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Boat not turning?


Boomer

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Ok, I'd had this happen a few times before, but want some input on the cause.

Last week we camped all week on the lake, and tried a little everything, including some tubing. (Well away from any wakeboarders or skiiers, etc!) I was towing from the retractable sky pylon.

One day when I had about five people in the boat, and two on the tube, I could barely get the boat to turn! Every time I'd turn hard, the boat would just ride way up on it's side, almost going straight. I mean the water was right up to the top, a couple inches from going over the side.

I wasn't doing anything super extreme, maybe 22-25-mph mostly, turning back and forth with the tube.

Anyone had this happen? I'd had it happen a time or two before, but on this day I could barely turn the boat without it flipping up on it's side and not turning, wanting to go straight.

My wife freaked out once, through I was going to sink it. Had no ballast in it, and 5 people.

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Just a thought have you checked the adjustable rudder? Maybe it came loose and the settings on the rudder changed. I know my dealer had a boat that was not set from the factory and the boat did not handle like it should just started messing around with that and now it handles great.

Not likely but you never know.

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That's chine lock. It happens when the outside chine of the hull gets down into the water and the other side lifts up. The chine acts like a long straight rudder. The little rudder in the back is useless when this happens. This is how MC had 2 boats at the WSM tests end up on shore back in the 90s. You can typically do it on a Malibu at slow speed with a dramatically uneven weight distribution... at least that's how I've gotten a Response to do it before.

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That's chine lock.  It happens when the outside chine of the hull gets down into the water and the other side lifts up.  The chine acts like a long straight rudder.  The little rudder in the back is useless when this happens.  This is how MC had 2 boats at the WSM tests end up on shore back in the 90s.  You can typically do it on a Malibu at slow speed with a dramatically uneven weight distribution...  at least that's how I've gotten a Response to do it before.

Also an explanation of why the tour Xstar ran right into the ski jump during an event. IT was turning for a double up and, well, it didn't turn so good!

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Not uncommon for certain ski boats to "chine ride" like that. My 87Skier will chine ride when turning to the right while pulling a skier or other heavy load. The torque of the engine combined with hull characteristics causes the boat to "rideup" on the chine. Scared the crap out of me at first but slowing down a little or powering up will make it turn. My buddy had a late 80's Ski Supreme that was horrible at this. You could probably turn his boat completely over if you didn't know what was happening and turned the wrong way.

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Couldn't you just layoff the throttle instead of hitting things?

I think so, unless it happened going right toward shore I guess, very close. It's never caused me to lose control, all you have to do is back off and it settles instantly.

As for the tubing comments, WHATEVER. Maybe someday there will come a time when you have a family and find out there are more things to do with a boat than wakeboard. What a concept.

I guess I shouldn't have even mentioned TUBING, how HORRIBLE it is to HAVE FUN, geez.

Edited by Boomer
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Couldn't you just layoff the throttle instead of hitting things?

Yes, but it doesn't always lock predictably, so you might be mid-turn and have it go funny, though usually it will happen when initiating a turn. I remember a story a while back when MC was having trouble (00?), in a tour event and an ESPN camera assembly got dunked.

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As for the tubing comments, WHATEVER. Maybe someday there will come a time when you have a family and find out there are more things to do with a boat than wakeboard. What a concept.

Actually I do, and they are all grown up and have Malibus of their own.

Take a chill pill dude, just messing with you. :)

Edited by LS-One
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As for the tubing comments, WHATEVER. Maybe someday there will come a time when you have a family and find out there are more things to do with a boat than wakeboard.

Bwahahaha.

There's lots of things, wakeskating, wakesurfing, air chair, but absolutely positively no tubing ever ever ever.

LS-One - Yeah, maybe when you have a family you'll understand, jerk! ROFL.gif

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As for the tubing comments, WHATEVER. Maybe someday there will come a time when you have a family and find out there are more things to do with a boat than wakeboard.

Bwahahaha.

There's lots of things, wakeskating, wakesurfing, air chair, but absolutely positively no tubing ever ever ever.

LS-One - Yeah, maybe when you have a family you'll understand, jerk! ROFL.gif

Last weekend at Lake Norris, TN I probably saw 40-50 Malibus throughout the weekend. At least 20-30 of them were pulling tubes. Our boats may be built for more serious activities but tubing was by far the most common activity......

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Wow. From all the responses, this must not be all that uncommon. It's never happened to me, yet. Thankfully. I would have thought something serious was amiss with my rudder. Guess I learned something new today.

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I pulled tubes once and found my Skier to behave oddly as well.  I was also suprised how much load they put on the pylon.

I learned something new today about boats. I had never heard of this before, but makes sense I guess. Never have had this happen to me before, even when my boat became the 'Tubesetter' at Houseboat Camp.

I don't think I would ever run the tubes off of the ski pylon. I either use the tower (for lighter tubes) or the transom hook (for bigger tubes with big boys), but not the pylon.

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[i either use the transom hook (for bigger tubes with big boys), but not the pylon.

I don't know how they mount the transom hook on my Sportster because that area is unaccessable, but on my Skier there's just washers and 7/16" nuts. I wouldn't haul anything with it.

My dealer told me the transom hook on my Sporty is tough enough to tow a boat and get it up on plane. I don't think I'll try that. Shocking.gif

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Last weekend at Lake Norris, TN I probably saw 40-50 Malibus throughout the weekend. At least 20-30 of them were pulling tubes. Our boats may be built for more serious activities but tubing was by far the most common activity......

where do you think the term FIFO comes from? ROFL.gif

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Couldn't you just layoff the throttle instead of hitting things?

As for the tubing comments, WHATEVER. Maybe someday there will come a time when you have a family and find out there are more things to do with a boat than wakeboard. What a concept.

I guess I shouldn't have even mentioned TUBING, how HORRIBLE it is to HAVE FUN, geez.

Yeah, why should a bunch of people who like flat water have something against people who zig zag back and forth and tear up every inch of smooth water?

Honestly, do you think the people on this site don't have families? Facts are, tubers typically drive in patterns that produce maximum chop. In our area, they tend to be completely unaware that I don't want them running their boats over my wake when I have a rider or skier out. They are the rudest, most inconsiderate and most dangerous group on the water. (at least on KY waters)

So don't be surprised if you get some rubbing for talking about tubing on this site. I hate tubing - even though my four kids love it! Doesn't mean I don't love the kids, it just means I hate tubing. I mean really, really hate it! Without tubing I might be able to enjoy some skill-based water sports on the weekends. If I could make the laws, tubing would be the first thing to go. I'd make it a felony!

You know, I could probably live with tubers if they'd just leave the coves to the flat water lovers. Instead, they leave the chop of the big water to come back into the coves and turn doughnuts. I just don't get it! Ok, enough of the rant.

On a positive note, this was a very interesting thread. I've never heard of a chine locking up. At least I won't be thrown into a panic if it happens to me.

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Although I've experienced it, I never gave it much thought. I learned about chine lock today.

My personal favorite that tubers do is when you're driving down the lake and trying to anticipate where they're headed so you can avoid them and they just keep on turning every which way. You can't anticipate. They're oblivious to a collision course.

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I get as irritated, or more, than most people when some moron "tuber" goes cutting across the smooth part of the lake, but when I drag out the tube I make sure I stay out in the rough water, well away from any boarders or skiers. On a typical lake day we don't use it, but if on the lake for several days we usually do.

I just get sick of the pious attitude every damn time I mention a tube in any forum. My fuse is short because it's so predictable and happens every time.

Yes, you could pull a tube with a little jon boat, but you could also wakeboard behind the same boat as well. There is no rule that says once you spend $xx on a boat, suddenly it can only be used for one thing.

You know what, last week I rode on a big-arse 3-man tube with some others and was laughing so hard I had to make the boat stop, I lost my grip due to my laughter. Later with my son (16) and one of his friends on it, my wife, myself, and two other's in the boat were all laughing so hard we could barely breathe.

One time I tossed them so hard my son flew a good 30 feet or so through the air, head first into the whitewash. Too good...

Wakeboarding and skiing is obviously what I own the boat for, but the day it makes me laugh that hard, I'll throw the tubes away.

When you get a boat load of people who can't wakeboard or ski, hell even if they can, nothing beats putting several of them on a tube and ripping them to shreds. Try it sometime, you'll be surprised. It's a different kind of fun than boarding or skiing, but it IS fun. As much fun for the people in the boat as the ones on the tube, hah.

Oh, watch out for chine lock... by the way, this has happened to me before, with no tube behind the boat.

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As for the tubing comments, WHATEVER. Maybe someday there will come a time when you have a family and find out there are more things to do with a boat than wakeboard. What a concept.

I guess I shouldn't have even mentioned TUBING, how HORRIBLE it is to HAVE FUN, geez.

Dude....I was just kidding. I love to pull my kids around on the tube, too. Sorry if I bent one of your feelers. :)

Edited by superjet
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on topic, Boomer, its fine to tube in the right place and right time. There's just too many people out there that don't know the right place and right time. Just like PWC's. Sounds like you have it under control, don't worry about it.

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