Newbie needs help

[philjo]

Hello all, great forum you have here.

My wife and I currently have a 18' Ebbtide bowrider and we've started wakeboarding 2 yrs. back. We also have 2 small children ages 4 and 8. Our 8yr. old boy started kneeboarding last year, while the 4yr. old girl only tubes on occasion. Originally I was thinking of just adding a tower to our current boat but after wakeboarding behind a new ski nautique this past weekend, Ive changed my mind.

Soooo, Im looking at a Outback DD with Tower, 325MPI, Perfect Pass. My question is...Is this the right boat for what we intend on using it for? Keep in mind my wife and I arent interested in doing flips or anything, jumping wake to wake while getting a minimum of 5-6' or higher of air is our biggest trick we intend on doing. At the same time our kids will be tubing, kneeboarding and eventually skiing/wakeboarding.

Are there any particular options you would recommend? We honestly dont have any experience with the ballasts or wake plates. Are they needed for what we're doing?

Thanks
Philjo

[philjo]

Forgot to mention....We wont be buying till next year, but from what research Ive done, this is the only brand Im interested in. BEST BANG FOR BUCK and Im as cheap as they come...LOL

[Chefwong]

You should look into the outback V. The V drives are real nice to have with the whole family, lots of room. As for ballast and wakeplate.....It's hard to say I know i couldn't live without it but if your not to interested in the wakeboarding aspect i guess you wouldnt really need them. The best advise you could get would be from a local dealer

[Yellowmobius]

V-drive is the way to go!

[lowdrag]

Whatever you decide to buy, I'd spring for the ballast and wake plate. Consider getting them and the 325hp motor all at once with the performance package. You'll save some money doing it that way. You'll also get a better resale value and have more people interested if you ever decide to sell. I'm not sure about the Outback, but when I had my '03 Mob LS I really wish that I had the wake plate. If not for shaping the wake then it would have really come in handy for keeping the the boat from porpoising at higher speeds.

[JoeTechie]

I will echo and ditto almost everything here.

V-Drive is the way to go for family boating. TONS of storage room, none of it wasted , tons of seating none of it unavailable during a ski run.

I recently did a comparrison to the same sized I/O bowriders from 10 of the major names...and the Moomba comes out to be cheaper in each and every comparrison. Why anyone wants a junky factory stamped I/O vs a hand built 325HP inboard is beyond me. Oh, yeah, the bowrider can go 46mph vs the 44mph the Moomba can do... let's see the I/O pull 10 skiers!!!

Make sure to come back and show us pics when you get your Moomba.

-Joe

[gotmyboat]

I have an Outback DD and it is incredible to slalom behind, but needs a lot of ballast to make it wakeboard worthy. If you are not planning on spending a lot of time skiing behind it, then definitely go with the V. The 325EFI is a must, and if you are going to be towing much get the tandem axle trailer. It makes towing a breeze.

Good luck.

Dave

[philjo]

Thanks for the replys everyone.

I agree with the V-drive being the better of the two for family outings, Ive just been trying to persuade my wife the DD would be okay versus the price difference. I guess if a fella is spending this much money to begin with, they might as well get exactly what they want.

Another question for ya, how difficult is it to get to the VD engine for mantainence? I notice the VD has compartments on each side, do they remove out?

I cant wait for the 07 specs to be released, we have a boat show come through our town every Feb. thats when I'll probably bite the bullet.

[qb12]

Philijo, First if you look at the top of moomba.com there are your 07 specs.

I have owned both the direct drive and a vdrive and both have their certain advantages.

If you plan on skiing the outback with be great. However if you plan on wakeboarding, kneeboarding and so forth either pony up the extra $$ and go with the outback V or pick up a year or two old Mobius LSV.

yes, the two side side compartments on each side of the engine on the vdrive do come out making access to the engine, somewhat easier.

Good luck with your decisions.

db

[cobra219]

I just bought an '06 Outback DD and am very satisfied with the purchase. Co-incidently, when I started looking for a new boat last winter, an Ebbtide 190 was at the top of my list. Definately great boats...for what they are...I/O. But once I hopped into a Moomba for a test drive, there was no comparison! DD vs. I/O is not even a contest for driveability in my opinion. Wether you go for a DD or VD, you'll be MUCH happier with the added room for your family...and the pulling power!

Funny enough, just yesterday I was dropping off the boat for its first oil change at the local marina and we parked right next to an Ebbtide. I remarked to my wife, "Hey, there's the other boat that I was looking to buy last spring." She replied immediately "It's awfully small...not much room for the kids. Good call honey." What can I say...

Dave

[Smrtz]

Im right with you on that one Ed. the release of the V was 1 week after I bought my 05 last year..

Oh well Im not sorry really the Outback DD is an awesome boat!!

[qb12]

Ed, Come on,,,, you can't fool us.

There is no way you would go out with 4 people and only have 16 beers on board.

Tell us the truth.

db:p

[qb12]

Ed, that make's much more sense.

That would be probably enough to get you buy till noon.....

db

[YellowMoomba0]

Im staying with the DD, full pass of 28 off last night at 17:12 and 2 at 32 off. Maybe we should come up with a keg rack for the tower and route the tap through the ice chest in the floor.

[Buttafewcoe]

Yeah, that's where I throw my empties too. We have figured out the the 48 qt cooler makes a nice portable weight for adjusting the running attitude of the boat.
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B