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Great, appreciate it Csleaver!

I’ll keep an eye out for you next time we are down there. Hopefully you were not on the water Friday when those storms came through. We got off about 10 minutes before it hit. Heard something like 9 boats sank. Yikes! Glad no one was hurt.

Thanks for the info on the PNP - I will plan on removing them more often to keep them less nasty! :-) On depth, our lake is really deep. When I backed off the lift yesterday, it showed about 50-60 ft deep, which is what I expected. We are on the main channel of Norris and it is a very deep lake but was consistently reading 190-ish feed deep which seemed deeper vs what I recall seeing. Expected 120-150'. Could be 100% accurate of course. And not really that important as I'm not hitting the bottom here. :-)

I just purchased a 1995 Sunsetter and am looking to replace the flooring with GatorStep. Has anyone ever done this and how did it turn out? Also, GatorStep sells a kit for the 1995 Response but not the Sunsetter. From what I am finding, the size difference in those boats are above the water and in the exterior. Can anyone confirm that the interior sizes on them are the same?

I’m a lawyer that practices in this area (I don’t represent either company and this isn’t legal advice). My read on this is that it is serious trouble for Tommy’s, and a headache for Malibu but not an existential threat. If the threats Tommy is making against Malibu are true, that would be securities fraud— but I doubt they are, because Malibu’s auditors will have checked for exactly this possibility earlier this year and gotten certifications from Tommy’s this isn’t happening. The fact that Malibu is still filing annual financial reports, verified by their auditors, tells me the allegations are likely false. That said, if I had a boat at Tommy’s, I would pull it. Immediately. Mid service if I had to, because if the company goes bankrupt the boats are likely going to get frozen there for at least the summer. You may be okay, but it’s a very real risk.

Thanks @COOP, you’ve always been a great contributor here. Hoping you stick around.

Congrats on the new job, @COOP. Certainly appreciate all your contributions here. Best wishes to you in the new endeavor.

I concur

The springs are horizontal under the top deck. They attach to the tower via a cable around a pully. I would like to replace mine with heavier springs also, if you can find one that would work.

Here is another post about the air bleed hose.

Lake Lanier was busy yesterday, lot of boats out.

JustGary, appreciate it! On my 409SS that silver hosing is not there, mine is a bit older a 2015 model so I'm assuming that is a newer motor in your pic. Good chance it's a mud daubers problem as I do find that in my speakers and board rack holes etc.... all advice is appreciated, thank you!

Congratulations on the new job!

Too bad, you have been a ton of help over the years. Good luck in your new job.

I am no longer working for a Malibu dealer. No bad blood or anything, just moved on. Actually into a different industry. Im still a boater, and will still be here enjoying the topics and discussions. Im still happy to help with anything I may know, but I dont have access to Malibu stuff anymore.

It gives the product a perceived value. Even though that value may not be true. Small cheap watch brands do this (think Invicta and others), clothing (actually clothing is WAY high) and jewelry, people that dont know (new to the market) think they are getting a great deal. But in reality they basically bought at what is really closer to the actual value (the real value, which is still high). So did they really get a deal? Its all a shell game. I cant imagine Malibu would buy the boats back. And even if they did, they wouldnt sell them at any type of discount. We bought demo boats from them, some with over 500hrs, but got no deal. And some didnt even have warranty on them. Malibu is only worried about their stock. Market share aside, the current dealers will get hurt by this. But Im curious about Tommy allegations. They must have some damning evidence to spend money on the lawyers to do this. If true, its securities fraud. People go to jail for that. Is this the reason the CFO bailed? Is this why Jack left? Could Jack go to jail? If true someone will pay fines as well. Its crazy.

Just for clarity, the LS thermostat housing is at the far left side of the circulation pump casting: It is very common around here for mud daubers to block small holes like the "pee tube" on a wide variety of boat engines. It might be worth the trouble to find the transom outlet that @csleaver mentioned and inspect it for mud or other evidence of bugs. A wire is the tool of choice to break up the mud to get a path for the water to flow again. Another option might be to find the other end at the intake manifold and pulse it with a bit of compressed air to make sure it is clear.

Item 149 Is the PCV breather hose. No thermostat hose in your pic.

Using your numbers and assuming the coils touch each other at rest, 153/29 gives a maximum coil thickness of 5.28mm. Springs are measured with force per deflection, so grab your tools and measure again. Put some weight (I'll call it W1) on the spring as a preload to make sure the coils are separated, then (accurately) measure the overall length (I'll call it D1). Now add enough weight (D2) to get to "decent deflection" and measure the length (W2) again. The spring constant K is then: K = (W2-W1) / (D2-D1) You mixed unit systems in your original post (mm and pounds), but those are easy to convert to N/mm or pounds/inch. A stiffer spring will have a higher K value. I'm curious to see the placement of the springs in the tower. Please post a photo that shows the general arrangement. I'm picturing a cantilever arm forward of the hinge, with the springs pulling down toward the tower base.

Csleaver, I know this is the wrong motor, it's an Indmar 350 but would this be the hose I am looking for? Item 149 in this picture https://www.indmar.com.au/engineschematics/chevy/pre-2014/monsoon-5-7-assault-340hp-345hp-350hp/upper-intake-assembly.html

A 2020 25LSV would fit the bill for your use case as well. Not sure about the low 100s but you get the updated hull from 2019 (surfs great) and the 2020 updated helm and operating system.

I'm pretty sure you can't insult a professional salesman with a price. Just tell them what you will pay and they will counter offer. Don't be surprised if their counter is their original price less the incentive. The next move is yours. Keep in mind that any number you say should be one that you will immediately accept, and not tell him you have to go think about it. Shopping for a discount in the spring can be a lot harder than waiting until fall to find a deal.

In regards to “ambassador” boats these are probably dealer demo boats and yes they can be a good deal. By “new” I think they mean you would be the first owner and get the full warranty despite the hours. And honestly, having a boat the dealer has already worked the initial kinks out of could be nice.

Thanks Csleaver, I really appreciate your help. I will take a look this evening!

Welcome! In my experience the incentives play into the percentage off with Malibu. The incentives are the best way I’ve seen people get the larger percentages actually. I can’t speak to other brands but I imagine it is the same.