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considering buying my first Malibu Euro F3


Malibudave83

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I am considering buying a project ski boat. I’ve been looking for an inboard for over a year. I’ve looked at a couple mastercaft Tri stars. I want an open bow. But this one needs a complete restoration. The stingers are rotten out and it’s sat out side it’s whole like has 340 hour on it. The motor runs strong. Good steering cables and hull. The boat is a 1990 Malibu euro f3 open bow with the Chevy 350

Edited by Malibudave83
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A full restoration with stringers is very time consuming and can get costly, you might not save much if any money over buying a newer boat without wood stringers to start with.  I have right around 10k into my 1998 response which needed an engine, and I've seen other boats pop up right around that price point too that are ready to hit the water.

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12 hours ago, Malibudave83 said:

I am considering buying a project ski boat. I’ve been looking for an inboard for over a year. I’ve looked at a couple mastercaft Tri stars. I want an open bow. But this one needs a complete restoration. The stingers are rotten out and it’s sat out side it’s whole like has 340 hour on it. The motor runs strong. Good steering cables and hull. The boat is a 1990 Malibu euro f3 open bow with the Chevy 350

How much are they asking for the F3?

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3 hours ago, powbmps said:

How much are they asking for the F3?

1000 or best offer. I’m not scarred to do the project I feel like I can restore it my self and fell better about the boat. In the long run I feel like I can do the work and spend the money and have a trophy at the end of the year 

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@Malibudave83 - there are a great group of square windshield Malibu owners on this site.  They will be a great resource for you as you tackle that project, many have done complete restorations including full stringer replacement.  I suggest you use the search feature and peruse their threads as they documented the process.  Expect a very intensive and time consuming project with a very rewarding result at the finish line.

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1 hour ago, Malibudave83 said:

1000 or best offer. I’m not scarred to do the project I feel like I can restore it my self and fell better about the boat. In the long run I feel like I can do the work and spend the money and have a trophy at the end of the year 

This project requires a massive amount of research, attention to detail, and in-depth knowledge of not only this style of watercraft, but experience working on boats of this age.  

If that's not you, (which is the impression so far) buying a different boat will make you much happier.

Edited by Pra4sno
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23 hours ago, Pra4sno said:

This project requires a massive amount of research, attention to detail, and in-depth knowledge of not only this style of watercraft, but experience working on boats of this age.  

If that's not you, (which is the impression so far) buying a different boat will make you much happier.

I completely agree with this.  I know of at least 4 DD boats that are wood free in my area for sale.  All of them are between 7-12k asking prices.  My first Malibu was a 1997 SSLX and I sold it for what I paid for it after using it for 4 seasons.  A well kept older DD will hold an 8-15k price tag all day long.  And you have little to worry about in terms of rot.  Some did have inherent issues, but none of the issues were cause for poor performance.  I, just like many here, like a good project but when it comes to getting on the water and maximizing your time, it's hard to beat that price range with only a little elbow grease in detailing involved.  Just my $.02.

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You need to  carefully consider WHY you want to do this project.   I agree with everyone on here so far who has told you  it is probably a bad idea.   But there Could be one good reason to do it      

If your motivation  is   that it just seems like fun .  And money is not a consideration for you.   and you are not worried about  resale value . And you just want a project to tinker on .    Then I say go for it.

However  if any of those  things are a factor for you.     Then in  my opinion,  by the time you purchase the boat  for  1or 2K  then spend quite a few thousand more in materials.    Then factor in the amount of money could   have made at work if you spent the same  amount of  time  at work. Then I think you will end up somewhere between 6 and 10K at least   by the time it is done.   most likely you will  probably missing a summer of boating.  And  have a lot of frustration in the process.    And finally  in the end your boat will most likely only be worth  5k-8k   So I  do not think this project would be worth your time nor your money... and is at is not a good idea and you are more likely going to lose money on this deal.  

I think you can find a better wood free boat  that works right away .  by just saving and spending a bit more up front.    try to stay away from any boat older than about 1994    after that  most boats did not have wood stringers...  

 I think a great first boat is a Ski Centurion Falcon sport. and you can get them at pretty low cost.  

 

)           

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Well, sure you can buy a boat that is ready to hit the water for around $5000.00 if you look at Mastercrafts. they are wood free since 1984. However, ive personally have done a stringer job and its really not that bad. im not sure where people are coming up with thousands of dollars to do the work yourself. i used top quality products and was no where near that. now that being said, you can cut the stringer caps off, remove all the rotted wood and use Seacast or Nida core 2 part and fill the stringer cavities back up and just have to fiberglass the cap back on. Youtube it and there are several guys who have videos. It takes all the guess work out of stringer placement. Also the stringers will never Rot again. If I ever do another one that will be the way i will go. Nothing wrong with preserving and bringing back to life an older boat. Its all what you want to have out of it. I personally will never own a newer boat again. I am an Old School guy. Now if the interior is shot, gauges are bad, and needs more than just a stringer job that is a different story. Then i would say pass on it. Not worth the money to be invested. 

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Okay guys. Sorry to go MIA for a couple days. After a while going back and forth I went ahead and bought the boat and and took it home. Yes the seats are trashed and the stringers need to be replaced. Now for the good the motor started right up after doing a helicoil on of the spark plugs because it rusted to the head. Sounded great. All gauges are working expect for the speedo. Which I can’t tell because I haven’t driven it yet. I have a lot family and friends who have done a lot of fiberglass/stinger work.  I’ve basically got a friend that can help each step. My dad has 99 Supra Legacy that I grew up barefoot of behind and always wanted a project. He’s had a ski boat his whole life and said he would help me everystep. Yes this is project and it’s going to take of time effort but with a huge reward at the end. I have taken out the seats, carpet and gas tank so far. I’m off the rest of the weekend so today I’m pulling the motor out. My grandmother redid his entire boat seats and said she would be glad to do mine also. So with the motor in good running condition. I decided to go ahead and just have it rebuilt while it’s out and I’m doing the floor. Has anyone done the stringers and floor on this site that has pics of the process? Thanks guys for input I look forward to sharing my process and steps along the way 

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Will be a fun project and well worth it when your done. As far a pictures i dont have any, but you can YOUTUBE VIDEOS and there is a guy in particular that is very in depth how to do this process. its Friscoboaters Garage on Youtube. Check him out. he explains everything in great detail. I learned allot form him. Good luck. Great to see another boat has been saved.If you hve any questions feel free to PM 

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@Malibudave83:  I assume you will do it this way, pull engine / trans as a unit.  Easy & quick job to do, if you are using a cherry picker, will probably have to pull 1 trailer wheel off to get gunnel clearance.  Sounds like you are well on your way, have fun restoring it and congrats.

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Make sure to mark the motor mounts and screws, best with an engraver if you have one.  Saves spending an entire day shimming it after finding the whole boat shakes like a banshee first time on the water.  

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It's great that you have a team to support you, that will make it a fun project vs. doing the whole thing solo.  Put some pics up, it would be great to see it happening.

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Hey guys been a long progress so far the motor is out the floor is up. Two of the four stingers are out and marked up. Doing the one that go to the motor this weekend. I went with the west system and got a decent deal on some dougles fir wood that I’m using. I would love to post pics, how ever I can’t figure out how

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

That's dedication! Well done.

If you haven't already, look closely at the rudder bush arrangement. On our 1992 F3 Skier (closed front), Malibu used a silly plastic bush. The local dealer removed it completely, fabricated a new design from silicon bronze and fibreglassed it in. Precise, light steering with standard wear components is the result. No pics or details unfortunately and I'm in Australia so the workshop isn't local to you!

We're lucky that ours must have been one of the first with all fibreglass construction. Only wood is in two seat bases.

Adrian

 

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