New to me a 1994 Malibu Echelon LX also new to the Forum

[luvtheBU]

I bought this tight little 1994 Malibu Echelon LX in Salt Lake City, she only has 276 hrs on her. The engine is huge I just about peed my pants when they lifted the box to show me this big ol 454 EFI, the guy tells me this was a $5000 option when it was new. I cannot find one forum topic on this though so I am hoping someone here knows about this engine. My last 2 Malibu's were newer, one was a 1998 Sunsetter and a 2000 Response, but the big D forced me to get rid of them. I am soooooo happy to be back in the game but I am introducing this to my new hubby and he's a little intimidated by this boat, here's my dilemna, my job before the D was to back the BU into the river just right and release the boat the Ex would take it off the trailer. Also my job at the end of the day was to leap off the bow onto the dock and re get the trailer,.....but the ex always put the boat on the trailer, so now I am a little nervous and I don't want our first experience to be a bad one. Can someone here give me good directions when driving the boat back on the trailer in a river current? PLEASEEEEE....my little BU is sitting in my driveway right now begging to get wet and dear hubby wants to wait till this weekend so we can take her to the lake, I cannot wait.

[UWSkier]

landing the boat in a current is no different than landing in a crosswind. Just compensate for the rate of flow of the water. If you miss, back up, circle 'round, and try again. If you wan to practice, go out to the middle of the river and drop two anchored buoys or markers and practice navigating around/between them. Just don't prop the anchor lines or you have much bigger problems on your hands.

The 454 EFI was indeed an option in 1994. I think it came in the "President's Edition" Echelon. There's a picture of one of these things pulling an ungodly number of barefooters off dual-booms floating around on the net but I can't seem to find it. It's your basic GM big block 454. It's a big, torquey, thirsty beast.

Edited June 24, 2009 by UWSkier

[luvtheBU]

landing the boat in a current is no different than landing in a crosswind. Just compensate for the rate of flow of the water. If you miss, back up, circle 'round, and try again. If you wan to practice, go out to the middle of the river and drop two anchored buoys or markers and practice navigating around/between them. Just don't prop the anchor lines or you have much bigger problems on your hands.

Actually I have never put the boat on the trailer. Do I have to nose it in at a 45 degree angle and let the current straighten the stern and then give it a little gas to get it on the bunks?

[luvtheBU]

Oh NO... you said thirsty, is she a gas guzzler, I know my other ones weren't effiicient by any means but I never cared, now I have a penny pincher, God love him but he's super tight.

[UWSkier]

All inboards are gas guzzlers and I doubt you'll really notice a difference.

I wouldn't come in at a 45. Come in at less of an angle with the whole boat a little upstream of the trailer so that when the bow catches the bunks, it hits dead center while the back is still slightly upstream. The bunks should straighten the boat the rest of the way as you power or crank up.

[Michigan boarder]

Got a little engine envy goin' here...you had me with 454.

Practice somewhere on the river that you know is a good spot (nothing below the surface to hit). Just pick a point close to shore and try putting the nose to it over and over. You'll get a feel for the current, and the response of that throttle.

[WakeGirl]

Oh NO... you said thirsty, is she a gas guzzler, I know my other ones weren't effiicient by any means but I never cared, now I have a penny pincher, God love him but he's super tight.

The 454 in that boat will pass everything except a gas station.

[DONTW8]

Take a look at your winch stand. If you have the straight metal swing arm that comes up from the trailer frame that you must slip over the bow eye then that may be a problem. You might modify your winch stand so that you can crank your boat on the last five feet or so that would be easier in the current. This would mean the elimination of the metal secure strap. You may wish to add nylon rear trailer straps if you eliminate the steel bow eye swing arm.

Have your driver back the trailer into the river enough to wet down the entire bunk. Then pull the trailer back up the ramp a little to make sure your fenders are exposed.

There is no substitute for practice for loading in a current. Approach slowly so that when you get close you can put the boat in gear to give directional control the last few feet.

If you feed out say 3 feet of winch strap or so and then let the boat idle in forward then you can carefully winch the boat onto the trailer straight. Have a passenger grab onto one of the vertical trailer guides to keep the boat on track.

[luvtheBU]

You guys rock, keep the ideas coming I am gaining confidence reading your replies. Do you think one could do this by herself with possibly only the help of a couple teens, I'm pretty sure I can teach them to park the trailer. Here's my thought process.

1. Do all prestuff before we hit the ramp, aka, straps, plugs, coolers

2. I back the boat with the trailer into the water, then I put myself and my 13 month old in the boat and then reluctantly hand the keys over to my 14 yr old P.I.T.A. to pull the trailer out once we are off.

3. Watch with great pride, hopefully as he parks the Burb and doesn't forget to lock it up and then I angle into the dock bow first on the right and just as I am nearing the dock, of course bumpers are out, I reverse it...am I right on this if I remember right it will swing to the right and line right up and then my little P.I.T.A. will be waiting shoes off with his buddies and they'll jump on and we'll be off.

[luvtheBU]

Hubby will be coming later after baseball but I want to get out on the water quick like.

[WakeGirl]

I think that you could, but you'll want to take him to a deserted parking lot to practice his skills with a trailer. There is no substitute for time & practice.

[Faceplant409]

I've told this story before, but...

Ten years ago my wife was scared to drive with the trailer in tow. We were camping, got there before all others and I wanted to put the Bu in. I lined the boat up on the launch and she backed straight up. no prob. (Thursday-no traffic) But I've never been prouder of her than when she was driving back to the camp site I saw her practice backing the trailer into freshly chalked stalls in the big empty lot un provoked!!! (OK childbirth MAY take the cake...)

(launching & retrieving is still a stressful time for her-- even 10 years later...)

Patrick

Edited June 24, 2009 by Faceplant409

[DONTW8]

Depending on how tight your launch is there are skills involved in parking/backing your truck with the empty trailer.

You have to drive slow with an empty trailer and find a parking stall that may be at the far end of the parking area especially for a first time trailer driver. I've owned trailer boats since 1972 and I am still extremely careful with the trailer. I do all of the towing for the 3 ski boats in our crew.

You might consider recruiting some old guy at the boat ramp to move/back up the trailer with your 14 year old as a passenger. A veteran boater will go slower and be more careful around the ramp.

If you have an SUV or pickup you will make it 10 times easier backing down an empty trailer if you open the rear door/lower the tailgate so your driver can have the trailer in full view.

[Michigan boarder]

If you have an SUV or pickup you will make it 10 times easier backing down an empty trailer if you open the rear door/lower the tailgate so your driver can have the trailer in full view.

That's a very good point. Another one (that may be obvious) is angle against the current when going into the trailer. If you are angling with the current you will get pushed over every time.

[luvtheBU]

Yeah tonigtht he is going to get a lesson backing the trailer with the boat on it into an empty space with lines. Where we launch if we get there early enough, he can pull straight out of the water and pull straight into the provided spaces in the parking lot. In the evening if hubby isn't with us by then I'll probably be tieing the BU up and taking the baby with me to get the truck and trailer, I don't want a tired sunburnt kid trying to back the empty trailer into the water. His job will be pulling the empty trailer out, I don't think I want to chance having him try to pull the boat and the trailer out of the water , I can see it now a wet ramp and a tired kid aka, disaster strikes when he tries to put it into drive and he misses hits reverse, I know, I know worry but I don't want to have to retrieve my suburban out of the river, that would be far to embarrasing.

[Michigan boarder]

I know, I know worry

That's not worrying, that's being cautious. None of this is kiddie stuff, there is a LOT that can go wrong and does go wrong with people that have been doing this for 20 years. You will not kick yourself for being "too careful", but you will kick yourself while you are sitting in the hospital waiting room or standing at the launch doing the police report.

[luvtheBU]

I definetly won't be taking any chances, if I am not confident he can do it I'll be asking someone else for help, I just want my boys to learn how to do this stuff, the teen I call P.I.T.A. learned how to waterski when he was 5 1/2, I also don't want them to be scared, just confident and aware.

[JeffS]

Oh NO... you said thirsty, is she a gas guzzler, I know my other ones weren't effiicient by any means but I never cared, now I have a penny pincher, God love him but he's super tight.

Oh yeah...it's time to manage expectations if you have a frugal spouse. I have TWIN 454's in my big boat. At 3200rpm, those bad boys drink around 16-17 gallons per hour...EACH! If you have the magnum 340hp version of that motor, your results will likely be similar. Now in the little Malibu - depending on how it's prop'd - 3200 may be FLYING! But no matter what the rpm's it's about 1/3 again thirstier than a 5.7l. Think of it this way - a 35 gallon tank will be all but gone during a 2hr haul up the river if you hold it at 3200rpms.

[Michigan boarder]

Oh NO... you said thirsty, is she a gas guzzler, I know my other ones weren't effiicient by any means but I never cared, now I have a penny pincher, God love him but he's super tight.

Oh yeah...it's time to manage expectations if you have a frugal spouse. I have TWIN 454's in my big boat. At 3200rpm, those bad boys drink around 16-17 gallons per hour...EACH! If you have the magnum 340hp version of that motor, your results will likely be similar. Now in the little Malibu - depending on how it's prop'd - 3200 may be FLYING! But no matter what the rpm's it's about 1/3 again thirstier than a 5.7l. Think of it this way - a 35 gallon tank will be all but gone during a 2hr haul up the river if you hold it at 3200rpms.

WOW. Ok, big engine envy is gone.

[martinarcher]

I bet she will get much better fuel economy than that. That boat is not near as big as a dual V8 boat. It won't have to work near as hard to push that little Bu up the river.

[JohnDoe]

All inboards are gas guzzlers and I doubt you'll really notice a difference.

Yes you will...an expensive one.

[WakeGirl]

There's an estimation that the 8.1 uses 25-30% more fuel under normal usage than any of the other engines in Malibu's lineup. Based on what I've seen in my own boats & in others' that I've been in, I don't think that's too far off. And a 454 won't do any better than an 8.1.

[luvtheBU]

Well we are definetly not going to show this one to the hubby. I'm not going to run that hard for that long ever.

[WakeGirl]

The good news is that you'll never lack for power in getting a slalom skier up.

[luvtheBU]

That's true but I think it depends more on the skier than the power, I've seen some folks behind kickbutt boats with highend ski's and boards flounder trying to get up.