outback vs. mobius

[bryanpin]

I'm trying to decide what boat is best for me. I have two kids, the oldest is 6 and can already ski. I don't have a boat now, but it's time to get one. Money is the main issue. But i'm the type that won't spend any money unless i'm getting something i really want. I wakeboard a little, and want to get better, my wife is the same way. With two kids, is the outback going to be big enough? My main concern is the ride. I don't care about speed, but I do want a boat to be a nice cruiser also. With the main focus on watersports. If you take it slow, how does the outback handle rough water. Is the mobius considerably better?

Any feedback or opinions would really help? Thanks ahead of time.

bryan

[clark]

I have a 2005 Mobius LSV (V-drive). I love the room the v-drive has to offer. My boys are 19 and 16 and love to wakeboard. They LOVE this boat for wakeboarding. Mine has the 3 bag ballast system which I recommend for wakeboarding. It rides like a dream. Fairly smooth in rough water. Money was an object for me too, but the extra money I spent on this boat has already been worth it. I picked up my boat in late February and already have 65 hours on it,,, and we do not live on a lake. One thing I did learn from others on this post,,, go ahead and get it the way you want it. Do not try to get the add-ons later. They will probably be more expensive, and retro fitting is not the best way to go. I love my Mobius. The biggest differenence between the Mobius and the Outback is the Mobius come standard with items that are option on the Outback. You can get an Outback, and equip it the same way. Hope this helps.

Clark

[greygoose]

Where are you located and what type of water do you usually boat on?

[Yellowmobius]

I had a 2001 Mobius d-drive. I sold it and bought a 2004 v-drive.
The v-drive is excellent for skiing and wakeboarding. My v-drive has the wakeplate which makes a smooth wake for skiing and it has the 3 bag ballast which makes an awesome wakeboard wake. Love the room and I think it drives better than my d-drive did. I have a 8 year old daughter who wakeboards and a 6 year old son who will (hopefully) start soon. I ski and wakeboard, it is a great all around boat.

[bryanpin]

i live in arkansas and usually boat on smaller lakes, but we go to lake Ouachita also which is a good size lake, and it tends to be rougher. my needs and money issues probably point more towoards a runabout or deckboat. but i always tend to want a more performance oriented boat. i want to concentrate on boarding and skiing but i know with young kids we'll end up doing alot of regular lake stuff (cruising, tubing, etc)

[Catdog1]

I've put 400 hours on an Outback. Lots of lakes, lots of weather conditions.

Its not a rough-water boat, especially with little kids on-board. By rough, I mean anywhere you might face a 2 foot chop in an open expanse of water, say 3/4 mile wide with a storm moving in. Or where you are trying to navigate areas with constant heavy boat travel. Its doable, but it ain't pretty.

Try to go for a larger hull with more freeboard. The Mobius, V or D drive from the last couple of model years. Or the Supra Launch beginning 99, 00, or so.

Despite the limitations of the Outback hull that we chose, we made it work for us, but there have definitely been some incidents.

I really like the V8 inboard set-up ( V drive or Direct drive ) instead of an outboard or I/O. Watersports behind anything else is like running a 10K in clodhoppers. That includes tubing --- inboards only, others need not apply.

I'd feel like a geriatric on a pontoon boat, but it would be a hell of a lot more relaxing, I guess.