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New boat garage issues - LSV vs VLX


Octane

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Soon hopefully I’ll have a new Malibu in my garage. I’m sold on the LSV. Unfortunately, after a test fit, I found that it will not clear under my 7’ garage door. Keeping the boat outside, or anywhere other than my garage is unpalatable. Is the VLX any shorter in height when the tower is folded?

The LSV was on an Extreme trailer. I have heard that Dorsey trailers are not as tall – how much can I reasonably expect to save in height? How much shorter is Extreme’s Low Profile Package? I really need about 4 inches with the ball installed. I’d rather not have to remove the ball every time I use the boat.

Thanks for your help – great forums.

Maury

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I'm pretty sure the VLX and LSV are the same heights. If my memory is right someone has had this problem before and found if you lowered the jack stand all the way down and pushed it in it would fit barely. Did you try a long drop hitch or lowereing the front end as low as possible.

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I'm pretty sure the VLX and LSV are the same heights. If my memory is right someone has had this problem before and found if you lowered the jack stand all the way down and pushed it in it would fit barely. Did you try a long drop hitch or lowereing the front end as low as possible.

I just tried putting my VLX in the garage the other night (boatmate trailer) and with the bimini off and the tower all the way down I could not get it in. I have a 7' garage. I have heard that the Extreme trailers are lower profile, but wider.

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We just recently purchased a VTX which sits on an Extreme trailer. I know the trailer for the VLX is a heavier duty version of what I have. I have a 6'11" clearence and what I had to do is unbolt the "allens" on all four points (Titan III) to get it low enough to fit. I got it down to about appx. 6'9". What tower are you planning on going with? The Illusion would not have worker for me and I like the Titan series better anyway. Good luck, I kept telling myself "if there's a will there's a way"

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I kept telling myself "if there's a will there's a way"

Yep, make sure you check everything. This sounds stupid, but thought I'd mention it. I gained a couple extra inches in height just by tweaking the dials on my garage door opener so it pulled the door up higher. That way I had to be concerned with the clearance from the door trim to the ground, not the actual door.

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if the Dorsey trailers are the ones i am thinking of then they are a good 4-6 inches shorter. maybe more.

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I have to fold the tower, take the trailer off the hitch, winch it down all the way and then I can push it in the garage. Before I modified my guide posts I had to put a rachet strap around them and pull them together about 2 inches to have enough side clearance.

Got tired of that and bent those posts in slightly.

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Thanks for all of your suggestions. At the test fit, the trailer was already kneeled forward somewhat. With the right drip hitch to make the trailer level it should have been a couple of inches higher. The tower I intend on getting is the Illusion, so I don’t have many options besides removing the ball. How difficult is removing the ball? Also, the back of my garage has a 3 inch step up, so I won’t be able to push the boat up ramps I made. I have the garage door opener pull the door up higher – I may investigate customizing the door header a couple of inches. Letting the air out of the front tires may be a last resort option.

Thanks for your help.

NvBoarder – does your boat have the 320 hp engine? If so, do you consider that it has adequate power when loaded? Seems that Malibu should have put the 340 hp engine in that boat considering that it is simply inches different and 300 lbs lighter than the LSV.

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You should be able to back the trailer wheels up your ramp and into the garage before you unhook it and lower the trailer jack. That's how we do it.

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Thanks for all of your suggestions. At the test fit, the trailer was already kneeled forward somewhat. With the right drip hitch to make the trailer level it should have been a couple of inches higher. The tower I intend on getting is the Illusion, so I don’t have many options besides removing the ball. How difficult is removing the ball? Also, the back of my garage has a 3 inch step up, so I won’t be able to push the boat up ramps I made. I have the garage door opener pull the door up higher – I may investigate customizing the door header a couple of inches. Letting the air out of the front tires may be a last resort option.

Thanks for your help.

NvBoarder – does your boat have the 320 hp engine? If so, do you consider that it has adequate power when loaded? Seems that Malibu should have put the 340 hp engine in that boat considering that it is simply inches different and 300 lbs lighter than the LSV.

I have the Monsoon 340 in my boat, and at my altitude 6500' loaded it worked pretty good and great after I reproped it. I don't think the 320 would have worked as well.

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Soon hopefully I’ll have a new Malibu in my garage. I’m sold on the LSV. Unfortunately, after a test fit, I found that it will not clear under my 7’ garage door. Keeping the boat outside, or anywhere other than my garage is unpalatable. Is the VLX any shorter in height when the tower is folded?

The LSV was on an Extreme trailer. I have heard that Dorsey trailers are not as tall – how much can I reasonably expect to save in height? How much shorter is Extreme’s Low Profile Package? I really need about 4 inches with the ball installed. I’d rather not have to remove the ball every time I use the boat.

Thanks for your help – great forums.

Maury

I hate to tell you this, but it just ain't gonna fit, plain and simple. We have a 2007 VLX and had the same problem. We tried everything that you could think of to get that boat in the garage and there was no way unless we wanted to take off the tower and our dealer advised us not to do that. We hired our contractor neighbor to make our garage opening higher - putting in an 8ft door, which solved the problem. Good Luck.

Laurie

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Soon hopefully I’ll have a new Malibu in my garage. I’m sold on the LSV. Unfortunately, after a test fit, I found that it will not clear under my 7’ garage door. Keeping the boat outside, or anywhere other than my garage is unpalatable. Is the VLX any shorter in height when the tower is folded?

The LSV was on an Extreme trailer. I have heard that Dorsey trailers are not as tall – how much can I reasonably expect to save in height? How much shorter is Extreme’s Low Profile Package? I really need about 4 inches with the ball installed. I’d rather not have to remove the ball every time I use the boat.

Thanks for your help – great forums.

Maury

I hate to tell you this, but it just ain't gonna fit, plain and simple. We have a 2007 VLX and had the same problem. We tried everything that you could think of to get that boat in the garage and there was no way unless we wanted to take off the tower and our dealer advised us not to do that. We hired our contractor neighbor to make our garage opening higher - putting in an 8ft door, which solved the problem. Good Luck.

Laurie

Oh yeah, forgot to mention - taking off the ball didn't help either.....you name it, we tried it.....I suggest finding someone who can put in a taller garage door for you.

Laurie

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Modifying your garage door header is probably the best solution. I have run into this with lifted vehicles and found it be much less expensive than you might think. Often times you can gain 2 inches just be removing the door trim, usually it is a non-structural piece of 2x8 material. Regardless, a few K can solve this problem which will make you happiest in the long run.

I am impressed you have a garage long enough for a LSV! Mine darn sure would not fit in my garage.

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Thanks Laurie

Yea... my garage is the envy of my friends. The guy that built the house was into restoring cars, so he added several feet to the front of the garage. There are two 220 outlets and many 110 outlets, lots of lighting, and an A/C vent. Glad he sold me the house!

I'm geting discouraged. My friend/dealer also sells Supra... which has a collapsable tower that will likely fit fine. My Glastron w/ WakeAir tower fit with no problems.

I have it set in my mind to have the LSV. Kind of like wishing for a Vette for years, then ending up with a family car.

Talked to the guy at Extreme trailers... he told me that I could get 2 inches easily out of lowering the torsion suspension. After a year it settles an inch anyway. On another note, the 'low profile' option is mainly for looks and only nets 1 inch lower.

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Thanks Laurie

Yea... my garage is the envy of my friends. The guy that built the house was into restoring cars, so he added several feet to the front of the garage. There are two 220 outlets and many 110 outlets, lots of lighting, and an A/C vent. Glad he sold me the house!

I'm geting discouraged. My friend/dealer also sells Supra... which has a collapsable tower that will likely fit fine. My Glastron w/ WakeAir tower fit with no problems.

I have it set in my mind to have the LSV. Kind of like wishing for a Vette for years, then ending up with a family car.

Talked to the guy at Extreme trailers... he told me that I could get 2 inches easily out of lowering the torsion suspension. After a year it settles an inch anyway. On another note, the 'low profile' option is mainly for looks and only nets 1 inch lower.

Yeah, and that 1" just isn't enough to get it. We have 2 two-car garages and both had 7' + a couple inches height and the boat would not fit in either garage. Length wasn't a problem. We modified the height of one of the garages (24x24 garage) and had the header raised....we were hoping for a 9' door, but ended up going with the 8' door which worked out perfectly. Our contractor neighbor just shaved down the header that is there enough for the 8" door to work. My husband said that if you could even get the opening up to 7'6" that would get the boat in with the tower down. Good Luck, it's a reall pain in the rear, but I am sooooo glad we did it! The boat fits in so nice, and even with 24' depth, we still have a few inches to spare with the break-away tongue. We had to take off the swim platform and lower the wedge to get it in too.

Laurie

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ok,,i just went through this with my new 07vlx. my garage had the standard 7' door and didnt think i would have a chance of getting the illusion in that door. so i cut out some of the header and and ordered a 7'3" door. when i brought it home it fit in with a couple inches to spare. i would not tell someone there is "no way" it would fit in a 7' door. i'm not so sure i couldnt have got it in by just taking the upper trim off and going with something thinner. another thing to do is actually pull that "handle" on your door opener so u can dis-engage that,,,then push it up all the way by hand and that will actually get your door up higher than your opening.

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on our vlx we back it in most of the way, stop, unhook and take it off the hitch, lower it with a jack all the way down to were the front of the tongue is 2" off the ground and push it in. we have maybe 1/2" of clearance. when the tires go out i am gonna get some low pro tires and that will make things that much easier.

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