HDS Leaking

[Tom Sawyer]

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

Yes/Yes

[Malibudude]

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

Yes/Yes

What he said.

[Sunset_Bob]

I'm little late on this post but, last year my HDS box went to leaking profoundly after I bumped the strut sideways on on a log while turning. The harder I ran the boat the more it leaked.

Basically the pressure in the box increased with speed and thus lifted the liner up and away from the floor. I couldn't see the cracked with the naked eye from the outside, but I filled the boat with water and almost imediatlty started running out the shaft hole. I knew then where the water water was coming from. I removed the lid and filled the bilge up right to the top but not so it would run into the box. With a flashlight I could see the water coming in around the bottom of the box. on the right side.

THe shop that fixed the boat said they had to grind into the crack and reglass around the bottom. So far.....Knock on wood.....it hasn't leaked anymore. Only cost me $2500

It is a pretty crappy design in my opinion.

[RTS]

Only cost me $2500

It is a pretty crappy design in my opinion.

So that's not an item under the lifetime hull warranty? And I agree with your opinion on the design, it should have been designed back out by now!

[Tom Sawyer]

Only cost me $2500

It is a pretty crappy design in my opinion.

So that's not an item under the lifetime hull warranty? And I agree with your opinion on the design, it should have been designed back out by now!

Not if damaged during an impact.

[Sunset_Bob]

Only cost me $2500

It is a pretty crappy design in my opinion.

So that's not an item under the lifetime hull warranty? And I agree with your opinion on the design, it should have been designed back out by now!

Mine was not a warranty issue. But I agree that unless caused by a impact as mine it should be a warranty issue taken the fact the known problems related with this poor design. But getting them to do this for you is another story, especially on a boat close to seven year old. I would think your going to have to deal with this on your own. But I'd take this in consideration next time I'm in the market for another boat.....

It's kind of like this....I have learned over the many years in the automotive field, a warranty is usually not worth the paper it is written on if you really read the fine print and between the lines. There is usually always some claus or stipulation in there that relieves them of any negligence. Thus, saying, "your screwed!!!".

Edited August 28, 2006 by Sunset_Bob

[VinRLX]

moondawg, are you the original owner? My HDS does not have the goop oozing out of the seam as yours does.

[VinRLX]

I removed the lid and filled the bilge up right to the top but not so it would run into the box. With a flashlight I could see the water coming in around the bottom of the box. on the right side.

THe shop that fixed the boat said they had to grind into the crack and reglass around the bottom.

There are two types of HDS leak. Through the seal at the lid--fairly easy fix. At the base of the box = time, experience, $.

[bound4er]

Sunset_Bob, thanks for your perspective. $2500 bucks!!! That seems outrageous. My leak is just that - a slow leak. It takes about 20 - 25 minutes after first dropping the boat in the water for the bilge to kick in. After that, it goes off about every 15 minutes or so.

VinRLX, I resealed the lid and I'm 100% sure it is not leaking from this area. So that leaves the base

I will report back how things workout once I get back to our cottage this weekend.

Dave

[MoonDawg]

moondawg, are you the original owner? My HDS does not have the goop oozing out of the seam as yours does.

No. I am the second owner. It looks to me like it might have been re-sealed. The boat has always been cared for here in Cincy. It doesn't look like a NWM job so it might have been done by the previous owner. The box does not leak so I say, even if it is ugly, it is still good enough. This boat has plenty of other issues to worry about but runs like a Champ at 10 years old.

[martho]

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.

This is how the dealer checks to see if it is an HDS leak.

I highly doubt an 8 year old boat would just suddenly start with an HDS problem. The true HDS problem is from the glass not meeting properly where the HDS curves. I owned a boat with this problem and my cousin also had one. You would have known this years ago if it was the true HDS issue. Now, vibration, impact, wear & tear could easily cause something which causes water to leak in that same area.

[Sunset_Bob]

Sunset_Bob, thanks for your perspective. $2500 bucks!!! That seems outrageous. My leak is just that - a slow leak. It takes about 20 - 25 minutes after first dropping the boat in the water for the bilge to kick in. After that, it goes off about every 15 minutes or so.

VinRLX, I resealed the lid and I'm 100% sure it is not leaking from this area. So that leaves the base

I will report back how things workout once I get back to our cottage this weekend.

Dave

$2500 for Strut, Shaft, Glass work, GelCoat before $1000 deductable. Didn't really need that shaft, but it was out and we put a new one in anyway.

[Sunset_Bob]

There are two types of HDS leak. Through the seal at the lid--fairly easy fix. At the base of the box = time, experience, $.

Correction two types of HDS's......

Type 1= Doesn't leak

Type 2= Does leak

I had type 2

Edited August 28, 2006 by Sunset_Bob

[VinRLX]

so it might have been done by the previous owner. The box does not leak so I say, even if it is ugly, it is still good enough.

Absolutely. If it aint broke. . .

[Lakenut]

Not to make anyone feel dumb, but you have made sure it isn't your shaft packing/packing nut?

[bound4er]

Not to make anyone feel dumb, but you have made sure it isn't your shaft packing/packing nut?

Yeah - it drips about once every 10 - 15 seconds as it should.

Dave

[response LX]

Not to make anyone feel dumb, but you have made sure it isn't your shaft packing/packing nut?

Yeah - it drips about once every 10 - 15 seconds as it should.

Dave

I don't want to feel dumb, but how do you check the drip? Engine running in gear? Or does it matter?

[mlange]

Engine running and in gear.

There should be no drip when in neutral.

Of course, this is just for the regular wax packing.

If you get the gore packing you could go entirely dripless.

Mike

[jklein]

I'm pretty sure that Malibu says it must have been caused by an impact because the methacrylate resin that's used in the original construction and in repairs is super tough stuff. Much tougher than regular fiberglass, so they don't expect that it would crack under normal use.

[bound4er]

I was able to find and fix the leak over the weekend. The only way to see it was to fill the bilge area with water as someone suggested (thanks!) and watch for it to seep into the HDS. The area that cracked was where the HDS box meets the hull about 6 " from the front of the box. It appears as though during construction Malibu didn't cover this area very well with Plexus (very thin and actually indented) and for some reason a small void developed that allowed water to seep out. It was fairly easy to fix - I took a dremel and ground out a little of the bad area and added a nice thick bead of Plexus over it. I didn't have time to water test - I will save that for next spring. Hopefully all is fixed.

Regards - Dave

[Faceplant409]

I had a '99 LXI that developed a HDS leak in '02 or '03. (NO impact No super hard use...) Malibu took care of it. Even sent the dealer a video IIRC on the repair. I had called Guy Coward to beg to let me bring the boat to Merced as my dealer network had not done a HDS repair and I was skeptical. He had me take it to the dealer and it got fixed. Sold it a year later... (un related)

Patrick