12 Hour Update

[TimGT3]

After taking delivery of my '06 Outback in May, I have now reached 12.8 hours... Just thought that I would give a little update of my thoughts and experiences thus far.

First off, I have experienced no problems/issues either mechanical or with construction. The only modification needed was on the mirror mounting as the factory "pad" that snaps onto the clamp screw is too thick to slide over the windshield. The store replaced it with a thinner piece of plastic when I brought it in for the first oil change.

That brings me to the service side. Following Indmar recommendations, I had the first oil change performed at 12 hours by the dealer along with the initial 12 hour items (shaft alignment, systems inspections, inspect tranny fluid, etc.) for just under $200. I delivered the boat to them on a Tuesday evening and it was done the following day. Very happy with that.

Lake Norman, where the launch just 2 miles down the road, is just a little choppy for my liking and very difficult to get good free ski runs in. For the last two outtings I have been taking it down to the next lake in the chain, Mountain Island Lake which is a 15 minute tow. The lake is much smaller (can cover the lake end to end in about 20 minutes) but it is extremely water sport friendly. There are several other Moombas which frequent the lake as well. We're having a great time there!

My only problems thus far are with the lights on my tow vehicle (1990 F150 4WD) -- I keep blowing the fuse for the running lights whenever I hook the trailer up and just the other day, I temporarially lost my turn signals / backup lights. I'll have to take it to a trailer shop to have the entire electrical system looked at. Lastly is my driving ability -- I seem to be getting worse at loading onto the trailer. I have difficulty with steering and directing the boat at low speeds. When loading, I can have the boat lined up with the trailer, but it seems as soon as I get close to the trailer, the front rotates too far to the left and/or the rear rotates too far to the right. My newest method is to aim for the right guide pole and as a result, the boat automatically pivots perfectly straight onto the trailer. Oh, and I still have yet to fully get the hang of reverse.

Other misc notes: The bow filler cushion is more of an annoyance than anything else -- It is difficult to get in place, and when not in use, it takes up a good chunk of storage. The boat cover support rods double nicely as an engine cover prop rod. EVERYONE has smacked their head on the bimini top at least once -- I'm contemplating hanging caution tape on the ends of it. Despite what a lot of people say here, the fuel gauge works perfectly. I have estimated an average useage of about 4 gallons/hour; approx. 6 hours between trips to the pump.

All in all, these first 12+ hours have been very enjoyable. Hopefully it will remain this way for the entire life of the boat. Moomba has done a very nice job and my dealer seems to be top notch. Thumbs up all 'round.

Tim

[NCSUmoomba]

Welcome to Moomba ownership! I'm glad you are enjoying it, I just bought my 01 Outback last August and have put about 50 hours on it since then. I am in Durham, and you know how NC weather is, so I didn't get to use it much last year before the water started getting cold. As far as loading it on the trailer, at idle speeds, inboards don't really handle great, and in reverse, they just go wherever they want to. As soon as you take it out of gear if there is any wind or current at all, it will start to spin. I just keep bumping the boat into gear to keep some foreward momentum so I can still steer. Usually, the less steering input you put in, the better it is. It is really easy to "overdrive" the boat trying to line it up with the trailer. You will get the hang of it, and as long as you get it close, the trailer is designed well enough to put the boat where it is supposed to go. As far as the trailer lights, that seems kind of odd. The problem I had pulling my boat with my 1989 Ranger, was the original turn signal flasher wasn't powerful enough and the lights would dim. But I replaced that with an electronic flasher and everything was fine. Good luck and enjoy the boat!

-Brian

[Buttafewcoe]

Ah....another NC Moomba Boater..........no doubt bought from Westport. Chad and the boys are great.
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You may want to try Lake Hickory through the week. Long and straight rides. We were out yesterday morning. 8:30 am, already over 80 degree, glass, so we sacked up and rode till noon. Good times, I tell ya. And the sand bar on the weekend is a great party spot.
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A tip on launching and retrieving.........do not have boards and bimini deployed while putting in and coming out. The least little wind and they act as sails, catching air and pushing you off course. Also, as in the previous post, bumping in and out of gear to help maintain direction is a plus.
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Welcome, and enjoy
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B
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[smokedog2]

120 hours as of this weekend - ditto except no tow vehicle issues. Well, up hill the Yukon XL shows an instant 6 MPG with the boat in tow.

SD2

[JC_N_NC]

Another NC here. We're in Greensboro.

If you're looking for Moomba country it has to be Belews Creek near Carolina Marina. It seems there are 5-6 out there most nights. Thinking back that may be the reason we bought our Moomba in June. Everyone had great things to say about the boat. As for the dealership (Grandpa's) the jury is still out. They have the boat now for the 20 hours service. Buying from them was no hassle (we stroked a check so how could it be) but there just seems to be this air about them that they want to get as much out of you as possible.

[qb12]

jc, does grandpa's still have that orange 06 lsv for sale?

I think he was one of the first to receive the new lsv's and last time I checked on boattrader it was still for sale.

[csaj4506]

I found that the depth of the trailer is the trick to loading.

I back the trailer in until the top of the fender is about 2" out of the water. Then leave the boat in gear so you can steer and drive the boat on until the trailer catches the boat. Make sure everything is lined up and then drive the boat on up the trailer until it catches on the front roller.