Interesting Find

I was surprised at some of the responses/justifications of some of the Malibu owners. If it was my boat I would be all over Malibu.

http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8156

That is crazy...I would be all over them too, to give me something in writing in case that becomes an issue down the road. Lucky for the owners in FL, and other warm climates, it might not be an issue, but those that winterize need to check that every year, IMO...

To start,there shouldnt be any water between the glass too freeze . Some of those guys dont even live in cold climates. I'm with Stevo I would be getting a new boat from Bu or refunded. Some things people complain about are petty, but Hull delamination is nothing to play around with. I'm just glad that was on Bu's site. If it were anywhere else they would say its B.S.

Exactly right Billy this isn't about boat bashing. It is on Malibu's team talk website. Most threads on this site are opinions but this particular case isn't just boat owners sticking up for their brand.

Good luck to those guys. What a mess that could be for Bu if everyone starts drilling holes or checking their hulls to find more problems. It would be a recall nightmare for BU. Hopefully its just a few isolated cases.

boys there isn't gonna be a recall nice try though.

Isn't that supposed to fill with water to act as sound dampening?

I will admit that at the last boat show I looked at all the brands and the Malibu was a cheaper feel than my MC. So it dosent suprise me that they would have issues like this.

Lucky I think there is more of a high tech way to sound dampen a hull other than having water flowing through the layers of glass . Maybe high density foam?

Matt C......go figure you own a Malibu. I don't really care whether Malibu recalls the boats or not, it was just an interesting thread on a Malibu's website on the construction of their boats. You can't justify ice between fiberglass and if you do then you deserve what will happen in the long run.

wow thats crazy. i think malibu is building their boats too fast. don't get me wrong its great that they're selling the number of boats that they are but when your spraying the fiberglass and resin for the boat if you don't give that layer enough time to let the moister dry out of the resin before the next layers go down it'll trap the water or sweat from the workers in there and will create the pockets or water in the jellcoat. sometimes it'll try to come out later and create a air bubble after it pops and sometimes it stays in there. if malibu is going to be making the numbers of boat they are they need to expand the factory to allow them to still build the number of boats they are and to also give the fiberglass, resin, and jellcoat the proper time to cure.

Malibu has 3 factories and the one in California is huge and as we speak getting even bigger. Last time I was at the factory they were building a second factory next to the old one. At least that is what it was looking like.

if you guys read that thrad in its entirety, it isn't delamination, it is a separate piece that goes in to give the bilge a finished look.

Brannon they went from finishing 8 boats a day to 10 boats a day here in Merced. Not much when you realize the addition at the plant.

Tim is right. I would still be concerned once the ice gets out of there, won't it rattle?

yeah it is probably not the best place for ice. perhaps they should take out the other plug in the back of the boat.

Water sitting between the layers, frozen or not isnt a good idea. There is no way to possibly ever get it to drain completely or dry out. They should eliminate that layer and just gelcoat it to give it a finished look, like CC and MC do. I guess thats just another way for BU to cut cost.

there is a plug in the transom, that would probably get this water out. it is not a convenient T-handle though. I agree though, they should fill it with foam like MC does

MC uses a liner that is gelcoated...As far as water in between I would have a SERIOUS issue with trapped water....How did the water get in between the liner in the first place? Obviously, it wasn't properly sealed...through the process of freezing and expansion the cavaity has a possibilty to increase in size and become a larger issue....Not saying it will result in a hull failure. Either way, no matter what story or defense is mounted in the beginning there could be no way that this would be an acceptable result from engineering. I had a less serious issue with my floor in my MC by my standards....Lets say MC stood up and took care of the situation....within 1 month..

I remember when "Malibu Ice" was a drink.

It's not a space between the glass, it's a space between the the hull and the liner they put in to finish the bilge. A lot of very high quality boats are built that way, including both of my Toyota Epics. It's a lot easier to clean and keep clean than trying to clean raw glass.

This forum gets stupid in the winter. You all should go piss off your boat dealer by hanging out there too much and talking the hater crap there.

I guess the Malibu forum gets stupid in the winter as well, that's where it started...

IMO, regardless of how it is built, the space between the liner and the hull should be sealed from the elements. I dont know any major manufacturer that has raw glass in the bilge areas or inside bottom areas anyway, they are all finished in some way or another. I would be willing to bet that your Toyota, that is built that way, does a better job sealing it. Who knows, this guys boat may be the only one out there that did not get sealed properly.

What year was his boat?

From what I hear on this forum is that Malibu stepped up in quality in like 2000 so if his boat is older,it just might be one of those things that they did that they don't do anymore.

Boat: 2006 RLX

Wow thanks for the info Jeff.

Actually, there was a gap between the liner and the actual hull on my boat. It can be an issue with the Perfect Pass paddlewheel, you are supposed to fill the gap with epoxy to stiffen it so that the nut will stay tight. I was a little concerned, but it's just a plastic liner to finish out the bilge. Mine was dry, though, and the bilge has had water in it many times.

So what everyone is saying is that there is a empty airpocket/void between the so called liner and the bottom of the boat. How does the water drain? The edge of the liner goes to the top of the plug. Water sits inbetween the liner and the floor...or the FALSE FLOOR. In essence the LINER is being used to cover and UNFINISHED Bildge CORRECT?

and to think all along I have been told that BU "IS JUST AS GOOD AS" a MC. I guess not in this case. I wonder what else BU is hiding under there...or what isn't there.

I challenge some of you DIE HARD BU guys to take that liner out, shoot some photos foward and aft and show us all what is hidden in there. NO FOAM, NO BACKING PLATES, HOLLOW stingers w/o steel reinforcment, and a HOLE jigzawed out for your shaft, raw exposed fiberglass LOOK FOR YOURSELF. Photos do not lie !!!

http://www.mastercraft.com/index.php?znfAction=Tour&step=08

How a MC liner is really put in a boat
Review all 18 segments

I took the MC factory tour and watched every step in person. All the same as the website.