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First time boat owner - 2001 23LSV


statewidejason

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Over the winter I bought my first ever boat - a 23' LSV. In great shape, with only 150 hours. As I am completely new to boating, I've got a lot to figure out. We've had her out on the lake most weekends since May, and we're really digging this new hobby. I'm the only one with any desire to wakeboard, so I'm holding off on any of those upgrades. Mainly just pull the kids on the tube and anchor on the lake with friends. 

I've been reading posts here for the past few months trying to figure out all the cool things I can do to the boat. Really loved the upgrade thread; found a bunch of stuff that has been really helpful. Thanks in advance for all the help.

A few things I'm looking to figure out now that I've spent some time on the water:

  • There is water coming in the boat on the driver side. Not a lot, just enough to get the carpet wet. Starts underneath the drivers console and goes all the way back to the engine compartment. I don't see much water accumulate in the ski locker or bilge, so it doesn't seem to be bad, but it sure makes the engine compartment smell terrible. I have no idea where the water is coming from.
  • What is the secret to getting this boat on the trailer? Can't for the life of me get it to go in straight for the last few feet.
  • The wife really wants me to pull up the carpet and replace with something cleaner. She can't stand the smell of mildew.

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Welcome to the crew and congratulations on the boat pruchase!

Looks like a heater vent in the walkway. If so, the heater core is likely the cause of the water leak at the helm. Check the hoses first, but it's probably the core. Do a search on this site for info about repair, replacement, etc. 

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A 3:1 mixture of awesome cleaner (at dollar general) and a Bissel Little Green will clean that carpet right up.    Is the leak happening when storing or when on the water ?    

do you have vents in your cover ?  if not look at adding the Vent II or Vent 3 to keep er smelling mildew free.

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44 minutes ago, statewidejason said:

What is the secret to getting this boat on the trailer? Can't for the life of me get it to go in straight for the last few feet.

Congratulations on your new boat.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy my boat. 

I can give you a bit of advice on loading your boat on the trailer.  When my wife and I first started boating (in 2009) we found that launching was really easy to do and that gave us a bit of over confidence that vanished as soon as we tried to load the boat back onto trailer.  After much frustration, we learned a few tricks to help us, and as follows:

1. When loading your boat, go slower than you think.  This is very simple advice but probably one of the most helpful to us when learning how to load.

2. Allow your boat time to make a steering correction before applying corrections to your steering wheel.  One of the problems we first had was approaching the trailer at a slight angle and then making a correction.  Nothing would happen right away, so we would turn the steering wheel a bit more.  Again, we didn't notice any correction, so we would apply a bit more turn, only to find out we were now approaching the trailer at an almost 90 degree angle - to the amusement of others on the ramp.  Because our boats take a while to adjust to a correction, you must apply the correction and then wait a bit for the boat to adjust to the correction.  Going slower than you think will help with approaching the trailer at the right angle and speed.

3. Find the right depth for your trailer.  For my boat and trailer, I need to have the very front of the bunks about 1" under water.  I find that when at this depth, the boat will slide almost to the winch without hitting the bumper.  The correct depth of trailer will depend on the slope of the ramp, so you may have to do a little trial and error to find the correct depth.

4. My wife now loads the boat while I get the trailer in the water.  We have agreed that when I am ready for her to approach the trailer, I will unspool the winch and then sit on the trailer tongue to let her know the trailer is at the correct depth and I am ready for her to approach and load the boat.  

5. Once boat is on trailer and trailer winch is locked in place, drive out of lake slowly.

6. Last bit of advice is: Practice Practice Practice.  We purchased a new (to us) boat last year and took it out to the ramp early one morning and launched the boat.  I then adjusted the trailer for loading and had my wife load the boat.  Afterwards, I pushed her off the trailer and we loaded the boat again.  We did this about five times to get more practice with the new boat.  This really helped us find the correct depth of our trailer and right speed to load (for my wife).

Another way my wife and I practiced slow speed maneuverability was to practice approaching the 5-mph no wake buoy as slowly as possible without hitting it.  This will help you approach along the correct line and help you make corrections as you approach the buoy.  Approach the buoy at a slight angle and see if you how long it takes your boat to adjust to a correction at slow speed.  

Finally, I can't stress enough how much practice is so important to helping you learn to load your boat.  Going slow and waiting for the boat the adjust to a correction is key to proper loading.  Good Luck and have fun!

Edited by P6Expert
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Few things.

  1. Great first post!  Pics and a story.  Doing it right!  :)
  2. Welcome to the crew and to having a Malibu!  They're awesome boats!  Yours is a 2000 though, not a 2001.  The Escape LSV was the name in 2000, and that is a 2000 dash.  
  3. I'm with @John I. Your heater core is leaking.  It's located under the helm in a gray box with a black blower and some black tubes attached to it.  Not too hard to change out, but you might need to remove your kick panel/floorboard when you do.  Had to do that on our '01 VLX.  If you don't mind not having a heater, it's easy enough to bypass.  Disconnect the two rubber water hoses and loop them together with a fitting from the hardware store.
  4. Don't pull up your carpet yet.  Clean it out.  Pressure wash it.  Shampoo it.  Do something, but don't rip it out.  It's a lot of work and that tan carpet looks great with that interior.  You'll get the stank out.
  5. Getting it on the trailer straight.  Usually this is a result of backing your trailer in too far.  Back way down to get the bunks all the way wet, then pull back out again.  Hard to tell from the photos but I'd say you want the top of your front tire right around the water line or thereabouts.  If you pull out and it's crooked BTW, it'll usually straighten itself out with the first bump you hit going down the road.

Enjoy!  That's a great boat!

Edited by UWSkier
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Mine was leaking as well.  If your not up to the task of replacing the heater core right away you can buy a hose coupler and connect the inline with the outline making a closed connection and bypassing the heater core.  Something like this should work: https://www.westmarine.com/buy/seafit--nylon-hose-couplers-barbed--P011_332_002_516?recordNum=9 If you go that route get yourself some lube to put on each end as it's not the easiest area to access so a little lube goes a long way.  It  took me all of 5 minutes to do and it is great to have on hand when you do replace the core if it ever springs a more serious leak you can throw that on and you won't need a tow back.  I believe heater craft uses 5/8" or 3/4" so check before buying.

Edited by riot138
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50 minutes ago, P6Expert said:

Congratulations on your new boat.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy my boat. 

I can give you a bit of advice on loading your boat on the trailer.  When my wife and I first started boating (in 2009) we found that launching was really easy to do and that gave us a bit of over confidence that vanished as soon as we tried to load the boat back onto trailer.  After much frustration, we learned a few tricks to help us, and as follows:

1. When loading your boat, go slower than you think.  This is very simple advice but probably one of the most helpful to us when learning how to load.

2. Allow your boat time to make a steering correction before applying corrections to your steering wheel.  One of the problems we first had was approaching the trailer at a slight angle and then making a correction.  Nothing would happen right away, so we would turn the steering wheel a bit more.  Again, we didn't notice any correction, so we would apply a bit more turn, only to find out we were now approaching the trailer at an almost 90 degree angle - to the amusement of others on the ramp.  Because our boats take a while to adjust to a correction, you must apply the correction and then wait a bit for the boat to adjust to the correction.  Going slower than you think will help with approaching the trailer at the right angle and speed.

3. Find the right depth for your trailer.  For my boat and trailer, I need to have the very front of the bunks about 1" under water.  I find that when at this depth, the boat will slide almost to the winch without hitting the bumper.  The correct depth of trailer will depend on the slope of the ramp, so you may have to do a little trial and error to find the correct depth.

4. My wife now loads the boat while I get the trailer in the water.  We have agreed that when I am ready for her to approach the trailer, I will unspool the winch and then sit on the trailer tongue to let her know the trailer is at the correct depth and I am ready for her to approach and load the boat.  

5. Once boat is on trailer and trailer winch is locked in place, drive out of lake slowly.

6. Last bit of advice is: Practice Practice Practice.  We purchased a new (to us) boat last year and took it out to the ramp early one morning and launched the boat.  I then adjusted the trailer for loading and had my wife load the boat.  Afterwards, I pushed her off the trailer and we loaded the boat again.  We did this about five times to get more practice with the new boat.  This really helped us find the correct depth of our trailer and right speed to load (for my wife).

Another way my wife and I practiced slow speed maneuverability was to practice approaching the 5-mph no wake buoy as slowly as possible without hitting it.  This will help you approach along the correct line and help you make corrections as you approach the buoy.  Approach the buoy at a slight angle and see if you how long it takes your boat to adjust to a correction at slow speed.  

Finally, I can't stress enough how much practice is so important to helping you learn to load your boat.  Going slow and waiting for the boat the adjust to a correction is key to proper loading.  Good Luck and have fun!

Welcome!

Well stated and spot on...I would add that when the poles on the trailer float your are in the water far enough.  If you can slide out of work early on a Wednesday when no-one is at the ramp, that is a perfect time to practice. Easy with pulling the carpet, as stated above.  Invest in a Bissell, it will pay for itself quickly.   

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Thank you everyone for the wonderful advice. I've got some work to do when I get home on Friday. I'm thinking that if bypassing the heater core fixes that leak, and the carpet stays dry I can easily get rid of the mildew smell in the rear compartments. Then I won't have to worry about the carpet replacement.

Off topic, but I recently learned that my boat was previously owned by Ham Wallace's sister. I've got a few lifejackets and floats with his name stenciled on them. He was inducted into the water skier hall of fame last year.

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If you load the boat on a windy day you cant go dead slow. So part of your training should be how to recognize ifyou're off your line early enough to stop, pivot the boat around and try again. My wife is getting good at this. This is one time when being able to pivot an inboard is very useful.  I'd much prefer a do over than trying to save a botched attempt especially in the wind.  

In the wind we have to come in faster and go to neutral when the bow breaks the plane of the guide poles.  Trailer depth is important. If it's too deep the bunks wont catch the boat.  I want the boat to coast to about 2' shy of the bow roller and I winch it on. Power loading isnt nessacery and were still very fast on the ramp.  

Some other ramp tips are.  

Make a plan ahead of time so you're not the couple yelling back and forth. 

Prep the boat before you get in the ramp line. Coolers loaded plugs in, transom straps removed etc.  Once it's my turn in line I drop her in and get the hell out of dodge.  

Pay attn to wind direction.   If possible dont launch her where shes going to blow into a dock instantly. When loading cheat to the side where the wind is coming from.  If you're off that direction you delay and let the wind push you in line.  

Learn to pivot your boat on a dime in open water and learn how to control where you go in reverse. Usually this involves using forward throttle to turn the boat and reverse to move it back.  Forward throttle gives you rudder authority.  This won't be news to you if you've had the boat  since may. 

Blue is the best color.  Congrats!

 

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on the windy days leave the trailer a bit dryer so you can idle in a tiny bit faster then, once it's nestled in the bunks you can back to your prefered depth. 

remember that the optimal steerage is in forward gear, not neutral. bow into the wind until unable will let you keep rpm max for best control. 

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Congrats on thew new boat!  The folks above definitely gave good advice.  I did what it sounds like you were doing to start out and dipping the trailer too deep and the boat wasn't getting seated straight or on the bow stop.  My boat is a 2001 23 LSV and I did the carpet the first year after I bought it.  Definitely try to clean vs replace.  It's a HUGE undertaking to get all the carpet replaced on that critter.  Have fun with it this year on the lake!

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We don't load our boat (RLXi) very often, but when we do I put the trailer in the water until the tires are covered, but there is still some fender sticking out of the water.  This works well for the steepness of our ramp.  We can then idle the boat onto the trailer, let it settle and center itself (because you can never drive the boat perfectly onto the trailer) and then power up until the bow eye is at the roller.  The key is going slow - its actually slower than idle because I will click the boat in and out of gear - then letting it settle naturally onto the trailer.  Turn the steering wheel all the way to one side and then turn it 2 full rotations back the other way - that should be center rudder.  Then power on.  If you are having to give a lot of power then the trailer is a little too shallow - back it in a little farther.  If the boat floats onto the trailer without settling, then the trailer is too deep - pull it up a little.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I balance between too steep and just right. Too shallow and it settles nice but hard to winch on. I usally if under power put in neutral once bow gets between the guide poles. I dont like to power on since i dont want to risk a prop strike, so being able to winch on is high priority. 

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