Normally you'd never associate the term “towboat” with “luxury.” “Pedestrian?” Sure. “Functional?” Perhaps. But “luxury”? That might seem like a stretch, but its exactly what you’ll find in Malibu Sunscape 23 LSV. The initials stand for “Luxury Sport-V,” with the “V” referring to the space-saving V-drive transmission in the stern.

Hitched to a powerful 365-hp Indmar Hammerhead, the smooth-running Walter V-drive in our test boat let Malibu’s designers deliver a tournament-grade pull while freeing up a tremendous amount of seating and floor space in the cockpit. We especially liked the gull-wing hatches on either side of the powerplant that provide access to separate stowage compartments so you never have to worry about finding your gear wrapped around an alternator belt. And the center hatch provides easy access to Hammerhead and all its fluid fills while completing a triple-panel sunpad aft.

The uncluttered, U-Shaped seating area in the cockpit (combined with plush seating in the bow) means you can take a crowd of up to 12 people along for the ride, be it cruising, skiing, or wakeboarding. There’s so much room, in fact, that the boat comes with a removable dining table, a feature more likely found on a deck boat than a tow boat.

Fully forward, the helm is one of the most tricked out we’ve seen, with more features than a movie theater. The star of the show for sure is the MSCAN electronic control system, which includes a GPS for speed monitoring, and a built-in cruise-control system so you can dial-in the Sunscape for extended tows, or return to exactly the same speed when the next athlete gets his or her turn at the other end of the towrope.

The luxury continues fully forward with deeply padded seats in the bow and built-in ice chests below, just forward of the walkthrough windshield.

When you also discover the Sunscape can be set up for wakeboarding with 500 pounds of water ballast and another 1,000 pounds of downward force aft courtesy of the “Wedge” hydrofoil, you'll see why the terms “roughing it” and "Sunscape LSV" have nothing at all in common.

For more information call (209)383-7469 or visit www.malibuboats.com.

• Top speed for the Malibu Sunscape 23 LSV is 46.4 mph (74.7 kph), burning 21.4 gallons per hour (gph) or 81 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Malibu Sunscape 23 LSV is 24.8 mph (39.9 kph), and the boat gets 4.51 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.92 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 223 miles (358.88 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 365-hp Indmar Hammerhead gas inboard.