Something to look forward to.....

[WaterNoob]

Hello All,

I didn't see an introductions forum, so wanted to take a minute to introduce myself. My username says it all, I am just getting into the sport. I am fairly accustomed to fishing boats here in the PNW, but never been a wakeboard guy. Well I want to change that.

I am 34, not married, but have an awesome girlfriend who used to own a Moomba with her ex. I had been looking for years without serious intent to buy, but it's time I think. As some of you PNW'ers will attest, when summer time hits, you better get out in it! For me, that is heading east where you are guaranteed great weather. Spent a weekend in Chelan this summer, and with a couple trips to Vantage, I realized I need a boat.

I am learning all I can about the LSV, and prepping myself to take the plunge. I look forward to sharing my experience, and also look forward to learning all I can. I am extremely excited to pull a boat around the amazing PNW.

Thanks all & Happy Holidays!

Gary

[04OUTBACK]

welcome Noob. lots of PNW folks on here.. just sold my 06 LSV after 4 great years. fun boat!

[wolfeman131]

Welcome!

Plenty of great advice & laughs around this place so be sure to stick around.

Have you run down to AWS yet to look at a Moomba?

[WaterNoob]

Thanks Guys....

Brad, gorgeous boat. I've been sneaking peeks, so wanted to he honest about it...

And Drew, going to show my newbie colors quickly....Haven't heard of AWS to be honest. Haven't looked at boats just yet. I want to familiarize myself a little bit more. I tend to research like crazy before purchasing big ticket items such as this.

[wolfeman131]

No worries. Everybody was once a newbie.

AWS is Active Water Sports and they are located a short drive South of you in Beaverton. Never been there myself, but they are one of the largest Moomba dealers and the folks on the board speak very highly of them.

http://www.activeh2o.com/event/evening-with-the-stars

Do a lot of research and I'm betting you will find Moomba's to be the absolute best bang for your buck. The LSV is a fantastic boat that does everything very well. Be prepared to pull the trigger at your upcoming, local boat show when the factory incentives are available.

[newty]

No worries. Everybody was once a newbie.

AWS is Active Water Sports and they are located a short drive South of you in Beaverton. http://www.activeh2o.com/event/evening-with-the-stars

Short-ish drive. Monroe is a ways from Portland, regardless worth the drive too look at boats. You should come down for the Portland boatshow. Always a good time.

Welcome to the boards Noob.

[jmvotto]

Welcome Noob. We all tend to over research stuff here as well.
You wont go wrong with a SC boat IMHO,

[sandm]

welcome...

hope you help us pass the time during this time they used to call "winter", but now we call it "several months worth of upgrades for the boat"...

[zabooda]

Now is a great time to buy and take a boat off of someone's hands.

[WaterNoob]

Well, I will definitely be going the Moomba route. Everything I am seeing has them as the best bang for your buck. I am not interested in paying $12-15K more just for the name on it.

Brings me to my next question. I have read some of the dealer threads on here and it seems like sometimes your hands are tied to use your local dealer? Can anyone clarify that? My first concern is getting a good price, but more important is the "after the sale" service and support. Being someone without much experience, I am really hoping I can find someone reliable that I can trust. Aren't we all :)

Definitely hitting up the boat show here in Seattle. Might just take a trip down to Portland and take a gander as well. Have to fight that trigger finger though until the time is right. Wish me luck on that one.

[you da man]

I'd say LSV or Mojo if you can do it. LSV is a proven SUV of wakeboats. It has a good wakeboard wake but a really nice surf wake.

[sandm]

as an fyi..
live in boise idaho. have a local dealer. salesman pissed me off. bought from the skiers dealer up in spokane. for the limited time I spent with him, brad was great to deal with and the sale was smooth.

now the service department at my local dealership has been spectactular, and justin, the service manager got promoted to general manager of the joint, so I would suspect that when I am ready for a new boat, they will be getting a visit..
in my case, I didn't have to deal local, however unless you have had a bad experience already, give your local a chance as it might help you get in with the service dept. and discounts on gear as well :)

[mmandley]

Welcome Gary,

If you make the trip to AWS i would ask for Greg Waters, tell him Mike Mandley and Ryan Newton sent ya. Hes at the Beaverton store but the Oregon city store is there the bulk of the boats are stored.

The portland boat show is Jan 11-15th this year and i normaly go VIP and then again on the weekend. AWS will have the biggest wake boat display and are the best people to talk to IMO. I boat my Moomba solely based on the customer service i got at the boat show from AWS.

I plan to make it to the Seattle boat show as well and AWS is always there but they arnt allowed to display any Moombas. They can take there other boats but not the Moombas.

This is due to SC having a Region coverage and each dealer is assigned an area, you can buy from any dealer you want but one dealer cant advertise in another dealers back yard basically.

Feel free to PM me or email me for any questions or anything, im pretty sure me and Newty have the most upgraded and customized LSVs in the PNW on this site. We torn, drilled, glued, bolted, and screwed almost every part of the boat as an upgrade or attempted upgrade lol.

[WaterNoob]

as an fyi..
live in boise idaho. have a local dealer. salesman pissed me off. bought from the skiers dealer up in spokane. for the limited time I spent with him, brad was great to deal with and the sale was smooth.

now the service department at my local dealership has been spectactular, and justin, the service manager got promoted to general manager of the joint, so I would suspect that when I am ready for a new boat, they will be getting a visit..
in my case, I didn't have to deal local, however unless you have had a bad experience already, give your local a chance as it might help you get in with the service dept. and discounts on gear as well :)

Greatly appreciate the tip. My brother lives in Caldwell and I am down there quite often. Is the place your referring to in Meridian, Idaho Water Sports, or something like that? I see them on the net, and believe have driven by them on the freeway? I will keep Spokane in mind.

[WaterNoob]

Thank you mmandley...I am sure I will be picking your brain from time to time. I do not believe I am in the market for new, so I will probably look at used. I typically buy new for everything, but I think it would be a better idea to learn on a used boat....Happy to know you have a wealth of knowledge, especially with the LSV....

Again, appreciate the information...

Gary

[newty]

If you're going used then don't worry about the dealer thing. This IS the perfect time to buy. if you cant swing it now, wait until about 2 weeks after the boatshow and start hunting hard. That will be the next best time to find deals because of boat turnover at dealers and people trying to dump boats because they have new ones.

Don't be afraid to travel either. You can find some great deals if you don't limit yourself to distance. As far as service if you're even halfway mechanically inclined, many of us here have "been there done that" and I'm sure could walk you through any service/repair work you may run into.

I'd look on onlyinboards.com, boattrader.com, craigslist.com (all states with in 1000 miles). Also if you find something in another state many of us are willing to go look at boats in our area for you as well.

What kind of price range are you looking at?

[moombadaze]

just so you know, once you start looking its hard to wait. Sometimes buying new can be a better deal-not the cheapest but the better deal.

LSV has been the best selling Vdrive for good reasons

[wolfeman131]

Don't be afraid to travel either. You can find some great deals if you don't limit yourself to distance.

No joke on this quote. Just ask 04Outback (aka Brad) about how he pulled off getting his Bad A$$, new-to-him Supra from the PNW out to Upstate NY.

[Mobius22]

Welcome to the forum, these guys on here know their stuff. You can't go wrong with an LSV but since I've been on the new Mojo I don't think it would hurt to check it out as well. It's an extremely awesome boat, and shouldn't be that much more expensive than an LSV. Just my .02

[jpetty3023]

Welcome Noob, you found a great site to learn and make great friends. Everyone here is very willing to lend a helping hand. I to own an LSV. Bought a 2009 holdover that was brand new on the dealership lot. Saved a ton of money and I have no regrets. It has been by far, my favorite investment. Again welcome, it will be a long winter so stay tuned

[davidl]

Welcome NOOB, Ever find your way to Central OR look me up, Billy chinook is my home lake. LSV you cant go wrong and Active Water Sports (Gerry) are great to work with. Happy Holidays!

[WaterNoob]

Man, you guys are great...Really, I have been on a lot of different forums regarding my different interests, and I am very impressed with the willingness to share knowledge. For that, I thank you guys.

Newty, for reference, I think I am going to be in the $30-35K range, but not sure. Honestly, not sure if I will be in a position this year to purchase one, but I am working on that. I tend to do quite a bit of research before I know it is the right time. In the meantime, I am familiarizing myself as best I can. My girlfriend having owned one before is a big help. I am not much of a mechanic, but I really dig learning servicing my own stuff. So knowing I have resources here will be a big help.

Probably setting myself up by going to the boat show in January, but I'm not the kinda guy who impulse shops. We shall see....another summer watching from the shoreline might be to much to stomach....

Thanks again all.....Gary

[WaterNoob]

And thanks Davidl....Someday we might just make it down your way. I really look forward to being a part of the community and meeting new friends.

Happy Holidays to you as well...

[sandm]

if you are down in the caldwell area much in the spring/summer, look me up and the gf and I will be more than happy to take ya out. always looking for an excuse to get out. the only chance I get to go to lake lowell is with another couple on their sanger. would love to drop mine in lowell again for a day. heck, anytime you are down here and want to throw back a beer and chat boats, drop me a line..

idaho watersports is the place. justin is the manager there. he is a great guy to deal with if you ever have the need. doesn't seem like they do much in the used boat market as they tend to sell quickly, but always love to head over there if you need another set of eyes to view a boat you might like. been a couple of real nice skiers products on craigslist here recently. '09 outback v that looks real nice shows up every week or so. not into red, but looks like a good value.

[WaterNoob]

Very cool...Thanks for the offer...I usually get down that way in the fall/winter time for hunting, but I will keep it in mind....

Much appreciated.