Brandwave

Malibu vs Senator Boats:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Senator Boats had more branded searches than Malibu among boat brands in New Zealand. Senator Boats had about 880 branded searches, while Malibu had 260. Senator Boats made up 10.7% of all boat brand searches we track, and Malibu accounted for 3.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about boat brands, Senator Boats appeared in four of the five answers and Malibu in none.

Among boat brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Senator Boats, about 3 searches for every 1 for Malibu

Senator Boats 880 searchesMalibu 260 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Senator Boats, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Malibu in 0

Senator Boats in 4 of 5Malibu in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Senator Boats, the only one of the two named

Senator Boats first in 4Malibu never named

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Top boat brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Senator Boats was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Malibu did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Stabicraft1st
  2. Surtees2nd
  3. Senator Boats3rd
  4. Extreme Boats4th
  5. Rayglass5th
  6. Haines Hunter6th
  7. Buccaneer7th
  8. Smuggler–
  9. Malibu–
  10. Quintrex–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Stabicraft5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Surtees5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Senator Boats4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Extreme Boats3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Rayglass2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Buccaneer2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Haines Hunter1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Smuggler0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Malibu0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Quintrex0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about boat brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.

Is Malibu or Senator Boats more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Malibu and Senator Boats by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten boat brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Malibu and Senator Boats among boat brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Senator Boats, Malibu. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthStabicraftHaines HunterRayglassSenator BoatsExtreme BoatsSmugglerSurteesMalibuQuintrexBuccaneer
Oct 202540.8%12.5%11.1%11.8%11.8%2.6%3%3.6%1.5%1.4%
Nov 202545.6%9.6%10.1%12.3%10%2.8%3.1%3.7%1.6%1.4%
Dec 202539.3%12.3%10.9%12.4%10.1%2.7%3.1%6.8%1.4%0.93%
Jan 202638.2%12.9%10.4%13%8.7%2.3%3.3%8.7%1.3%1.2%
Feb 202639.4%10.8%12%13.2%10.8%2.3%3.4%6%1.3%0.83%
Mar 202637.7%10.4%13.8%11.7%9%2.4%3.8%4.3%5.9%0.9%
Apr 202638.8%10.9%11%15.1%10.2%3.6%3.3%4.5%1.6%0.93%
May 202641.4%8.9%12.1%13.9%10.7%2.8%4.5%3.4%1.5%0.96%
Jun 202639.5%11%12.1%12.5%11%4%4.2%3.2%1.5%1%
Jul 202639.6%11.6%12.5%12.7%9.1%3.3%4.3%4.1%1.8%1%
Aug 202644.9%10.1%10%13.9%9.4%3.4%3.5%2.8%1.3%0.64%
Sep 202639.8%13.9%13.1%10.7%8.7%4.2%4%3.2%1.5%0.97%

How has the Malibu and Senator Boats comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Senator Boats was ahead of Malibu in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Malibu’s share of searches among boat brands in New Zealand moved from 3.6% to 3.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 390 to 260.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Senator Boats’ share of searches among boat brands in New Zealand moved from 11.8% to 10.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.3K to 880.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand boat brands in September 2026?

4 changes

  1. In September 2026, Haines Hunter overtook Senator Boats to rank 2nd among boat brands in New Zealand, with 13.9% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Rayglass overtook Senator Boats to rank 3rd among boat brands in New Zealand, with 13.1% of the searches.

  3. In September 2026, Senator Boats lost share of searches among boat brands in New Zealand, from 13.9% to 10.7%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Malibu in New Zealand fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 390 to 260 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Malibu’s and Senator Boats’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Malibu

1 branded search term

  • malibu boat

Senator Boats

2 branded search terms

  • senator boats
  • senatorboats

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among boat brands

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