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Seadog

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I have been looking at new boats so far Tige,Supra,Nautique I wanted to see the Malibu and MC.

we drove 66miles to a lake that had both dealers here is what happened.

We first checked out the Malibu We were VERY impressed outstanding fit and Finnish we liked the 23' and

loved the 247 . We then went to see the MC the salesman showed us a sign board on the showroom floor

showing bad parts of the Malibu. I don't like this kind of sales tactic but if its true ?

You guys own them my main concern is structure here's what MC said whats your opinion.

1-fiberglass on sides thin can be flexed by hand ,not hand laid blown in only

2-ski pylon only glassed in no bracing

3-engine mounts and D rings no bracing only washers

4-honeycomb floor can be dented in by jumping in the boat

5- seating screwed to the honeycomb floor not glassed in

MC did just what they wanted in shaking us up with Bu I wont be buying a MC.

Its down to Bu or Sant I am going to test drive both [ same dealer sells both] any info

you have would help Thanks

Sorry if this topic is repetitive

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seadog, due all of us a favor and report the MC dealer to the better business burrow. not only are all those statements false but just low down and dirty sales tactics. I purchased an 07 last year and Ill pass along the advise that made the decision for me. slim your search down to the final couple of boats and then ask your dealer for 5 references. and to please include at least one that would be considered a not so happy buyer. call them talk to them see what they say. this is what i did and even the unhappy customer in my eyes was given a good deal and treated the way a customer should be. then when you buy a Malibu start posting up this is a great site with more info and help than you could ever need. The Malibu crew has been around so long and been so good about help that even the dealers and Malibu have taken notice and post as well.

p.s. Malibu doesn't need to slam another manufacturer to make sales. that alone should tell you a little something.

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seadog, due all of us a favor and report the MC dealer to the better business burrow. not only are all those statements false but just low down and dirty sales tactics. I purchased an 07 last year and Ill pass along the advise that made the decision for me. slim your search down to the final couple of boats and then ask your dealer for 5 references. and to please include at least one that would be considered a not so happy buyer. call them talk to them see what they say. this is what i did and even the unhappy customer in my eyes was given a good deal and treated the way a customer should be. then when you buy a Malibu start posting up this is a great site with more info and help than you could ever need. The Malibu crew has been around so long and been so good about help that even the dealers and Malibu have taken notice and post as well.

p.s. Malibu doesn't need to slam another manufacturer to make sales. that alone should tell you a little something.

Plus1.gif

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Are those 5 things all true? I would think if a pylon was only glassed in it would fail pretty quickly. Mine is solid as a rock, 10 years later.

Edited by bretski75
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they are not all true, but they are not all false either. the pylon is glassed DIFFERENTLY than in an MC. My old MCs had metal brackets holding in the pylons that were glassed, and then braced back to the engine mounts, which was also glassed in differently (to the stringers, i think). There were 2 big ubolts that you had to keep tightened. I think the BU only has one.

The seat comment is sorta true too, but I haven't had problems with it, so who cares.

The bottom line is look at everything, narrow it down to test drives, then pick the one that you like and is affordable and practical for you and your family. Also take a real close look at service in your area. To me, that is a real important issue. Who gives a crap what anybody or any other manufacturer thinks.

I have owned 2 BUs and several MCs in my life. Both have good points and bad points. If i ever buy a ski boat again, i will look at all the manufacturers again, and see what is the best opportunity for me. If i buy another while i live in this area, it probably won't be a BU because service is too far and too much of a hassle for me. luckily i haven't had many problems, and I am fairly mechanical so can deal with the ones i have had. But it sure would have been nice to have a dealer a lot closer.

Edited by jgouveia3
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Former MC owner, current Malibu owner here. No clue if any of it is true on other boats. But it's not true on my own boat. The side glass is solid. The floor is solid. The pylon is solid (holds the cover up just fine).

And most importantly, the tower is solid as a rock. Ask your MC dealer if theirs is.

I also had problems on my MC 205 with the honeycomb floor in the back crushing & starting to get flimsy. Loved the boat though & had it for 7 yrs.

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I can't recall any stories where the Ski Pylon ripped out of the back of a Malibu or when the Seats have come apart from the shore...

Has anyone had any of these issues? Dontknow.gif

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Dontknow.gif

I have been looking at new boats so far Tige,Supra,Nautique I wanted to see the Malibu and MC.

we drove 66miles to a lake that had both dealers here is what happened.

We first checked out the Malibu We were VERY impressed outstanding fit and Finnish we liked the 23' and

loved the 247 . We then went to see the MC the salesman showed us a sign board on the showroom floor

showing bad parts of the Malibu. I don't like this kind of sales tactic but if its true ?

You guys own them my main concern is structure here's what MC said whats your opinion.

1-fiberglass on sides thin can be flexed by hand ,not hand laid blown in only

2-ski pylon only glassed in no bracing

3-engine mounts and D rings no bracing only washers

4-honeycomb floor can be dented in by jumping in the boat

5- seating screwed to the honeycomb floor not glassed in

MC did just what they wanted in shaking us up with Bu I wont be buying a MC.

Its down to Bu or Sant I am going to test drive both [ same dealer sells both] any info

you have would help Thanks

Sorry if this topic is repetitive

This was posted at another site as well. RU the same poster as Suprahunter? If so welcome, this is a good site for Malibu info.

I had the same experience with the MC dealer and it appears that that is common with many MC dealers. Why do they do it?

They do it because they know that if you test drive both you will buy the Malibu.

Show the list of shortcomings to your Malibu dealer and find out their thoughts.

I think the truest statement is the glassed in floor and seats and I believe MC beats Malibu here, gets rid of water like a bathtub, can dry out the carpet by removing it, and easier to keep clean. The MC has superior board racks as well, at least IMO.

That being said, the Malibus will have more room in the main cabin. The picklefork is a matter of preference but open bow compared to closed bow was not a big deal for me, I see most passengers in the bow area laying on the seats facing forward anyway. The MC's tower rattles compared to the Malibu Illusion tower which is solid.

For me it came down to the test drives. The Xstar drives like a bus compared to the Malibu. The Malibu wake is great (i got the VLX WS). I did not drive the CC so cannot comment. Hopefully u will test drive them and report back to us.

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If you have the opportunity, I encourage you to take the factory tour. It is very enlightening. MC has used these kinds of tactics for years, & it surprises me that they continue with half-truths & scare tactics. They make a decent boat that would sell itself, there's no need for that.

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1-fiberglass on sides thin can be flexed by hand ,not hand laid blown in only

2-ski pylon only glassed in no bracing

3-engine mounts and D rings no bracing only washers

4-honeycomb floor can be dented in by jumping in the boat

5- seating screwed to the honeycomb floor not glassed in

Negative selling, the tactic of those who can't sell and/or those with inferior products. Pathetic.

1) I have cut through the glass on a couple of Malibu's and have found cloth (fiberglass) you can't blow in cloth.

2) I checked out the pylon before I bought a Fly-High pole because this was one of my concerns. I had a family friend that has been a boat builder for years look at the way it is anchored and he said "no problem". I trust the opinion of a boat builder with an engineering degree over that of competing brand salesman.

3) If the platform that your engine mounts are secured to is constructed properly...there is no need to excessive bracing. D rings? I have no idea, I would have to remove my gas tank to even see them but all they're used for is and anchor point for transom straps so I'm sure they're sufficient. If you were to use a lift that hangs the boat from the bow eye and the transom D's then it might be any issue.

4) There are no dents in mine. 8 years of loading the boat down with everything for boat-in camping I would have assumed would expose any problems if they were there.

5) ?? Dontknow.gif ?? Huh?? My seat cushions sit on bases that are integrated into the floor deck, the bases are glassed in. Maybe it's different on different models. :unsure:

I find it amusing when I run into a saleman the uses negative selling tactics. I usually egg them on before shooting them down. :lol: Losers.

Take your test drives, ride/ski behind them if at all possible, and make your decision based on real world experience not on the opinion of some pinhead that is trying to make a buck off of you.

Thumbup.gif

Welcome.gif

Edited by NorCaliBu
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Out of all of those examples given, the only one that is true that the seats are srewed into the floor. However I have owned 6 Bu's dating back to 1988, and havenever had any issues with the items listed.

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Yes its true I am also Suprahunter. I thought I would stay Suprahunter but after looking at all

brands in my area its not looking good for Supra. I was really impressed with the sant 230 and

I wasn't going to bother with Bu [couldn't find a dealer through the web site] then I called Malibu

I was sent to a truly great dealer with both Nautique and Malibu. I must say Malibu is a hard act to

follow seems like new thinking opposed to old school. I will test drive both then decide.

THANKS for all your help with this process Suprahunter / Seadog

Edited by Seadog
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Dontknow.gif

I have been looking at new boats so far Tige,Supra,Nautique I wanted to see the Malibu and MC.

we drove 66miles to a lake that had both dealers here is what happened.

We first checked out the Malibu We were VERY impressed outstanding fit and Finnish we liked the 23' and

loved the 247 . We then went to see the MC the salesman showed us a sign board on the showroom floor

showing bad parts of the Malibu. I don't like this kind of sales tactic but if its true ?

You guys own them my main concern is structure here's what MC said whats your opinion.

1-fiberglass on sides thin can be flexed by hand ,not hand laid blown in only

2-ski pylon only glassed in no bracing

3-engine mounts and D rings no bracing only washers

4-honeycomb floor can be dented in by jumping in the boat

5- seating screwed to the honeycomb floor not glassed in

MC did just what they wanted in shaking us up with Bu I wont be buying a MC.

Its down to Bu or Sant I am going to test drive both [ same dealer sells both] any info

you have would help Thanks

Sorry if this topic is repetitive

I'm pretty sure #1 is completely false (check ou the factory tour here --? Link

#2 - Not sure, but I don't remember hearing anything about pylon failures. Malibu has patented the pylon with the top that rotates, so the pylon probably doesn't get the type of "twisting" action other pylons get.

#3 - only remember reading one story about engine mounts. Someone's shaft ended up out of alignment and it was because of the engine mount. I remember the outcome of the story was a good one, but not sure exactly what it was. The dealer and/or malibu took care of the issue.

#4 and 5 - have heard of a few old floors having problems sagging, but I don't believe it was because of "honeycomb flooring". Most, if not all of the times I read about it the issue was covered by Malibu and the floor was replaced. I haven't heard of anything like this recently and I've never heard of any seats coming loose. Most of my seats have a fiberglass base.

The end result is that boats from any manufacturer will have issues from time to time. The question is does the dealer and the manufacturer, in this case Malibu, take care of it's customers. I think you can see from looking through this site that Malibu has always stood by it's product.

I too looked at mastercraft before buying a 'bu. The dealer bad-mouthed all the other manufacturers and then told us they couldn't get us in a used mastercraft in the price range we specified.

Glad to hear Malibu is on your short list. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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Hi Mike, welcome to the site! This is Russell. You know my opinion already based on our conversation yesterday so I'll let everyone else chime in. Feel free to ping me if you want to talk again or even kick around ideas though.

CC and Bu both are great boats. It will come down to preference and how they meet your individual needs. For what I do I prefered the Bu but you'll know which is right for you very quickly after you drive them.

Happy Hunting and looking forward to putting a face to the name when you come down to the lake in a couple weeks.... Thumbup.gif

P.S. for the others that this might be confusing for, I'm one of the references that the dealership hooked him up with. Can't say enough good things about Culver's Portside Marina.

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If you want another opinion...a MC dealer, a Bu dealer and a Supra/Moomba dealer are less than one mile apart just south of Fox Lake, IL.

Let me know if you come up. I would be happy to take you over there

Edited by martho
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I'm on my 3rd Bu. The first 2 were direct drives, and the pylon was glassed in, but I never had any problems with them, and don't know anyone who has.

You are looking at V-drives, just open the hatch and you can see the pylon, there is a full frame in there on my VTX.

I've been to the factory, and seen them laying glass matt.

Drive them all, pick what works best for you but don't let some cheap, and false, sales talk make your decision.

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If you want another opinion...a MC dealer, a Bu dealer and a Supra/Moomba dealer are less than one mile apart just south of Fox Lake, IL.

Let me know if you come up. I would be happy to take you over there

I know the dealers you referred to I have talked to Chicago Searay they took us out for a test drive it didn't

go very well probably wont buy another Supra.

I will be back in the area in the near future how can I get hold of you?

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