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Hello All,

the questions are at the bottom and made bold. just wanted to give some preface

Im in the process of picking up a project square windsheild 'bu. it will be my first true inboard boat (yes, im really excited for it). the hull looks to be in great shape, only one hit on the keel towards the bow of the boat. the floors are solid, i removed the board behind the engine and the plywood looked like new. the seats are rough and wherever there are rips the wood frame has rotted through. the strut, driveshaft and rudder seem to replaced in recent times, all solid with little to no play.

i love the retro look of it, reminds me of the era of pop up head lamps and synth pop.
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So far, im aware that:

-ill likely have to replace the stringers in the future (although when i went to see the boat in person, i poked around the engine mounts and the wood seemed solid).

-replace/remodel interior (its a shame since its the original and its not too far gone. ill try to maintain the retro feel of this interior)

-make new swim platform and brackets out of teak and alu-minimum

 

Upgrades im hoping to install:

-tower and bimini (ordered an origin catapult w/ collapsible bimini; was debating whether i should get a top mount roswell area 53, but ended going with a side mount due to concerns over the structural integrity of the deck. often im towing around 200lb dudes who can cut real hard)

-ballast system (bags for now, but when the new interior is going in, ill probably make hard tanks under rear seats and in the ski locker, with level sender and a microchip w/ screen to control it)

-perfect pass (just not sure whether gps or paddle wheel; any advise here will go a long way)

-nav system/fish finder (yea itll be used for some light fishing... go figure)

-heater core and fan (here in canada, our lakes hardly go above 18 degrees celsius, this one is must and will probably go in with the new interior)

-surfpipe on the exhaust

-maybe trim/surf tabs (would like to see how far the stock hull with the addition of a wedge will get us. from what i understand, these sytems are mostly used to clean up the wake if the boat is imbalanced. i could be entirely wrong on that)

 

question time!

What engine is usually found in these boats? looks like a chevy 350 to me but id want to confirm that before ordering all new consumable parts (carburetor, starter, distributor, alternator, water pump, thermostat, fuel pump and so on)

What performance modifications have people been sucessful with? im thinking carb, intake manifold, camshafts. the exhaust systems on these boats im not familliar with and not sure how to gain performance there.

What are the benefits of a gps cruise control vs paddlewheel? apart from the obvious of more consistency. can you really justify the extra money if you are not a tournament rider?

Do I absolutely need a tandem axle trailer? The boat is being sold with a 2005 single axle correct craft trailer. at only 3000lbs can i justify upgrading the trailer?

Any other details I should pay antention to when I go water test the boat? basically is there anything that i should look at and possibly step away from the deal if its not operating as it should.

thanks for the help everyone. ive looked through the forums many times over, but its hard to find much information on these older boats.

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1 hour ago, martinarcher said:

Vortec heads and a new intake manifold

That should be pretty easy to get a hold of.

Thanks for the input. i will for sure take all of this into consideration. never thought of the river situation for PP.

The teak gate you did looks pretty sweet! any reason you chose teak over an aluminum plate? the looks perhaps?
Im interested in doing an automatic ballast sytem in a similar fashion, once i get around to the interior anyways. should be easy enough to tie some extra relays in for the actuators. its the mechanical design im not so comfortable with. the surf gate systems probably have some serious loads acting upon them. make me wonder how its possible for some suction cups to overcome the forces.

Also, how much ballast are you using and placement during surfing and wakeboarding? (with 4 people in the boat)? i looked through your threads but couldnt find an answer to that.

Looking forward to sharing my project with the community. (only two more weeks before its in my hands!!!!)

 

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martinarcher

I used teak because it keeps the back of the boat looking classic and much more factory looking than a big aluminum plate.  I just thought it fit the look of the boat well.  I designed a system to fully automate the gates to deploy when the boat reaches surf speed, full with wireless control which turned into a small business.  Just be sure to use beefy hinges if you do gates, I've seen a lot of my customers who have used small hinges have them bend and cause issues with the actuators binding.  You want the gate to stay true and smooth though its entire throw.

I'm running a 300lb bag in the locker, a 750 on the port side of the engine, and a 400 on the starboard side.  The weight difference in sides is to compensate for the significantly better surf wave generated on the goofy side (prop rotation).  

Start a thread and keep us updated as you go through it.  Build threads are as blast.  

 

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Something that might be nice if you are replacing the carb anyway would be to do a standalone TBI fuel injection kit from something like Fitech.  Vortec heads are a decent upgrade, there are aftermarket heads out there for slightly more that have better clearance for bigger camshafts and usually flow more, also dont require vortwc specific intakes. It all depends on what you want to pay.

As for the trailer, if you know how to weld it wouldnt be overly hard to add an axle.

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This would be a great time to have a section in this forum for the older Boats. 

Maybe do it by Generations.

Owning  what's now a Malibu Classic square windshield, it would be nice to reference  our specific Model.

I can't keep up with the new jargon and fancy accessories on these $200,000 Yachts.

 

By The Way I agree with going Tandem with the trailer. Flat tires are easier to handle.

Edited by Rack
  • Like 2
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alright! driving to montreal to pick up the boat tommorow!

super excited!

I already received the tower, and a wakeboard rack. the engine parts (hei distributor, starter, alternator, carb), ballast bags, surf shaper are in the mail. Ill first see how the boat performs with the ballast before i get into the performance stuff, im hoping to leave that and the upholstery as a winter project. i atleast have a bit of this season left to enjoy the boat before i start tearing it apart.

@Ullose272 ill be doing 700km with the single axle trailer, just to bring the boat home, i guess ill get a chance to see how it goes before ill seriously consider adding an axle. once again i think itll be a winter thing if i go that route. and good call on the fitech efi. its shame that i just bought a 750 cfm carb without even considering efi.
this one looks awesome for the price: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/fif-30002?seid=srese1&gclid=CjwKCAjwjdOIBhA_EiwAHz8xm907CuzXZhVqJTuAnwPk6dp4j63oB3hjkrhtc-a6G-GaeOKRLF9NxxoCZFIQAvD_BwE

@Rack there is a lot of information on here for the older boats, but youre right. its an absolute pain to find. google searching this forum yields better results than the search function from my own experience so far....

two questions:

will a normal 6' surfboard work for wakesurfing? i understand it  might not be as maneuverable as an actual wake surf board, but it should do the job right? maybe too easy?

what are the real benefits of having a removable swim platform? my boat unfortunatley is missing the swim platform, leaving me to come up with something for it (likely teak for the classic look, but some of the FG ones with sea dek look really nice too, and less mainetenance). i have found the removable brackets on a couple of different websites but itd always come out to around $2000 with shipping and duties to canada. idk. i think thats a little steep. are they worth it? i could probaly fab them out of SS to mount to the original pins, but once again, is it worth the effort? i just cant think of any reason to remove the swim platform, and i dont think i can justify that when fixed brackets are only $300 all in. am i missing something?

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4 hours ago, ajbski said:

what are the real benefits of having a removable swim platform? my boat unfortunatley is missing the swim platform, leaving me to come up with something for it (likely teak for the classic look, but some of the FG ones with sea dek look really nice too, and less mainetenance). i have found the removable brackets on a couple of different websites but itd always come out to around $2000 with shipping and duties to canada. idk. i think thats a little steep. are they worth it? i could probaly fab them out of SS to mount to the original pins, but once again, is it worth the effort? i just cant think of any reason to remove the swim platform, and i dont think i can justify that when fixed brackets are only $300 all in. am i missing something?

The reason you need it removable is for storage. I store my boat in a garage. this cuts down on the foot print of the boat. I also have a breakaway trailer tongue which gives a little extra room  so all said I reduced my footprint by 4 feet.

The standard garage depth is around 22 feet U.S.  This gives some breathing room.  If you intend on a rental storage unit they charge by the foot. 

Also if you have to service your prop removing the swim step makes that job less of a headbanger. 

I trailer with the swim step attached but if I have to Backup My wife gets out with a walkie Talkie ( marriage saver) and Guides me because You can't see the swim step.

We also use the radios when retrieving the boat at the Ramp ( No-one has to YELL)

Having the swim step is a must for getting in and out of the water. if your going to make one make it removable its worth the cost.

Edited by Rack
  • Like 1
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  • 6 months later...

Alright!!!!

snow is melting a lot quicker than expected here in ontario. makes me think about the summer!!!!

 

looking to get a bunch of stuff done in the spring. i put many bandaids on the things not really working for me at the time, but i want to right the wrongs of the previous owners of this beauty. below is a list of what i see needs to be done.

- replace the transom

- replace the floors

- replace the torn upholstery (rear bench mostly)

- replace bow seat frames

- reinforce the gunnels (bad tower sway, if the reinforcement doesnt work, ill probably remount the back legs to the deck and patch up the holes)

- new-ish cylinder heads (likely gonna go the vortec route if anyone here could help me find the right donor parts, hopefully bolt in but i have access to a machine shop, and i dont mind changing rockers, lifters, springs. id just prefer to not have to set the lash on them) compression is fine but i havent done a leak down test yet, ive looked all around the block and dont see anything of concern.

- entirely new ignition (electric hall effect distributor kit, new housing and rotor, new coil, new wires, new alternator, new starter) i read bad things about the pertronix kit if someone could steer me in the right direction with that it would be greatly appreciated

-drip seals

-impeller

im still debating whether or not i have to replace stringers. the lag bolts are secure and i drilled out one spot in front of the engine and it was dry. but considering all the other wood is rot and ill have the floors out, i might go that extra step and put in composite there.

 

things i want if budget allows for it:

- i just put a brand new carb on, but im really tempted with the efi. they can be found second hand for not very much

- PP stargazer (if the budget allows for it, im running just a gps digital speedo and for all intents and purposes its just fine)

- auto ballast system (get two 750 bags fit under the floor and hard plumb them with pumps and switches.)

 

the budget is around 5 grand. all the handy work is gonna be done by me and ive done heavy work on other classic boats before (i loved my checkmates), but this is my first true inboard and i want to make sure i get things right the first time.

anything else i should attend to? something ive missed? i marked in bold the things im not so sure about, any help would be greatly appreciated.

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I put one of these dripless oj seals on this year instead of the standard drip seal. Still winter, so haven't tried it out yet... but am very excited at the thought of it not dripping back there. Yours should be pretty easy to change out since it's a direct drive. You can get them from skidim.com

https://www.ojprops.com/products/flex-gland/

I would move up the star gazer on your list and make it a priority, having lived without it myself...I got it a couple years ago... it's so worth it.

Nice looking boat you have. :rockon:

 

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56 minutes ago, BlindSquirrel said:

https://www.ojprops.com/products/flex-gland/

I would move up the star gazer on your list and make it a priority, having lived without it myself...I got it a couple years ago... it's so worth it.

 

thanks for that, definitley adding it to the shopping list.

im blessed to have some good drivers riding with me. i have other things that just take priority over the PP. i need that piece of mind that nothing will go tragically wrong on the water to enjoy myself.

i hope ill be able to fit in the budget. on the other hand, i kind of like having the excuse that the driver isnt perfect when it comes to my performance behind the boat ;)

  • Like 1
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i searched the forums but havent seen much on the topic...

 

anyone install an amazon heater? our lakes get pretty cold here and its nice to cozy up to some warm air.

https://www.amazon.ca/Qiilu-Heating-Cooling-Portable-Removing/dp/B08MQR9HQ1/ref=sr_1_52?crid=31SYXFJMKEAX4&keywords=car+heater&qid=1645122956&s=automotive&sprefix=car+heater%2Cautomotive%2C98&sr=1-52

do they work well?

 

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