Self-bailing Cockpit? How do Moomba boat interiors drain?

[Prorider17]

Hey all! I'm new to the forum and have been trying to best understand all I can about Moomba boats. I have a Yamaha AR240 right now. It's a fantastic boat, but I've caught the wakesurf bug. I know the 240 can wakesurf, but I feel like there's a lot of additional work to get it to do it well. Thinking of Moomba, I really like the Mondo and Craz. Searching the forum and web, it looks like they don't feature a self-bailing cockpit. For me, this is a big deal, as I boat in lakes and the intracoastal. I regularly rinse out the interior of the boat to remove any salt & sand. How do Moomba cockpits drain? I read there's a center-drain, but that's it... not word on where it flows or how it all works. I assume that if I sprayed a ton of water in the boat after a day's worth of cruising, it would drain on each side of the center cover in the cockpit and go down into the bilge..? Sound accurate? Any help/advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[patrick232]

The Mondo has 2 drains one in the center under the floor via an access cover and the other at the rear of the boat. Everything drains into the hull. Maybe a reason for the wakeboard boats not to self drian is that when weighted the floor is below the water line?

[smorris7]

Any water will all flow down into the bilge. Center drain plug in Bilge is at lowest point. 2nd drain plug in stern. Bilge pump will also remove any water accumulating in bilge area. I often rinse out my Mojo just as you describe above.


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[Prorider17]

Thanks for the swift replies! Good to hear others rinse out their boats like that. If the center drain plug is open, does it automatically direct water to the bilge? I also thought the same on the below-waterline scupper, but I know Mastercraft says their saltwater package has a self-bailing cockpit. I guess different manufacturers, differing reasons/purposes.

I'm wondering if others on this forum boat in the intracoastal, and if so, how they maintain their Moombas? (flush engine, rinse out interior, wash exterior, etc.).

Thanks again!

[mmandley]

If you remove the center plug you best be on a lift, or trailer because all that will happen is you sink the boat.
The center drain is basically in the very bottom of the boat at its lowest point when sitting on the trailer. You will have an access hole with a cover in the floor allowing you to remove the plug if you like.
I personally only remove this plug at the end of the season. I don't like removing my carpet each time to access it.

The boat is designed to channel all water in the boat to the bilge under the V drive. The floor its self lifts up to allow access to the fuel tank and other internals, plus the V drive cover comes off. These both have rubber seals but they are more for anti-rattle then water tightness.

I have taken some pretty big rollers over my boat, intentional and unintentional, so much that I have inches of standing water on my floor, all drained within a minute or so to the bilge which auto pumps it out pretty fast.

As for running in salt water, internally to the boat, just clean it so there is no solt residue on anything as salt will dry things out. Moomba is a 100% aluminum and fiberglass boat so no rusting.

Engines can have closed cooling systems but even then its running wake water through to cool your exhaust manifolds, these have a shorter then life expectancy due to this.

The closed cooling system is only protecting the Engine itself.

People who don't have a closed cooling system should and or do flush the engine after each use so it doesn't rust out the engine and internals.

[CRAZy440]

Self-bailing cockpit is a passive system that will dispel water from the cockpit. I have never seen a wakeboard, ski or runabout boat that is designed to do this. Only larger boats on large bodies of water will have this design.

Bilge pump design is not self-bailing. The idea is that if power is lost all the water that fills the cockpit can be dispelled and not sink the boat. If a wakeboard boat is out in the rain for a month with no power it will fill up and sink. :)

[wolfeman131]

If a wakeboard boat is out in the rain for a month with no power it will fill up and sink. :)

Your Moomba won't! It may fill up to the gunnels and effectively be totaled in the eyes of your insurance agent, but it won't be on the bottom of the lake.

[CRAZy440]

Your Moomba won't! It may fill up to the gunnels and effectively be totaled in the eyes of your insurance agent, but it won't be on the bottom of the lake.

Good to know! Guess they are neutral buoyant per some USCG code right? The reason lead is not a good thing...

[mmandley]

Good to know! Guess they are neutral buoyant per some USCG code right? The reason lead is not a good thing...

We had a member a few years back post pictures how his boat was caught in a storm, he was trying to get it back to the dock to trailer it and it was filled with water almost to the top of his V drive. As long as the engine starts the boat will drive. Crazy.

Boats are foam filled and this is what keeps them from sinking.

[viking]

Boats are foam filled and this is what keeps them from sinking.

Good point - it's not just Moomba.

Several vids on WW regarding boats getting swamped/sunk and you can still see the top of the boat and tower.

[wolfeman131]

Several vids on WW regarding boats getting swamped/sunk and you can still see the top of the boat and tower.

yep, and several vids of some sinking to the bottom due to the mfg building a boat w/out flotation foam

[CRAZy440]

yep, and several vids of some sinking to the bottom due to the mfg building a boat w/out flotation foam

Some one told me, MC sales guy, that since MB boats are considered custom manufactured they don't have to follow any rules and do sink to the bottom if swamped? Anyone else hear that?


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[mmandley]

I think that's how Axis and MB looked at it for a long time too. Then in 15 they boat went to foam filled boats.