Tuney Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 My dad has been looking into picking up a ski boat so we don't need to ski behind our massive I/O anymore. He's found a 01 Malibu Response Lx close by, it has 360 hours on it and is overall in excellent shape. At $14,500 I think it is a great deal, no? Anyway what I am wondering is what kind of depth at the dock do these boats require as it is rather shallow for quite aways out into the lake in our area. It has a single axle trailer, at around 2500lbs is a single axle ok for trips? You'd think it should have a tandem axle, but I dont know. Are there any tips you could provide to a first time buyer? Questions to ask or things to look out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KG Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I would want a min. of 2 feet of water at the prop, 3 would be much better. Single axle is fine as long as the wheel bearings and tires are in decent shape. There is a lot of info at http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/?act=home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller davemac Posted August 29, 2009 Baller Share Posted August 29, 2009 Sounds like a pretty good deal. +1 on themalibucrew.com, Tuney. Post the specs on the boat in their forum for feedback. You'll get plenty of advice. Someone there may even be familiar with the exact boat.  Include your location, as there may be other options nearby.  People are always happy to help spend others money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Killer Posted August 29, 2009 Baller Share Posted August 29, 2009 that deal is almost TOO good... buyer beware! that is an amazing boat, one of the best all around ski boats ever made. its not a 3 event boat, its a 5+ event boat... I paid 14k for a 99 sportster (new condition 200hrs) last year. if its been maintained well and everything checks out that's a no brainer.ditto on themalibucrew, its been a tremendous help to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuney Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Lost the deal on the 01 Response. But I have been keeping my eyes on onlyinboards.com, boattrader.com and ebay.com looking for one of the Malibu Response, Malibu Echelon, or a CC 196. Seems like all the good deals are on the east coast and that is just way to far to drive and at the rate shipping companies charge($1-$1.50 US per mile) way too much to ship too. I made an account at themalibucrew but it wouldn't let me start a thread... I figured it had something to do with the account being brand new so I'll try again tonight. I wouldn't mind something with a wedge or ballast... when the afternoon rolls around and the lake is full of boats/jet skis there is nothing you can do but board. That is why I was leaning towards malibu. But I just checked and the depth at the end of the dock is almost exactly 2 feet so if water went down I'd be hooped /vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-undecided.gif. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gern Blanston Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I'd have a mechanic check over the engine to make sure it's in good working order if you're buying from a person rather than a dealer.I'd check the hull for stress cracks - especially if you want to get The Wedge. That's a lot of pressure to put on the stern. If you have any concerns, take a hose and stick it into the engine box, then turn it on. If water comes out of the hull anywhere, then you have a leak.  That's probably not a boat you'll want to buy.  ski-it-again.com also has inboards listed. I had a Malibu Sportster for my first boat. It's a good bang for the buck boat. It's lighter than the Response but with the same engine. It's got a great table for footing. I like my MC 197 a whole lot better - but it also costs a lot more. If you opt for an MC, I'd stay away from like 98 to 02. The hull before (I think) 98 is....different and the one after 02 is what's currently out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Kelvin Posted August 31, 2009 Baller Share Posted August 31, 2009 The Red 02 MC Team Tournament boats have the current hull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gern Blanston Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Draft on the sportster is only like 18" if I recall correctly (that may be a big IF). Draft on my ps197 is 22" The sporty is like 600 lbs lighter. Of course if you load the boat up with a bunch of guys and their equipment, your draft will increase. as long as the lake bed is mucky, you'll be fine pushing it. If it's rocky, that's obviously a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Marco Posted August 31, 2009 Baller Share Posted August 31, 2009 Tuney- One of the people on my lake in Colorado has an 01 Response (open bow) with somewhere in the neighborhood of 550 hours on it. It has only run on a private ski lake, is under cover while at the dock, and in a garage during the winter. I think he was asking in the neighborhood of $14.5K, but might be negotiable. Let me know if you want his contact info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuney Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Yeah the lake bed has a good 6 inches of muck on the bottom in our bay.I really appreciate the tips Gern. What is draft?Marco, if you think the boat has been taken care of and is in good shape I'd like to talk to him.  Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Killer Posted August 31, 2009 Baller Share Posted August 31, 2009 draft is how much water depth the boat displaces at idle. sporty's are 16", one of the shallowest draft's around, the response are 18" draft I believe. 2' is enough to float the boat, but I wouldn't be running it under power that shallow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Marco Posted September 1, 2009 Baller Share Posted September 1, 2009 Tuney- I sent you an email with his contact info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gern Blanston Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Tuney -Remember draft numbers are at idle, or no thrust. If you give it throttle, the bow of the boat rises and the stern bites into the water. So, to get to plane, you need more than the minimum amount of draft.  If the bow rises 2 feet (I think that's a conservative estimate) when you goose it, you'll need that much more water under your prop.I'm getting the impression you don't drive very often? If that's the case, my advice is to practice, practice, practice. Driving an inboard is not the easiest thing in the world. There's very little directional control when you're at low or no thrust. There's even less in reverse.  I used to pick out a bouy and practice pulling up to it like it were a dock or a skier. Schnitzskis.com has a pretty good, albeit preachy, section on how to drive properly. I'd reference it, but have a hard time finding stuff on his site. (I also find it ironic that he has a section for 'safety' on his site, and then there's a picture of him not wearing a vest) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gern Blanston Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 http://schnitzskis.com/skitips/boatdriving.html will get you there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuney Posted September 21, 2009 Author Share Posted September 21, 2009 Thought I'd let everyone know I picked up a boat and I found it because of this site. Thanks Marco and Ballofspray. I'll be skiing behind a 2001 Malibu Response LX this coming weekend. Unfortunately it will also be my last weekend at the lake for the year :(. http://homepage.usask.ca/~mcb394/DSC_0049.JPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Marco Posted September 22, 2009 Baller Share Posted September 22, 2009 Tuney- Glad it worked out. You are going to love that boat. If you have never driven an inboard before, they handle very differently than I/O's, especially at slow speed and reverse. Reverse has almost no steering and the stern will pull to the right. In forward, the steering is slow to react at idle speed, and non existent while coasting. You'll learn to pop it in and out of gear at slow speeds to maintain direction. You'll get used to it pretty quickly, but it is very different from an I/O. Just be careful around the docks and other objects until you have a little practice. Also, pay attention to the bow when crossing wakes. It is no problem if you are up on plane, but if the bow is settling in the water when you hit wakes, you could take on water if not paying attention.Report back on how you like it after you have had a chance to ski behind it. Marco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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