Which Moomba to buy?

[Patro]

Hi guys, just joined the forum.

I'm currently looking at Moomba's and have a few questions on which boat will fit my family the best. I love to slalom ski and just started back this year after being away from it for over 15yrs. On the other hand my brother is a learning wakeboarder though he is out with a broken leg (from wakeboarding).

How is the wake at 30 to 32mph behind the Mobius LS? I'm sure it's worse behind the Mobius LSV but my wife likes the looks of a v-drive boat verses a direct drive so that's another stumbling block.

I am interested in being able to wake surf as well.

Is the Outback an option?

I will be visiting a Moomba dealer in a few weeks so I can see the boats in person. Maybe with the helpful info you guys have I will be able to get into a Moomba by spring.

Thanks for your help,
Patrick

[deerfield]

Hi guys, just joined the forum.

I'm currently looking at Moomba's and have a few questions on which boat will fit my family the best. I love to slalom ski and just started back this year after being away from it for over 15yrs. On the other hand my brother is a learning wakeboarder though he is out with a broken leg (from wakeboarding).

How is the wake at 30 to 32mph behind the Mobius LS? I'm sure it's worse behind the Mobius LSV but my wife likes the looks of a v-drive boat verses a direct drive so that's another stumbling block.

I am interested in being able to wake surf as well.

Is the Outback an option?

I will be visiting a Moomba dealer in a few weeks so I can see the boats in person. Maybe with the helpful info you guys have I will be able to get into a Moomba by spring.

Thanks for your help,
Patrick


Patro - I'm gonna jump in here first. I have an '07 Outback and love it. My priority is skiing and that's what this boat is engineered to do best. My sons wakeboard. With the factory tower and ballast system, they do just fine. Still learning, but they are getting close to w2w. Have not tried surfing, but understand it can be done behind the Outback. I'm a big fan of direct drive and have NO plans to replace my Outback (unless with a new Outback). Draw back is that Outback has little freeboard, so if not careful in choppy water I take water over the bow. This is the entry level model in the Moomba lineup so it is the least expensive. It is priced with a thin margin, hoping to get you into the Skiers Choice family and move you up to the models with bigger profit margins. If your wife likes the looks of the V drive, not much I can say to change her mind. Get to a dealer and test drive/ride different models. - Deerfield

[Mikey]

As a fellow Outback DD owner i totally agree. Yes its definetely possible to surf this boat as we do all the time now. An Outback V particularily the new style may work for you as well as some mention it being a decent ski boat as well and its a Vdrive. The LS is the only other real skiboat available but it is discontinued and if you want new ,not gonna happen. After that VDrives are the only other options and you definetely will be comprimising in the skiing department.
Yes it can be done ,but wakeboarding ,surfing can be done behind the above three as well so its a matter of what you really want.
If skiing is low on the priorities then all the Vdrives will be great ,with skiing being the big comprimise.Good luck.

[deafgoose]

The perfect comprimise with your wife would be the Outback V.

[yearround]

Do you ski course or just free ride? LSV is fine for free ride IMO. It is unfortunate that the LS is gone but more people are not skiing but doing other sports that the V is more suited for.

[viking]

I'd have to echo what has already been said and add:

If you surf behind the LSV you'll get spoiled and won't like the surf wake on the Outback. Don't ski behind the outback or it'll ruin you for any other slalom wake put out by the other models. They don't come close!

It comes down to priorities as each model will allow you to do all the water sports.......just some are better than others depending on what you do most :)

[brain_rinse]

I've had guests ask to slalom behind my LSV a few times. It usually lasts one set and they don't ask again. I've never slalomed, but there is a pretty substantial wake even at slalom speeds. If you're paying for the boat you've gotta love it. Maybe the new Outback V?

[maxpower220]

Is your brother going to help pay for this? If not, you should get the boat that will fit your needs. The Outback is far and away the better slalom boat. Using the wakeplate and 4-5 people in the boat, you can have a decent wakeboard wake. Big enough to break your leg, even. To surf, you will need a sack and 5-7 of your good friends, but it is doable.

If slalom isn't the only thing that you like, the layout of Vdrives is nice. Boat storage may also be an issue, so take that into account also.

[zegm]

Well being the owner of an LS I can say we ski behind her down the course, surf behind her, wakeboard behind her and kneeboard behind her without any extra ballast so I would tell you to check out an LS. And the boat has plenty of room and space, including the center mounted table you can use when it is wine and cheese time with the Ms. as the sun sets. But since SC is not making them anymore you won't be able to see a new one at the dealer (you were lucky if a dealer every had one to look at anyway (thanks Atlanta Marine you guys are GREAT!)). You could look for a used one but good luck with that as LS owners NEVER sell them once they find out how great they are at doing everything!

[Patro]

Thanks for all the replies. This helps a lot.

I will be paying for the boat so I want it more for a good slalom wake than wakeboarding. I didn't know the LS was discontinued.

So the wake behind the Outback V is good for slalom skiing? Are the sides any higher on the V verses the DD?

[jmvotto]

you can find a couple of used LS on ww, ebay, onlyinboards if you look hard enough....

[KSmith]

The 2010 Outback V has a fair to good slalom wake around 30-32, it lays down fairly well with the wake plate down 3/4 or more, not a tournament slalom wake however. Some will depend on how loaded down your boat is, sometimes less is better.

The Outback V 2009 and newer are deeper than the Outback DD.

On the OBV With the Gravity III ballast it can put up a pretty good wake for wakeboarding and wake surfing. Again, not professional grade, but plenty for us that are out just to have fun.

Wakeboarding and wake surfing is pretty new to me, been on a slalom since I was a pup, many many moons ago. I wanted a boat that could do both slalom, wakeboarding, wake surfing and yes the evil tubing when the mood strikes. I did a ton of research and forum loitering and the Outback V hit every point I was looking for. I also like the floor plan and storage much better than the Outback DD.

If you are looking to mostly run the course you would probably prefer the Outback DD however.

I only free ride slalom anymore and I wanted some capability to play around with the wake sports more so I didn't really need a tournament quality slalom wake

[Ian Brantford]

[...] my wife likes the looks of a v-drive boat verses a direct drive so that's another stumbling block.


I happen to agree with her on which layout is preferable, but the boat's functionality is why it is being purchased. The activity behind the boat is what matters most. Does she ride? If so, would she appreciate the experience being diluted in favour of a better lounging experience on the boat? Probably not.

Regardless, best wishes with the purchase and the ensuing experience. It's a blast!

[pogofx]

I own a 2006 Outback DD and love the slalom wake. I'm a beginner wakeboarder so the it does plenty for me with the factory ballast. If you are a skiier, then I would say buy as ski boat and add the ballast/wake plate when you want to wakeboard. You can do things to make the wake bigger on a ski boat, but its hard (if not impossible) to make the wake smaller with a boat designed for wakeboarding. My only complaint about the Outback is the low freeboard as mentioned before, but its a minor complaint.

[Patro]

It looks like my best choice will be the Outback V. The wake has to be better for slalom than what I'm riding on now (Sea Ray 195 Sport, which will be sold tomorrow :grin:).

I don't run the course, only free ride.

Hopefully work will allow me to get down and check out a few dealers in the next couple of weeks to help me decide.

Thanks again for the advice. I'm sure more questions will come.

[skiyaker]

man if you're coming from a sea ray you'll love the OBV all around. It's a boat that can do it all. When you get it take some time in open water to get a feel for the handling. I graduated from my dad's bass tracker party deck 21 and I had some buyers remorse the first time I tried to steer around close docks but now I can do stuff in my V drive no I/O can do. Plus I can back it in my garage and shut the door!

[moomba wannabe]

I have to agree with pogofx. You can pretty easily make a decent wake behind a DD with ballast and plate. Harder to make a decent salom wake behind a v-drive. Outback V is probably a really good choice to do both. We went from an I/O to the DD and couldnt have been happier!

[89PROSTAR]

I have to get in on this as well. I debated this for the whole summer. Was I willing to give up the slalom wake of my MasterCraft and move to a bigger boat with more storage, room, and amenities. I like to surf, wakeboard and ski. I've been skiing for the better part of 30 years so I hate to give it up. We test drove the 2010 OBV and the slalom wake around 32 was not bad. I know the DD Outback would be great but we wanted the seating of the V drive. We then made the mistake of test driving the LSV. I loved the room and size of it. We figured if we were spending the money on a new boat we might well get one geared more for the future. The slalom wake is big but you can still have fun out there. I don't have the luxury of skiing a course often enough so I figured lets go bigger so we can fit my 6'-2" 13 year old and my 11 year old and their friends and still have room to breath. It's a tough call, I really tried to look at the big picture of what would fit all of our needs. The OBV is a great choice for a cross over. I love our LSV though.

[kaneboats]

If you don't regularly ski a slalom course you really can't go wrong with the LSV. It just does too many things too well to not consider it.