What Winter Bu Projects Are You Planning?

[sunvalleylaw]

11 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

You, sir, just gave me my home audio system solution.  The wife and I argue constantly about this, I want sound, she does not, nor want the ugly that goes with it.  Gonna get 2 of these and use them as needed in the house, wherever the action is.  Thanks!!

That said - I have a simple HU, 40w amp, 4 speakers, and powered sub in the Echelon ($600).  I just wanted the bare minimum, and this little set up rocks.  FWIW.

When you have two, you can run them stereo, and the sound is good, and gets plenty loud for normal purposes.  Full house party with mega bass might need something more, but for ordinary purposes, it is fine.  Skip to 5 minutes.  I found the blue one on Amazon for like $113 rather than nearly $200.  One each in the cargo netting on the sides will do just fine for some boat tunes for my purposes.  

 

Edited March 21, 2017 by sunvalleylaw

[blytle473]

Progress on my interior is just starting to really get rolling before the season gets started. They stripped the boat and I am currently in the process of removing the carpet in order to prep for the new floor! 

 

 

Yesterday and today, I got down to pulling the carpet up, removing the glue and sanding it down. 

 

Here is a sneak peak at some of the seats finished! Really looking forward to this upcoming season!

[jhartt3]

How'd everybody do on their winter projects.  This was my list
 

1. Plumb in my 2 rear sacs Done

2. take down tower speaker enclosure and plastidip it to reseal Done

3. install new tower speakersDone

4. re wire all interior and tower speakersDone

5. prop down to a 1235 Done

6. install cargo bimini for the surf boardsDone

7. clean up wire messDone

8. new bungees for board racksDone

9. reattach internal LED lighting Have an issue here i wasnt able to track down - but i hardly use it 

10. possibly replace fuel sending unit. Done

11 possibly raise the drivers seat Didnt get to this going to do a swivel and raise probably still sometime during the season this year. 

12(maybe) if i get really bored this winter i'll engineer an auto surfgate.  Didnt get to this not sure i'll do it since it likely requires platform modifications ... just gonna stick to wicked wake surf

Bonus projects - i added Miners moss as a cheap knock off version of deckadence.  works great ... i could have done a cleaner install but its super comfy.  

Also i replaced all my internal speakers and the amp that feeds them and my WS420 b/c the WS 420 was fried as was the crappy class D clarion amp i put in last season.  

[minnmarker]

8 minutes ago, jhartt3 said:

Bonus projects - i added Miners moss as a cheap knock off version of deckadence.  works great ... i could have done a cleaner install but its super comfy. 

Pictures?  Did you just put it over the carpet?

[jhartt3]

i'll try to get some pics this weekend.  Yes i just put it over the carpet.  i didnt go all the way to the bow with it as i'd have had to buy yet another piece to get that far with it.  so it just runs in the back area.  I bought the stuff from Utopiatools as recommended in the moomba forums.  It felt a little rougher on my feet than i was expecting til it got warm... when that stuff warms up it feels awesome.  I'm actually pretty excited about it. 

[minnmarker]

On 11/4/2016 at 10:19 AM, minnmarker said:

I'm going to clean the carpet too.  Fun...

Maybe put bigger gates on the surf gate system. Not sure if that's going to make a difference but it shouldn't be too involved since I can leave all the hinges and rams where they are.

Big project is on the pontoon.  We have a hard top canopy that, when up, makes covering the pontoon impossible - so we deal with dirty wet seats and carpet all the time.  Project is to add hydraulic rams to raise and lower the canopy so we can lower it and put a cover on the boat.  Not surprisingly, there are no standard systems for this so I'm adapting a system made for RV slide out rooms.  I've never done hydraulics before so this should be a learning experience!

Updates on the planned Winter projects:

Got the carpet cleaned.  Looks pretty good for 12 years old!  Spent another 30 minute cleaning spider poop while I was at it.

Fabbed and installed bigger gates.  We'll see how they do at full extension.  May back off the angle a bit - or put the old ones back on.  Has anyone played with different gate extension angles?

Everything is ready to be installed for the pontoon canopy system.  Hydraulics and electrical are done.  Fixtures to attach the rams to the boat and canopy are sourced or fabbed with the help of a bathroom partition parts supply company and Fastenal and a local welder.  That whole design and procurement process was interesting - especially not knowing if there was an end to it...  Just need warm weather to get the beast out of the cold pole barn and bolt the parts on.  The only hiccup in the project so far was the need for a two-way hydraulic bypass pressure relief valve.  Fortunately a small company in ND makes them.  Unfortunately there was no documentation.  Got it installed.  Learning.

As far as unplanned projects:

Took the transom remote off - and did a crappy job re-gelling the hole so I covered the repair with an American flag decal.

Well I just had to have a little more bass.   Replaced a RF R600-4D with an Alpine PDX-V9, which has one 500 watt channel plus 4 x 100 watt channels.  That freed up the 2 channels on the other R600-4D that used to drive the sub, so the surf speakers now get 300 watts to each (bridged).  It sounds better already, but the the RF PM212-S4B sub is now over powered so am replacing it with a WS XS-12.

And to manage the sound and keep my wife happy (she wants the highs muted a bit to avoid headaches) I'll be putting in a WS-420BT in place of the volume only zone controls.

Got some spare parts now.  Anyone want to buy a Rockford Fosgate R600-4D amp or PM212-S4B subwoofer - or a JL CL-RLC variable line driver?

Now will the ice be out next week?  Bring on Summer!

[blytle473]

Just an update: Got all of the glue off and sanded everything down. It was a PITA but well worth it. Also, degreased the engine which needed to be done badly and power washed the floor, remaining carpet and gas tank. Dropping the boat back off to the upholsterer on Monday to start the installation of the floor and seat and I got sent a picture of the bow seats finished and I think they look fantastic! Super Stoaked!

[jhartt3]

https://ibb.co/iDdVmF
https://ibb.co/kWkX0a

[braindamage]

On 3/24/2017 at 0:20 PM, jhartt3 said:

i'll try to get some pics this weekend.  Yes i just put it over the carpet.  i didnt go all the way to the bow with it as i'd have had to buy yet another piece to get that far with it.  so it just runs in the back area.  I bought the stuff from Utopiatools as recommended in the moomba forums.  It felt a little rougher on my feet than i was expecting til it got warm... when that stuff warms up it feels awesome.  I'm actually pretty excited about it. 

What is the name of the stuff?

[jhartt3]

This is what i bought

 

http://www.utopiatools.com/Miners-Moss-Grey-60-X36-p/utgpmgrey60x36.htm

 

comes in blue and yellow too. 

[CBray4]

We refinished the teak and fixed our blown sub. We also got the boat detailed, for an 01 it looks pretty nice. Still have tears in some seats but that will have to wait. We would love to plumb all of our sacks in but for now we will keep throwing it over. Other than that we are ready to hit the water!

[LS1boarder]

On 2/14/2017 at 10:49 PM, dpbremer said:

I thought I would share a list of the winter projects I did on my 2015 22VLX.

1.  Added a ProMariner ProSport 8 amp 2 bank battery charger.

• I mounted it right next to the batteries, under the seat cushion.
• Hodges Marine is the cheapest place I found it. LINK
• LINK to pictures

2. Rebuilt the subwoofer enclosure

• Targeted 1.1 cu ft net after woofer was installed
• Constructed it out of 3/4" MDF, all seams glued and screwed
• Coated it with Rustoleum Marine Coating Topside Paint  LINK  (better adhesion to wood than bedliner)
• Inside seams sealed with GE silicone II which has no corrosive outgassing to attack the woofer
• Used audio binding posts for speaker terminals, no chance of air leakage or warpage of a plastic cup. LINK
• I made cleats to hold the rear of the enclosure so it can slide in, then an "L" bracket and modified foot for the front. See pics
• I was able to reuse the carpeted kick plate, although I enlarged the speaker opening such that it fits around the woofer grill, which is now mounted to the enclosure for a nice tight seal.
• All this made a night and day sound difference.
• LINK to pictures

3. Added the WetSounds WS-420SQ 4 Band Parametric Equalizer with 3 Zone Operation LINK

• I mounted it on the right side of the helm
• I used Stinger 17-Foot 6000 Series Audiophile Grade RCA Interconnect Cables (4 pair) LINK
• Optimized each of the amplifiers for maximum unclipped power output
• LINK to pictures

4. Improved the engine divider panels as the plug 'n play ballast bags would keep popping them out of the channel and into the engine compartment

• Added the WakeMAKERS Engine Divider Panel Saver LINK
• These alone were not enough to prevent the panels from popping out of the 1/2" tall receiving channels. So I sistered a 1"x1" piece of "L" aluminum channel I purchased at the home center, painted it black.
• Before installing the aluminum channel, I pulled up the Kingboard that sits on top of the hard tanks in each locker and routed channels in the bottom where the hard tank brackets sit. These brackets were making the Kingboard bow up which would make it difficult to install the aluminum channel.
• LINK to pictures

5. I add a 3 output heater

• I purchased the ACU-HEAT 314 HC 3 OUTLET SYSTEM from Discount Inboard Marine LINK  This is the exact same as the Heater Craft 300 Pro (but cheaper) minus the Low Idle "Y", which I bought separately LINK
• One pull-out tube in the walkway
• One pull-out and one fixed under the helm
• Disconnects in both the supply and return hoses
• Shut-off in the supply (in case there is ever an issue my day is not ruined)
• LINK to pictures

6. I added a transom shower

• I purchased the AQUATIK MARINE SHOWER SYSTEM Pressurized from Discount Inboard Marine LINK   This is the exact same as the Heater Craft 112SC (but cheaper)
• I mounted this under the starboard side transom seat
• Created my own wire harness using Delphi Weather Pack connectors, same a Malibu uses.
• Pump was mounted on inside of the transom wall, right next to the mufler
• The shower hose will coil up in the tub under the seat, same place the controls are located
• LINK to pictures

7. Changing out the exhaust flappers for Turn Down 3-1/2" Stainless Steel Silent Tip Exhaust Ports

• I purchased a pair of these from Bakes LINK before they went out of stock. Now the only source is directly from Malibu $$$
• The FAE systems add about 8-10" to the overall boat length and my garage just doesn't have the much room to spare. Currently I have to back my boat up with the wedge against the back garage wall.
• I know there is debate whether these STE's help or not, I guess I will see in the spring!
• I haven't actually installed them yet, not enough room behind the boat to work on it... so no pictures yet.

8. I got my prop repaired

• Late last summer I had a small run in with a rock
• I ended up buying another Acme 2419 prop
• The damaged one I got repaired over the winter at PropMD in Plymouth, MN LINK  They did an outstanding job, actually looks better than my new one with the polished finish they put on it!
• LINK to pictures

One thing I would like to add yet is GatorStep to the bow, front and rear deck LINK. (I only want the following pieces: G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6, G9, G10 and B1 (I don't want B2, B3, B4 or B5). Scraped Sharkfin with Black bottom). The price is a little steep for all, $429 plus shipping!

Hey man! Thanks for all this detail!! So awesome!! I just bought a 23 LSV and need to install an onboard charger. I see you mounted yours next to the batteries. Any reason you chose this spot over the factory location? Also, why did you choose the 8 amp over the 12? And did you wire the batteries as separate banks or did you connect them with jumpers? Do you know if our boats have an engine battery and an accessory battery? Just about to order mine, and thought I would check with you first. 

Thanks in advance for answering my series of questions!! :-)

Edited March 31, 2017 by LS1boarder

[dpbremer]

11 hours ago, LS1boarder said:

Hey man! Thanks for all this detail!! So awesome!! I just bought a 23 LSV and need to install an onboard charger. I see you mounted yours next to the batteries. Any reason you chose this spot over the factory location? Also, why did you choose the 8 amp over the 12? And did you wire the batteries as separate banks or did you connect them with jumpers? Do you know if our boats have an engine battery and an accessory battery? Just about to order mine, and thought I would check with you first. 

Thanks in advance for answering my series of questions!! :-)

Hi LS1boarder,

Congratulations on the the boat purchase! 

Any reason you chose this spot over the factory location?    --> I choose to mount the charger under the passenger seat near the batteries since I don't store anything in that compartment... so nothing will be block the free air cooling of it. The main storage area I always have loaded with towels and life jackets. 

Also, why did you choose the 8 amp over the 12?   --> Both of my batteries are starting batteries, not deep cycle... so based on that an 8 amp charger is sufficient to recharge them overnight. The 8 amp is also physically smaller so it fits nicely in my location... and not to mention $15 cheaper! If you are planning for a deep cycle battery you might want to consider the 12 amp.   

And did you wire the batteries as separate banks or did you connect them with jumpers?   --> The setup is two independent banks. This charger is intelligent and can charge them independently.  

Do you know if our boats have an engine battery and an accessory battery?   -->> Depends how your dealer set it up... mine is two starting batteries... but they can be setup as one starting and one deep cycle as well. 

Edited March 31, 2017 by dpbremer
update

[LS1boarder]

4 hours ago, dpbremer said:

Hi LS1boarder,

Congratulations on the the boat purchase! 

Any reason you chose this spot over the factory location?    --> I choose to mount the charger under the passenger seat near the batteries since I don't store anything in that compartment... so nothing will be block the free air cooling of it. The main storage area I always have loaded with towels and life jackets. 

Also, why did you choose the 8 amp over the 12?   --> Both of my batteries are starting batteries, not deep cycle... so based on that an 8 amp charger is sufficient to recharge them overnight. The 8 amp is also physically smaller so it fits nicely in my location... and not to mention $15 cheaper! If you are planning for a deep cycle battery you might want to consider the 12 amp.   

And did you wire the batteries as separate banks or did you connect them with jumpers?   --> The setup is two independent banks. This charger is intelligent and can charge them independently.  

Do you know if our boats have an engine battery and an accessory battery?   -->> Depends how your dealer set it up... mine is two starting batteries... but they can be setup as one starting and one deep cycle as well. 

You're awesome! 12 amp ordered! Thanks again for all the detail! 

[jhartt3]

 

On 3/27/2017 at 11:06 AM, CBray4 said:

We refinished the teak and fixed our blown sub. We also got the boat detailed, for an 01 it looks pretty nice. Still have tears in some seats but that will have to wait. We would love to plumb all of our sacks in but for now we will keep throwing it over. Other than that we are ready to hit the water!

Most cost effective way is to watch eBay and here for deals on components then put it all together once you have them. 

[ahopkins22LSV]

I didn't post this earlier because I wasn't 100% which way it was going to go or what was going to happen. But we replaced the carpet in our boat this winter. I looked at a 100 different options to try to get Sea Dek or Gator Step to work and it just was going to be an completely overwhelming project and stupid expensive. The floor structure Malibu used in the TXi is aluminum honey comb with a foam backing, not fiberglass. So it would have involved restructuring the whole floor and glassing the surface to mimic how the Wakesetter floors or new TXi floor. So we just went with a carpet replacement. I know it will get matted down and dirty again, but it looks great now! Plus I still really like the look and feel of carpet.

 

I also need to catch up on this thread, seems there was a lot of nice things done.

Edited April 6, 2017 by ahopkinsTXi

[Woodski]

@ahopkinsTXi:  Looks great, just in time for 50 mph winds and 4" of snow followed by 70 degrees and sunshine....  What was your carpet source & what specific carpet color/density did you get?

[ahopkins22LSV]

27 minutes ago, Woodski said:

@ahopkinsTXi:  Looks great, just in time for 50 mph winds and 4" of snow followed by 70 degrees and sunshine....  What was your carpet source & what specific carpet color/density did you get?

Thanks! Sourced it through Malibu. Didn't do the side walls or anything so we knew it would match then. Not sure on the density. 

[onamission]

Factory tour in 05 Malibu watched them install the floor, it's basically Fiberglass particleboard, it is chemically bonded to the boat(not bolted) after it has been CNC Cut out for a better fit..  I know they changed the floor somewhere between 2000 and 2005.  Not sure when they went to a complete honeycomb floor and why?

Access panels are honey comb aluminum.

 

Edited April 7, 2017 by onamission

[ahopkins22LSV]

@onamission I believe it was changed with the introduction of the TXi.

[onamission]

19 hours ago, ahopkinsTXi said:

@onamission I believe it was changed with the introduction of the TXi.

@ahopkinsTXi.  Are you sure they changed the flooring.  All I could find was the "compositech" fiberglass that was changed to full composite floor in 2003.  Seems like going to the honeycomb would be step backwards. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 7, 2017 by onamission

[shadetreefab]

way behind where I should be, hit a major road block. 

tips made, FAE installed, new tower cans on and wires fished, wet sounds 4 zone led wired up, graphics striped. rev pumps mounted on rack wired, switches installed, prop fixed and new prop

still have to finish sub box, wire whole stereo, plumb pumps, wire batts with new stitch and arc, install 4 cabin speakers  and get cushion's fixed

Edited April 16, 2017 by shadetreefab
forgot cushions

[rugger]

On 4/6/2017 at 7:33 PM, onamission said:

@ahopkinsTXi.  Are you sure they changed the flooring.  All I could find was the "compositech" fiberglass that was changed to full composite floor in 2003.  Seems like going to the honeycomb would be step backwards. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know they used what they called  "space age material" composite flooring in 07-ish.  That's what I put in the 87 Sunsetter rebuild project (replacing the original wood floors/stringers) via some helpful Malibu guys in Merced.  That's what was going in their boats at least at that time.  Not sure on models/changes though.  As previously mentioned... they also used epoxy not screws, or at least epoxy w/ screws.   

Trust me after rebuilding stringers in that boat, the Sunsetter saw plenty of that epoxy "plexus" as they called it as well.  Didn't use 800 staples like they did the first time which caused the water damage/rot.  Even wood would have lasted much longer.

[Kmfish87]

On 4/6/2017 at 7:20 AM, ahopkinsTXi said:

I didn't post this earlier because I wasn't 100% which way it was going to go or what was going to happen. But we replaced the carpet in our boat this winter. I looked at a 100 different options to try to get Sea Dek or Gator Step to work and it just was going to be an completely overwhelming project and stupid expensive. The floor structure Malibu used in the TXi is aluminum honey comb with a foam backing, not fiberglass. So it would have involved restructuring the whole floor and glassing the surface to mimic how the Wakesetter floors or new TXi floor. So we just went with a carpet replacement. I know it will get matted down and dirty again, but it looks great now! Plus I still really like the look and feel of carpet.

I also need to catch up on this thread, seems there was a lot of nice things done.

What kind of carpet did you use and where did you get it from? Looks great!

[ahopkins22LSV]

3 hours ago, Kmfish87 said:

What kind of carpet did you use and where did you get it from? Looks great!

Thank you! Same carpet Malibu uses. Sourced through our dealer from the factory.