitter, but I’m also quick to compliment and provide praise. My next tweets were:

Off to Skiers Pier to pick up our new @malibuboats Wakesetter! Many thanks to Ron and Malibu Boats for such excellent customer service!

@malibuboats – The new Wakesetter made the perfect Father’s day gift. Surfing in the Michigan sun is the best way to spend the day for Dad.

So Malibu Boats, I salute you and your entire team. Not only are you great at customer service, you are great at social media. You may have won my husband’s heart back in 1985, but in 2010 you won mine. And quite frankly, you’ve also won the accolades of everyone we invite to share our love for Wakesetters, lake surfing, and long summers days spent enjoying the warmth and sun in Michigan.

You are extremely welcome! Thank you... for taking the time to compose this blog post, Rebecca! We are so glad that Malibu Boats and Skier's Pier could help you get back on the water. If you need anything else we are only a Tweet away! Take care and have a great summer in your Wakesetter.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Web Savvy Marketing | Rebecca Gill | Malibu Wakesetter | wakeboard boat | customer service | boat owner | Malibu Dealer | Skier's Pier | Detroit | Twitter | Social Media

Malibu Blanket Winner Turns Giver

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) blanket winner, Michael Berzins, recently presented his friend Doug, recovering a snowboard accident, with the one-of-a-kind throw. Michael posted this photo and these words on the Malibu Boats Facebook Fan Page.

"Here's a picture of the blanket winner, Doug. Finally home from the hospital and on the mend. Thank you again for the blanket and the smile (and tears) that it brought."

This is the fan page comment that won Micheal the blanket and the opportunity to present it to his friend.

Michael Berzins (Malibu Facebook Fan)
I need that blanket to give to a buddy of mine (who also owns a Malibu) who recently hit a tree while snowboarding. He is still in ICU at St. Charles Hospital in Bend, OR. When he finally gets to come home he is gonna have a lot of sitting around (and healing) to do. That blanket would make the healing process a little less painful. You can verify this story on TheMalibuCrew's website.

You're a great friend Michael! Our best wishes are with you, Doug and your families. We are proud to call people like you a part of the Malibu Boats Family.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Blanket | Malibu contest | give-a-way | Malibu Facebook | Malibu Twitter | Malibu Facebook Fan | blanket | Malibu Owner | boat owner | Michael Berzins | Doug | friend

Discover Boating Commercial with Malibu Boat

Malibu Boat (@MalibuBoats) owner Justin Spence of Dallas, Texas created a video about the Malibu boat he and his buddy Josh bought together. Justin submitted the video to Discover Boating's "i-Discovered Boating Video Contest" and ended up winning for the water sports segment. Way to go Justin! The video rocks and the wakesurfing wipes outs are the best!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Discover Boating | Justin Spence | Dallas Texas | Wakesetter | wakesurfing | wakeboard boat | wakesetter+23+lsv | water sports

Sun Setting on Skippen Family Malibu Boat in Canada

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Response LXi is floating on the St Marie’s River. Malibu boat owner Trevor Skippen took this picture in the mid-August just off Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada.

Trevor wrote this in a an email to Malibu Boats, "We live in Chestermere, Alberta [Canda] where the boat gets most of its use. We have a 4 year old son and a 2 year old daughter that love the boat. We also have a third one that is yet to be determined."

Check out both photos the Skippen Family sent us in their Malibu Boats Flickr set. The shot with the 1000 foot ship in the background is pretty cool too.

We would like to thank Trevor for snapping these cool shots and we'd like to thank their Malibu Boats dealer, Wizard Lake Marine for sending them on to us initially. The sunset is beautiful!

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. 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!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Skippen Family | Trevor Skippen | Response LXi | St Marie River | Fav Pic | Malibu Owner | boat owner | waterskiing | Lake Superior | ski boat | Wizard Lake | Canada

Couldn't Be Happier With My Malibu Boat... Unless

Added a sweet shot of Breckh Tilden's 23 vRide to the Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Screen Saver. Received this great email and photo from Breckh Tilden the other day.

"This is my new 2009 23 vRide on Lake Koocanusa, MT August 2009. I couldn't be happier with my boat, that is unless you guys throw it in the screensaver!! Thanks in advance!! Breckh Tilden, Okotoks, Alberta Canada"

Thank you for taking the time to send us this cool shot of your boat, Breckh. It looks awesome! We love the white tower! Welcome to the Malibu Boats Family!

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. 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!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Breckh Tilden | 23 vRide | wakeboard boat | Canada | Alberta | Okotoks | Fav Pic | Malibu photo | boat owner

Owner Designs Truck After Malibu Boat

We received some cool photos of, Malibu Response LX owner, Dave Deacon's truck and boat the other day. At first glance these pics look like the typical rig shots, but on closure examination you'll notice some atypical similarities. Dave had his new truck striped to match the hull graphics design on his ski boat. Most people order a boat to match their tow vehicle, not Dave. According him to he started with the most important part, the Malibu boat, and then customized his truck to match. Here's a copy of the email Dave sent to us along with his rig shots.

I bought my Response LX new from TNT Watersports in Tennessee. It was the last boat that the late Sherman Cairns of Nashville Inboard Watersports took delivery of before he died.

I drove a number of different boats as a driver at some INT tournaments. With that experience, there was no question when it came time to replace my ’91 MasterCraft, my next boat would be a Malibu. It’s a basic Response LX ski boat with PerfectPass, just what I need for pulling skiers through the Old Hickory Lake Ski Club course. The only thing I’ve added is a bimini for the hot summer days.

Since I don’t have a regular ski partner, most everyone in the club has driven the boat at one time or another. I’m now skiing in an area of Mississippi where there aren’t many slalom course skiers so I’m training friends and coworkers how to drive it as well.

Due to a career change I live (and ski) in both Mississippi and Tennessee. A new truck was in order to make the haul back and forth. It seemed only natural to have it striped to match the boat. The work was done by the Sign Shop in Columbus, Mississippi. Plenty of people get to see in on the 560 mile round trip between homes.

Thanks for the email and the photos, Dave. Your truck is an awesome tribute to a great looking boat and the pair looks perfect together. Take care on those long trips back and forth.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Dave Deacon | Response LX | ski boat | ski lake | ski club | Mississippi | Tennessee | truck | stripes | TNT Watersports

Matching Corvette Pulling Matt Minor's Malibu Wakesetter

We received this e-mail and photo from Matt Minor last week. It is a great shot!

My name is Matt Minor and I am the proud owner of a 2003 Malibu Wakesetter. While hitching the boat up for a weekend on the lake, my friends & I decided to get a little creative. Inspired by Malibu's recent 'Corvette Edition', we were able to round one up of matching color & year to pose as an unlikely, but very catchy tow vehicle. We were amazed how well the shot turned out. It seemed fitting that we share this photo with you so that others could enjoy.

The photo was taken in our small hometown of Fort Recovery, nestled between the rows of corn & soybeans of western Ohio. The Corvette belongs to Dan Timmerman of Ft. Recovery. We roll with a crew of die-hard boating fanatics who truly believe in the quality of boats Malibu puts on the water.

Thanks so much for sharing, Matt. Your photo is definitely in the running for our Fav Pic of September. The shot was a great idea! Nice looking Wakesetter and beautiful Vet too! Also thank you for the kinds words about Malibu Boats. At Malibu we all work hard to "Build the best boat.." and we pursue that goal with owners like you in mind. Thank you for believing in the Malibu Difference. We are proud to have you as a part of our family.

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo let us know. We would love to post it here on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter. 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!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Matt Minor | Wakesetter | Corvette | Ohio | Fort Recovery | wakeboard boat | towing | Malibu Difference | boat owner

Cool Rig Shot From Malibu Boat Owners in Reno

We received this cool shot and e-mail from Malibu boat owners Larry & Michelle Leider. We had to share!

"This is our first Malibu, and we LOVE it! It's nice to boat in style".

Boat Owner: Larry & Michelle Leider
Malibu Boat: 2007 Response LXi
Home State: Reno, NV
Tow Vehicle: 2001 GMC Sierra 2500HD

Thank you Larry and Michelle for sending us this photo. Welcome to the Malibu Family!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu owner | boat owner | Response LXi | Reno | GMC | ski boat