Need slalom boat, kanga or boomerang

[monkstr6100]

My wife and I are looking seriously to get a nice ski boat ($12,000 or less). I have always liked moomba's. been looking at a lot of boomerangs, but came across the kanga now and am wondering what the slalom wake is like? Any info or experience would be great to know. Thanks in advance. Zach J.

[maxpower220]

Boomerang was Moomba's first attempt at a ski boat. It was entry level in features, but was very light weight. The slalom wake is supposed to be near nothing. I haven't heard about tracking or other issues. I know very little about the Kanga.

IMO, you can get into many different slalom boats for your price range. I would look for a boat with a long history and high numbers of production. Parts for the older moombas won't be as easy to find as for MC, Bu, or CC. I would also look at MC PS 190s, Sportstars, PS 205, Bu Response and Sportsters, and CC 196/206. All are great slalom boats.

Good luck in your search.

[kaneboats]

There are definitely bargains out there if you want a simple slalom boat. Examples:

http://gainesville.backpage.com/BoatsForSale/6995-1995-moomba-boomerang/4335625

http://www.boulderboats.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?veh=2824463

http://www.reachoo.com/ads/97606117

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1993-Moomba-ski-boat-boomerang-101930850

[sandm]

my buddy has a boomerang and it is an amazing slalom boat. 32mph has almost 0 wake. turns on a dime. he skis at 35-36 and when driving, i can feel the boat moving a little when he cuts hard, but otherwise, it's a real stable platform.
I thought the kanga was the replacement for the 'rang and came with an open bow and a few ft in length, but basically the same boat..

parts are getting a little hard to find, but lots of aftermarket pieces to make it work and the engines are a basic ford/pcm 351 block.

[monkstr6100]

Thanks for the replys, and I know there are other boats I can get in my price range, but I would rather buy a newer (1995-2002) moomba for that price instead of a older mastercraft. Looking at a 2001 kanga now with the 330hp mpi engine in it. And def like the closed bow boats much more, just looks so much better in my opinion.

[sandm]

closed bow will be lighter, but if you are mainly using it for slalom and use the center pylon, you are limited on passenger counts. the open bow will allow you an extra skier or 2 and not be sitting on top of each other. not sure if you have kids, but seems the general consensus is an open bow is a better family boat as well. that can sometimes keep the CEO of the house happy :)

[monkstr6100]

Yeah we just had our first baby, she is one week today, so it's time to get the more family like boat. I currently have a 1975 Larson xl-5 that's a two seat 14' with a 140hp. So anything will be way more room. I agree the open bow offers more room, but can't bring myself to own the total family boat, and the wife is on board. She deals with my goofy ways.

[maxpower220]

http://onlyinboards.com/Ski-Boat-Search.aspx?MakerName=&YearFrom=1988&YearTo=2004&PriceFrom=5000&PriceTo=12500&State=-1&Keywords=

Do a search on onlyinboards, lots of choices on newer boats

[monkstr6100]

I think I am going to hold out for a 98 or newer boomerang with the mpi engine. No rush here in WI, it was -7 without the wind today. Thanks for the info and the advice.

[wolfeman131]

You could ship one up from GA

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/boa/3428968570.html

Or, this one

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/boa/3556534787.html

Or, this one! Price point is a bit high, but it looks nice.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/wat/bar/3414366153.html

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[monkstr6100]

I am fine with traveling a few hundred miles or shipping one, but no big bulky wake towers. First, it has to fit in my garage, and next I just like the traditional look of an inboard without the rack. No offense to the wakeboard guys with the huge racks, just not my style.

[DOCDRS]

You can always take the tower off , leave the holders for future resale or use

[monkstr6100]

DOCDRS, thanks, I did not know it was so easy to remove.

[jpetty3023]

I am fine with traveling a few hundred miles or shipping one, but no big bulky wake towers. First, it has to fit in my garage, and next I just like the traditional look of an inboard without the rack. No offense to the wakeboard guys with the huge racks, just not my style.

I personally love a great rack -:)


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[beat taco]

Find one cleaner then this:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/3551037310.html

I had a similar style boat before I got an open bow v drive and love the extra room for the family. Even if I got a direct drive I would hold out for an open bow, some great deals are out there and one could be had in your budget.

[maxpower220]

I think I am going to hold out for a 98 or newer boomerang with the mpi engine. No rush here in WI, it was -7 without the wind today. Thanks for the info and the advice.

Finding a Boomerang with MPI may be extremely difficult. I don't have any facts to back it up, but I doubt that many were made.

[tarheelskier]

I personally love a great rack -:)


sent from my home phone

Ha ha, the huge-er, the better!

[kaneboats]

I'm with petty and tarheel on this one. A word of warning though. If you only ski and only have one friend then a 'rang is probably the right boat for you. But take a minute and think about how much time you want to spend on the water. Do you want to go out all day? Bring friends? You might like the versatility of the Outback better even though it doesn't have the classic closed bow look. Also, if you have kids I"ll guarantee they will want to wakeboard too. There's nothing wrong with a dedicated ski only type boat but make darn sure that's what you will want a year or two from now.

You might think about an Outback with tower removed for a year or two but maybe putting it back on later. Or maybe you'll just have two or three boats for all your activities. Good luck whatever you decide. Hope you end up in the Moomba family.

[moombadaze]

Or maybe you'll just have two or three boats for all your activities..

I like this option the most

[kaneboats]

The boat thing kinda reminds me of the house thing in a way. My brother and his wife moved into a new house with their baby. I said, "How are the schools around there?" He said, "Schools? What do we care? We just have a baby." Four years later they were looking for houses again and had two little kids, one of them starting school. They also had a hard time selling because the schools were lousy. Same thing happens with a boat. You get a good one and realize you like being on the water all day but wish it was more comfortable, had more storage, was capable of doing more activities, etc. You also might want to bring another couple and their kid or kids. It's OK to think about that stuff now.

[maxpower220]

Your brother only has 2 kids???? So its not genetic.

[kaneboats]

He's already up to 3 and moved into a lot bigger house in great schools. Guy doesn't have a boat anymore though.

[skiyaker]

seems like the guys in the North boat differently than the guys in the South- when we head to Norris we pack everything up + 4 coolers and then add an extra case of beer and plan to stay out all day with the whole family. When we go to the smaller lakes up north folks hang out on the dock and the ski boat swing back to the dock to pick up the next skier. They have crazy water jungle jims and stuff right by the dock to keep everyone entertained and you can see the entire lake from the dock anyways. If slalom is your thing and you don't plan to take the entire family out while somebody is skiing (why would you add all the person weight unless you had too) then go closed bow. I'm guessing if you're in WI and you have a new baby the boat might just be for doing what it's meant for- pulling the skier. For me there's nothing like a classic looking closed bow for slalom. Unless I'm heading south in which case I'll take the open bow.

To answer your original question- I've skied behind the boomerang but not the Kanga- sorry.

[monkstr6100]

Yeah the main lake we go to (5 miles from the house) has a sand bar that we spend most the day at. So when we ski we only take a driver, spotter, and the skier. So long as we are not skiing with the center pylon the boomerang has enough room for 4 or so people right? Spent a lot of time in my buddies ski brendella (pro or super comp or....?) this last summer and the dimensions on that are just a tiny bit larger then the rang. I really do appreciate the heads up on everything here guys. Glad I found this forum. And skiyaker, how was the slalom behind the rang? I hear mixed thing. Waterski mag wrote it up to be awesome, but then others say its deceptive? I think it seems like some are just pissed that a $16k brand new boat performed as well as their $40k+ boats do.

[iwaterskihard]

closed bow will be lighter, but if you are mainly using it for slalom and use the center pylon, you are limited on passenger counts. the open bow will allow you an extra skier or 2 and not be sitting on top of each other. not sure if you have kids, but seems the general consensus is an open bow is a better family boat as well. that can sometimes keep the CEO of the house happy :)

We are a ski family and our first boat was an older Supra TSM6 comp boat! GREAT boat with an awesome wake and so nice for skiing. But we sold it to a younger dude and his wife and we bought our Moomba DD Outback for one reason and one reason only - IT HAS AN OPEN BOW!!!

As soon as you start sharing your love of boating and skiing with friends and as your little one grows up you are going to find you wished you had that open bow.

Our daughter is 15 and a decent skier and barefooter. But what's most importatnt to her to spend a day on the water is - "WHAT FRIEND CAN COME TODAY?"

If I lived on a private ski course lake I'd have no issues with a closed bow boat. But I do like the open bow because it still ski's great and well..............we get to help a whole lot more people get to enjoy the fun and lifestyle!!!!

My 2 cents for what they are worth?

[kaneboats]

seems like the guys in the North boat differently than the guys in the South- when we head to Norris we pack everything up + 4 coolers and then add an extra case of beer and plan to stay out all day with the whole family. When we go to the smaller lakes up north folks hang out on the dock and the ski boat swing back to the dock to pick up the next skier. They have crazy water jungle jims and stuff right by the dock to keep everyone entertained and you can see the entire lake from the dock anyways. If slalom is your thing and you don't plan to take the entire family out while somebody is skiing (why would you add all the person weight unless you had too) then go closed bow. I'm guessing if you're in WI and you have a new baby the boat might just be for doing what it's meant for- pulling the skier. For me there's nothing like a classic looking closed bow for slalom. Unless I'm heading south in which case I'll take the open bow.

Funny you make that a northern vs southern thing. To me it's more if you have a place on the water or not. Although I admit in the summer down here you have to stay in the water or at least get back in every 5-10 min to cool off.

[parrothd]

Better boat for same price...

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2001-Moomba-Outback-101927991

Don't forget correct carfts...This one has PP... :)

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1996-Correct-Craft-Ski-Nautique-101900547

[sandm]

if you are a fast skier, you will not want to hook the ski rope to the rear of the boat as you will pull the boat around too much due to it's light weight. you will want to use the center pylon to ski. that's what it's there for. the 'rang is an awesome ski wake, but the boat itself is downright uncomfortable for more than 3. 2 riding and one skiing is the max we ever take. when going out to a dock, 5 in the boat is uncomfortable. I couldn't imagine spending a day on that boat with 5 even w/o any watersports.
my buddy has said if it would have been in his budget, he would ditch the 'rang for an open bow. I know you say you don't need it, but you will.

[skiyaker]

Funny you make that a northern vs southern thing. To me it's more if you have a place on the water or not. Although I admit in the summer down here you have to stay in the water or at least get back in every 5-10 min to cool off.

yeah I guess when I say north vs south I'm just talking about a function of lake size of the smaller WI/MI/IN/MN lakes vs TN/KY TVA lakes; I've not boated in FL so I shouldn't group you in with the TVA lakes. The guys in TN on for ex Norris who have water front property still seem to pack everything up and head out for the day.

It's been a few years since I skied the boomerang but I recall the wake being excellently course worthy at 15 off 28-30mph. I would love to ski it again now that I've progressed a little but the guy who owned it at the club sold it (he got a larger open bow boat and is not happy with its wake). But the boomerang is what it is- a canoe with an engine. I think it had room for 4-barely. A very small but fun boat.

If you're getting a close bow you might think a little about when it comes time to sell it- there are some hulls of the correct craft (TSC 1 which I think was 1997-2002) and some early 90s Mastercrafts that are well sought after by slalom nuts and will always sell well to course skiers

see if you can find one well taken care of by an OCD course skier- maybe something like this
http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/7243/1999-ski-nautique-196-for-sale-13000

[AJones]

I agree totally with iwaterskihard. Our 15 year old daughter always wants to take a friend (or 2) to the lake with us. The Boomerang is a fun boat to drive and ski behind but any more than 3 people and it starts getting crowded. I could not ask for a better slalom wake. I'd rather ski behind our Boomerang than my buddy's 95 Mastercraft ProStar 190 with LT1 and powerslot (real nice boat). But we just don't have the room anymore. Another thing we have to consider is that with a 15 year old, we have to start thinking about getting her a car to drive. We may have to live with a smaller boat at least 1 more year. We bought the Boomerang before having a child and it has been a great boat but are considering trading up now just to get more room.

[monkstr6100]

With the low freeboard on the boomerang, is it possibly to even hang a barefoot boom off the side? Maybe a larger boat would be a better fit....maybe. I was only talking about using the rear ski hook for casual skiing and tubing. I ski very hard, never had a chance to use a course, but have been told I am ready for it. So when I ski it's always with the bear minimum of people/weight in the boat. Now I seen the gekko gts 20 too! Wow, sexy! I only have $9k saved and "sold" my pontoon for 2500 but the guy can't pay me till his tax return comes. So can't do a lot right now as far as the more expensive boats go. Also have my Larson xl-5 for sale. We shall see.

[parrothd]

Remember you can a lot more boat for the money in the winter, cash in hand can get you a better deal.. :)

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[AJones]

A Barefoot International boom works great on the Boomerang. Plenty of speed too!

[monkstr6100]

I think I am giving in to a lot of you guys advice with now looking at open bow boats. But may not even be a moomba anymore. Been really liking the gekko gtr 22. And they sell for cheaper used. Even for a 2002-2008 they can be found for under $20k. We shall see. Plenty of God awfull winter left here in good ole' WI, so no rush on my end.

[kaneboats]

Just remember the good ones go first.

[Mikey]

Just so you know . the Gecko GTS 20 is the same hull as the Boomerang and Gecko GTR 22 is basically Moomba Outback. Basically same boats but Geckos have the swim platform integrated.
Mark Oberly...owner of Gecko started from Moomba ,originally ,hence similarities etc. Nice boats, very similar ,including prices as new. I have a buddy who was the local Gecko rep at the time we were looking to get into a new boat.

One Big drawback to the integrated swim platform ,was it acts like a SCOOP at times , when coming to a stop from speed ,needing a slight throttle Burp to keep from scooping a big wash of water,otherwise very nice Similar boats.

[PatL]

If skiing is the overall game plan you cannot beat the Outback for the money IMHO. Tons of storage, tons of seating and really good wakes. I really do not think there is another boat with more space that has wakes which have been tournament approved for slalom. If wakeboarding or surfing are part of the game plan a V drive is probably preferred. My little babies have grown into teenagers and they now bring their friends. The Outback has never failed me for space power or excellent wakes. As you can probably tell I'm a bit biased. I would love a closed bow tow boat but its impractical with 3 kids. Outback doesnt give anything up over those boats from my perspective. Ive skied alot behind the Prostar 190 great boat and slightly softer wakes but the Outback definitely holds its own even at shortline.