HDS Leaking

[bound4er 0]

Hello All,

This is my first post

Too bad it is related to a problem

I have finally isolated a leak in my 1999 Lxi and all things point to a crack somewhere in the inside of the HDS box (it is not the lid since I re-sealed that a couple of weeks ago and the boat still leaks). I have been told by Malibu that this is not covered under their lifetime hull waranty. I have also been told by Malibu that if I make the repair myself with a methacrylate resin that it will NOT void the hull waranty should I have further problems. What do you all make of this? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Regards - Dave

[mlange 45]

The HDS is supposed to be covered under the lifetime hull warranty. Was it Malibu or the dealer that said it was not? I would ask for some clarification on this, since HDS is a part of the hull.

One thing that sounds interesting is that I was under the impression that the HDS issues that came up usually came up almost right away. I didn't think they appeared after 6-7 years like in your case.

Mike

[RTS 1,683]

Hello All,

I have also been told by Malibu that if I make the repair myself with a methacrylate resin that it will NOT void the hull waranty should I have further problems. What do you all make of this?

So you know exactly where the leak is? Is it something you're comfortable fixing yourself (with the methacrylate resin..whatever that is). If so, then it may be worth the effort to fix yourself, assuming it's not a lifetime warranty issue.

[bound4er 0]

Was it Malibu or the dealer that said it was not?

It was Malibu. They also claimed I must have hit something with the shaft / strut to cause this problem which is not the case.

So you know exactly where the leak is?

Well, after going over every possible route of entry and eliminating all of them, it all points to this area. When I put the boat on my lift and drain all the water out, it takes about 5 miuntes after I lower the boat in the water and NOT start the engine for water to work its way up to the drain plug area. There is no water in the front ski locker, no leaks around the underwater gear such as temp gauge and depth finder, nothing by the tracking fins and nothing in rudder area/stern. I even put teflon tape around the plug thinking it was that. Still leaks so it all leads to the HDS. I had the cover off the HDS two weeks ago to re-seal it and I never thought to check for cracks. My boat is 250 miles away in northern Wisconsin so I won't look at it again until Labor Day Weekend. I will know more then. If the crack(s) are severe, I will likely take it to the dealer instead of messing around with it myself. This is all pretty troubling. I would like waranty clarification from Malibu though.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

Dave

[WakeGirl 2,140]

Welcome to the site Dave. Sorry to hear of your troubles. Are you the original owner?

[bound4er 0]

Welcome to the site Dave. Sorry to hear of your troubles. Are you the original owner?

Yes. Purchased it brand "spankin" new. Still looks new now (I am very anal about my boat).

Dave

[jklein 1]

Getting a good look inside the HDS can be a major PITA. You might be able to stick a small digital camera in there and take a few snapshots to see if there's anything obvious.

Maybe after looking at the pics, it might be obvious to malibu too that there was no "accident" damage.

There was a thread a year or so ago where the center of a guys response just split down the keel for no apparent reason. Strange things do happen.

[WakeGirl 2,140]

Then yes, it should be covered under warranty if it's the HDS. Problem is, there are dealers that aren't aware of the problem & they don't know how to fix it correctly. I'd go back to them & ask them to double check on that & if they still give you the run around, then I'd get in touch with the folks at the factory & explain the problem that you're having. A little pressure from up top can sometimes correct this kind of behavior.

[bound4er 0]

Thanks WakeGirl.

The factory told me it wasn't covered and then gave me instructions on fixing the problem. They recommended a Plexus-type resin to fill in any voids after I ground out the very front of the crack and rear of the crack. They said not to grind out the entire crack as that would void my warranty. They also said that if I didn't grind out the crack, it could keep traveling all the way to the front of the boat. Ouch! The weird thing is, after this advice, I got a call out of the blue from the factory the next day asking me how things went (had to explain my boat is at my cottage 250 miles away). Then he said you may NOT want to grind out the crack and instead just cover the area with Plexus and see what happens. Very strange advice - not sure what to make of it all.

So do you think my best course of action would be to examine the HDS and if something is wrong take it to the dealer and fight out the warranty issue with Malibu? Or should I fix it myself? The dealer is average at best in terms of the maintenance department and I would almost prefer to do the repair myself. But I don't want Malibu to come back to me either if I have a continuing problem and tell me "no way" on warranty since I messed with the hull myself.

Dave

[VinRLX 5]

Dave,

Lifetime hull warranty. Say this to yourself again, three times and slowly. Now reconsider your situation.

[WakeGirl 2,140]

Vin's right. I would talk with your dealer & his service department, see what they say & how you feel about it, then go from there. There are people on this site that have done the repair themselves, so it is doable. But the warranty issue is what you're concerned with, & rightfully so.

[bound4er 0]

Thanks all. I will take it to the dealer and see what happens from there.

Dave

[mlange 45]

Dave,

A couple of things I just thought about. One test I've heard people use to check the HDS is to fill up the boat with water over the HDS box while it is on the trailer and see if it leaks out the bottom. Hopefully some others will chime in, but that may help to either verify or rule out the HDS.

You're here in Waukesha, but your boat is up north. So is Tinus your regular dealer or Heckels and which one did you buy from? I would expect that Tinus would help out with at least troubleshooting it by giving you some tips. Not sure about Heckels and I stay as far away from them as possible due to a terrible experience I had with them a few years back.

Mike

[bound4er 0]

Hey Mike,

Filling around the HDS with water and watching for water to come out of where the shaft and hull meet makes sense. I will see what others say.

Yeah, I purchased the boat from Tinus - nice people, responsive, etc. I keep the boat in Eagle River so Heckels would be the dealer I take it to for repairs. That is why I have done all my own maintenance to date - not impressed with Heckels and didn't buy from them for many reasons (this forum is not the place for that). So that is one of the reasons why I am not in a hurry to bring it to the dealer.

At least I can still use my Bu - the bilge just gets a nice workout

Dave

[mlange 45]

I guess if all else fails and the boat sinks you can just hit Weasel's or the Frontier instead of hanging out at the lake.

[bound4er 0]

Not sure I'd want to be shoving money on some stripper after losing my Bu - would rather save $ for a nice new one . Drowning my sorrows in a good beer on the other hand ...

[Henken 0]

Dave,

A couple of things I just thought about. One test I've heard people use to check the HDS is to fill up the boat with water over the HDS box while it is on the trailer and see if it leaks out the bottom. Hopefully some others will chime in, but that may help to either verify or rule out the HDS.

Dave, this is how my dealer tested my boat after fixing the HDS. It's definitely a good method in isolating where the leak is coming from.

As you mentioned earlier, I tipped my drive shaft strut and it broke the seal between the hull and the bottom of the HDS.

If it comes down to it and your somewhat mechanically inclined, you should be able do it yourself. Especially if Malibu's telling you what epoxy/resin to use.

[CedarLakeSkier 110]

I must be the only one around that doesn't know what HDS is, sorry to hijack the thread, but can anyone fill me in?

Do I have an "HDS" on my '06 iRide and should it be something I check?

[bound4er 0]

I must be the only one around that doesn't know what HDS is, sorry to hijack the thread, but can anyone fill me in?

Do I have an "HDS" on my '06 iRide and should it be something I check?

If you have a direct drive boat, you have a HDS (hydronic (?) dampening system). It is basically a box that fills with water around the shaft and it supposedly dampens shaft vibration. Seems to be more of a problem than a solution.

Dave

[CedarLakeSkier 110]

I must be the only one around that doesn't know what HDS is, sorry to hijack the thread, but can anyone fill me in?

Do I have an "HDS" on my '06 iRide and should it be something I check?

If you have a direct drive boat, you have a HDS (hydronic (?) dampening system). It is basically a box that fills with water around the shaft and it supposedly dampens shaft vibration. Seems to be more of a problem than a solution.

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I can see why they don't go into this brilliant solution in the owners manual

[Tom Sawyer 0]

I could swear I saw a post a while back by wakegirl that said one of the newer DDs was without the HDS BICBW.

Does the new Rlxi sport the live well?

[Malibudude 1,067]

I must be the only one around that doesn't know what HDS is, sorry to hijack the thread, but can anyone fill me in?

Do I have an "HDS" on my '06 iRide and should it be something I check?

If you have a direct drive boat, you have a HDS (hydronic (?) dampening system). It is basically a box that fills with water around the shaft and it supposedly dampens shaft vibration. Seems to be more of a problem than a solution.

Dave

Thanks Dave,

I can see why they don't go into this brilliant solution in the owners manual

Others have called it the Hydronic drip system.... Yes you have it on your I-ride.

[WakeGirl 2,140]

I could swear I saw a post a while back by wakegirl that said one of the newer DDs was without the HDS BICBW.

Does the new Rlxi sport the live well?

It was the 247RX (xti), I haven't heard on the traditional dd boats though.

[VinRLX 5]

If you have a direct drive boat, you have a HDS (hydronic (?) dampening system).

Hydrophonic (as in sound) Dampening System.

[MoonDawg 0]

Do I have HDS!? Is it this box between my mufflers?