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Older Malibu


Marvin Gardens

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We just bought a 1992 Malibu Sunsetter, monster tower, original engine replaced with a Jasper 2 years ago (V8 350). I'm 43, daughter is 17, wife doesn't ride. This is our 1st inboard (all previous were I/Os). What will be the biggest differences we'll notice in ride, performance, top end, handling, etc?

Most of you seem to have newer Malibus....but you may have had an older 1 at some point.

Thanks

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Congrats on your new to you BU! What you will find is that the bu will have much more lower end power which is good for pulling skier's and boarders. Your top end will most likley be less. The other thing that you will notice is that you will have little to no bow rise on take off. You will absolutly love your boat.

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You will also notice how convienient it is to get in and out of the water on to the platform, putting the ski on while on the platform and the ease of getting the rope and handle to the skier. Add a boom that goes out side and you add a great beginner skier learning tool and if you are interested, a great way to start barefooting.

Ask a tournament boat driver about driving the boat, they are a little different, particularly in reverse. Visibility and performance will be much improved over the I/O and the ski pull will be solid and consistent. Make sure you get a good rope and handle to complement the boat.

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Most likely the biggest difference is you will say "wow" when you drive your boat for water sports. You will also likely have problems docking the boat consistently for a while. Cheers.gif

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Congratulations! Once you go inboard, you never go back. :lol:

Seriously, the low speed maneuvering will be the biggest challenge IMO. Remember that you have no steering in reverse or when you're out of gear. So a gentle nudge in & out of gear at the right time will help get you where you need to go around the dock. Practice practice practice, & remember that slow & steady wins the race. :)

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Just don't get discouraged the first time out. Take it from a I/o boater those boats are fast and ride smooth and if that is all you do is ride then you might not like the tow boats, but give it some time especially if you are going to pull lots of toys. After a while you will forget about the other stuff. nice being close to the water and be able to slip in, and you don't get hurt climbing those darn ladders. my inboard is about 5 mph slower than my old I/O and remember it will not get up on top of the water. and don't be trying to find the trim button lol. And also the tow boats are a lot smoother than the late 80 early 90's. My response is a 97 and it feels like a 07

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Congrats on the new boat! We are still loving our 89 skier and having a hard time thinking about trading in in on something newer/bigger. We have added three kids, a wakeboard, and a tube in the last 10 years though so time to move up. Fingerwag.gif

With regards to ride, your sunsetter will do better than a skier but will be rougher in the chop and big waves than an i/o or the newer bu's.

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Thanks for all the great advice and well wishes folks. This site seems like it's very informative and full of great people. Now if mother nature would cooperate and bring spring on in I could break this baby wet. I will make sure daughter reads these posts also, since several contain excellent operator tips. If any of you ever get to Norris Lake (TN), be sure to give me a shout.

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Thanks for all the great advice and well wishes folks. This site seems like it's very informative and full of great people. Now if mother nature would cooperate and bring spring on in I could break this baby wet. I will make sure daughter reads these posts also, since several contain excellent operator tips. If any of you ever get to Norris Lake (TN), be sure to give me a shout.

Congrats on the boat. Subtle throttle control is key on DD's W/O speed control. Use the arm rest by your throttle and let your wrist do the work. Compared to a I/O your boat will feel like a sports car, so remember finesse is key. BTW Could you post some pictures or your boat and lake Norris?

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Others have covered the slow speed/reverse handling and docking somewhat. It took me a day or two to get the hang of it & the hands of a few strangers who kept the boat from hitting the dock when the wind and my inexperience pushed the boat to the dock 90 degrees from where I intended to park. That only happened once on my first day out. Remember, don't approach a dock faster than you want to hit it the first few times.

One of the things you will likely find in the handling department is that at speed your Sunsetter will change directions very quickly. This may cause some surprises if you are - GASP - pulling a tuber(s) and driving an S path. It's really easy to turn sharp enough so the tuber ends up passing the boat. I know it surprised the heck out of my wife as I went zipping past her during the first pull.

There are many of us here that spend quite a bit of time on Norris each summer. We're starting rumblings about trying to have a WOW (Weekend on the Water) sometime (SW Ohio WOW), but haven't gotten anything organized yet.

What marina are you near? I know I'll be there at least Memorial Day weekend, 6/14-21, 8/21-24 and 9/12-15. I'll be staying either near Whitman Hollow or Flat Hollow depending on the trip. Many on the site will be there for the No Wake Weekend in late July at Shanghai.

Welcome to "The Crew" & enjoy your new to you boat!

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Congrats on your first direct drive and welcome to TheMalibuCrew. I have a 1991 Euro F3 Skier closed bow. Only has 500 hrs on her and starts and runs like a new boat. The best advice to learn to dock is to take someone with you that has driven a DD before. They'll be able to show you the proper way to approach the dock safely and at the right angles to make docking a breeze. There are tricks to getting the boat on the trailer too, especially if the wind is blowing. I usually back the trailer in and get the bunks wet and then pull the trailer back out a bit, and just get the front part of the boat on the runners then have the driver in the truck back the trailer in farther and load the boat on the trailer. This method helps to get the boat correctly centered on the trailer. You'll love you boat and it will bring you years of family fun. PM me if you have any questions on locating any parts you need. Everyone on the site is very helpful with any questions you will have.

Jamie

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Thanks for all the great advice and well wishes folks. This site seems like it's very informative and full of great people. Now if mother nature would cooperate and bring spring on in I could break this baby wet. I will make sure daughter reads these posts also, since several contain excellent operator tips. If any of you ever get to Norris Lake (TN), be sure to give me a shout.

The advice here is great but we are also good at spending your money too... ROFL.gif

Welcome to the Crew!

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Welcome to the crew, I too am a first time inboard owner after years and years of outboards.

I have driven my bu only once on the test drive and now am nired in the rebuild of the interior and hull blisters, looking so forward to spring and the chance to take her out and see what she can do.

You will find this site very informative and helpful. The people are great and willing to help in many ways.

I am glad to know this site and you will be too!

Ken

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the only downside compared to other propulsion configurations is the low speed handling isn't good, particulary in reverse.

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just one other thing that i don't think was mentioned above.

Reverse is your friend. if you find yourself coming in faster to the dock, or other immovable object, than you feel comfortable with, just throw it in reverse. It is just like putting on the brakes. as stated above, subtle throttle control when around immovable objects (forward or reverse).

enjoy the boat and enjoy this site, a lot of quality advice can be found here.

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I will agree with everything that everyone else has said.... But, as a longtime inboard owner..... I feel more comfortable driving an inboard than either an I/O or Outboard.... The key is like everyone else said practice and do it away from the docks... I would say take the daughter and some of her friends and put them on alert to help in docking until you get familiar with how it will react.... As for the directional control, on all the boats that I have owned (3 2 Mastercraft direct drives and now a Wakesetter V-drive) they all pulled to the driver's side in reverse..... I used this to my advantage when docking by coming in at about a 45 angle and then use reverse to pull the rear of the boat toward the dock..... But, practice slowly.... when manuvering around docks and other boats it does require a lot of jockeying in and out of gear... forward and reverse.... Also, I have found that if you cut the wheel hard to the left, they will usually back fairly straight.... The best thing though is that they are very easy to teach a new boat driver how to pull a skier because there is no trim to have to worry about.... My wife had never driven a boat when we began dating 3 years ago, and she has been driving it on the trailer for 2 1/2 years... she is still a little cautious about docking, but usually I am there to either giver her directions or take the wheel.... Enjoy, I am sure that you will.....

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Can't thank you all enough. Keep the advice coming (except that kind that Malibudude says will cost $$$:)

I will definitely make sure daughter reads every bit of it as well. She's more coachable by people other than dad:)

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No one has mentioned the turning ability at speed. Since an inboards prop can not really ventilate (cavitate), the limit on your turns is how well you can hold on.

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Marvin,

don't feel bad about having an older inboard....they are easy to care for, pull very strong and are a blast to drive. Thumbup.gif

it doesn't matter if you have a 88, a 98 or an 08....when you are spending time with you family and friends they'll remember the good times and not which year your boat is. Rockon.gif

here's a photo of our 'old' beauty! have fun and welcome to the forum!

CR

post-3641-1204895680_thumb.jpg

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Marvin,

don't feel bad about having an older inboard....they are easy to care for, pull very strong and are a blast to drive. Thumbup.gif

it doesn't matter if you have a 88, a 98 or an 08....when you are spending time with you family and friends they'll remember the good times and not which year your boat is. Rockon.gif

here's a photo of our 'old' beauty! have fun and welcome to the forum!

CR

I couldn't agree with you more Arctic Slalom...Family, frineds, good times, that's what it's all about. That's 1 beautiful Bu you have there!!!!! And thanks for the welcome:)

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do a few practice docking runs with your daughter once you get the hang of it. You can avoid hairy situations by just staying calm and probably would be a great idea to have a couple of hands/feet to help your first couple of times, you might come in a little "hot" :) Otherwise you'll love it, we just traded in our'95 sunsetter a couple years ago and only because we wanted a bigger wakeboard wake without sacks all over the place. Otherwise that boat was still taking fantastic care of us.

Get some teak oil for that platform to keep it looking wonderful. It's super easy to just apply a few coats every month or two and really helps with the sun fade.

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