Help with a boat purchase

Hi everyone - new member to the forums and basically a new potential owner as well looking for some advice on a boat that I looked at today.

The boat is a 2003 Moomba Mobius LSV. The engine has 655 hours on it, it has perfect pass, tower, tower lights, stereo, a 310 HP engine, ski locker ballast, etc. The questions I have are below - I would appreciate any feedback anyone can provide:

1.) The engine is a 310 HP carburetor engine. Any issues with this over one with Fuel injection on it? The carb was rebuilt about a year ago and the dealer has serviced it for at least the last 8 years and can provider service records for it.

2.) The ballast in the boat is just in the ski locker. I can easily plumb more into the rear lockers but with it being a relatively shallow boat I am wondering what size of bags to put into it to get the best wake. Also if anyone has pictures of the wake from this boat with the ballast setups I would appreciate it. The boat does have the wake plate to help clean the wake up.

3.) The boat is on a single axel trailer. A majority of my towing will be done within 5-10 miles of my house so I don't think this will be an issue but wanted to get opinions just to make sure.

4.) Any general feedback? They want $23,500 for the boat - not sure if this is too high or not quite yet but still researching that some more. Otherwise for those that have had the boat what did you like/dislike about it - anything that I should be looking out for? The boat is in really good condition from what I saw just looking at it - want to make sure I am covering myself.

Thanks for the input!
Jeff

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Originally Posted by garveyj

Hi everyone - new member to the forums and basically a new potential owner as well looking for some advice on a boat that I looked at today.

The boat is a 2003 Moomba Mobius LSV. The engine has 655 hours on it, it has perfect pass, tower, tower lights, stereo, a 310 HP engine, ski locker ballast, etc. The questions I have are below - I would appreciate any feedback anyone can provide:

1.) The engine is a 310 HP carburetor engine. Any issues with this over one with Fuel injection on it? The carb was rebuilt about a year ago and the dealer has serviced it for at least the last 8 years and can provider service records for it.

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Sounds like the dealer can verify it, I only had the EFI. So I can't speak to the carb but many members are still going stron on older carb indmar engines

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garveyj

2.) The ballast in the boat is just in the ski locker. I can easily plumb more into the rear lockers but with it being a relatively shallow boat I am wondering what size of bags to put into it to get the best wake. Also if anyone has pictures of the wake from this boat with the ballast setups I would appreciate it. The boat does have the wake plate to help clean the wake up.

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The Lsv up to 2005 and the 06 to 08 obv have the same hull. You can search a lot, but many of s loaded our boats pretty good. I upgraded from GI to GIII plus the bow sac, 400 in the center, 750 in the rears and 650 in the bow.

i had the stock prop 13 x 17.5 and it struggled when all loaded. Search can you surf and obv on here. Lots of good pic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garveyj

3.) The boat is on a single axel trailer. A majority of my towing will be done within 5-10 miles of my house so I don't think this will be an issue but wanted to get opinions just to make sure.

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singe is just fine , boat only weighs 3 k

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garveyj

4.) Any general feedback? They want $23,500 for the boat - not sure if this is too high or not quite yet but still researching that some more. Otherwise for those that have had the boat what did you like/dislike about it - anything that I should be looking out for? The boat is in really good condition from what I saw just looking at it - want to make sure I am covering myself.

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With 650 hrs and 10 years you should be able to wiggle them down a little but depends on what part of the country you are in..

we were very happy with our obv for fours seasons.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garveyj

Thanks for the input!
Jeff

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The most important factor is the condition of the boat. You can do a NADA search to see what the "book value" is and maybe use that in your argument. Post up a pic or two if you have access to any. We'd love to see what she looks like. Also, tell us what part of the country you are in. Good luck!

The boat I had previous was an '83 Mastercraft with 351 carborated Windosr motor. I loved the motor, you could actually work on it. Can you post a link with pics?

Also, I have a single axel trailer and have had no issues. Usually tow 30 min one way when we aren't hold up in the slip.

I don't have any super pics - just what we took when we went to look at it. overall the boat is in great shape.

Here are a few pics I took:
http://www.gahvey.com/Pics/Boat/IMG_2465.jpg
http://www.gahvey.com/Pics/Boat/IMG_2468.jpg
http://www.gahvey.com/Pics/Boat/IMG_2470.jpg

I don't have any super pics - just what we took when we went to look at it. overall the boat is in great shape.

Here are a few pics I took:
http://www.gahvey.com/Pics/Boat/IMG_2465.jpg
http://www.gahvey.com/Pics/Boat/IMG_2468.jpg
http://www.gahvey.com/Pics/Boat/IMG_2470.jpg

will only comment on #3.
old supra was on a single axle. new boat is dual axle. that single axle was a dream to move around the garage and it's overall ability to be positioned without a vehicle was awesome. dual axle won't budge from it's spot at all and even getting the tongue to move a foot or so is a complete chore.
towing, the single towed just fine, but it did have a lot more "bounce" than the dual currently. I never towed more than 15 miles to the ramp so the single was fine. that being said, I just towed the boat 1800miles to it's new home and I'm very glad I had a dual. a flat at 70 on a single could be a recipe for disaster. the extra peace of mind was worth it. if I was comparing 2 boats, I'd take the dual axle every time, but would not discount a new boat due to a single trailer..
my .02.. good luck..

My buddy had a 2000(?) Outback with a carb'd 350. He ran it for years and I drove/rode it more than a couple times. We had zero issues with it, the perfect pass held speed well. I put A LOT of hours in a carb'd 98'(?) Malibu and had zero issues with that as well. 655 hours is nothing to worry about, have a compression check done on the engine and do a visual inspection for possible overheats (scorched mufflers, missing paint on RWP, etc.). I'd plan to reprop this boat if it is still running the original but wait to see what your top speed/rpms are once you have the ballast full first to ensure to get max performance.

I've not ridden this gen LSV so I can't comment on the wake size but I would def. beef up the ballast system. Pretty sure you know the right peeps to get that done. A quick measurement of the rear storage will let you know what bags will work but my guess is V-Drive sacs will fit really well with 750lb'rs ending up a bit to big. I'm not sure if you guys are skiing but if you are not 150lbs of lead under the bags will really help maximize wake if you can't fit 750's in the rear lockers. Depending on the boat I've countered that lead with 75-150 in the bow, keep in mind you need the boat to be correctly balanced on the trailer, to much weight in the back and the trailer will sway like CRAZY going down the freeway.

I like single axle trailers, easier to move by hand once in the garage. Make sure to get a spare just in case you have a blow out. Heather and I took an X-14V north of Emily, MN last year with no worries.

We sold an 04' LSV with similar hours for around 25K. We had already upgraded the ballast, installed surf tabs and some other options so $23,500 is in the range but obviously try to work them down (since it's not on our lot!).

Best of luck!

I've had a blow out with a single axle at 70 mph. Not that bad. Towing with a Suburban though. I like the single axle as I've always had to move around in tricky garage spaces and I can move it myself-- no prob.

Looks like a nice clean boat. Gonna need a hair dryer though. That year had hideous graphics but you can update and make it look like a 2008 if you want to.

Nice looking boat, but I'd loose the barbie swoosh and get some updated graphics and it will look even better.

nothing wrong with a single axle for that hull or getting a carb motor-properly taken care of they last a long long time with no troubles

Thanks Berg for the clean up..:cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by garveyj

Hi everyone - new member to the forums and basically a new potential owner as well looking for some advice on a boat that I looked at today.

The boat is a 2003 Moomba Mobius LSV. The engine has 655 hours on it, it has perfect pass, tower, tower lights, stereo, a 310 HP engine, ski locker ballast, etc. The questions I have are below - I would appreciate any feedback anyone can provide:

1.) The engine is a 310 HP carburetor engine. Any issues with this over one with Fuel injection on it? The carb was rebuilt about a year ago and the dealer has serviced it for at least the last 8 years and can provider service records for it.

2.) The ballast in the boat is just in the ski locker. I can easily plumb more into the rear lockers but with it being a relatively shallow boat I am wondering what size of bags to put into it to get the best wake. Also if anyone has pictures of the wake from this boat with the ballast setups I would appreciate it. The boat does have the wake plate to help clean the wake up.

3.) The boat is on a single axel trailer. A majority of my towing will be done within 5-10 miles of my house so I don't think this will be an issue but wanted to get opinions just to make sure.

4.) Any general feedback? They want $23,500 for the boat - not sure if this is too high or not quite yet but still researching that some more. Otherwise for those that have had the boat what did you like/dislike about it - anything that I should be looking out for? The boat is in really good condition from what I saw just looking at it - want to make sure I am covering myself.

Thanks for the input!
Jeff

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I had a 2004 LSV. Identical to what you described this one to be. Loved it. To answer your questions

1. Never an issue with the engine. I now have a 2012 LSV and the EFI does make it respond alot quicker, but never created an issue.
2. Had the same ballast set-up. Never added any bags to mine as I was still learning to Wakeboard. Gave a pretty good wake without any upgrades though. If you are a serious Boarder, adding 400lb or more to each locker is no issue. As a skier, this boat had a much cleaner wake to ski than my 2012. I do miss that a bit.
3. I have never had an issue with my single axle trailer. I do see a lot of positive notes about tandems and wonder what I am missing as I have never towed with one. Could not justify the extra $1200 or so when I ordered my new one as I generally tow less than a mile to the lake and 1 or 2 Vacation trips of a couple hundred miles. No regrets so far on the single axle.
4. Like I said, I actually like the ski wake much better on my '04, but since my ski ability is slowly going down hill, that it not that relevant now. I did truly love this boat and why I bought another LSV. Items that I had to replace were the steering cable as it gets water in it and slowly gets more difficult to turn the wheel and my vinyl really started to crack in a few places. That was probably the biggest reason I bought a new boat as I was feeling the need to replace some of the vinyl and thought might as well spend a little more and get a whole new boat! Sounded good to me anyway and my wife bought in. As for the price, it seems a bit high. I sold mine for just under what you say they are asking and I only had 300hrs, my boat was a year newer and it was last year I sold it. I have been told I did pretty good on the sale price of mine.

Boat does appear to be in good shape. Hope that helps.

Matt

Last year I bought my 2002 LSV with 500hrs, single axle trailer, no ballast but has a shower installed for just under $19k from a private seller in February. I tow a lot and haven't had an issue with the single axle(knock on wood). I just make sure to inspect everything often. I love the boat, the only complaint I have is fuel starvation issue. Every once in a while it stalls out if idling or low rpms to long. A carb rebuild is on my list for this winter, after I install my heater and new ballast system.. :) The boat looks really nice and in good condition, if it is at a dealer make sure to do a compression check on the engine..

i've got an 05 LSV that is nearly identical to yours minus the barbie stripes haha. Single axle trailer is fine and tows like a dream. Mine is a carb engine and runs great. i paid 26K for mine 2 years ago. so they are in the ball park... squeeze em a bit and you will have a great deal!