1991 Malibu Skier

[tjs1295]

Anyone have experience with these boats? Problems, wood stringers, how well do they ski etc.? Any other general information? I have a 2007 ski nautique for comparison. Just free ski open water public lakes. 

[RichardDoane]

Sure looks a lot like Dr. Jack’s Brendella. 

[GOski]

I skied behind a '91 sunsetter (open bow) from the time I was 4 to the time I was 34.  My dad kept it in great shape and we never had a problem with the fact the stringers were wood.  The boat always felt solid and it had the original interior in it when he sold it.  Never had to do anything to the motor except he changed the impeller housing, because the stock setup was a pain to change the impeller.  As I recall, oil changes were a little bit of a pain compared to MC's and SN's of the same era because they didn't have the hose built into the oil pan to let you drain it through the drain plug hole.  I think we syringed it out of the dipstick.

As far as the wake, it was fine at 34 and 36 mph.  At slow speeds it had a bigger wake.  22 off had a bigger bunp than a newer boat.  28 and 32 were comparable to modern boats.  35 off had a little more trough than modern boats.  Spray wasn't a problem like the MC's of that era.

[buechsr]

Wood, rooster tail, some spray, yes.  Nice wake shape, simple and light, yes.  

[Cooper_Trelawney]

From my era.  I remember spray in the face at -32 in a headwind.  I'd comment about shorter line lengths but I never got there : )  

On another note, that's a beautiful looking boat with classic lines.  They don't make them quite like that any more.

[FullFlavorPike]

Old boats rock but if you can get a marine surveyor to inspect the stringers, do it. If they’re in good shape you’ve got no problem, but if they are rotted out that’s a cost-prohibitive repair you don’t want to inherit unless you’re in the mood to restore an old boat. 

[DvarianDan Johnson]

2 minutes ago, FullFlavorPike said:

Old boats rock but if you can get a marine surveyor to inspect the stringers

Marine surveyor? Stringers are easy enough to check. Take tools with you on inspecting any boat. Plenty of on line sources for how to.  For your free skiing needs this is an outstanding option . Old boats are also great as they are SIMPLE to work on and fix. 

[tjs1295]

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like what I was expecting to hear. I probably won’t be buying, but my friend might. Only 362 hours on it. He’s looking for a lower cost actual ski boat option. 

[DvarianDan Johnson]

That's a very cool boat............. If the hours are original ...wow. I'm guessing it's a 5.7 GM Mercruiser . Excellent drivetrain. Whats it selling for?  

[tjs1295]

I don’t have all the details yet. My brother sent a text, and the parents of his friend are selling it. So far just a few pictures. Apparently it’s mint, and all original. Boat, trailer, and boom for $8k. 

[FullFlavorPike]

19 minutes ago, DvarianDan Johnson said:

Marine surveyor? Stringers are easy enough to check. Take tools with you on inspecting any boat. Plenty of on line sources for how to.  For your free skiing needs this is an outstanding option . Old boats are also great as they are SIMPLE to work on and fix. 

Of course if OP knows how he should do it himself…but the fact that he’s asking whether the boat has wood sort of suggests he isn’t in the position to accurately verify whether the stringers are sound, and he might not know how to go about verifying it 🤷🏻‍♂️

[DvarianDan Johnson]

@tjs1295  buy it. That’s a unicorn. Never seen that color combo either. 

[tjs1295]

@DvarianDan Johnson Ha!!! It would be fun, but I don’t use my current boat enough. Trying to get my friend to buy it. He needs an inboard. He also lives next door, so I’d be able to use it plenty. 

[DW]

The wake on that boat allows you to barefoot right behind the platform, step off step on footin’.  Do they use the boom for barefooting, they might have done the platform step off if so.  Great looking boat.

[ETskier]

One of my ski partners has a sweet litte 91 Euro f3 in really nice shape. He gets it out about once a month. Has PP Zbox, , small wakes. Fun to ski and drive. Decent course tug. Proves you dont have to spend $100K to enjoy this sport.

[jhughes]

Notoriously poorly built, almost 100% guaranteed rotted stringers. Hard pass on these old Malibu skiers and someone also mentioned Brendellas, same thing, almost always rotted. Some of these old boats just need to rest in peace IMO.
 

For a little more you're into a 90+ SN or a 91+ MC. Both a million times better boats and yes the 90-92 SN were wood but have stood the test of time far better. 

[DvarianDan Johnson]

23 hours ago, jhughes said:

Notoriously poorly built, almost 100% guaranteed rotted stringers. Hard pass on these old Malibu skiers and someone also mentioned Brendellas, same thing, almost always rotted. Some of these old boats just need to rest in peace IMO.

Politely have to disagree that 100% (of most anything) are bad.  I have friends and  family members that have 70's vintage Nautiques that have rock solid stringers. Have others with late 70's early 80's MC's  - also just fine.  I ski regularly with a 92 Brendella that looks like it just rolled off the line. As low hours as that boat is if correct, I'd give it a better than average chance that it's good. Even so - it's essential to check.     

[6balls]

Classic bargain--very sharp.