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'06 RLXi


kknudsen12

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We're looking at an '06 RLXi with the wedge, PerfectPass, heater, among other options. It was owned by a ski club and has 800 hours. The price on this one is a little under $24K. Do you think this is a good deal for the boat? I know some might shy away from the hours, but providing it has (and will be) taken care of, the hours shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?

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Before I bought my VTX, I considered a '07 Response LXi from a Ski Club that had 300 hrs on it. I had a similar concern as my 10 year old boat only had a little more than that many hours on it. I had an email from Indmar (needless to say I can't find right now) but the basic Indmar answer was: 300 hrs is barely broken in for their engines. The engine if well taken care of should last 1800 - 2000 hrs and even after that, a rebuild will get it back to basically new performance for another 1500 hrs. He clearly said he would rather have a one or two year old boat with 300 hrs that was well taken care of than a 10 year old boat with 300 hrs that has spotty maintenance.

The other components on the boat, I don't know, but I would agree with Indmar's engine analysis.

With 800 hrs on it now, if you are planning to buy it and keep it for a long time then (depending on options) $24k is probably a good deal. However, if you think that you will want to buy a new boat in a few years, keep in mind that it is more difficult to sell a boat with over 500 hrs regardless of age. At 1,000 hrs people will want a great deal on the boat.

Now, in the end, I didn't buy the boat but not because of the hrs on the boat. I just decided that a V-Drive was what we "needed" as a family.

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Have you actually seen the boat in person yet?

Pictures can be deceiving sometimes. I went to look at a boat once that only had only 260 hrs on it and was used by a Ski Team. It looked like it had been run through a log jam.

Other than that, it probably ran fine, but my initial impression was enough to make me stuff the check back in my wallet and make the 5.5 hour drive back home with no boat. Mad.gif

Moral of the story, IMO, be aware of boats used by Ski teams. Most ski teams I know do not take very good care of their boats. Maintenance wise, tip top. Looks, well that's another story.

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Have you actually seen the boat in person yet?

Pictures can be deceiving sometimes. I went to look at a boat once that only had only 260 hrs on it and was used by a Ski Team. It looked like it had been run through a log jam.

Other than that, it probably ran fine, but my initial impression was enough to make me stuff the check back in my wallet and make the 5.5 hour drive back home with no boat. Mad.gif

Moral of the story, IMO, be aware of boats used by Ski teams. Most ski teams I know do not take very good care of their boats. Maintenance wise, tip top. Looks, well that's another story.

We have not seen the boat in person, but are working on getting pictures on any possible cosmetic issues. I definitely have the same concern, as I don't want to be disappointed by the appearance of the boat. It's always better to see things yourself than to rely on someone else's opinion.

On a side note, would the warranty be transferable? The dealer thinks not, but I just thought I'd check. I think we would have more peace of mind if the warranty was still good!

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On a side note, would the warranty be transferable? The dealer thinks not, but I just thought I'd check. I think we would have more peace of mind if the warranty was still good!

That would be something you need to check on to be sure. It would be nice.

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Looking on Malibu's website, it seems as though we might be able to pay $500 to get the remainder of the 3 year warranty, as well as the limited lifetime warranty. (See page 11 of http://www.malibuboats.com/images/2008warrantymanual.pdf) Does anyone have any experience with this? Also, I don't know if that would cover the engine, and that might be the part I would most want to be under warranty.

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Yes but the motor warranty (Indmar) 3 years is unlimited....

wait a second. 3 year unlimited? What's that mean? 3 years or unlimited hours, whichever comes first? Whats the point of unlimited then? I'm sure you'll hit three years before hitting UNLIMITED hours... Crazy.gif

Is that like sticking your head up a Butcher's behind to get a good look at a T-bone? ROFL.gif

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well i said 3 years unlimited hours, I'm pretty sure the grammar police can chime in, but the "or" is not implied. I think they say unlimited hours while selling these things because everyone expects there to be a mileage/hour restriction.

What is important is the motor will be covered for two more years, while the boat warranty is no longer valid (with the exception of the lifetime hull)

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What is important is the motor will be covered for two more years, while the boat warranty is no longer valid (with the exception of the lifetime hull)

the most important part IMO, the motor.

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Is a boat owned by a ski club considered for personal or commercial use? 36 months turns into 3 months per my Indmar manual.

Yikes! If they wrote it off on their taxes I would say Commercial.

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Should I be concerned about the possibility that this boat was driven by multiple drivers? I'm not sure of the specifics concerning the club (how it was owned, who drove it, etc.), so maybe I should try get some of that information.

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Should I be concerned about the possibility that this boat was driven by multiple drivers? I'm not sure of the specifics concerning the club (how it was owned, who drove it, etc.), so maybe I should try get some of that information.

Get as much info as you can.

Do not be afraid to ask.

You are the BUYER, he is the SELLER, he WANTS to sell the boat.

Use your best judgment. Rockon.gif

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Should I be concerned about the possibility that this boat was driven by multiple drivers? I'm not sure of the specifics concerning the club (how it was owned, who drove it, etc.), so maybe I should try get some of that information.

Think rental car...

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Should I be concerned about the possibility that this boat was driven by multiple drivers? I'm not sure of the specifics concerning the club (how it was owned, who drove it, etc.), so maybe I should try get some of that information.

Uhhm . . . 800 hours on an 06 owned by a club and you think--possibly--more than one person drove it? Shocking.gif Really?

There is a reason most 06's are 34k+ and this one is 10k less. If you are concerned, have the dealer hook it up to the computer and see if it was abused.

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Should I be concerned about the possibility that this boat was driven by multiple drivers? I'm not sure of the specifics concerning the club (how it was owned, who drove it, etc.), so maybe I should try get some of that information.

Uhhm . . . 800 hours on an 06 owned by a club and you think--possibly--more than one person drove it? Shocking.gif Really?

There is a reason most 06's are 34k+ and this one is 10k less. If you are concerned, have the dealer hook it up to the computer and see if it was abused.

Okay, obviously it was driven by more than one person, but I don't know how many more than one.

If I have the dealer do an hour check and get a readout of RPMs, should that be okay? Just look to see that there aren't too many hours at the highest RPMs? Or is there other information I can get from this?

I'm new to all this, so I'm not exactly sure what I should be asking/looking for.

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Sorry, that last post came off a bit more sarcastic than I intended.

Having been on a college ski team, I have seen how club boats can be treated--sometimes not well. But some clubs are affiliated with dealers or promo programs that require that they treat their boats very well and get regular maintenance. In any event, the discount you are getting because it is a club boat is obviously significant. You can do a lot of reapairs with the 10k you are saving if something does go wrong. You could probably put a new crate engine in it for less than 8k.

Have an inspection done on the boat by a qualified mechanic. They can check the compression and analyze the engine data and tell you a whole lot about the boat--in the old days, clubs would just unplug the hour meter--but you can't really do that with the computer. Also, ask for maintance records. If the inspection turns out ok, I wouldn't worry too much.

Happy hunting! Cheers.gif

Edited by jjackkrash
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It is very easy to talk yourself out of buying a boat, especially one with a lot of hours on it.

I don't know how far it is but if it is only a couple of hours away, get the pictures, talk to the seller about the kind of shape it is in. Then go look at the boat. If the person was honest about every single scratch, scuff, or dirt spot, chances are he or she was about the service that it received as well. Look at the other stuff the Ski Club has (equipment, site, etc...) See if that is maintained well. Some clubs are anal about taking care of their stuff (like some owners) some are not.

The question that I would ask a dealer is how much would it cost to rebuild the engine and tranny, then decided if it is worth the risk. Odds are the engine and tranny are going to be good for another 800 hrs before they need work but incase anything happens short of that do you still have a deal that you can live with.

I think the key is: Are you planning to keep the boat for a long time and not worried about re-sale. Selling boats with a lot of hours is tough!

My first boat was a '79 Mastercraft that didn't run. My brother and I fixed it up and had a friend rebuild the engine. We ran that thing hard for 13 years and other than a periodic adjustment to the carb and one new starter, never had an engine problem. I can't tell you how many hours we put on it because the hour guage didn't work. We were in college and didn't see much value in replacing that.

There is an orange '06 on boattrader.com in South Carolina with 129 hrs for $33k (no tower but most other options). You may be able to get that for $31k. Is $7k worth 570 fewer hrs???

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There is an orange '06 on boattrader.com in South Carolina with 129 hrs for $33k (no tower but most other options). You may be able to get that for $31k. Is $7k worth 570 fewer hrs???

Considering a rebuild would cost almost that much, yup Rockon.gif

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More problems people have with boats is from lack of use and not the hours they put on the motor.

Mechanically 800 hours on a motor that new is nothing, however for resale it is a killer.

-Chris

Edited by 99response
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