Inboard Ski Boat Vibration

[GIbsen]

I am a long time boat owner, but a new inboard ski boat owner. From what I've
experienced most inboard ski boats have a considerable amount of vibration
while accelerating. Knowing that vibration causes a miriad of maintenance
problems, how do I determine if the vibration in my boat is within an
acceptable level? And how do I check for vibration causes. Thanks, Greg

[Ross Carlisle]

I disagree...Mine is smooth as glass. Even my old one with a toasted shaft
and coupler, and 1/4 out of alignment only had a slight vibration at
2200rpm. Most IB ski boats Ive riden in have been very smooth with no
noticable vibration. If you have a vibration...you have a problem. Check
alignment, shaft, coupler and prop for damage.

Ross...

GIbsen wrote in message <19990713144032...@ngol06.aol.com>...

[Bob McMahon]

I'll put my two cents worth in here. I have owned 3 outboard boats, 1 I/O
boat, and on my second inboard boat.
Both of my Inboards are noisier than my previous I/O. Now what I called a
Noise is more of a growl in the prop driveline and not a vibration. I have
had a bent prop and shaft and believe me you know it when you have a
vibration. Or a misaligned engine can cause vibration in inboards.
I have found that props can change the sound of a inboard quiet drastically.
My previous boat has a Stainless three blade and is very loud compared to my
old boat with a four blade Nibral prop. I have found a prop with a lot of
cup is noisier too.
I usually feel the pylon to check for vibration. It is mounted to the hull
and will usually transfer any vibrations through it. A smooth running
inboard will not have and vibration in the pylon.
So do you have a vibration or is your boat just loud compared to your old
I/O's?
Bob

[Kevin R Baugh]

I have always owned outboards. So I spend a lot of time in my boat driving
and barefooting. I notice what bob describes as a loud growl a lot when I
get in an inboard. I would also ad that I definitely fell a vibration in all
inboards that I have never felt in my outboards. I primarily notice it in my
feet. This is not something that would keep me from owning an inboard but is
something that I notice. The faster you go the more I notice it and since I
primarily barefoot well you get the point

--
Kevin R. Baugh
krb...@ezl.com
http://www.ezl.com/~krbaugh
http://www.ezl.com/~krbaugh/carla
Bob McMahon <bm...@sheltonlink.com> wrote in message
news:7mliuq$moc$1...@news1.inlink.com...

[Bob McMahon]

Yeah if your used to a Outboard or a I/O you will notice that the inboards
are louder, which could be taken as a vibration I guess.
I have noticed that some boats are louder than others. My Malibu is louder
than my Mastercraft used to be. It has a stainless three blade CVP and I
contribute it to that, where my Mastercraft had a four blade OJ Force (Super
Smooth Prop).
Neither boats vibrated.

Kevin R Baugh wrote in message <7mlkuh$1j58$1...@odie.mcleod.net>...

[gwblair]

I also have a Malibu. I was just wondering if yours has a vibrating in the
steering wheel when you make an extremely sharp corner...enough to make the
engine pull rather hard. I'm also having trouble getting top end out of my
boat. I can't unless I pump the throttle a few times. If you've heard of
this PLEASE help me out! Noone know's what's going on. I'm taking it to
get hooked up to a computer this week. Any suggestions?
Thanks

Jeff

Bob McMahon <b...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:7mltoe$q3c$1...@news1.inlink.com...

[Bob McMahon]

Most inboards make a loud growl when you turn very sharp and vibrate the
wheel if turned sharp enough. You are turn the flat of the rudder into the
water coming from the prop and thats the vibration.
As for the top end, mine runs out right at 48 mph. Has since it was brand
new and still does with 70 hours on it.
Let me ask you one thing. What kind of Malibu you have and what engine does
it have. A older Malibu without a Monsoon will not run much over 44-45 mph.

Bob
gwblair wrote in message <7mmjgg$alm$1...@news.mr.net>...

[h2os...@hotmail.com]

> I'm also having trouble getting top end out of my boat. I can't
unless I pump the throttle a few times. If you've heard of
> this PLEASE help me out! Noone know's what's going on. I'm taking
it to
> get hooked up to a computer this week. Any suggestions?
> Thanks
>
> Jeff

I have a 1998 Malibu Response LX with a Monsoon II engine. I was
having trouble with a surging problem between 3500 and 4000 rpm. Above
4000 rpm it would run fine. Nothing showed up on the computer. After
several months of trying different solutions (i.e. problem with
PerfectPass, clogged fuel filters, MAP sensor, low fuel pressure,
throttle position sensor) my dealer and Indmar finally determined the
cause of the problem. Some of the early 1998 Monsoon II engines had
all steel tubing from the fuel pump to the fuel injectors which caused
some type of shock or reverberation (I'm not an engineer) at certain
rpm. The solution was to replace the crossover tubing underneath the
air intake cover with a tubing that had a 2 1/2" rubber segment to
provide a dampening effect. The boat runs great now.

Top end for me is about 49 mph at 5000 rpm (both before and after the
surging problem was fixed).

Hope this helps!

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[TDosa]

> From what I've
>experienced most inboard ski boats have a considerable amount of vibration
>while accelerating. Knowing that vibration causes a miriad of maintenance
>problems, how do I determine if the vibration in my boat is within an
>acceptable level? And how do I check for vibration causes. Thanks, Greg

I've had a Malibu Response for over two years and really never had a vibration
problem until this month.

I thought it was the engine. After tuning the engine I still had the vibration.
I took it to the dealer noticing that one of the three fins on the bottom of
the boat was a little off-line.

As it turns out, my prop was a little bent and out of balance. I took it too a
reputable shop, and they fixed it in a day for $75.

Now the hard part. How do I put my propeller back on?