VALUE OF 1998 RESPONSE LX???

[newbie bu]

what is a 1998 Response LX in good condition worth with 550 hours?

[Gernby]

According to NADA.com, it looks like somewhere between $13,000 and $15,000 without any upgrades.

[Killer]

MAX $16,500 on the trailer in excellent condition. good cover, stereo included, maybe other little extras.

right now people are high on prices because of the time of year. some are asking nearly 20k for them... key word is asking, not selling.

just saw a 00 sporty lx with under 200 hrs sell for around 16k on the trailer. very nice rig... can't see how a 98 rlx with 550hrs can sell for more? other 98-99 sporty closed bow's in mint shape asking 16k? not happenning, they aren't worth more than 14k IMO... anyways...

[martho]

14K plus/minus options and condition.

Remember, you are looking at a 10 year(11 model year) old boat. Don't get caught up in options as they change the value minimally for a boat in this era. (a tower will have some influence on value, tho)

A solid engine, driveline, and hull plus a good interior are your main concerns. Those are your main price driving forces.

If you look at a S, SLX, R, or RLX around 98-00, you need to know about the HDS issue. I don't want to beat a dead horse as this has been covered EXTENSIVELY on this site and the MBO site, too. Just know that you may want to fill the bilge with water to the cover the box completely and see if water drips out around the shaft when you look at one of these boats.

Edited June 21, 2008 by martho

[Killer]

14K plus/minus options and condition.

Remember, you are looking at a 10 year(11 model year) old boat. Don't get caught up in options as they change the value minimally for a boat in this era. (a tower will have some influence on value, tho)

A solid engine, driveline, and hull plus a good interior are your main concerns. Those are your main price driving forces.

If you look at a S, SLX, R, or RLX around 98-00, you need to know about the HDS issue. I don't want to beat a dead horse as this has been covered EXTENSIVELY on this site and the MBO site, too. Just know that you may want to fill the bilge with water to the cover the box completely and see if water drips out around the shaft when you look at one of these boats.

please elaborate a bit or provide a link to threads Martho.. I've been on here for years and never heard of the HDS issue???

[martho]

Link

[bobofthenorth]

I had the same question. Unfortunately a search for "HDS" will fail. Without knowing what to add to the search its difficult to proceed any further. So I'll ask the same question - what is the "HDS issue"?

[martho]

I can't believe people have not heard of this.

Here is a start

[Killer]

Bob, same deal here... this forum software won't let you search 3 character words... I searched google and it actually led me to this site.

basically the stuffing box construction ain't the best, it doesn't use the traditional shaft seal design, it uses a thru hull design and then a box that I suppose holds water?? this box has a plexi glass top and the box can leak apparently.

here are some links I found:

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index....11907&st=20

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index....mp;#entry197332

http://www.everglass.org/shaftlog.htm

[Sunapee Dreamer]

14K plus/minus options and condition.

Remember, you are looking at a 10 year(11 model year) old boat. Don't get caught up in options as they change the value minimally for a boat in this era. (a tower will have some influence on value, tho)

A solid engine, driveline, and hull plus a good interior are your main concerns. Those are your main price driving forces.

If you look at a S, SLX, R, or RLX around 98-00, you need to know about the HDS issue. I don't want to beat a dead horse as this has been covered EXTENSIVELY on this site and the MBO site, too. Just know that you may want to fill the bilge with water to the cover the box completely and see if water drips out around the shaft when you look at one of these boats.

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the HDS issue, and where is the MBO site (sorry, I'm new)?

Thanks

[skier92]

HDS stands for "Hydrophonic Dampening System" It is the "box" that is formed as part of the engine chassis system (fiberglass floor system: the entire black fiberglass portion of the boat that is the stringers and floor of the engine compartment) This entire system is glued into the hull of the boat. The idea of the HDS is that water fills the box through the prop shaft opening to "absorb energy generated by prop thrust vibration, creating comfortable, vibration-free boats." The HDS leak (if one occurs) is not a leak between the silicone sealed and screwed down lid (this would be real easy to fix) but rather a void in the adhesive, bonding the chassis system to the hull. If such a void develops, water will push its way from within the HDS box, between the hull and chassis, until it shows up inside the boat. The most common test to see if this is the source of a water leak, is to (with the boat out of water) disconnect the battery so the bilge pump does not run, put water in the boat (often suggested to a depth equal to the top of the HDS box). If water eventually drips out the shaft opening in the hull bottom, an HDS leak is assumed. I would think that the prop shaft seal shoul be tightened prio to the test, other wise, water passing thru the packing would give a false test for an HDS leak. If dripping water does suggest and HDS leak, I would remove the box lid and repeat the test to verify that the water was not simply coming through the stuffing box hardware or the lid itself. Repairs for true HDS leaks in the bonding vary. Malibu reccommend grinding the seam between the chassis and hull and adding more of the bonding adhesive used for the original bond. Others have installed shaft logs thus eliminating the water in the HDS system alltogether.

[Wakes]

If you find a used boat that has the HDS leak is that a deal breaker? I am relatively handy with fiberglass so I would probably fix it myself. How long does the fix take and what is a rough materials cost? A few hours and a couple bucks for epoxies/fiberglass or is here more to it than that? All of the work is done on the inside of the boat and it is relatively easy to get to correct?

[JeffS]

I'm casually hunting for a 98RLX and the HDS leak won't be a deal breaker for me. I've looked at the everglass.org site a couple of times, and it's a good looking repair that I'm confident I can do well. I also have some experience with fiberglass work. From the looks of that repair, and my experience reglassing a section of a boat that I refurbished, I'd estimate about $200 worth of materials if you went all West System. If you went with glass mat and polyester resin, I'm guessing about $100 in costs. And you need to have a good cutting wheel tool.

On the contrary to being a deal breaker - I'd love to find one where the owner is hoping the buyer doesn't find the problem, or is unaware of the problem. Water dripping out the bottom during that test is probably worth $2,000 off the price - because that's the price to have it fixed professionally.