Malibu owners - bent Wedge - repair options?

craiger · Soul Rider Joined: 03 Feb 2003 Posts: 498 City: Plano

Reaching out here to all Malibu owners. Anyone else ever hit a stump and damage (bend) their Wedge? We did, and we are looking at other options outside of buying a new one. It's not bent too bad (I'll upload a pic tonight), just a little bit down one of the side bars.

If you did mess up your Wedge, did you explore other options as far as getting it repaired throuhgh a metal shop or something of the like? Is that even an option (doable?). Just looking for alternatives to buying a new one and would like to see if anyone else has suggestions. Thanks.

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

No, I haven't, but I know some people on this board have. I wouldn't bother getting it repaired. Who knows what can happen over time if it is not balanced or the angle is not exactly right. I think that if someone else fixed the wedge, and then it damaged your hull, you would have no recourse through malibu.

Swass · Guest

I subscribe to the "once it's bent, it'll never be the same" philosophy. I'd replace it rather than try to get it fixed.

J-Ro · Posted: Nov 15, 2005 11:46 am Post subject:

craiger, cough up the $250 or so it costs for a used one online and call it a day.

riverside · Posted: Nov 15, 2005 3:18 pm Post subject:

i fixed it myself.took me about 30 minutes and 2 new screws.it worked fine about 240 hours now.The brass legs are very soft and you can bend them easy in the original position.
i don,t know if you have the same kind of damage but this one happens alot.
IMO no need to buy a new one,just get the right screws for it.NOn stainless steel

Bambamski · Posted: Nov 15, 2005 8:06 pm Post subject:

That picture right there makes me glad I don't have BU anymore... We have way too many shallow lakes around here.

itch · Posted: Nov 15, 2005 9:32 pm Post subject:

Bam just don't buy the wedge that is what we did. Nothing wrong with it as a resale value but we prefer the wake at a knee high booter at about 75 foot and the wedge wont do that.
itch

itch · Posted: Nov 15, 2005 9:33 pm Post subject:

I meant Craiger
Sorry
itch

mcfatty · Addict Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 725 City: Cookeville

J-Ro · Posted: Nov 16, 2005 9:16 am Post subject:

Bambamski, a) why are you pulling people in 3 feet of water? b) it sits no lower than the bottom of the prop.

Why are you such a Malibu hater? Just curious

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Bambamski · Posted: Nov 16, 2005 11:41 am Post subject:

I owned a BU years ago and it was the biggest peice of junk ever. I don't even know where to begin about the problems it had. The dealer who sold it to me bought it back for what I paid for it. The problem was that it cost me another 5-6 grand in 6 months of use to fix everything that went wrong, which I didn't get back. The dealer actually put more hours on the boat trying to fix it than I put on it. I think it was retro fitted with the wedge by the dealer which I believe most of the problems came from. Maybe I got a lemon, but when you have something that bad it's hard for you to forget about it.

SOme of our lakes are really shallow around here and can come up on you without warning. My buddy was pulling me this summer and I bailed on one of my many tantrum attempts. I stood up and was in knee deep water 200 yards from shore. I have no ideal how we didn't hit bottom there, I moved 10 feet over and it was up to my shoulders. That's just the way some of the lakes are around here, mud holes. I don't need one more thing to hit other than my prop and rudder as a touch up on those two can be expensive enough.

J-Ro · Posted: Nov 16, 2005 12:14 pm Post subject:

Bambamski, I see. Smile

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Bambamski, what were some of the problems?

riverside · Posted: Nov 16, 2005 4:17 pm Post subject:

i didn,t hit something,it just broke when i turned the boat for a Double up.
never had any troubles with my malibu it did run problem free for 400 hours.

J-Ro · Posted: Nov 16, 2005 4:38 pm Post subject:

riverside, Yours sheared off due to improper tap/screw connections. If you called Malibu and explained it and sent that pic, they would have sent you a new one. Granted you're in NE but they still would have.

Bambamski · Posted: Nov 18, 2005 10:33 am Post subject:

CB

The biggest problem was the Engine, shaft, tranny (v-drive) alignment problems the boat had. I took it to a couple of different shops and nobody could fix it. It would work for 5-6 hours and then start to rattle again. Shaft and Tranny had to be replaced (V-drive twice). They figured the vibrations caused all the belt problems, spider cracks in the transom, the windshield and seat boxes getting slighly pulled out of alignment and the wiring came loose and would short out. A lot of the wiring had to be redone and the person doing it said it was the cheapest wiring job he had ever seen.

Like I said, maybe I got the lemon out of the bunch. When you get to see your boat really ripped apart and look at things no other boat owner gets to see I wasn't impressed with how the boat was put together though. At that point I probably didn't have the most neutral glasses on as I was fighting on the phone with BU and the dealer pretty much on a daily basis. So with my past experience with them I can honestly say I would never recommend a BU to anyone. Obviously the dealer plays a part in any buying decision and I must say I learned my lesson.

Sorry to side track, I never really found out what the ultimate problem was but I thought it may have been something to do with the wedge and it not being properly fitted. So if you try and bend it back or have it fixed I'd be careful. It's being drug through the water with a lot of force and if it's slighly out it could cause you other problems down the road. What's the saying? Don't trip over 10 dollars to save a buck.

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster