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Looking into possibly getting a Malibu Sunsetter


nsschwenk

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The boat has potential. Are you looking for a good project boat, or do you want to get in and go?

How much are you willing to put into the boat. If you got the boat for $5,000, and you want to restore her to good condition I could see spending an easy $5,000 or more within a year. It starts out small and simple, you decide to replace the plugs, then the cap, rotor, the starter, then the alternator, then the hoses, then the fuel lines, the trailer bunks, the wheel bearings, the batteries, battery cables, exhaust hoses, thermostat, fuel filter, seat skins, it will come at you one or two items at at time. The boat has potential but only if you are in it for the long haul and like working on boats.

The good news is that the crew on this forum can help you along the way, basically everything you need to know is right here.

I guess what bugs me about this boat is that the owner is presenting her for sale without cleaning her up and making her presentable. Makes me want to ask "how much care did the owner put into maintenance?"

Edited by Bozboat
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Wood stringers and wood seat bases on that one. Could be great or could be a major project. Check floor for soft spots and engine mount bolts for grip into the wood.

I do not think the observer seat is supposed to fall forward like that--should swing up. Broken hinges? Broken seat back? Leads back to maintenance.

Says WI boat and I remember seeing one same color same tower near WI Rapids two years ago. It was for sale at $5000 and absolutely beat. I hope it's not the same one. That is a nice tower, btw. Rock solid Titan 1 which would have been done years after the boat was built.

Best of luck.

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One of those boats that could go either way. How are your boat rebuilding skills, just in case? Worst case is it needs new stringers and engine work, but if your skills are good, and negotiate good price, could be a nice boat.

Several folks on this forum have had cool success with rebuilding these and they are great boats.

Keep us posted, and we can look for boats for you too if this one is not the direction you want to go,

Steve B.

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Ok guys I went and checked out the boat. It doesn't seem too bad as i thought. It has the original interior but it doesnt have any big blemishes like cuts or chunks missing. It needs to be cleaned up a bit with some cleaner. Just the typical splitting and cracking in the seams where the sewing is at. All the foam for the seats is intact.

The floors are solid in the rear half of the boat but the bow area, the wood seat base has rotted alot. It doesn't seem like it would be hard to fix. The wood in the rear seat is starting to rot too. The observer flap doesn't have a broken hinge and it stays in place with Velcro. Overall, the interior is manageable for use, but for a 10-12k price tag boat, it would need replaced.

The swim platform needs to be refinished and stained. The fiberglass around the mounts have small 1-2" hair line cracks in a star around each mount. The platform does hold me standing on it.

The wood on the trailer is missing on one side and the other is rotted out.

Sound system is nice with a simple jack for a mp3 player. It has a kenwood 600w maine amp. The speakers are kicker. The owner didn't want to drill into the tower to hide the wires.

The engine is a little greasy but it can be cleaned. I didn't see any oil under the engine so it doesn't look like it leaked anything.

The story on it was that the current owner bought it two years ago on boats.com and it was a trade in at a dealership when it was in for the new oem transmission replacement. The tecs checked everything out.

The body of the boat needs to be buffed and waxed badly. I bet it would clean up well. There isn't any damage except for just a few scratches.

We wanted to trade this boat for my motorcycle 2005 zx6r 636.

I haven't got to test it yet but we will soon. What should I check for on the engine?

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most will suggest a compression check, and the basic how does it sound and how does it run. You might look at the spark plugs. Look for some threads on here about checking the stringers for rot. But if the stringers and the motor are sound, the rest will come back with elbow grease. It is a pretty boat.

Edited by Bozboat
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When I win the powerball I am going to go around the country and buy boats like this. Make them showroom and sell them at a loss.

...and when I win it I'll join you, stand there drinking beer and hand you tools.

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I also wanted to mention that the exhaust ports on the back are have a lot of silicone on them and the exhaust flaps are just screwed in pieces of rubber.

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The owner only has owned the boat for two years and he bought it from a dealership as a trade in boat. It has sat in his garage for most of the time. I don't believe he could of damaged it too much in that time period. Also I am trading the boat for my 2005 zx6r sport bike. No cash involved.

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The owner only has owned the boat for two years and he bought it from a dealership as a trade in boat. It has sat in his garage for most of the time. I don't believe he could of damaged it too much in that time period. Also I am trading the boat for my 2005 zx6r sport bike. No cash involved.

Then what kind of damage did the idiot before him do??

Edited by Baddog
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Those sunsetters are fun boats, very versatile and great for guys with families (kids love being out on the bow). Like all early Malibu's, most everything is easily fixed/repaired......except the wooden stringers. Replacing those is a major, major undertaking. The sunsetters are often worse off in this regard than the closed bow Skiers because water splashes over and into the open bow area, keeps the floor wet, and eventually rots the floor and stringers. At the stern end you can check out the stringers by the engine mounts, but it's tougher to check the stringers in the bow area. Bring a little pick with you to poke the stringers where you can access them.....if they're soft/rotted, walk away or be prepared for major project....just my $.02.

Edited by CliffB
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How exactly do I check the stingers in the bow? Where are they? Are they directly under the bow seats? Could I use a punch or a screw driver pick? I need to know what to look for and how to check.

Edited by nsschwenk
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When I win the powerball I am going to go around the country and buy boats like this. Make them showroom and sell them at a loss.

If I win I promise to do the same and call you up and make it worth your while to help, as long as you promise to do the same! Also, let's buy all the cheap PWC's we can and saw them in half...

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If I win I promise to do the same and call you up and make it worth your while to help, as long as you promise to do the same! Also, let's buy all the cheap PWC's we can and saw them in half...

Don't stop at sawing in half, go all the way and cut them into pieces small enough to put in the garbage can. I cut up a hot tub into little pieces with a sawzall and my son. It was a lot of fun. Good father/son activity. Never under estimate the enjoyment of power tools.

  • Like 1
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I don't believe I am gonna get this Malibu. I am gonna wait and see if I can find one in much better condition. This Malibu is to rough for me. I can see my self putting to much work and money and time into this mess. I'm gonna shoot for a 1993 or newer with out the wood crap.

  • Like 3
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