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2004 in storage.......can I trust it?


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Hello Crew,


I do not currently own a Malibu, but plan to purchase a used one in the near future. I found a 2004 Malibu with 80 hours, that has been in storage for the past 3+ years. I am far from mechanically inclined, and I am wondering if I should be concerned about the non-use of the engine in this boat. I have heard before of cars that rust from the inside out from non-use, but I'm not sure if this is true of boats as well or not. If anybody has any insight for me it would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

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When and if you go look at it, ask the seller if he or she is willing to meet you at your closest local malibu dealer or Inboard mechanics shop. Call the shop prior and make sure they'll have time to fit you in, and have them plug it in to their computer and run it on the hose. Let them look over it and give their opinion. It was less then 100 bucks when i purchased my boat. Money well spent and it will make you feel a little better. They can also give you a print out of the hours ran on the motor i.e how many hours were ran in each RPM range.

Edited by bcf2003
  • Like 4
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I would agree with bcf2003. I bought my 01 VLX last year with 103 hours on the boat. It hadn't been used in over 2 years. We had some slight growing pains in the beginning. All has been well since then. As soon as I bought it I did a complete tune-up of everything I could think of. We changed the impeller, cap, rotor, high and low fuel filter, oil, and trans oil. The owner before had an impeller go on him. When we changed impeller we didn't know this and did not remove the hoses across the raw water pump. So first time on the water it would run right. After we fond the blockage it has been smooth sailing since.

I wouldn't worry about the hours and age so much as whether they took care of the boat. Take it to a dealer and look yourself. If the boat is in good condition and the owner kept up maintenance I would say go for it.

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It's probably gonna run rough on that old gas, use that to your bargaining advantage :innocent: or siphon as much out as possible and put fresh gas in it.

We did the second part. We siphoned all the old gas, poured in a thing of heet, and then filled with fresh gas

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bcf203 is on the money. If you don't know what to look for. Storage can go ether way, if it was done correctly its not a problem. I don't see a location for you but if the boat is going through fast temperature changes from cold or freezing to warm it can have less then desired effects. Many of the rubber parts may need to be watched or replaced. If you do not have a Bu dealer close you could check other dealers ( MC, CC, or a good boot broker) A good boat broker will have an appraiser, inspector.

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Is it not possible to get the boat on the water? I'd have to be really really really confident about a boat to not drive it first. And IMHO, if bad stuff is going to happen it's going to happen while the boat is under load (i.e. you've filled all the tanks and are checking out the hole shot) that it is just loping over at idle on the hose.

FWIW, IMHO and all that.

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Thank you for all of the feedback. The boat is about 1,500 miles away from where I live, and it is at a dealership, but not an exclusive Malibu dealer. The closest Malibu dealer is 80 miles from them, but I agree, I will have to try to meet him there before diving into this one head first.

Thanks again!

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I bought a boat from a private seller that was an 8 hour drive away. After negotiating the price, but before driving 8 hours, I indicated that our price was contingent on a successful marine survey and my own water test. I hired a marine surveyor that was recommended by a boat dealer local to the purchaser. The surveyor did a thorough inspection of the boat. This included a water test and a compression test of the engine. He took a number of pictures and sent me a report. After this came back positive, I drove the 8 hours, did my own water test, and drove off with the boat.

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