Your First Moomba?

[BWeber]

At what point in your life did you decide to purchase your first Moomba? New or used, how old where you?

I have been stalking the forum for the last 2 years but I cant talk myself into buying a new boat, especially now with the way the economy is.

Let me note that I have grown up on water all my life, and this past summer was the first time since I was 5 that I havent been on a boat....and it KILLED me!! This was all caused by me being a dumbass by graduating for college and getting a good job out in Iowa.

Its like being homeless for the summer since I am used to living on water!

How did you know it was the right time for you?

[kaneboats]

Please take a look at the article referenced in this thread:

https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=7210

It may help.

[moombadaze]

how did you know it was the right time for you?

my Moomba was love at first sight-knew i had to have it, now im on my second and havent looked back, exept i do get to see the 1st all the time-sold it to some good friends

[McMoomba]

A not so brief explaination:
2006 I was looking at an entry level boat and decided on a bayliner 175, while at the dealer there was a "175xt Wakeboard edition" same unit with a wakeboard tower and decal on side od boat. At that time I had never wakeboarded but liked the look of the boat and decided I alway bought the striped down versions (cars ect.) and wanted the extras and the cool look.
So we purchased the 175xt and it came with an Obrien wakeboard. I tried the wakeboard out and was hooked. After a couple of years of boarding and adding all the extras I could it stll was not a wakeboard boat and we needed more space.
After a lot of research I decided an Outback V was the next logical choice. Took my Wife to the boat show and looked at the compitition and were impressed with the Moomba and purchased my Outback V a month later.
If you had told me 2 years ago I would spend over $35K or more on a boat I would have LMAO. Now everyone in the family (Ages 38,38,12,8 and 6) wakeboards and I cant see life without it......

[patrick232]

We started the road to our Moomba long ago. But this summer we decided that it was the best bang for the buck and once we sold our old boat we went shopping and found a lightly used 2007 Moomba XLV.

We started with a set of waver runners with my brother in 1998, remember don't do business with family.

In 2000 with a baby on the way we bought a 1999 Rinker 192 Bowrider sold to buy a new house in 2002.

Then in 2002 after moving into our house and being boatless for a whole 3 months we bought a 2002 Rinker 232 cuddy so now the 2 boys could nap.

In 2005 we missed the bowrider and still wanted the cuddy so we bought a 2005 Ebbtide 2600 Cuddy/Bowrider.

After closing on our lakefront condo in June we put the Ebbtide up for sale and started test driving wakeboard boats.

[SEARK]

2 years ago. Had a 175 Bayliner but was getting to small for the growing family. I had always wanted an inboard boat but when it came time to get one wasn't real sure which one to get. After looking at the Moomba just couldn't beat the bang for the buck. Went from a boat with a max capacity of 6 to one with max of 13 + gravity III, tower etc. You won't go wrong with a Moomba.

[jester]

In 208 when i was 25 i bought a new Moomba. I bought her on the same day i took her for a test drive and fell in love with her. I had driven the other brands but we connected and that was that.

[98outback]

I bought a used 1998 outback in 2004 and I was 22 so i didnt have enough money for a new boat yet. Last year I sold the moomba which was very good to me and purchased a 2003 supra from a friend. It was a great deal and the boat was practically new still. He was the original owner. So I did stay with skiers choice.

[McMoomba]

2 years ago. Had a 175 Bayliner but was getting to small for the growing family. I had always wanted an inboard boat but when it came time to get one wasn't real sure which one to get. After looking at the Moomba just couldn't beat the bang for the buck. Went from a boat with a max capacity of 6 to one with max of 13 + gravity III, tower etc. You won't go wrong with a Moomba.

SEARK, that is funny there is a few people I've seen on the forum that had a 175 Bayliner and then went Moomba.

[1LOKMOOMBA]

We also had a Bayliner, we skied and wakeboarded it until the rot set in.(the boat) We heard of Moomba three years ago. The fact that there was no plywood in it sold me. Although I could'nt buy a new one, cause of braces, soccer and baseball. The 2004 Outback I bought used, this last August was the best investment for my family (WE ALL STILL HAVE PERMANENT SMILES).
Go for it dude.

[smokedog2]

boght new in 05, If it takes food from your mouth, skip it. If you want time with the kids, wife & friends, money well spent. A movie is $20 a person these days, NASCAR $90. A boat isn't all that bad IF you use it.

Bought new because my Dad bought a used boat and it never worked right. you can still finance boats 12 years at a fixed rate.

I'm really looking forward to summer.

100 hrs a year, thats all I ask

SD2

[c.rix]

I got my first boat last year A brand new holdover 07 outback v at 25 years old

[deerfield]

BWeber - My route to Skiers Choice started as a bachelor with a Nautique. Got married and sold the Nautique to pay for graduate school. Not much money for the next twenty years working for the government and raising three boys. The (glorious) day finally arrived that I could swing a boat. I could hardly wait to get back to water and share the experience with my sons. Walked into a dealer with the intent to buy a used Nautique or Mastercraft. The dealer showed us how we could have NEW and a three-year bow to stern warranty for about the same price as the used Nautiques and MCs we were considering. Sold! We are the proud owners of a 2007 Outback. - Deerfield

[Sled491]

Back before I moved to the states I hung with a group of hard core skiers. At the time the Moomba Boomarang was just hitting the market and getting just crazy reviews by Water Ski magazine. I though this is the boat for me. Keep in mind at the time we had a model 2001 Ski Nautique. We never thought one boat was built better than another or that one had some leg up. The Moomba had one of the top 3 ski wakes at the time, what else was there?

Jump ahead 10 to 15 yrs (time gets foggy for me these days :) ) and the family is getting to be a little single minded and the Nitro Fish and Ski we had was due for an upgrade. I had talked a friend of mine into buying a new Outback and spent the summer skiing with him. That January we ordered ours.

I'm a big "buy new" guy. You tend to keep boats a bit longer, so the cost can be realized over a longer period, making it a bit more affordable. I also don't see too many good boat drivers around and really not interested in inheriting some one else's "learning curve".

[98outback]

Previous boat 1998 moomba outback

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2369/11269336/20561690/334812840.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2369/11269336/20561690/334812815.jpg

Current boat 2003 Supra Launch SSV

http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2369/11269336/20618779/335912458.jpg
http://pic90.picturetrail.com/VOL2369/11269336/20618779/345943357.jpg

[VA LSV]

My story is very similar to Ed's. Shared an 86 Ski Supreme with my brother in law. Kids were small and started them off in the tube and then knee board. Added a pylon extension after they got into boarding. Wife & I kicked around the idea of getting our own boat & looked at MC & BU and just couldn't justify the $$$. Was looking at used boats when I read a review on Moomba. After looking an Outback in person, the choice was easy. It was going to be Moomba for me. Couple of years later , the brother in law decided it was time to sell the Ski Supreme when 1 of the motor mounts bolts wouldn't tighten. I was on the phone to the Moomba dealer the next week and put a deposit on a new 05 Mobius LSV. Completed the deal that weekend and couldn't be happier. Still get comments how great our boat looks after 4 seasons on the water.

[SEARK]

SEARK, that is funny there is a few people I've seen on the forum that had a 175 Bayliner and then went Moomba.

The Bayliner was a good boat and served us well for about 9 years, but what a change when we got the Moomba. The BL was a good starter boat when you just have to have a boat and can't afford much. :)

[K_E_N]

In 1973, I was born. At that time, my dad had a tiny little closed bow outboard ski boat; not that I remember it, but I've seen pics.
1977, my dad purchased a 1977 14foot Glastron tri-hull fitted with an 85hp Merc outboard. I skied, kneeboarded, and eventually wakeboarded behind that boat for years. In 1998, he officially said the Glastron was mine.
2000, I sold the Glastron and purchased a 2000 185 SeaRay, fitted it with tower, speakers, amps, ballast, etc.
2008, I sold the SeaRay and purchased a 2004 Moomba Outback LSV. The Moomba already had tower, swivel board racks, tower speakers x4, wake plate, and perfect pass. I've since added 12inch sub, integrated ballast, and a few more "goodies".
I've only had a Moomba for a year, but have loved it. When I purchased it, I was looking for a wakeboard boat in the $25-$30k price range and really didn't care what brand as long as it was from MC, M'bu, Skier's Choice, or another reputable company. I stumbled across my Moomba, and have never looked back. I'm convinced that my next boat will be a Moomba. Either an XLV or LSV. I prefer the size of the LSV, but the extra room and playpen seating of the XLV is really nice.

[Ian Brantford]

My XLV, which I bought new in 2005, was my second boat. My starter boat was an I/O 18' Invader bowrider, which I got in 1997. That Invader changed my life and gave my friends and I (mid-20's to early 30's) many summers of fun. It was reliable and inexpensive to operate.

It got pretty cramped as we added gear over the years. Plus, we extended our season into cooler Spring and Fall, so people started bringing full changes of clothes and such. I had to start asking them to minimise the luggage. :-) Plus, planning was a problem, because there would always be several "maybe" answers and space was limited. Many times, I had to turn people away because the boat was full.

We did mainly tubing, kneeboarding and some wakeboarding for most of those years. Unbeknownst to me, our wakeboard was a really lame beginner board. It was asymmerical and had sandal bindings. I simply had not joined with any real or virtual wakeboarding community to know that my terrible technique and increasingly bad knee could be greatly improved with better information and better gear. When someone new joined the crew and lent me his board, I immediately knew that improvements were in order. That was in 2004.

I investigated making upgrades to my boat, but eventually had to give up on that idea. My boat was simply too small, and its hull was not designed to support a tower. I looked at some bigger I/O models. The best one that I could by locally would be the "Wakeboard Edition" of a 20' Glastron I/O. Uh, no thanks.

I did not know the brands at all. I almost skipped by the Moomba brand entirely, because I mised it up with Maxum (sport-model sibling to Bayliner). The only reason that I rediscovered Moomba was that I had seen that Tige had reverse-facing stadium seating, and I searched around for other brands that also had it. The only one was Moomba, which also turned out to be the only good brand with mid-range pricing. All the others were competing to be as luxurious and expensive as possible. I'm more of a buyer of Toyota, not Lexus.

I test-drove a 2005 LSV in December 2004, in a snowstorm (I took video so that I'd be believed). Then I went to another dealer in another town who had an XLV in the showroom. That was obviously more of what I wanted. I knew that, if I bought the LSV, I'd soon get "two-foot-itis" and want to upgrade. The XLV did not cost that much more, so I went straight to it.

It's been great. I also upgraded my board and boots a couple of times. My skill level is still mediocre at best, but at least I can work on that, rather than blaming my gear. Planning is much easier, since I can accommodate a wide range of crew size. There is even enough room for a hydrofoil, which basically doubles the value of the boating experience (it can be used when the water is too rough for wakeboarding). My biggest problem now is that many friends are having babies and do not come out for day trips very often. I have to recruit new crewmembers continuously. Oh, well.