88 skier

[Baileyak228]

ok so this is my first post so bare with me still trying to figure it all out, not sure exactly where i should post this so its posted twice

Over the weekend i bought a 1988 malibu skier with 428 hours on. the floor is nice and sturdy and the engine runs pretty good. i purchased boat from a guy that had over hauled and completely changed almost everything about the original appearance of the boat. i purchased the boat for 3200 dollars with the trailer and cover. i bought it because the price and excellent functionality of the boat. i wasn't too concerned about the appearance because i already have a 2005 25 lsv wakesetter which i purchased brand new

photo taken from helicopter on lake norman nc after aquapalooza

but i wanted something that would be solid for slalom skiing and something i could trailer to different lakes easy.

here are some pictures of the 88 skier

as you can see he cut the bow out and made a seat. Not what malibu had in mind when they built the boat but it works out ok, also the side rails and engine cover are rhino lined, it makes for a grippy surface but im debating on having the engine cover restored back to factory specifications- let me know what you think

Some plans i have for the boat:

As you can see in the picture, the floor is this foam puzzle piece material instead of carpet, it feels nice on your feet but it looks nasty and gets slimmy when wet. Also i am afraid that water has a hard time escaping from undernieth of it causing some rot to the floor structure. i plan on removing it and installing the grey carpet that you see in the bow- any suggestions on what kind of carpet to use, where to get it and what all i will need to make sure it adheres to the floor would be very much appreciated! i want to do it right and take my time with it.

Also as you can see the guy removed the spotter seat and put those ugly fishing seats in there. i would like to restore the spotter seat, i have the original removable seat cushions but the backing and seat frame is gone- again any suggestions as to how i can restore that seat or find a spotter seat etc. would be greatly appreciated. i have the original captains chair but the previous owner removed it because the square metal piece on the bottom of the chair was rusted so he removed it and put a tractor chair in there. i would like to remount the captains chair and i plan on having a machine shop fabricate me a new piece to mount the chair.

i also have the original siderails which i plan to remount. I found some cool malibu decals on bakesonline.com that i plan on ordering but i cant decide of i want the raised black and gold malibu decal or the raised chrome decal, i plan on putting them on either side of the back of the boat

http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1368

or

http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1110

i also plan on installing a second battery, a perko battery switch and some kicker kmt6 tower speakers along with a small 8 inch JL sub and two interior speakers- nothing to fancy

Now one thing i have noticed about the boat after having it out a few times, if i fill the tank all the way up to full there is a strong smell of gas and gas sitting at the bottom of the engine compartment so there is obviously a leak somewhere because the boat has a new long block but carb is original so my guess is the problem lies with carberator. when the tank is full and i hammer down the throttle it boggs and for a good thirty seconds or so and then emitts a small cloud of black smoke then takes off. when i flip the bilge on gas comes out from the engine compartment. now after the tank is under half full it runs great, no issues what so ever pulls me up on a slalom like a champ, its like a completely different boat with less than a half tank- very strange- let me know if you have any suggestions as to what may be causing this

i am excited to have this as first post and look forward to being a part of the community

thanks for any input or suggestions

Alex

[Bozboat]

http://www.boatcarpetbuys.com/scripts/standardcarpet_choose.asp

and some glue

[Baileyak228]

wow thanks! just ordered some gunmetal grey

[Baileyak228]

had custom cover made for the skier. took some pics of the engine and the guy i bought it from seems to have fabricated his own version of a fake a lake so you can hook the water hose directly to the boat ive included pics. i decided to cancel my order on carpet until i had more info. should i order 8 foot wide carpet roll or will the 6 foot be enough? also put a little decal on the side, looks kinda cool. theres not much that can be done to this boat to make it look real nice but i figured every little bit counts.

alex