Older hulls for surfing? Unhappy Moomba owner

[resko1]

So can anyone tell me differences in the moomba hulls? I have a 97 outback and while others say it throws an awesome wave, im skeptical. Its one of those in between years when united marine built the boats, not skiers choice. I picked it up for 8k towards the end of last summer. tried a little wakeboarding at the end of the year and it wasn't very good. The boat is beat up. One of the floor boards is soft between the observers seat and captains chair, The carpet is horrible, most of the interior was redone and wasnt a perfect job, (all thats left is the capt chair and observers seat) The hull has black marks all over it from loading on the trailer without pole socks. I guess im just kinda disgusted with it. Engine runs good and has 540hrs on it despite vibration from the chipped up prop.
But ehh. Its a starter boat right? One ill never get my value back out of.





So this year we decided to try and surf. This 97 model has the 2 stupid back seats that come out and really are pointless. No sun deck either. So we added a fat seat in the rear. About 700# across the back where the seats were and only filled one of the arms on the surf side for 200#. To my surprise the wave was huge. Very steep and close to the boat. So i added another 450# sack in the front walkway and bam, it lengthened out and didn't really lose its size. To me, the wake was excellent for us amateurs. Plenty of push even for big guys and i'm 260#. I'm making a suck gate this week to try out next weekend so we don't have to list the crap out of the boat. I mainly drive because i'm nervous about others attempting it. We sit close to the rub rail in the back and the bow is crazy low. So bad i have to "cut" back through my wake by full throttling or else we take on 3" of water in the boat. Its annoying and a bugger to drive! Not mention if anyone else is around us i can't pick up my rider cause i have to power over their wake too. Even if its small.

So i guess i'm kinda annoyed with the boat. I have 2 buddies that come out with us and one has a supra launch, the other an air nautique. They're always having a good time, not a care in the world, and here i am trying not to sink my boat! I find myself constantly browsing craigslist and forums for a new boat. Lusting over these big V drives, malibus, nautiques, and other top tier boats. Ive come across a lot of good deals and im trying to tell myself to dump this POS and start over. But a part of me says keep it cause that wave your producing, is bigger and longer then either of your buddies boats. My wife says keep it and redo it. New acme 913 prop, redo carpet and build a new rear bench seat with built in ballast, redo interior that's not done, buff the hull, maybe freshen up the gauges and dash with a hydrodip.

Sorry for the rant guys. I guess im just stuck and looking for maybe some wise suggestions and opinions before i do the wrong thing. Is this old shallow boat really a beast? Or should i move on? I dont know but its driving me nuts.

And oh yeah. Some surf pics from a few weeks ago with all bags filled and 6 people in the boat. Sorry for the crappy pics. We only had video so i had to make screenshots.

[resko1]

[parrothd]

Those boats are designed to do one thing very well, produce a very small wake for skiing, and not much else.

If you want to entertain people and surf you should be looking at the vdrives. I'd work with what you have and save up for an 06+ lsv in the lower 20k$$ range.

[markthered]

Well, you asked, so my four points (and I have a 2011 Supra Launch 22V):
1) If you want to spend the money, you can do anything.... No brainer, I know, but at the end of the day, it's about your money and how you want to spend it. As parrothd said, you can work with what you have for a bit, not have to spend much, save up for something else, and probably get most or all of your 8k back, I would think. How much do you want to spend, realizing you would need 20K for 06, 40K for 2012, and so on....
2) There is always something newer, bigger, and better. With my 2011, I'm looking at 2014s and saying man, I wish my boat had that, and 2015s, 2016s, etc.
3) I have to heavily weight my 2011, and waves are an issue. When my surfer is down, I slightly turn the wheel away from the surf side and put the boat in neutral. My surf wave then rolls on past me, and with the slight turn I made, it actually turns the boat even more. I also have the wave passing my on the higher side of my boat. I then idle up to my surfer, so I don't have any waves to deal with (in normal circumstances). I've certainly taken my fair share of water on in the bow, but that rarely happens now.
4) For entertaining, it's impossible to beat the vdrives - the seating and layout is dramatically larger than the DD. If you do, though, don't be surprised when you give up some top end speed. We easily have 10 in our boat, well within weight rating and with plenty of room. Granted, at times I need a larger bimini....

So, you've got a great boat, if you have the budget to upgrade, awesome, if not, I see plenty of people on here and on the Supra forum who are having great experiences with their 90's boats.

[sivs1]

This is a tough thread for me, calling a Moomba a POS because it does not do what you want it to when it is not really designed to do what you want it too is unfair.

Boats will always have cosmetic issues, my 06 LSV had all new interior and still had issues, my 13 SA in almost perfect condition has issues. You will never get v-drive type of performance for surfing out of a DD. I ride behind a buddies Master Craft DD, yes i can surf it but I cannot go ropeless.

I have swamped my Moomba LSV and I have swamped my Supra SA. Full ballast on my Moomba was 2,500 and full ballast on my Supra is 3,500. It's all about learning to handle what you have, as stated above, don't turn back into your wake, let it pass. you can see pictures of a Mojo riding deep to the rail as well as any other boat brand out there.

Good luck on your decision, nothing is simple and out of the box it all has to be dialed in.

[resko1]

Its kinda where ive been at. Use the boat for another season and try and sell it this time next year. The question is is it worth sticking any money into? From all the reading and talking with people, this boat is the bottom of the cracker barrel so to say.
And i have been looking at v drives but the price is outrageous up in the northern states. My max is 20k and i havent found a v yet under that. Closest was a guy with a 95 super sport nautique with 800hrs and he still wanted 22k for his boat. Said "wont budge on price. I know everyone wants these to surf or whatever". And the 2nd one was a 00 moomba kamberra in ohio. But again he wanted 24k for that but did have low hours at 350 but minor damage to rub rail and hull. If ive learned one thing in my short time as a boat owner, its that other boat owners are super picky! Keep them in immaculate shape kinda like you would a ferrari or rolls royce.
But if i travel far, my options open. Found a guy in conneticut with a malibu sunsetter lsv for 19k. Excellent shape. If i could find a mobius lsv in my price range i would be all over it. I rode a 06 lsv with stock ballasts full and 450# sack on the surf side and it blew my boat out of the water.

[resko1]

This is a tough thread for me, calling a Moomba a POS because it does not do what you want it to when it is not really designed to do what you want it too is unfair.

Boats will always have cosmetic issues, my 06 LSV had all new interior and still had issues, my 13 SA in almost perfect condition has issues. You will never get v-drive type of performance for surfing out of a DD. I ride behind a buddies Master Craft DD, yes i can surf it but I cannot go ropeless.

I have swamped my Moomba LSV and I have swamped my Supra SA. Full ballast on my Moomba was 2,500 and full ballast on my Supra is 3,500. It's all about learning to handle what you have, as stated above, don't turn back into your wake, let it pass. you can see pictures of a Mojo riding deep to the rail as well as any other boat brand out there.

Good luck on your decision, nothing is simple and out of the box it all has to be dialed in.

I guess you are right. Its not a POS but somedays i feel that way when im on the water next to a 04 launch and a 01 air nautique. I have a hell of a time getting anyone on the boat with us when a nose is turned in the air to it. 90% of the time its just me, my wife, and our 16yrold kid. My wife refuses to drive thinking she might sink us and ive tried getting our kid to learn but it makes it difficult for me to get up since she is just learning to drive and has to do it manual (no perfect pass). If i want to surf, i have to jump on one of my buddies boats and abandon mine. And lets face it. A day on the water is much better with a few friends to help out and have conversation with.

[dusty2221]

Have you tried building a Suck Gate and seeing if it helped the wave?

[zabooda]

First a compliment as that is the best surf wave I've seen from a Moomba DD. The bad news is you are using a platform that was never designed to do what you are doing. You need the right tool for the job and the DD is not the one.

[resko1]

Have you tried building a Suck Gate and seeing if it helped the wave?

I tried making a ronix version out of 1/2" plywood to test. It was a bear! Did more harm then good since it could only put it in one location with the velcro. And i could not turn that direction at all when coming around to get a ride. We quickly abandoned it. But i picked up a seastow handle last week and my hdpe sheet will be here today. Im hoping with the suction cups i can find the sweet spot i need. Its tough though cause the last 2ft of the hull is a big curve, not boxy like most boats.