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HDS Leak (...I know...I know)


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So...I have the "dreaded" HDS Leak. Spider cracks in the Gel under the HDS area on the hull, the whole 9 yards.

I have read through the plethora of information on this site including the instructions to build an HDS log, etc.. Consider me completely incompetent around mechanics, and have never touched fiberglass. The boat is with the dealer and the tech told me that the fix is to remove all of the old Plexus material (stronger than the actual glass my a**) and re-seal with 3M 5200. No fiberglass work (although I am getting the spider cracks repaired in the gelcoat), no log, etc..

Has anyone gone with this fix? Does it hold-up? Would you be comfortable with this?

What an incredibly poor design, and what a farce the lifetime hull guarantee is - Malibu has no intention of standing behind this flawed design. It fails - the customer pays. The Malibu tech told me these fail ALL THE TIME, and "Leak like crazy." I gotta say I'm very dissapointed, and will not forget at boat upgrade time.

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So...I have the "dreaded" HDS Leak. Spider cracks in the Gel under the HDS area on the hull, the whole 9 yards.

I have read through the plethora of information on this site including the instructions to build an HDS log, etc.. Consider me completely incompetent around mechanics, and have never touched fiberglass. The boat is with the dealer and the tech told me that the fix is to remove all of the old Plexus material (stronger than the actual glass my a**) and re-seal with 3M 5200. No fiberglass work (although I am getting the spider cracks repaired in the gelcoat), no log, etc..

Has anyone gone with this fix? Does it hold-up? Would you be comfortable with this?

What an incredibly poor design, and what a farce the lifetime hull guarantee is - Malibu has no intention of standing behind this flawed design. It fails - the customer pays. The Malibu tech told me these fail ALL THE TIME, and "Leak like crazy." I gotta say I'm very dissapointed, and will not forget at boat upgrade time.

What year is your boat?

Personally have never had, but hds on v drives phased oit some tme ago...and have never heard of spider cracks haing anythjnh to do with hds leaks...you sure you didnt nail something? How long younhad your boat? Always leaked?

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What year is your boat?

Personally have never had, but hds on v drives phased oit some tme ago...and have never heard of spider cracks haing anythjnh to do with hds leaks...you sure you didnt nail something? How long younhad your boat? Always leaked?

It is a 2004 Wakesetter VLX. I have had it since last summer. The leak is new, as are the cracks. I really wish I did nail something - I would actually feel much better about the whole situation knowing it was my fault......

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It is a 2004 Wakesetter VLX. I have had it since last summer. The leak is new, as are the cracks. I really wish I did nail something - I would actually feel much better about the whole situation knowing it was my fault......

Maybe others can chime in but i have never heard of spider cracks having anything to do with an hds leak. In fcat spider cracks suggest trauma.

I understand the frustration you have to be feeling though its pretty hard to say is a flawed design. Was revlutionary thinking actually....why would you think this is a warranty issue related to the hull on a seven year old boat? Dont take that the wrong way, but jeez, you develop a leak outnof nowhere start cracks out of nowhere and this is a design/waranty issue? You might be being a little tough...whats price to fix?

Edited by 85 Barefoot
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Maybe others can chime in but i have never heard of spider cracks having anything to do with an hds leak. In fcat spider cracks suggest trauma.

I understand the frustration you have to be feeling though its pretty hard to say is a flawed design. Was revlutionary thinking actually....why would you think this is a warranty issue related to the hull on a seven year old boat? Dont take that the wrong way, but jeez, you develop a leak outnof nowhere start cracks out of nowhere and this is a design/waranty issue? You might be being a little tough...whats price to fix?

Spider cracks ARE part of the issue and a tell-tale sign. The stress cracks are there due to compromise in the HDS structure.

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Fair response. I really had no opinion until I spoke with the Malibu trained tech at the dealer. He is the one who told me it is a bad design, that they leak like crazy, and that see this quite often. I return home and search this site and the web to find there are many others who have been through the same problem. I agree the spider cracks suggest trauma. Though they were not caused by impact, and being next to underwater gear would mean damage to the prop shaft or strut had there been any impact. Dealer absolutely agrees - no evidence if any contact on the hull. I would know it (and would be the first to say I hit something, and please help me get it fixed). I don't subscribe to the notion that the customer is always right, I just happen to believe IMHO here that there us a bigger issue. Tech told me that in addition to many customer boats coming in with leaky HDS's, every Cypress Gardens show boat used came in for the same problem more than once....rant over. I still love my Malibu. Parting with another $1000 I don't love so much.

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Fair response. I really had no opinion until I spoke with the Malibu trained tech at the dealer. He is the one who told me it is a bad design, that they leak like crazy, and that see this quite often. I return home and search this site and the web to find there are many others who have been through the same problem. I agree the spider cracks suggest trauma. Though they were not caused by impact, and being next to underwater gear would mean damage to the prop shaft or strut had there been any impact. Dealer absolutely agrees - no evidence if any contact on the hull. I would know it (and would be the first to say I hit something, and please help me get it fixed). I don't subscribe to the notion that the customer is always right, I just happen to believe IMHO here that there us a bigger issue. Tech told me that in addition to many customer boats coming in with leaky HDS's, every Cypress Gardens show boat used came in for the same problem more than once....rant over. I still love my Malibu. Parting with another $1000 I don't love so much.

What about bat turns? Are you a power turn guy. We have debated on here whether power turns can damage an HDS.

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How do you test if you have an HDS problem or you just need to repack the shaft seal?

Thinking about cases less obvious than this one where you have no visable cracking.

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How do you test if you have an HDS problem or you just need to repack the shaft seal?

Thinking about cases less obvious than this one where you have no visable cracking.

To see the cracking you have to look very closely at the strut, rudder, HDS area under the boat. There is no comparison between a HDS leak and shaft seal leak....shaft seal is a few drops, HDS is a flood.

Edited by eyepeeler
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Ok so 11 responses and no one had told you one little detail...

V-DRIVES DON"T HAVE THE HDS SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!

I believe the 2004 does (per my Tech...I know he's not a Flightcraft Tech....but he still a tech ;-)

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Check out post #20 in this thread to see pics of the HDS box, then go compare to your boat. The guy put a shaft log in, but the last picture shows the cover on the HDS

LINK

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Just something to keep in mind for the future. The Service Manager and at least one mechanic (the good one) from Central Florida Boating Center (the old Malibu dealership until a couple years ago) are now at Southeast Marine Sales (the Nautique dealer until a couple years ago...now a Mastercrqft dealer). Confusing, I know.

Bottom line, the guys at Southeast Marine are good, very good, and know Malibu boats very well. Better than the 'new' Malibu dealer in Orlando? I don't know. But I guarantee those two would not be telling you your HDS is leaking if your boat does not have HDS.

Might be worth a phone call and maybe a second opinion from them.

And if you give the green light on the 5200 repair, make very, very sure those guys know what they are doing. Once that 5200 sets it's game over. You'll never get that stuff out of where ever they are talking about putting it. Whatever it touches WILL be bonded stronger than the material it is bonding to.

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Ok so 11 responses and no one had told you one little detail...

V-DRIVES DON"T HAVE THE HDS SYSTEM!!!!!!!!!

Woo hoo!

Glad that mystery is solved!

Now if I can only find where the water is coming from in my bildge. It's not alot, but it always seems to be there.

05 LSV, dinged the prop 2x last year. Limped home both times and had refurbed.

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jkendallmsce

Maybe others can chime in but i have never heard of spider cracks having anything to do with an hds leak. In fcat spider cracks suggest trauma.

I understand the frustration you have to be feeling though its pretty hard to say is a flawed design. Was revlutionary thinking actually....why would you think this is a warranty issue related to the hull on a seven year old boat? Dont take that the wrong way, but jeez, you develop a leak outnof nowhere start cracks out of nowhere and this is a design/waranty issue? You might be being a little tough...whats price to fix?

Doesn't Malibu provide a lifetime warranty on the hull?

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Fair response. I really had no opinion until I spoke with the Malibu trained tech at the dealer. He is the one who told me it is a bad design, that they leak like crazy, and that see this quite often. I return home and search this site and the web to find there are many others who have been through the same problem. I agree the spider cracks suggest trauma. Though they were not caused by impact, and being next to underwater gear would mean damage to the prop shaft or strut had there been any impact. Dealer absolutely agrees - no evidence if any contact on the hull. I would know it (and would be the first to say I hit something, and please help me get it fixed). I don't subscribe to the notion that the customer is always right, I just happen to believe IMHO here that there us a bigger issue. Tech told me that in addition to many customer boats coming in with leaky HDS's, every Cypress Gardens show boat used came in for the same problem more than once....rant over. I still love my Malibu. Parting with another $1000 I don't love so much.

not necessarily.

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Doesn't Malibu provide a lifetime warranty on the hull?

Yes, but when that started I don't know. Either way, even I, a customer, wouldn't consider that a part of the hull.

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Just something to keep in mind for the future. The Service Manager and at least one mechanic (the good one) from Central Florida Boating Center (the old Malibu dealership until a couple years ago) are now at Southeast Marine Sales (the Nautique dealer until a couple years ago...now a Mastercrqft dealer). Confusing, I know.

Bottom line, the guys at Southeast Marine are good, very good, and know Malibu boats very well. Better than the 'new' Malibu dealer in Orlando? I don't know. But I guarantee those two would not be telling you your HDS is leaking if your boat does not have HDS.

Might be worth a phone call and maybe a second opinion from them.

And if you give the green light on the 5200 repair, make very, very sure those guys know what they are doing. Once that 5200 sets it's game over. You'll never get that stuff out of where ever they are talking about putting it. Whatever it touches WILL be bonded stronger than the material it is bonding to.

Thanks for the advice.....It has been tough keeping track of the musical chairs with the dealers in Orlando.

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Yes, but when that started I don't know. Either way, even I, a customer, wouldn't consider that a part of the hull.

HDS does count under the lifetime hull warranty, but that's for the original owner or if you paid the transfer.

So where are your spider cracks, where the shaft comes though the hull?

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HDS does count under the lifetime hull warranty, but that's for the original owner or if you paid the transfer.

So where are your spider cracks, where the shaft comes though the hull?

Yes - Exactly - Cracks are right where the shaft comes through the hull.

SO HOW DOES ONE PAY TO TRANSFER THE LIFETIME HULL WARRANTY?

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HDS does count under the lifetime hull warranty, but that's for the original owner or if you paid the transfer.

So where are your spider cracks, where the shaft comes though the hull?

See Picture (pretty obvious it is not impact damage....)

post-14351-080406500 1300381937_thumb.jp

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