Malibu 23 MXZ Boats For Sale

The Malibu 23 MXZ is a wakeboarding and wake surfing boat built to carry up to 16 people, slotting between the 22 MXZ and 24 MXZ in Malibu's lineup. Its defining feature is the pickle fork bow, which widens the beam forward to open up a large lounging area where three adults can sit comfortably, two facing forward and one across. Boats sold through the Australian arm are hand-built at the Malibu factory in Albury, New South Wales, and come with a five-year Australian factory warranty. For anyone shopping Malibu MXZ boats for sale, this is the model positioned as the entertainer of the range, with modular seating, cup holders, around eight powered phone holders, and storage under nearly every seat, including a removable cooler that lifts out for cleaning.

Three engines are offered on the Malibu boat MXZ. The top option is the LT-4, a 6.2-liter direct-injected unit producing 607 horsepower and 606 foot-pounds of torque at 3,800 rpm. The mid-range Monsoon M6 DI makes 430 horsepower and 460 foot-pounds at 3,800 rpm, while the entry M5 DI is a 5.3-liter making 360 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds at 3,800 rpm. Malibu marinizes its own engines, taking a GM block and building the manifolds and the rest in-house so each powerplant is specified for the boat. A larger prop delivers low-down torque and an oversized rudder holds the boat on line under the load of towing a surfer.

Wake shaping runs through the Power Wedge III and Surf Gate, both controlled from the helm. Riders fill all four hard ballast tanks plus the plumbed-in plug-and-play bags in the rear L-shaped tank, then set the wedge to lift to get on plane quickly before dropping it to position two for a wakeboard wake. For surfing, the speed comes down to around 11 mph and the wedge runs anywhere from one for a long mellow wave to six for a steeper, shorter ramp, letting two riders of different sizes change the wake without moving people or ballast. The Surf Gate switches sides on the run, sounding the horn three times as it crosses over.

The helm is built around a single central touchscreen that shows speed, ballast levels, and the status of the wedge and Surf Gate, with a command dial and toggle switches on the right and a secondary screen moved to the left for music and boat settings. The power helm seat is mechanized with a flip-up bolster that raises the driver over the windscreen for spotting riders, and it can be specified to swivel and slide. Other touches include a driver's seat heater, an inset glovebox for a cleaner line of sight, a built-in subwoofer panel, USB charging ports throughout, and a stern thruster under the swim step for docking. The steering is light and accurate.

The cockpit has a full-width walkthrough from the stern to the bow so passengers reach the swim step without stepping on the upholstery. Pop-up backrests on both sides face the action, and a convertible wake-view bench, shared with the 25 LSE, slides forward to bring a small crew closer or flips into a tabletop. Malibu brought back a pop-up pylon for skiers and tubers despite the walkthrough layout, and added a warming tray in the engine compartment. On the water, the boat is described as smooth and easy to drive for a large hull.

On the used market, Malibu boats MXZ examples include a 2021 23 MXZ with 498 hours powered by the M6 DI 430-horsepower engine, fitted with chillax seating on both sides, a bimini with two surfboard storage spots on top, Icon 8 tower speakers, LED docking lights, the Malibu power helm seat, and dual fuel fills so you can refuel from either side. Hour counts like that are well within the design life of these boats, which are built to run 2,000-plus hours when maintained.