Sad Day For My 86 Eliminator Tranny

I'll give you that. The wake isn't very good at 22 off. I remember it being really flat at 28 and 32 off, but it's been many years since I've skied at those loops! I wonder if the wakes were bigger on the Eliminator's that had the cavitation problem while turning? There was an issue with the drive shaft angle.

If the Eliminator truly was a splash of the Malibu Skier (it sure looks like thats the case) then I'll weigh in... my friend had an '88 with a big block and I was always amazed at how huge the wake was behind it. Id say it was comparable to a 2001, which throws a good sized wake. I would have expected it to be much smaller. Im not sure if my particular example was due to the big block, or if it was carrying around a bunch of extra (water) weight, but either is entirely possible.

Im sure Bruce will come in and cancel my vote- he has a Skier in much nicer shape!

1986 Ski Eliminator. Wake is much smaller than a 79 Nautique at slalom speed, and the cavitaion problem should've been fixed in '86. I originally had an '84, and Bob Leach contacted me to fix the problem. They used my running gear and put it in the brand new '86 hull, (for free)tested it, and discovered that the problem was due to the angle of the prop shaft. All boats built from about mid-1985 should turn flat.
I'm pulling her out of storage this weekend and will post pics of the transmission mounting.

The 1986 Ski Eliminator was the first inboard I ever owned (other than my folks 1947 Century Resorter). As I recall the color combination was identical. Beautiful gel coat work but the hull design left much to be desired. The wake was bigger and harder than my 79 SN and it would cavitate in a turn.

I am the original owner of a 1986 Ski Eliminator. My boat has 1400 hours on it and has never been in the shop. I'm a cheap bastard and do all repairs myself. Hopefully I can clear up a few things. The price quote for a tranny rebuild was about right. There is no need to loosen ANY motor mounts to remove the tranny. Malibu Boats bought the mold from Eliminator sometime around 1988 to build their first boats. The bilge blower draws air from one of the rear air vents. The motor draws air from the front vents via a duct that runs under the front seat. How do I post pictures?

My jet boat is an Eliminator, also an '86.



I never realized they built a ski boat, that is in awesome condition and you certainly won't run into many like it!

Good luck with the tranny - mine from my '63 is at Eric's right now.

joed wrote: Hi Guys, . . . Recently, we were out enjoying the boat, pulling one of my son's friends on a wakeboard, and all of a sudden I here a clunk and lose forward. I lift the doghouse to find tranny fluid spewing from the front of the transmission. . . . Joe

Hey Joe, glad you got the tranny fixed. Did you ever find out what failed and let the fluid spew out the front?

I would rather have a top notch working tranny than the parts to rebuild.After all thats your job and im sure your better at it than me.
The problem is the boat being used four times a week so its a little hard to take apart but I might could find the time later this year.

eric lavine wrote: ha spare cases or spare transmissions? Pete, believe it or not it was to GD hot to drink beer

Eric, that is why they make coors light.

form&function wrote: Eric,do you have any spare cases for the velvet drive?I would love to have a fresh tranny but don't want to pull my working unit without a replacement.

Hey Ryan,
I'll bet you Eric can help you out but I suspect you won't get answer until maybe tomorrow morning! If I remember correctly, I do believe he just took a load of scrap iron blocks to get money for the beer kitty!! Plus, it's Friday night an he may be down at Rico's!

BTW, if you are planning on doing a rebuild yourself, get the internal parts from Eric. He's got the good clutch pack plates that don't break - not available elsewhere!!

Also BTW, after seeing your workmanship and what you did to that boat, I don't feel you'll have a problem with with a trans rebuild. However, you know Eric is around every morning unless you happen to pick the weekend he's out having his penal implant done!!   

Eric,do you have any spare cases for the velvet drive?I would love to have a fresh tranny but don't want to pull my working unit without a replacement.

For me the deciding factor is weather I am manually lifting the trans by hand or by mechanical means.

By hand I'd want to loose all the weight I can.

I prefer the block and tackle with a hand winch under a shade tree as the extra legnth of the cable give me more room to move it around for lineing up the holes. I find that way easier then removing a trailer wheel hoisting the trans over the gunnel with an engine lift.     

Whitfield wrote: WoW that thing looks clean! ON your other items ~ Here are a few I can think of. From car work ~ I've always been told to check / change the rear main seal while the trans is out. I would also replace the transmission cooler lines as well. While the flywheel is off check the starter ring gear for excesive wear. Flipping or replacing the ring gear might save you some troubel down the road if it looks like the teeth have excessive wear.

Thanks for the compliment on the boat and for the suggestions of other things to inspect/replace while I have her apart.

You guys rock.

Joe

I'm just courious why you pull the trans with the bellhousing still attached?

From what I've learned... Eliminator is a custom race boat manufacturer that built a tournament ski boat for a few years in the mid 80's. They are known for their gel work. Perhaps they bought molds from Malibu or vice-versa, but I'm am not aware of any connection. I have had several people make that comment tho.

Cheers.

Joe