Buying my first Wakeboat.......is Moomba for me?

[CFD3Captain]

First...HELLO! I have been lurking here for a week or better now and figured it was time to register and introduce myself and start asking questions As the title states....I am thinking about buying my first wake boat because I want to SURF! I like to wakeboard and will do it occasionally but there is something about getting older and injuries. I can't afford to get hurt because I am a firefighter and we have no light duty. I have tried surfing some behind my current boat and am hooked (more on that later) Anyhow, I have my search down to Moomba and Supreme. I arrived here based on a few things, first and foremost is price. I don't want too old of a boat that shows wear. Second is service / dealer. I have looked around the State (Ohio) and there are not that many dealers of wake boats. There is a Moomba dealer in Akron as well as a MasterCraft dealer. There are no Supreme / Centurion dealers in the State (that I could find). Supreme is the boat I initially fell in love with, but with no dealers close it would be foolish to buy one. So Moomba is taking the lead.

My current boat is a 2013 Yamaha Jet boat. GREAT boat, my second one actually, but is not capable of surfing or at least doing so safely and witout bags everywhere. It's a great family boat and we love it, but it's missing a few things.......Hidden ballast capable of throwing a decent surf wave and a sun pad for the wife. Other than that it has it all. I even installed Perfect Pass on it PP is a must for any water sport on the jet boats IMO. Especially with the wife driving . I am not sure of my budget, but I would really like to be under 45k. Of course I have to sell my current boat as well, but that hopefully won't be too hard.

So is Moomba right for me? I initially looked at the Mondo's but I don't think I can get one into my budget, so I am looking at LSV's. I don't mind listing the boat to surf (thats how I tried it on the Yamaha) as long as the list isn't crazy and I don't have to have bags on the seats. I don't need some super tournament wave, I just want something I can lose the rope with. Will the cruise suit me, seeing that I have used a perfect pass system? What do I need to look out for? I am sure I forgot something and I am sure (hopefully) you guys will have a few questions for me as well. I am a big forums / family guy. We have a great group over at the Jetboaters site and I am excited to see a family as such here

[tater]

E-Mail sent Cory good luck sent you my dealers contact info as well.

[deerfield]

Hey, Captain - I leave it to other guys to address the heart of your surf question and an LSV. I am a skier with an '07 Moomba Outback. I can confirm that Skiers Choice makes a product that has performed near flawless for me for eight years. For price, quality, and factory support, hard to beat a Moomba. Welcome to the forum. - Deerfield

[CFD3Captain]

Thanks Jim! Got the email and replied back.

Thanks for the encouraging words Deerfield.

[WhiskeyRunner]

the quality of the product and the people behind it are top notch. Moomba was my first wakeboarding boat (I was nearly a jet boat owner) and I will never look for anything else. The amount of seating is overlooked sometimes, it's roomy and comfortable, especially with a whole family on the boat. I would also put a heavy emphasis on the local aspect. When you have to do repairs or take it out of the water for service, proximity is key. All that being said, I too had a smaller budget but pulled the trigger on a new Mondo and didn't really tell the wife all the costs . I can say every dollar was well spent and I'm really happy with my investment. Good luck if you stay in the 45k range, maybe get something 2-3 years older, they are still reliable quality boats that hold up.

[mmandley]

I owned an 08 LSV as my first boat and I will say with a little ballast upgrade work they surf really well. I loved that boat and still hold a special place for them. They are easy to find in your price range and only a couple years old. If you do look at getting an LSV I would recommend the 2010 models and up. Mainly because the ballast pumps are the newer impeller style, much faster and less issues normally then the older aerator style. Also the 2010 has the fuel pump in the tank and this will eliminate vapor lock issues some people experience in hotter conditions.

I have spent more then 1 day in a Supreme. Unless you can find a newer one with the Surf tabs then you will be in the more classic list style boat.
What I liked about them was like Moomba they don't have computers and lots of gizmoes to go bad.
The surf wave was really nice and smooth and was great to ride on.
What I didn't care for was:
1 Dash looked plain and boring
2 Seat storage is very low, because they use the space above the seats for your back and to make you sit deep in the boat.
3 due to sitting so deep in the boat my shoulder would hurt when I rested my arm on the gunnel
4 Boat lists extreamly over when surfing, so fare that I could see under the edge of the hull on the non surf side. First boat I ever seen lean that hard.

The new redesigned Supreme is much better in all categories but then you have a big step in price.


I honestly think in your price bracket you can't go wrong with an LSV. The only reason we sold ours was we wanted more room in the boat. We typically have 7-10 people on the weekends and this was a bit crowded in the LSV.

[kaneboats]

The Moomba LSV got a new hull in 2006 so any of them will surf great with the right setup. It changed again to a little taller cap on top of the hull in 2013, I believe so those models would be a little more (besides the fact they are newer). Any of them will surf like crazy but the older ones benefit from ballast plus a surf gate that you can make yourself. Run a search on "ghetto gate" and see what you find. You can buy a budget boat and surf like a pro. Good luck!

[beat taco]

Yes it is! I would get on selling your boat and buy this: https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=27015
You'll thank me later.

[smorris7]

Yes it is! I would get on selling your boat and buy this: https://forum.moomba.com/showthread.php?t=27015
You'll thank me later.

I will second this! Been on this boat many times. Boat is basically brand new and VERY well cared for alway garage kept. You will not find a better boat got the price. Surf wave is awesome! All the upgrades are already done!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CFD3Captain]

Thanks guys. One question I didn't ask is about maintenance and winterization. I like to do all that I can myself. There is little to no winterization on the Yamaha. Hell, technically I winterize it every time I pull out (blow out like jet ski). Is there too much to these boats? I don't mind a few hours work so long as it's not too difficult.

Oh and do these boats have mechanical throttle linkage? (Depending on year I suppose). I was thinking about pulling my perfect pass off the Yamaha and reinstalling on next boat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk