3 blade prop, destroyed itself?

[BlazerSS]

GREAT SHAFT IS BENT>>>>

THAT SUCKS and what does that cost me?

might as well get dripless too.. I assume...

nice, welcome to malibu...

Jeff

[WakeGirl]

Ok, so I contacted Malibu, she pretty much said, ya well out of warranty by 5 years so take care..lol.. nice as the auto email says this and i will quote...

"At Malibu Boats, the ownership experience is as much of a priority for us as the technology-based engineering and impeccable craftsmanship that we pour into the boats. We over promise and over deliver before during and long after the sale.

"

funny thing is, I told her the same thing, her emailed said.... and I would guess that 5 years, is past the long after sale..lol. As it was defective... and not a cool thing, and luckly someone did not get hurt. I am shocked, that this happened, and cant help but wonder why they would not want to make this right, somehow, someway.

You know if you think about it, I only bought a used boat, but really if I and others like me, dont buy the used, well no one would buy the new, as they couldnt get rid of the old.. you know what I mean?????

Also emailed the dealer in my area, which is about 3 hours away, and they dont want to take any responsiblility as he mentioned they are only new dealers, so that was before their time... dont get that either, as you are or are not a dealer...hmmm..

Am I being a d*** about this? do tell me..... as I dont feel satisified with the prop company being closed and tons of people still using them, when you know they will spin off like they do...

Jeff

Okay, first thing's first, I removed the person's name that you have been in communication with. Not cool to dime someone out specifically like that, particularly when they're just following company protocol.

As far as the rest, you have to remember that you have a 10 year old boat, actually 11 now that the '09 model year is in full swing. So to expect Malibu to repair or replace a part that has worn out is a bit much IMO. Even their warranty doesn't stipulate for that.

I would be curious to see the stats, but I'd be willing to bet that the actual failure rate on these things is quite small in comparison with how many of them that are out there. I know far too many that are running this very prop - I personally can think of a lot more that have them on than all of the actual failures combined that I've seen reported over the years between this site & MBO. With all of that said, I'd use it as one more reason to convince the Better Half that we need a new prop.

[Malibudude]

We all agree it stinks big time that it happened, but it's time to use insurance to fix the issue, get a new prop, and move on. My old CVP prop never had an issue even after 8 years of use. Your boat is going on 11 years of use to expect a company to replace it is just over the top. Acme and OJ are great to work w/ and can get a new prop that will provide superior performance than the old CVP did to boot.

[BlazerSS]

"Knowing that the shaft is bent is 100% Proof that someone, either the original owner or you, hit something. Make sure that you post on the Malibu Crew that your shaft is bent and you will see that they will have the same conclusion."

Just doing what I am told... and want to make sure you know that I was in deep water, near middle of lake, doing around 35-40 mph. Loud noise followed by incredible vibration, I pulled back throttle and turned off engine. Drifted to a stop. Checked boat to see the issue, and found prop missing a blade near the shaft...

thought i only needed a prop, but after further inspection.. today... the shaft is bent too.. not much, but it is making noise..

so guess if the better half would HAVE known... i might not be in this situation.. which is my point of calling malibu and putting this on this site..

so I am not trying to point a finger at the person I spoke with.

I am lookin for a response.. no pun intended.. to see what should be done.

I know warranty is up...

Jeff

[WakeGirl]

We all agree it stinks big time that it happened....

Yes, that goes without saying.

"Knowing that the shaft is bent is 100% Proof that someone, either the original owner or you, hit something. Make sure that you post on the Malibu Crew that your shaft is bent and you will see that they will have the same conclusion."

I'd be curious to hear what others here have to say about that, but I tend to think that if the shaft is bent then you either hit something or the prior owner did & you didn't know it.

To me it's a little like the chicken & the egg....if the prior owner had hit something & the shaft was already bent, should Malibu pay for it in that case? A bent shaft (even a little bit) could have been the culprit. I'm not trying to say that you're wrong for being upset, but sometimes it happens & there's nobody you can blame for it but bad luck & Mr. Murphy.

JMO, but I think you should put a claim in on your insurance, get it fixed & call it good.

BTW, when you say that the shaft is making noise, what do you mean? Is that the only way that you've verified that it's bent?

Edited July 29, 2008 by WakeGirl

[NorCaliBu]

Quote - presumably from Malibu:

"Knowing that the shaft is bent is 100% Proof that someone, either the original owner or you, hit something. Make sure that you post on the Malibu Crew that your shaft is bent and you will see that they will have the same conclusion."

I would have to agree. Props for having the integrity to post this up.

...and want to make sure you know that I was in deep water, near middle of lake, doing around 35-40 mph. Loud noise followed by incredible vibration, I pulled back throttle and turned off engine. Drifted to a stop. Checked boat to see the issue, and found prop missing a blade near the shaft...

Logs float out in the middle all the time. Sometimes right below the surface. Sounds like you found one.

thought i only needed a prop, but after further inspection.. today... the shaft is bent too.. not much, but it is making noise...

Making noise is normal. That's the friction between the Cutlass Bearing (strut bearing) and the shaft. That bearing isn't a "bearing" as most people think of bearings. It's a brass, bronze, or NiBrAl outer shell (depends on the mfr) with a corrugated rubber inner sleeve. It makes a wicked noise when spun dry.

so guess if the better half would HAVE known... i might not be in this situation.. which is my point of calling malibu and putting this on this site...

Even if you didn't hit something, the boat is more than ten years old. It is way out of warranty coverage. Not really anything for Malibu to do. No other boat company would cover it either.

I am lookin for a response.. no pun intended.. to see what should be done.

Have the shaft inspected to insure that it is straight. If you run it bent it can and will nuke your tranny. Get a new prop and enjoy your boat.

EDIT - had too many ooooo's in corrugated.

Edited July 30, 2008 by NorCaliBu

[BillFooter]

Maybe it's just me but I can't imagine why anyone would expect a manufacturer to warranty an item 5 years after the warranty expired, and especially for a product that was only warranted to the original buyer (unless the warranty was transferable).

[MalibuTime]

Maybe it's just me but I can't imagine why anyone would expect a manufacturer to warranty an item 5 years after the warranty expired, and especially for a product that was only warranted to the original buyer (unless the warranty was transferable).

Agreed, it is a bummer, and maybe just the prop blowing apart and being out of balance was enought to throw the shaft off. Also, at this age, maintenance becomes a huge unknown. Did the prop show visual signs of failure - cracking, excessive pitting, etc. on and on? Was the shaft seal/bushing worn beyond tolerance? There is no reason to expect Malibu to step in and pay for the repair. It is a bummer for the OP, but I do not think it is reasonable to expect anything other than sympathy and advice on how to properly repair.

[BlazerSS]

maybe i am the only one that heard about ford..

you know the company that builds trucks..

Yes well anyway, while back they had issues with Firestone and some tires.. well tires are like props.. makes the stuff go.. and well FORD stepped up and replaced... oh I dont know 6.5 million, not that many props around...

So I guess I am not too crazy to think that, and besides, I did not want a new prop.. i wanted to make sure they did something about it like a recall, so people are not in the same boat as me. As for the bent shaft.. ya well now I want a new one of those...

Jeff

[WakeGirl]

I am lookin for a response.. no pun intended.. to see what should be done.

maybe i am the only one that heard about ford..

you know the company that builds trucks..

Yes well anyway, while back they had issues with Firestone and some tires.. well tires are like props.. makes the stuff go.. and well FORD stepped up and replaced... oh I dont know 6.5 million, not that many props around...

So I guess I am not too crazy to think that, and besides, I did not want a new prop.. i wanted to make sure they did something about it like a recall, so people are not in the same boat as me. As for the bent shaft.. ya well now I want a new one of those...

Jeff

If you're so sure that you're right, then why did you bother asking? (see above quote)

The constant comparisons with Ford perplex me. First off, it's at best a really bad idea to compare the boating world with the automotive world. Second, the Ford situation was a completely different scenario - you had a documented problem that occurred literally on millions of vehicles. No such documentation has occurred with this, & as I stated earlier there are far too many CVP props in use today for anyone to realistically think that this is a widespread problem. So you see people complaining on the internet about it, what's new or (more importantly) credible about that? Third, the problems with Ford showed up right away which is what spurred a recall. Your boat is 10+ years old, (and taking from your comparison) if you had an Explorer that was 10 years old Ford would never have covered that even if you had the original Firestone tires because tires wear out.

[BillFooter]

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 1999 -- In theory, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) keeps a wary eye on automakers, swooping in to order recalls when safety defects are found.

But in reality, NHTSA, like most federal agencies, relies on the auto industry to report problems. Thus, if an automaker is slow to report problems, the agency may not find out about them until it's too late to do anything.

Once a car is eight years old, it can no longer be recalled, so it is in the automakers' best interests to stall as long as possible.

Full article at: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/auto_r..._often_late.htm

[BlazerSS]

oh ya, ok.. thanks for that.. nice work...

hmmmm

[BlazerSS]

hey have a read if you want.. your call. http://www.time.com/time/business/article/...,128198,00.html

you know, you all seem to get pretty fired up about my comments and my opinion, the reason i posted was to PREVENT an injury... funny eh

as for your negative comments, if you were hung up on by malibu.. you too might be upset with customer service..

Anyway, dont worry about me, things will work out, as they always do.

Keep your chins up eh

Jeff

[edwin]

If I were Malibu CS I'd hang up on you too...

[Killer]

all other issues aside; I don't know how you could hold Malibu liable here, its not even their prop!

I have a 9 year old cvp I'm selling, and its in excellent condition!!!

[Malibudude]

understand that when a new member comes on the board w/ little history and immediately blasting a company the credibility just isn’t readily apparent. No one else here was involved in the phone call and stories typically have two sides and we are only privy to one.

[BlazerSS]

If I were Malibu CS I'd hang up on you too...

nice and you support those moms..

[BlazerSS]

not blasting, just saying..

anyway, thanks for all the comments, and help.

[wienrdog]

<snip>

Also emailed the dealer in my area, which is about 3 hours away, and they dont want to take any responsiblility as he mentioned they are only new dealers, so that was before their time... dont get that either, as you are or are not a dealer...hmmm..

Am I being a d*** about this? do tell me..... as I dont feel satisified with the prop company being closed and tons of people still using them, when you know they will spin off like they do...

Some others have kind of beat around the bush, but if you've missed it - Yes, you are.

It's a bummer that it happened and I wouldn't wish that on anybody. I can understand why you would be fired up, but your attitude since you asked for opinions will quickly turn a community of usually helpful, level headed (if sometimes sarcastic) individuals against your cause.

A site of users like this will have experienced or heard of an issue with component XYZ - prop, oil sender, fuel sender, fuel pump, etc. While we may not necessarily know the detailed numbers - failed units/units produced or MTBF. We can supply only anecdotal evidence of 'Yes/NO' I have heard of that happening before - and a relative frequency never, once, multiple times...

The members here are more than willing to share their information and opinions, but your apparent unwillingness to bend from you position that somebody owes you a new prop & a freshly repaired hull for the failure of a 10 yr old part (when you don't know how it was treated for many of those 10 years) will elicit the responses you have seen.

Expecting anything more than advice on how to move forward with repair & avoid a similar situation in the future is out of line. The members here will pretty quickly tell you if you should be more upset than you are and when to press for compensation.

[DIE2SURF]

My $.02: I too bought a used Malibu ('98 Echelon) a couple years ago and it does have this prop on it. I am going to replace it as well, but I personally don't believe that Malibu is legally or morally responsible for the original prop 10 years later. I dropped $300 and got a new OJ that will run circles (no pun intended) around my current CVP prop.

As for the comments made by members on this topic regarding attitudes, weinrdog summed it up pretty well:

"members here will pretty quickly tell you if you should be more upset than you are and when to press for compensation."

"advice on how to move forward with repair & avoid a similar situation in the future "

BlazerSS - Thanks for bringing this topic up. Had you not done so, the same fate may have happened to me as I had no idea that these props were an issue. So for that I thank you. Welcome to the site, and please keep contributing positive info.

Edited July 30, 2008 by gjsmith73

[NorCaliBu]

maybe i am the only one that heard about ford...you know the company that builds trucks...Yes well anyway, while back they had issues with Firestone and some tires.. well tires are like props..

If you took this snotty, condescending attitude with CS at Malibu then I understand why they hung-up on you.

Yes, we are all familiar with the Ford / Firestone recall. That situation was in no manner analogous to this. The tires were relatively new products with documented failures on a large scale. To the point that the CPSC stepped in with a mandatory recall. And if you think that Ford ate the costs of that, my guess is you're wrong. I am sure thay passed all costs right along to Firestone, afterall, it was their product failure not Ford's. CVP is not around to issue and conduct a recall even if the failure rate warranted it (which it doesn't). It's a 10 year old prop that likely hit something (causing the bent shaft), just buy a new one and move on.

[vetteguy]

I had 1 blade fly off my prop this weekend, I don't know who the manufacture was but I appreciate knowing that this can happen. The owners manual for our boats tell us to visually inspect for cracks, if I had seen this post earlier, I might have done just that and avoided the hastle.

This was on a 2000 Eschlon Corvette with 160 hours, happened at approx 5000 rpm- made a h--- of a bang. The two remaining blades have not one mark on them.

Where do I find a replacement 13X15 LH poloshed stainless prop? My MB dealer tells my they only get brass now.

[NorCaliBu]

Where do I find a replacement 13X15 LH polished stainless prop? My MB dealer tells my they only get brass now.

Are you a really large barefooter? What was top speed with a 13 X 15 SS? Do you need the top-end?

Most have gone away from SS props. Brass (actually NiBrAl) props fold up when they strike something thereby absorbing much of the impact. SS doesn't and therefore transfers much of the impact right up the driveline, often damaging the tranny, which is a much more expensive repair than a prop.

You can Contact Skier-To-Skier for a CNC'd OJ XMP prop.

[WakeGirl]

Not to mention that the new CNC process makes such a better prop all the way around vs. the old cast....you'll feel like you've got a new boat.

[99response]

But a brass prop looks silly with all the cool chrome underwater gear he has....