Malibu Boats Buildings its own Motors

Malibu Boats recently unveiled two new inboard engines that the company is building for Malibu and Axis brand towsports boats. Here’s a look at one of Malibu’s new models that could be powered by the new motors.

The 400-hp M6DI is available in the new 2019 Malibu 25 LSV while the 350-hp 5.3 M5DI will be available in all Malibu and Axis models in model year 2020 boats. The M6DI is built on a 6.2-liter GM block and the M5DI is a 5.3-liter block. DI stands for direct fuel injection. GM Marine supplies the block and Malibu takes it from there.

The most noteworthy feature of the new motors is the Front End Accessory Drive, a module that Malibu designed and casts. It has the alternator mount, water and glycol pumps, oil filter bracket and a heat exchanger all on the front of the engine, which simplifies maintenance. The closed cooling system has a raw-water-to-glycol heat exchanger that cools the engine oil and transmission fluid with glycol instead of raw water. The raw water only flows through the exhaust, reducing the chance of corrosion.

Additionally, the engine has four easy-to-access ports for winterization, two on the exhaust manifolds, one on the transmission and the other on the heat exchanger. They are positioned where they should be easy to reach, which means no more technicians or do-it-yourselfers standing on their heads to perform annual winterization.