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New/Old Bu'er


marinmalibuer

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Hello out there! Well I did it now, I found a neglected project that I just couldn't resist. I ran across a this boat on CL, the owner wanted 3500.00 as-is, re-built motor & tranny-not running, water in the tank, minor floor damage so far, re-upholstered, hull in decent shape, flat tires on the trailer, picked her up for 2000.00

Got her running last saturday after I by-passed fuel filter/water separator, tore apart edelbrock carb which was full of gelatin Sta-bil and water, fired right up and ran quite well. Tranny fluid was pink, mixture of tranny fluid and water. Is this tranny shot? Or can I just drain it and replace fluid? Wife only ski's, great for her! But I'm looking to put a tower on it cause that's what most of us old guy's do now (kids too). Any idea's about ballast? Fat sacs compatable with this boat? Anybody out there modified there '87 for this type of use and how well does it work for you? This is my first post, so any help would be greatly apreciated.

Thanks..

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First of all :welcome: .

I believe MartinArcher has the same boat as younow have. Even if the years are different he will have a lot of information on getting the Bu set up for what you want todo. As for the tranny it will depend on how long the water sat in it, I would try cleaning it out and then running it to see if it will work. Also I don't know if this is your first inboard but DONT put the boat in gear out of the water. :crazy: It will make the afullest scream you have ever heard (dont ask how I know this :whistle: ) All the running gear is water cooled and lubricated.

Congratlation on the new Bu, and welcome to the crew.

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Cannot help here, but there are a few crewmembers that will assist, but it sounds like a great winter project boat. Good luck, keep us posted with starting pics and your final outcome.

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These guys are right on. The Skier has lots of potential for wakeboarding and even surfing. I started leaning inverts behind my Skier and the wake was very lippy and provided a great ramp for getting great height behind the boat with about 1000lbs of ballast (500 on either side of the dogbox).

This thread has a ton of info on my set-up when I was helping Levi put his together.

Page 1 has pics of my set-up on the water and a link to the youtube video above.

Page 2 has a parts list on a Excel spread sheet.

Page 3 has a pdf schematic.

Have fun! Sounds like you got a killer deal on your Skier! Rockon.gif

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First of all :welcome: .

I believe MartinArcher has the same boat as younow have. Even if the years are different he will have a lot of information on getting the Bu set up for what you want todo. As for the tranny it will depend on how long the water sat in it, I would try cleaning it out and then running it to see if it will work. Also I don't know if this is your first inboard but DONT put the boat in gear out of the water. :crazy: It will make the afullest scream you have ever heard (dont ask how I know this :whistle: ) All the running gear is water cooled and lubricated.

Congratlation on the new Bu, and welcome to the crew.

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We need pictures of this beast... :rockon:

Totally. And Levi's picture is a perfect example of a skier that does not need a tower, the fligh-high pole will do it all day long.

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These guys are right on. The Skier has lots of potential for wakeboarding and even surfing. I started leaning inverts behind my Skier and the wake was very lippy and provided a great ramp for getting great height behind the boat with about 1000lbs of ballast (500 on either side of the dogbox).

This thread has a ton of info on my set-up when I was helping Levi put his together.

Page 1 has pics of my set-up on the water and a link to the youtube video above.

Page 2 has a parts list on a Excel spread sheet.

Page 3 has a pdf schematic.

Have fun! Sounds like you got a killer deal on your Skier! Rockon.gif

Hey Guy's,

Awsome!! I reached out for help and you guy's really came thru.. This info is so helpful, and motivating, can't wait to get the boat dialed in. Winter in SF bay area is not to bad, a full suit is fine but for the mild cold, low 40's I have a drysuit, so I'll have to brave some winter runs in order to make sure the boat is tiptop shape for spring. Wifey is stoked as well, your pictures and info really helped to show her what we can do with this boat. Startin to think about a paint job after looking your boats. I'll get some pictures going soon.

Thanks again, more later

Mike

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Hey Guy's,

Awsome!! I reached out for help and you guy's really came thru.. This info is so helpful, and motivating, can't wait to get the boat dialed in. Winter in SF bay area is not to bad, a full suit is fine but for the mild cold, low 40's I have a drysuit, so I'll have to brave some winter runs in order to make sure the boat is tiptop shape for spring. Wifey is stoked as well, your pictures and info really helped to show her what we can do with this boat. Startin to think about a paint job after looking your boats. I'll get some pictures going soon.

Thanks again, more later

Mike

Good plan. A winter run to help you understand any issues the boat might have and is way better than discovering them in the spring! The winter is a time where we are all anxiously waiting for the spring thaw and working on the Bu helps ease the pain. LOL.gif

Glad to hear our obsession has sparked someone elses. Thumbup.gif Stick around you'll find this place is a great place for any Malibu boat owner. There are a lot of very helpful and willing folks here. If this is your first boat there is also a great list of things to have on board in the resources section.

As for the tranny fluid, by sure to pump everything you can out of the tranny and refill it with new fluid before your first run. Run it for a while and change it again. Repeat until the tranny fluid is a nice clear red again and no signs of pink milkshake. I use Synthetic ATF in my Skier's and Sunsetter's Velvet Drive trannys. It works great.

As far as a paint job, you might not need as much as you think. The boat is covered in gel coat, not paint. The good news is gel coat is a thick top layer of the fiberglass hull. It is the same color all the way through the gel coat. If the top layer of gel coat is oxidized and looking tired it can be refinished by wet sanding and/or polishing and will make the gel look like new again.

Here's a good thread with good pics on what wet sanding and polishing can do for a tired looking boat.

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Good plan. A winter run to help you understand any issues the boat might have and is way better than discovering them in the spring! The winter is a time where we are all anxiously waiting for the spring thaw and working on the Bu helps ease the pain. LOL.gif

Glad to hear our obsession has sparked someone elses. Thumbup.gif Stick around you'll find this place is a great place for any Malibu boat owner. There are a lot of very helpful and willing folks here. If this is your first boat there is also a great list of things to have on board in the resources section.

As for the tranny fluid, by sure to pump everything you can out of the tranny and refill it with new fluid before your first run. Run it for a while and change it again. Repeat until the tranny fluid is a nice clear red again and no signs of pink milkshake. I use Synthetic ATF in my Skier's and Sunsetter's Velvet Drive trannys. It works great.

As far as a paint job, you might not need as much as you think. The boat is covered in gel coat, not paint. The good news is gel coat is a thick top layer of the fiberglass hull. It is the same color all the way through the gel coat. If the top layer of gel coat is oxidized and looking tired it can be refinished by wet sanding and/or polishing and will make the gel look like new again.

Here's a good thread with good pics on what wet sanding and polishing can do for a tired looking boat.

Great! Thanks for the gelcoat tips! I guess I better kick down 50 dolla's for the full crew membership, least I can do. Found a tower on CL, very simililar to a StarOne Standard that lists on the web for 1299.00, found this one and struck a deal for 400.00. It's out in Bodega Bay, you know where Hitchock filmed "The Birds", maybe some of you might know of that movie? Showed that to my kid's when they were around 12 & 10, they've never been quite the same after that...can't wait to work on the boat this weekend, got new tires for the trailer, plan on flushing out the tranny too. What's the beam on this 87' Skier? This guy say's the tower is setup for 89-90", hopefully it's universal and can be modified..Pictures coming this weekend.

Thanks All!!

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  • 6 months later...

Hey Guys,

Well its been a long torturous spring...contracting biz is dying. We did get her fired up, my buddy is a porshe/ferrari mechanic and we have her idling well, sounds pretty good, we put the project on the back burner since I've been chasing work w no success. Back at it today, the carb on it is an Edelbrock that flattens out once the revs go up, we've rebuilt it but still acts the same. Went on CL and found a Q-jet to install if the guy calls back. Tranny fluid came out in a pink sludge, changed that. Changed the motor oil & filter twice, and drained the fuel tank & installed new fuel filters. Gettin warm here in Nor Cal! Send me some good mojo!! I will post some pics soon.

Thanks everyone!

Mike

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