Which Moomba to buy?????

[AbFlyFish]

I am a 50/50 water skier/wake boarder. I am trying to decide which boat will give me the best of both worlds. The dealers I have talked to tell me either the mobius ls (direct drive) or the outback lsv. What are peoples thoughts here? Thanks in advance.

[jmvotto]

lots of threads with great opinions, or confusing useless opinions however you take it.. My vote is the v drive the LSV, the new outback V looks to be the "surf Machine" I like the roominess and layout of the V drive. imo;)

[zegm]

Abflyfish,

We are skiers and now wakeboards and surfers too. We had our hearts set on the Outback V because of the obvious room advantage. We test drove an Outback V at Atlanta Marine. However, several people on this site told us to look at the LS. I was totally against it. They told me to build a boat on the site and see that at the same cost you get a bigger roomier boat. How can the LS be bigger. I then visited Wakeboard magazine and saw that the LS has more square footage too. It has deeper freeboard so you don't feel like you are sitting on the floor. But the biggest reason was because of the wake, the LS is a direct drive and we were told by some skiers of the GA Tech ski team that had skied behind each that we would be better off behind the LS for skiing. That being said, we ski behind it then we fill the rear ballast tank and wakeboard and surf behind it. It is in the Moomba line up because it is the best crossover boat. They would not sell a big DD like this if it wasn't the best at skiing behind, while at the same time allowing you to enjoy all the others wake required sports.

[moombadaze]

Zegm, hey when were at the flint river ski behind my boat and see what or how much the differnce is between the ls and lsv. How fast do you go when your skiing? I have that wakeboard prop on and im not sure yet what my top end speed is.

[zegm]

Stacy,

I think that would be a great time to Quantify the wakes so that we can really provide good information on the boards. However, I propose that MrsZ be the one that performs the test as she is the slalom expert in the family.

And I want everyone else to know that if we didn't ski we would be driving around in an LSV. The main reason would be because of the awesome Z-cargo top, if it wasn't for that it would be a close call between the LSV and the Outback V. We love the open floor plan on these boats!

[deafgoose]

I vote for OBV but my opinion is biased. lol

I could not live with the DD layout. How in the world can you fit 10people in the LS??

[deerfield]

AbFlyFish - I love my '07 DD Outback. I'm not a big crowd person, so I don't need the room that a V-drive offers. Even with just the five or six people that fit comfortable in my Outback, it can be a challenge giving eveyone time and attention behind the boat. Can't imagine ten people. Might as well have a pontoon boat and party. (Thinkin' about buyin' one and using it as a staging area in the middle of the lake. Food. Cold drinks. Grill. Plenty of room. ) Outback has less freeboard than the LS, but as long as I pay attention to my driving I can pretty much keep the bow out of the water. For sure the Outback is not a big water boat. My Outback has the factory tower and ballast system. I think it's plenty sufficient to keep my kids challenged. Heck, I've seen some pretty accomplished wakeboarders make some pretty nice moves behind the DD Outback. My thing is skiing. Primary consideration when buying was replacing my Nautique with a boat that would make me smile. This is it. - Deerfield

[Sled491]

Well it's time for me to state my case again. I firmly believe that a decent skiing wake cannot be made behind a V drive. Maybe for skiers who just follow the boat, or make nice easy passes back and forth, but true skier who cuts hard and is always working on form and rythem will not like the wake behind a V drive. At the same time an LS with the Gravity 3 system will have the best of both worlds.

Don't get me wrong surfing behind my buddies Supra 22SSV is out of this world compared to behind an DD, but skiing behind his boat is suicide. He skiis behind my Outback and we surf and board behind his V drive.

As far as room is concerned the LS is bigger than the Ouback V, check out capacity. The Mobius LS is rated for 13 people, the Outback V, 10. But and Outback V beside an LS and the difference is obvious.

[Sled491]

Funny you mention curling. My home town that I was brought up in is home to former world curling champions, and the best Chinese buffet in town was at the curling rink behind the Gardens

[zegm]

Sled,

Funny you mentioned that the size difference, we pulled our LS next to Wolfmans OV while we were at Sinclair, it was really obvious there how much bigger and taller the LS was. As far as room goes we then loaded Wolfman, his wife, his 3 kids, MrsZ and I, and our 2 kids in the LS. There was plenty of room for all 9 of us. Ok one was an infant, but we never felt cramped. And anther thing about a DD and I am sure you know this too, yeah the engine is sitting there in the middle but it also becomes a seat when stopped while people get set up to ski.

[KurtL]

Abflyfish,

As Zegm said the LS is a solid crossover boat. Maybe op for the Gravity II which I believe is an LS only option. I think it puts an additional ballast in the ski locker, however not 100% certain (gravity I under rear seat approx.400lb). As far as space we have had 9 adults and 2 small children and all had seats and seemed comfortable.

On a different note we floated part of the south Fork of the Flathead river here in NW MT on Wednesday night the Cuts and Bows were hitting hard!!!

Kurt

[bashton]

We own an '07 Outback DD. I am the skier and as most of you know, Ian is the wakeboarder. We have the standard 400# bag.

I absolutely LOVE the wake for skiing, (although I am now on the temporarily injured list), and with the 400# setup, wakeboarding at 18-19 mph, Ian has improved immensely in a very short time. Our regular ski-buddy, who is a fantastic skier who owns an older Supreme, says this is the best wake he has ever skied behind, and he has skied behind a lot of tournament-type boats.

We are planning on upgrading with additional 400# weight, and I am sure it will be the best of both worlds and will keep both of us happy.

I don't think you could buy a better boat to satisfy BOTH skiers and wakeboarders than a DD Outback! This boat exceeds both of our expectations in all respects.

BA

[Dave A]

Abflyfish,

Are you skiing a slalom course? If you enjoy that the DD is the only way to go. If not, buy the V-Drive. If you are an open water skier, the bump really won't matter and the usable room in the boat will be considerably more. The LS may be rated for 13 people, but if you you are using the ski pylon, you lose the room in the back of the boat anyway. With V-Drive you can ski, tube, wakeboard, surf, or anything else and still use the whole interior of the boat. My wife compains about the ski wake behind our Launch 21V, but she doesn't ski as much and me and the kids wakeboard and kneeboard. She loves the added room. My '05 Mobius LS was a great boat, except for the room when using the ski pylon, but I wouldn't trade anything for my 21V.


Dave

[AbFlyFish]

Hey KurtL,

I spent 8 days on the SF Flathead last year. We floated from the confluence to the gorge. Was an amazing trip. Do you spend anytime on Whitefish lake?

Thanks for all your help folks. Jury is still out for me......

Dylan

[Laz]

On Sunday I skied behind an 2007 OBV and the my Outback without taking off my ski. I noted a big difference in the wake at 15' off. It was enough to ensure that I stick with DD boats for the forseeable future.

[EAGER_BEAVER]

On Sunday I skied behind an 2007 OBV and the my Outback without taking off my ski. I noted a big difference in the wake at 15' off. It was enough to ensure that I stick with DD boats for the forseeable future.



Ok but .... (and keep in mind I think I prefer the handling, access to the motor, and versatility of DD) can you get a firm wake board wake thats kinda rampy from your DD without 5 ballast bags kicking around the floor ??

[jmvotto]

The debate rolls on, buy and outback and an XlV problem solved LOL

[Sled491]

JV, that's what I've been preaching. You have 2, 3 maybe more cars, why not a couple boats?

[KurtL]

ABflyfish,

What a great trip you took! Haven't been back into the Bob Marshall wilderness yet, hopefully soon. Yes, took the Moomba out on Whitefish Lake for the first time last Saturday. It seemed nice but really busy. We have a cabin at McGregor west of Kalispell so we spend most of our time out there.

Kurt