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View Full Version : moomba ob vs. mc 197,malibu lxi



ondwater
11-12-2006, 04:12 PM
Hello,My daughters ski in INT comp's and has skied behind both above boats but not the Moomba Outback.Was wanting to see how it stacked up agaisnt the other boats before we look at one.
She has a best of 15 off @ 26mph and we want to know how the wakes are at slower speeds.
We are looking for a new boat and brand does not matter us.
Thanks

CT Skier
11-14-2006, 08:07 AM
My family and I also ski in the INT and have skied behind the MC, the Malibu and the Nautique. My 11 yr old daughter is a novice slalom skier who also skis 15' off at 26. When I was looking to buy a boat I was considering buying a used 197 due primarily to the price, the wake, and the reputation. My wife convinced me to check out Moomba and I'm so glad that I did! The dealer took my kids and I for a test drive/ski run-I wanted my kids to test-ski the boat as well as their opinion was important to me. They will be skiing behind the boat for years to come as well...
I found that the wake behind the Outback was as soft and small as any of the other competition grade ski boats out there. My daughter had no issues at all with control over the wake; as a matter of fact, she cut through it with no problems at all. Both of my kids (my 12 yr old Novice-intermediate slalom skier) gave me the thumbs up on the purchase.
What I found out about the boat however, and what made me buy the Outback was the amount of boat that I got for my dollar. I discovered that I didn't need to spend more money for a boat when what I was paying for over and above the boat was the name and the company's advertising budget. My Moomba has a competition grade wake and all the amenities that I want to make it a boat that I can rip up the course with in the morning, then take my wife and kids out for a cruise in total comfort in the afternoon. I put about 100hrs a year on my old boat between April and November, so it is important to me for the boat to be a hard-core slalom machine, yet family oriented. I would definitely recommend that you visit your dealer and take the boat for a test drive/ski. If you don't find that you like the wake then no harm, no foul. I think that you will find that the boat has an awesome competition grade wake and infinitely more value for the money-it'll be good to have some money left over to enjoy it!

ondwater
11-15-2006, 12:40 AM
Thanks for the post.We live in middle TN and will have wait untill spring to take the test ride.We value the opinion of fellow INT participants such as yall.Could you tell me if your boat has the wake plate and what you think of it?Also what are your thoughts on the EZ cruise compared to the PP Digital Pro?
Where do yall ski?
Thanks

JoeTechie
11-15-2006, 10:54 AM
The base Outback does not have a wake plate and adding one is kinda silly. The wakeplate is designed for the convex hulls of the L and X series of boats. Those hulls create a wake by default. Therefore the wakeplate is more of a set of trim tabs that levels the boat when you want to ski or run fast. You allow the boat to create a wake by raising it out of the way. A bit of wake shaping can obviously be done by adding a little bit of wakeplate. The base outback has a flat hull and therefore a wakeplate would do almost nothing. It's hull is designed for skiing.

EZ Cruise has gotten some prett good reviews, but is not near as accurate as pp. Spend the extra $ and get the PP - you will not look back.

hope this helps,

Joe

CT Skier
11-15-2006, 03:48 PM
My boat came with the wake plate and Joe T. is right-unless you feel that you need to shape your wake, it is not very useful on a "ski boat" My kids like to cross over into wakeboarding/wakeskating so I find that it will help shape the wake a bit so that the kids can work their novice-level moves. My Outback does not have any ballast nor a tower (yet) so every little bit that I can get out of the wake is helpful.
Again, it's all in what you are looking for-for slalom, the plate really has no use. For wakeboarding, it'll help shape the wake a little bit.
My boat has the E-Z Cruise system. It will hold the speed pretty well but you can't dial it in to specific weights- you pretty much get it up to the speed (or RPM) that you want, turn it on, and push the throttle forward (the computer will only let the engine run as fast as the throttle is set so you need to push it forward so that it can raise the RPM to maintain it's speed while turning or hard pulling.) the key is that you need to get it up to speed first-it has a adjustment switch so you can plus up the speed or drop it down, but you still need to manually get it to where you want it-it doesn't take control and automatically adjust to your desired speed like PP does when you get close to the speed or RPM that you want.

CT Skier
11-15-2006, 04:00 PM
We ski in New England-but I'm deployed right now and won't get back to the INT until next year.

ondwater
11-15-2006, 05:54 PM
Thanks Joe T for the info.I'm just trying to get all the info I can so I won't have a boat that I wished I could have gotten more out of.Our Kids do the same,They hard core slalom but also like a few pulls on the wake board to unwind.

And to CT Skier.Thanks for all that you do for all of us who are safe at home here in the states.If your family needs a pull down the lake Give us a call in TN.We would be proud to do it....

I have found a couple 06 outbacks with towers on them that I am going to look at here soon.Any thing you wish you had on the boat that you did not get??

carsondoc
11-15-2006, 06:29 PM
I would respectfully disagree with Techie and CT on the wake plate issue. I do find the wakeplate helpful and the Outback we used for the INT tourney here last summer certainly had one.

General comments were that the Outback wake was similar to the Response wake.

Things I wish I had gotton on my Outback are a bolster seat, tandem trailer, spare tire, EFI, Perfect Pass. Overall, all the guys I ski with love skiing behind it and it does a terrific job.

Good Luck.

CT Skier
11-16-2006, 12:45 AM
thanks for the kind words-I appreciate it!

My boat came equipped with the 340hp EFI engine, wakeplate, EZ Cruise, SS rubrails, pop-up cleats, docking lights, heater, bow filler cushion, bow curtain, the 400w amp, the transom stereo remote, depth finder, single axle trailer w/spare & swing away tongue.
It was the dealership owner's demo boat, so it came with a ton of options. He kept ordering base Outbacks for his demo, but kept selling them before they made it to the dealership, so he ordered this one and deleted the options that wakeboarders would want.
When I was looking, I wanted most of the options that he added. I wanted the extra horsepower engine-I am also president of the local ski club and we pull multiple skiers at once so I thought that the xtra horses would help out. I live in New England and usually have my boat in from April through November, so the heater was a must. The bow curtain keeps the air from blowing from the bow through the boat-another must in cold weather. Obviously the depth finder is a must if you use your boat in water unknown to you. My wife liked the transom remote-we spend Sunday afternoons on a sandbar in waist deep water socializing, so it is nice to be able to adjust the content and volume of the music from outside of the boat. The docking lights are really handy for putting the boat back on the trailer at night at the unlit ramp that we use. So far as the pop-up cleats go, I learned that upon the purchase of a "new" new boat, you suddenly look at docks with a wary eye-they can damage your baby! therefore, plenty of bumpers are a must, and you need places to tie them off to keep your beauty safe...
Upon return from my deployment this spring I am adding a factory tower, ski/wakeboard racks, auxillary battery, lights and speakers. Like I said, this is a family boat for us and we take too many toys out on the water. Even with all of the storage space the boat fills up pretty fast! My kids would like some ballast, but I think that I will more than likely buy aftermarket ballast if they kids really start showing serious interest in wake sports.
I would have liked the PP, but time and finances wouldn't allow me to purchase the gear prior to delivery. My spring time wakeboard additions are a nod to my cross-over family, and I like the idea of more illumination and sound. Like I said, I have the EZ-Cruise and aside from the issues that I mentioned in my earlier post, it does a fair job for the money.

JoeTechie
11-16-2006, 12:28 PM
CarsonDoc - Don't get me wrong - I'm sure it does something on a base outback, just really not sure how much it can possibly help and if just moving the balast amounts / locations would not do the same thing.

Also - I thought we were talking skiing...So I'm curious - how does your wakeplate aid you on an outback while skiing ?

Thanks.

-J

carsondoc
11-16-2006, 06:01 PM
That's a good question Joe. I can tell you that 4 of the 5 guys I ski with like the wake best at about 75% deflection and one guy likes it at about 30%. It definitely flattens and softens the wake at ski speeds and I can definitely tell the difference when it's not set right.

With that said, the 4 guys who like it at 75% all ski the course at 15 off and are skiing the 30 or 32mph pass. The guy who likes 30% is skiing into 32off at 36mph. So, it may be that the faster you ski, the less deflection you need (or it's just personal preference--if I ever get that good I'll let you know :D).

ondwater
11-16-2006, 06:05 PM
Thanks Carsondoc.
I am very interested in the wakeplate at slower speeds since we have a daughter that is nine and running the course but the wake eats her up at such a slow speed.

Smrtz
11-16-2006, 06:37 PM
Hey guys I have the wakeplate on my outback, and if you have a bunch of people in the boat and you are skiing it really makes a difference because it pushes the back end up and compensates for the extra weight.

If I go out for a wakeboard set after someone has been skiing and forget to adjust the wakeplate up I can totally tell by the size and shape of the wake..

cheers

CT Skier
11-17-2006, 09:19 AM
The wakeplate on my Outback almost caused me not to buy my boat...
We test-skied the bought that I bought. I skied behind it 15' off/30 MPH and and found a very noticeable bump similiar to what I have on my '83 MC. My son skied it next 15' off/30 MPH (he weighs 55lbs soaking wet) and when he hit the first wake he jumped almost to the buoy line. He was freaked out and I was disappointed. Then the dealer says "Oh-the wakeplate is partially down" (a little less than 1/4 of the way.) He put the plate back up and we reskied the boat. The wake was awesome, my kids gave me the thumbs up, and I bought the boat.

ondwater
11-17-2006, 07:37 PM
Thanks for all the wake info.I'm now wanting to ask about the durability of the boats.Has anyone had any interior issues or anything that I should be on the lookout for if we find a used outback.I know that I have seen many a MC or Nautique with torn or separated seat seems....

Smrtz
11-17-2006, 07:51 PM
That just seems to go with the territory. I have seen the most expensive boats out there with torn and ripped seams. I know that in 06 SC changed the stitching material to be more resiliant than the former cotton based and that seems to have improved that issue for moomba owners. (at least I havent heard anything here from peeps with this issue)

Regardless of what type of boat you have be extra strict.. Never left people stand on the seats or where the seams join together. Put stress on them its just asking for it.

Cheers
Jay

ondwater
11-18-2006, 04:32 AM
Thanks to everyone that has responded to my questions.All info has been greatly appreciated.We have a 2001 four winns 180 le that has been a great boat. But With our girls doing the INT league we need a comp boat but are also on a budget.I am very pleased with the attitudes of the owners that have responded here.I have seen on other boards that some of the higher end owners are more worried about name brands than the memories that boating with the family bring.Thanks again and keep the info coming.I am making an options list as we go.

canuckskier
11-20-2006, 04:21 PM
Wakeplate:

I ski 34-36mph at 28-35 off. If the outback did not have a wakeplate I would NOT ski behind it, it is dangerous. (My wife forgot to lower it once). The Outback has a good ski hull, but the wakeplate gives it a great ski hull. I ski behind a nautique when I get lessons at the local ski club, and have to admit the wake is more supple than my Outback, but I ski with a guy who has a Malibu Response, and I can't find anything better about his wake, (he agrees by the way). I haven't skied behind a MC for quite some time, so I can't personally comment, but I have pulled MC owners, and they (reluctantly) admitted they liked the wake.

My wife is 120lbs soaking wet, skis around 28mphand15off. The wake is a little bumpy for her, but it is giving her motivation to shorten the line and speed up.

If there wasn't 2 feet of snow on the ground I'd take my boat on the water and show you pictures of the wake at 34 mph with the wakeplate up & down.... HUGE difference! Especially at the shorter line lengths. Which is what we all aspire to ski at next season right!!?

p.s. If you have to turn the heat off in your house for a month to afford pp, do it! I have every option possible in my boat except for tandem axle trailer, and tower speakers. The only one I couldn't live without is pp. My wife and I are still married thanks to that ingenious piece of technology. MUCH cheaper than a divorce lawyer!!

My 2cents.

barefooterh2o
11-22-2006, 12:41 AM
I have 2 Malibu Sportsters LXs, 01' and 05', and one Moomba Outback 02'. I don't know if there is a hull difference between the 02 Outback and the newer ones, but at 15 off the wake is nice doing the slalom course. At 22' off, my Outback has a hard bump where as the 2 Malibus do not. According to previous comments, it sounds like getting a wakeplate would be worth the money if you can get rid of the bump at 22' off and shorter.