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I am getting ready to take the new boat plunge and am looking for some professional opinions. I have been doing my research and have read about Ski Sanger, Malibu, Calabria and the list goes on and on. Just when I thought I knew them all I find a Moomba Mobius SLV for sale in Lancaster. I know you might be a little bias on this sight, but how does the Moomba stack up against the rest of the boats on the market?
The Moomba LSV has been called the Chevrolet of the boat world, or the F150 if you prefer trucks. As in it does it all, and it does it at a much lower price.
Ski Snager, Malibu, and Calabria are all nice boats but they are really not that much different when you look at them and a Moomba. They just tend to have more high end luxury items like a Lexus over a Toyota, same drive train, simular hulls, simular looks but one has extra bling.
1 thing you need to ask yourself, what do you plan to do behind your boat?
Are you a tube puller?
Are you just a cruse and then sit and party?
Wake boarder?
Wake Surfer?
Wake Skater?
Water Skier?
Anyboat will do most of them but if you have a passion for one over the other then certain boats shine and other flounder.
The LSV is what i call the family man boat.
It has everything you need to do all the above sports and you can get them at an affordable price. The LSV is also one of the few boats that truly hold its value in the market.
Exp- i bought mine 4 years ago, and just sold it for 2500 less then i paid 4 years ago. Not to many boats out there hold that value, and thats because just like when you buy new, the more options you pick, the more value goes down.
What holds a Moomba's value to me is the boat and running gear.
No wood in the boat, so Moomba gives a Life time hull warrenty, its all fiberglass and alluminum.
The engines are proven Idmar 5.7 small block Chevy engines.
Drive train is proven Marine V drives and transmisions. <sorry cant recall the make>
The Moomba also sticks to traditional guages, controls, switches. All of which can be replaced if needed but there simplicity is what makes them hardly ever fail.
Step into a more expensive boat and you get touch screens, digital dash, controls and while they are are all very very nice these are more things to go bad over time.
I like to think of Moomba as the older built cars, they are tuff, and will run forever, but they are built to perform and handle like the new cars of today.
Not to throw another boat name at you but Supra, is another brand you need to look at.
Its the Sister company to Moomba and has all the fancy upgraded items like a Caddy would have.
Not to mention one of the best things about buying a Moomba, Supra is this site. Theres tons of members that have been around 5-10+ years and by fare from a Forum standpoint this is a big family. Theres tons of threads on How to fix this or that. Upgrade this and that, or just general boat lovers wanting to chat about anything.
This site is by fare my favorite forum ever and its because of the people.
Malibu is one of the "Top Three" boats known in the waterski and wakeboarding world. What does that mean to me. They have, in the past, done a lot of R&D in boats and created new models more often the the average. They also spend a lot of money on advertising to get their name out. They use Indmar engines, have a strong dealer network, and are of good quality.
Sanger and Calabria are two smaller boat companies with a stronger presence on the West Coast. Sanger has made a name for itself as a barefoot boat. I don't know enough about them as far as dealer network or overall quality to make a proper eval. I would strongly suggest that you do research on both prior to making a purchase.
Moomba is also Supra (under Skiers Choice and made in the same building). Moomba entered the market in the 90s as a budget boat (and it showed). Over time, they have improved quality and workmanship. If you research the materials used by Moomba, you will find them to be the same as MC and Malibu (Engines, gel coats, carpets, guages, etc). Moomba has a large dealer network and is (Skiers Choice) in the top three in boat sales.
I purchased my 2008 new. I have had one issue with the ignition switch ($20 repair). When comparing to my 1999 Malibu Sportster that I purchased new in 1999, the Moomba has better build quality(IMO). Of course, that is kind of an apples to oranges comparo. I have gotten more than expected in terms of quality. While I understand bling costs extra money, I can't understand why a similar CC or MC retails for about $20K more.
Given your options listed, I would chose Malibu or Moomba over the other two. MC and CC also make quality boats and would recommend those also. Determine what watersports you are trying to do and your budget. Then making a boat choice gets easier (or sometimes, more difficult). Good luck
group hug time
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LO-fookinL!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by jpetty3023
Not to sound like a homer but we love the Moomba brand. You don't see a lot of Moombas on the water which is cool. I think Malibu's are awesome though... if you have 80k to spend.
for the money and my personal experiance with the brand, you just cant go wrong with Moomba--3 so far and no issues
if you want more bling -up to a Supra and up your spending 5k??
want name reconition-up to Mastercraft and up your spending around 15-20k??
I think before you can answer this question, you need to post up what budget and year you are looking for and what are your intentions with the boat. moomba builds a great boat at a great pricepoint and most of them will do most watersports well, but there are differences between the model.
if you primarily surf and are buying new, go mojo. used, look for an xlv. if you are a slalom skier, look for the outback v.
new, there will not be many boats that will offer the same value per $$ as moomba will, however if you are looking used, then there are lots of options open..
What year and model.
Ditto a lot mike said.
I bought a new 12 last year from an 07, and I looked elsewhere , especially having a friend with a mc and a cc, but really love the supra and Moomba line, the dealer and forum had alot to do with the final decision.
Skiers choice won't disappoint.