How It Works—107
and injure themselves if the pie plate is not secured properly.
All boats are equipped with two drain plugs, a ½” drain plug on
the transom and a T-handle drain plug in the center of the boat. The
½” drain plug can be accessed outside the boat, directly under the
swim platform on the enter back of the transom. The T-handle can
be accessed inside the boat through the center access. Be certain to
read the above information regarding securely installing drain plugs
prior to all outings.
The transom plug is in the center of the transom at the bottom
edge.
The bilge system plugs should be removed
at the conclusion of any boating outing
in which the boat is removed from water.
This assists in the draining process. Malibu recommends keeping the
handles stored in a designated storage compartment on a routine basis
so that they are always easy to locate prior to the next outing. Never
launch a boat without ALL the drain plugs reinstalled; this should be
part of the routine checks prior to launching the boat into the water.
Failure to reinstall the drain plugs will result in water entering the bilge
system and can sink the boat.
During storage or winterization, the batteries should be removed.
This will cause the automatic bilge system to be temporarily inoper-
able. This adds to the importance to never leave the boat in a body of
water without a fully charged battery installed.
Because of the frequent use of the bilge pump and its importance
to the safe operation of the boat, the bilge pumps, which are in the
center bilge area below the pie plate and engine (aft) area, should be
checked by an authorized Malibu dealer as part of an annual main-
tenance routine.
Automatic bilge systems require a small
amount of electrical charge, which is
drained from the battery or batteries
onboard. Eventually, the battery could become fully discharged, which
means that the automatic bilge will no longer work. If the boat is left
in a body of water during this period and water continues to enter
the bilge system, water is not drained. This could lead to damage to
components in the bilge and potentially to the rest of the boat. Such
damage is not covered under warranty. Therefore, if a boat will be left
unattended for a period, owners/operators should make regular checks
of the system to ensure that the battery retains a charge.
If the bilge system is not operating properly
when a boat is launched, DO NOT continue
with the outing. If the bilge system ceases
to function properly during an outing, have all persons onboard put on
a PFD if they are not already wearing one. Return to shore immediately
and disembark. Without a properly functional bilge system, the boat is
in danger of sinking, placing all onboard at serious risk.
Ballast System
Malibu’s Quad Hard-Tank ballast system is the best, most discrete
way to add significant weight or balance out your load to create the
exact wake or wave you desire.
Hard tanks do not collect mildew on the outside and add to the
maintenance requirements. Because the tanks are housed under the
floorboard, storage is not compromised. The tanks also provide ac-
curate level readings, which are displayed on the MaliView 12” dis-
play screen.
All Malibu boats are equipped with at least three ballast tanks
and have an optional bow tank, plus optional plumbing for Plug ’n
Play.
Most of the ballast system is invisible to the consumer, but its
effects are obvious and enjoyable. The tanks are located beneath
the deck in locations that will assist in balancing and enhancing the
wake.
Optional plumbing for Plug ’n Play bags
is available at the time of the original boat
order. Malibu recommends choosing bags
from a Malibu-approved ballast bag list for the corresponding model
year (dealers have a list available). When bags from the approved list
are used the bag weight does not need to be subtracted from the total
boat capacity as that is already included. However, if bags are used that
are not on the approved list, weight must be subtracted from the total
allowable weight capacity for the boat. Weight distribution must also
be considered. Exceeding the weight limits can lead to damage to the
boat and possible sinking.
The tanks are filled and emptied by pumps that are controlled
through the 12” Display. See the
Dashes and Video Screens section
of this manual for details about how to properly fill and empty the
ballast tanks. On the 12” Display, the user has control to fill or drain
each tank to specified set levels, one tank at a time or fill/drain all
with a tap of one button on the screen.
Be sure to empty the ballast tanks prior loading the boat onto
the trailer and removing the boat from the water. Tanks
MUST
be
empty prior to trailering the boat as the additional weight can cause
damage to the trailer, tow vehicle and imbalance on the trailer that
could affect safety or overload the trailer and cause damage that is
not covered under warranty.
Water in the ballast tanks should always
be pumped out prior to removing the boat
from the water. Never trailer the boat with
water in the ballast tanks; residual water can cause an imbalance that
alters the amount of weight on the trailer tongue. Without the proper
weight percentage forward, the trailer tongue can become unstable
and cause loss of control of the trailer and tow vehicle. Additionally,
attempting to trailer your boat without the ballast tanks and/or bags
emptied can overload the trailer and cause damage that is not covered
under warranty.
When emptying the ballast tanks, watch the outlets on both sides
of the boat and aft, depending on the model and number of outlets.
If you are uncertain, check with your authorized Malibu dealer for
assistance in determining the bilge outlets from the ballast outlets.
Ballast pumps will continue working as long as the controller is on.
Therefore, operators must ensure that the pumping is turned off
when the outlets show only a minute amount of water is coming out.
Leaving the pumps on will result in pump damage.
If the boat is equipped with additional ballast bags, Malibu recom-
mends rechecking that the rear tanks are empty five minutes after
starting the drain process. This verifies that no extra water was left
in the bags and has drained into the hard tanks.
Boats that are going to be stored for more
than a couple of weeks or prepared for
winter, must have all the water removed
from the ballast tanks. Failure to do so can result in damage that is not
covered under warranty.
