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My Rescued Malibu 21 XLV Project


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Two weeks ago I purchased a 2006 Malibu Wakesetter 21' as a project boat. I hated seeing the boat just sit there so I offered the owner to take it off of their hands and they agreed. This boat was built for a local Harley Davidson shop in 2006. It was VERY nice at the time. They called it the "Thunder Tower" edition. They had it orange and black and put random HD stuff on it. The trailer even has chrome 20" F-150 Harley Davidson edition wheels on it with Nitto NT-555 tires.

I decided to tackle this project because of the sweet deal I got on it. When I got it, it was covered in HUNDREDS of huge spiders, everything had dirt diver nests on it. It was basically a living insect farm. It sat up for a couple of years on a lift, uncovered with all of the drain plugs still in it.

I had to replace all of the batteries and redo some corroded electrical connections to get the boat running. After sitting up for years, it ran like a champ.

Here are some current pictures of the boat and its horrible condition. The seats are being recovered right now and should be through by tomorrow. I will be replacing all of the speakers tonight. I plan on taking it for a test run this weekend to see what else could be wrong with it.

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I will keep everyone updated on the progress it makes. I am sure I will need lots of help and suggestions along the way. I am mechanically and electrically inclined, but this boat is new to me so I don't know all the things about it yet

Edited by DefenderBob
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Yes its a Titan Tower. I bought some MM651UM's to go in the cans, but the way they mount its going to take some kind of modification

The couple basically got tired of their kids not ever wanting to help with it, so they just said to hell with it and let it sit there. They had a nice locked and covered storage for the boat, but didn't bother taking it out of the water.

Does anyone know where I can get a cover for this boat with that tower? I need to cover it ASAP when the seats are done.

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Can get a factory copy on ebay for around $300 or a top of the line Evolution cover somewhere in the realm of $1000. The evolution is worth the extra money if you plan to keep it outside.

How is it mechanically? Have you changed the oil and impeller?

Cut and buff that gelcoat and it will shine!

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I'm sorry... but I think its pretty funny that with all that needs to be done and all the cash /work needed to restore it... your second order of business... before a cover even... was speakers :rofl:

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Would you happen to know what to search on Ebay to get a cover? I haven't had much luck. I changed the oil already. Didn't think about changing the impeller since it was pumping water so well. If that is something I need to change for a specific reason than I will.

Ive been buying stuff online all week. Not too worried about the cost of the speakers. The old ones were completely rotted out. That was something that had to be replace anyways.

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Yeah, the gauge bezel and glove compartment door are a must and have to be sanded and painted soon. They are peeling something fierce.

I have heard some mixed directions on getting that gel coat to shine. Can it be cut with a good 3M rubbing compound or does it need to be wet sanded? I would rather try to tackle it myself.

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Change the impeller before the test run, it is cheep insurance. Also they have a tendency to come apart after sitting for a while. Some on here change every year some every other year.

An evolution cover is going to be about 1000 I had a custom cover made locally with curtains to protect the sides of my boat from the sun. With the colors of yours you may want to consider the same thing as the sun will beat the sides pretty badly.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/49717-new-cover/?hl=cover

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If your search is turning up nothing on eBay and that is route you want to go, try searching for a Wakesetter VLX not an XLV. Might make a difference. Evolution cover is the way to go though, IMO.

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With the seats out, now is the time to tackle the carpet and cut/polishing the gel coat. I'm sure it will look like new after that.

I'll PM you with some info on buys spare parts for the boat to bring it back to org.

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+1 on what D-Goose said about the carpet. Bite the bullet and do it now while when the seats are out. Not sure if it has under floor hard ballast but you may want to address that when the vinyl and carpet is out. Also, I didn't see if you drained all the old fuel out or not but you may want to consider getting every drop of varnished fuel out of it then change the fuel filters and check the lines before you roll out for a test drive. Ditto what REW said about the impeller. Cheap insurance for what's likely dry rotted rubber. I bet with a bunch of cutting/polishing and new vinyl that's gonna be a real sharp boat. Hope they winterized it before they decided to basically abandon it. Wish there was a version of DSS for boat owners. Criminal.

p.s. 3M Marine Rubbing Compound is what I use for cutting. 3M Finesse-IT for polish.

Edited by Cap305
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Thanks! I will buy some of that 3M compound

It has the hard ballasts under the floor.

Unfortunately nothing was winterized when it was put up. I asked if the water plugs had been drained and they said "Whats that? We never did anything but park it"

I will get some pics of the seats out when I get home today.

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Hopefully there is no freeze damage. Where was the boat located when it sat up? Registration numbers say SC but if it was upstate you have a better chance of freeze damage than somewhere like Charleston

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Probably want to add a compression test on the engine if it was never winterized. I'd hate to see you do all that work then find out later you need to pull the engine for block replacement after vinyl is installed. BTW, those people really taught their kids a lesson! Way to basically light a pile of money on fire out of spite. Good luck.

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They had the boat since 2006 on Lake Wateree (near Camden). I HOPING that since it survived all those winters with no winterization that it survived our last winter also. I will check on the compression test and see what I can find out. That's a good idea. They paid $65,000 for it in 2006, I paid $15,000 for it a couple weeks ago. I say I got a good deal, even if the motor were to be screwed.

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Those pictures just make me sick! Looking forward to your rebuild, and I can only

imagine how nice she'll look when finished!

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