How to compare Moomba models?

[BensonWdby]

Web site Catdog mentions:
http://bensonwdby.home.comcast.net/

The Full Pass video was shot behind a 99 Mobius with no ballast, 300 lbs of passengers (one driver, one spotter), at 30 MPH in rough water.


I have had the opportunity to ski behind a lot of older boats, but nothing newer than our 99. I have free skied behind our boat with five passengers and maybe one fat
sack.

My experience over the years suggsts that if you are on your edge correctly the wake is not a big deal. At least I don't notice mentally, but it might be effecting my skiing. I don't ski with people who can really tell me what might be influencing my skiing.

I did have a chance to free ski at 40 MPH once this last year as my daughter was learning why we have two speedometers. No wake problem there....

Dave

[Rusten]

Thanks to everyone. I just visited a local Moomba dealer and had a look at the boats. The gel coats and interiors look great - the boats just appear a tad bit lower than others, as cat mentioned.

At this point, I'm having a difficult time determining whether there is really much difference between the Outback LS and Mobius LS.

It sounds as if they essentially have the same hulls, although the Mobius offers the ballast and cage standard. In other words, although the Mobius LS is marketed as more of a wakeboarding boat, its ski wake is just as efficient as the Outback, since a ballast can be deflated and a cage certainly won't affect skiing. Is this a fair statement?

At this point, I guess what I'm getting down to, is what a person gets for the extra cost of a Mobius LS vs. Outback LS - which appears to be the ballast and cage alone. Second, what the trade-off would be from a slalom perspective, which appears to be none.

One other item -- are Moomba's powered by the paddle speedo, and/or easy to upgrade to a Perfect Pass system?

Thanks again for all of the great input!
-Rusten

[waterboy]

I might have to go back and re-read the Waterski Magazine article, but I thought they rated the slalom wakes better on the Outback.

Brian

[jburnside]

Rusten,
Brian is correct the slalom wake on the regular Outback is a touch better than that on the Outback LS. If you intend to ski the course primarily then look at the standard outback. If your search is for a great family boat then the Outback LS or the Mobius LS are great choices. We purchased an '03 Outback LS last year and the boat is great, no problems at all. As for model selection in 2001 and newer models the wake for skiing is identical when you compare the Outback LS and The Mobius direct drive, now called the Mobius LS. You're correct the only difference is tower, ballast, and hydraulic wake plate. All are options on the Outback LS. Perfect Pass is available for all the Moomba models and can be installed by a fairly knowledgable DIYer. The hydraulic wake plate is a must have in my opinion if you intend to try to change between slalom and wakeboarding. The hydraulic plate is contolled by a small stalk on the steering colum and it really does change the shape and attitude of the wake. I do wish that we would have purchased a Modius with the two bag ballast system and tower now. I say that just because I never thought we would get into wakeboarding as much as we have. Now I'm purchasing all that stuff and adding it. Other items I would get if I could go back (still need to convince the wife too) and do it over again are: EFI engine, perfect pass, pop-up cleats, heater, and tandem axle trailer. If you have any other questions send me an e-mail and I'll try to help. Moomba boats are great and I really do love ours. Good luck!

Jeff

[Catdog1]

ditto everything as wishlist items in the last line.


add, depthfinder and spare prop kit.

(Latter might not be needed if you invest in the former.)

[Rusten]

This is such excellent information - thank you so much. This topic of add-ons raise a couple new questions:

* Because I am looking at used boats, is there a method to easily determine whether an engine is the "EFI" model you recommend? For example, the Moomba Outbacks that I've found have "310HP Indmar Assault Engine" or "Indmar 350, 310HP Engine" - is one of these two models the EFI version, or would this be stated separate from the name?

* Based on your very helpful advice, I am interested in the potential of the Wake Plate. I now understand that the plate can increase the potential of wakeboarding wakes; however, I am more interested in whether it can substantially reduce the stock Outback to a more slalom-friendly wake? In other words, an Outback without the plate VS. Outback with the plate; without consideration for the wakeboard wake, will the Outback with the plate (positioned properly) have a smaller slalom wake?

* At the top of my list is a 1999 Mobius vs. 2000 Outback (Mobius is about $400 more). If I were to go with the 2000 Outback, can the "real" factory ballasts be added inexpensively, or does something have t be retro-fitted with a third party system?

* Based on what was written, it sounds like the Moombas do use the paddle wheel speedo sensors, so the Perfect Pass installation doesn't require any new sensor installation?

Thanks to Catman, JBurnside and others, I think I'll probably buy a Moomba this weekend. You guys should get some sort of referral bonus! . Thanks again to everyone.
-Rusten

[jburnside]

Rusten,
The standard carb Indmar motors that Moomba uses appear to all be the 310hp model. All the EFI upgrades are higher hp models ie. 320 and 330. We have the standard 310hp carb motor and it works fine, no problem pulling skiers or boarders. My issue is when we launch our boat in spring or fall we have to sit at the dock and wait for the engine to warm up. If you are on a lake then that shouldn't be much of a concern. The other things that make me want to upgrade the motor are long term dependability, resale value, and lastly a slight performance increase.

Hydraulic wake plate will flatten out the wake on any model that you get. I've ridden in several Moomba models including the Outback LSV (V-Drive boat) and it does make a difference. But the question really is Outback vs. Mobius. It's my opinion that the standard Outback with the fixed plate will still produce a slightly flatter slalom wake than the Mobius with a hydraulic plate. The hulls are different.

You can add the factory ballast to the Outback and it will improve the wakeboarding wake but you should consider looking at aftermarket bags and pumps if you go with the Outback. I believe to throw a good size wake for boarding you will need to sac the boat out a good bit more than the factory items will allow. Also, if the Outback does not have a tower on it you will need to look at those to improve your boarding experiance. To add the factory tower on my Outback LS at my dealer it will cost around $2000.00 installed (no board racks). To add factory ballast (1 bag in the ski locker and utilize the hard tank under the rear seat) I was quoted just under $900.00. I'm doing neither, I just received my "Monster Tower" yesterday in the mail (tower and 2 board racks) for $1295.00. Appears to be easy enough to install and the company gets rave reviews all over the web. For ballast this summer I have ordered a 300lb bag to put in my ski locker and I'm gonna try to use the factory tank under the rear seat. I'm gonna do it with two hand held pumps rather than installing the automatic fill & drain system. Total cost, less than $500.00.

Sorry for the long post everyone, it's still 35 degrees in Michigan and I won't see the water for another 4 weeks (spelled ICE) and it will probably be 6 - 8 weeks before we get in the water to have fun. Oh well, at least discussing it here keeps me going.