Better ski boat

I was wondering if the Mobius LS is a better ski boat than an Outback V.

I was told by a dealer, and I am surprised that I never noticed this before, that the Mobius LS and the Outback LS are the same exact boat except for the standard options. I have been considering buying the Outback V but my wife likes the deeper LS because she feels more like she is "in" the boat instead of "on" it. Has anyone had a chance to slalom behind both? I slalom pretty aggressive in open water with a long line for the most part and I would like to have the better ski boat of the two. Both boats I am looking at have the Hydraulic Wake Plate. Any insight or input would be appreciated!

The LS and LSV are the same hull in both Outback and Mobius badges. 4 boats all the same hull. The LS is a direct drive, and the LSV is a V- Drive. The Mobius LS/LSV comes standard with Tower and ballast, the Outback LS/LSV does not.

The Outback V however is the same boat as the 2005 Mobius LSV.

The 2006/2007 "L" line hull does have a higher freeboard. You DO feel like you are in vs on. That is noticable.

The wake is "different" from V to LS to LSV - hard to say better or worse. The newer hull is larger, heavier, and wider - so the wake SHOULD be higher, and wider accordingly. I think it is, I have seen both.

The Direct Drive version has a slightly smaller wake than the LSV because of the weight distribution.

You really should compare the V to an LSV otherwise there are too many things that are different. You loose all the family / friends orientation in the direct drives - much less room for people and stuff. Direct drives are currently laid out more like a ski boat and less like a family boat.

I think the difference of the direct drive LS counteracts the smaller hull on the V. I think the V is the best trade off now, but it does have the slight on vs in feeling. Check out the LSV and that is all of the above.

As far as sking wakes - all of them will have moderatly good ski wakes - since all are wakeboard hulls NOT ski hulls. If you want a ski wake - go to the plain old outback - small, light, flat. If you are long line skiing, move to a slightly shorter line - say 55 or 60 and you will have a very nice ride behind any of the v-drives with the plate down. If you are coming from an I/O - night and day better !!!

Hope this helps,

Joe

Hey Joe, thanks for the information. It is greatly appreciated. I was able to drive up to Dallas on Wed. and tested the Outback V. I was able to ski behind it but had to borrow a ski (65" instead of the 67" I usually ski on) and a rope (which was a lot shorter than what I am used to) because I do not have my own at the moment. I am not sure how long the rope was exactly but I felt like I was kind of on the rooster tail. Felt like a single large wake as oppoised to two. I am pretty sure the rope was a least 20 off. Overall, not a good experience.

I am used to skiing behind an old I/O but an I/O with a much smaller wake than most I/O's on the market. It is a 17' runabout 130 HP but a nice ski boat.

I am sure that if I had the right equipment I would have enjoyed the skiing a little more. That said, just by looking at the wake, it still seemed considerably larger than what I am used to. Based on this I was considering the Mobius LS. It is only about 150 lbs. heavier than the Outback V and is direct drive so, as you said, better weight distribution for skiing. With the different hull though I am not sure if I would like it more or not. Unfortunately, the dealer did not have a Outback LS or Mobius LS we could test out on such short notice. Being as we live so far from the dealer (over 7 hours), I am not sure when we can get back to test the other out.

I did order a ski and a rope so I will be better prepared when we do go back! If the wakes are the same, I think we will go with the Mobius because of the higher freeboard. The dealer said he thought that the Mobius LS would have a littel better ski wake than the Outback V, but I wanted to get some second opinions before committing to anything.

I hate to tell you this but if you are planning on doing hard core slalom skiing in the future, like doing the slalom course, the only boat that Moomba has to offer is the Outback. At 15' off, the wake is nice. At 22' to 28' off, the wake has a bump that only a few boat manufacturers has been able to eliminate. Barefooting at higher speeds are fine. But, you must remember that it's Moomba wakeboard boats.

I have a Outback LS. The wake is really soft at 30+ mph. I do not ski a course but I do ski at 15 off and really enjoy being behind this boat.

The Outback is a true AWSA certified three-event tournament ski boat.
It can be ordered with a wakeboard package that adds both a tower and a ballast bag. For families with young kids or intermediate wakeboarding needs, the Outback does more than a good job. If waterskiing is your primary issue, the Outback will make you happy for many years to come.

The LS adds 300 pounds, 1' in length, 2" at the beam and 200 pounds in weight. It also comes with a little more bling than the base Outback. You get a bigger gas tank (6 gallons), more ballast capacity, and room for a few more passengers.

The Outback is a true core waterski boat. The LS moves you slightly more towards the wakeboard side.

One last note. Independent surveys have shown that a 5-year old Outback retains 85% of its resale value. Just food for thought as we enter into boat show season.