Moomba Outback V - Whats the word!!?

Hey Everyone!

Well, im still doing indepth boat research as I plan to buy my first boat hopefully very soon.

Now my heart is really set on a Malibu V-Ride, i love the look, i love wake and its the right price for a top 3 boat. Here in Canada you can get a nicely optioned one for around 51,000 CDN.

Here is me thing though, there is some dealers getting rid of brand new Moomba Outback V's for around $40,000 CDN, thats 11K less, and it actually has a few more options in it.

What i do like is the malibu has a 3 year warranty and comes with a tandem trailer, where the moomba is only a 2 year warranty with a single axle trailer.

so i know there is quite a bit of moomba haters but there is also quite a few lovers as well.

Do I save myself 11,000 dollars? or go with that my heart is set on?

tough call, help me out!

Go with your heart, in the long run you will thank yourself. Plus i don't know if you tow very far but have you ever towed a boat with a single axle trailer, it sucks. I have a Sanger V215 so i'm not biased to either one but i would have to say that the Malibu kicks but all over that Moomba. Plus if you are ever to sell the resale on the Malibu is MUCH better than the Moomba

I'm rockin the 03 mobius lsv GG edition, which is the new outback V. The wake is good when you get it properly dialed, but it is real sensitive to weight, move one person, and it throws everything off. Some days its great, some days it sucks. Very reliable however and havent had one problem since owning it. Can get a decent surf wake out of it as well.

that being said, i have never ridden in a Malibu, my only other comparison is a tige 22i, so take it for what its worth. demo both and make your decision. what dealerships are you looking at purchasing from??

The wake and the build quality of the moomba compared to the malibu is not comparible, I've owned both.

not to hijack a thread, but I've been thinking of trading in the Moomba, what makes the build quality of the malibu so much better? I was not impressed with some of the electrical work in my boat, I imagine that can be rigged better.

Can you comfortably afford $51K?

If you are financing are loan lengths and interest rates the same? You can be upside down for quite a while with a 15+ year loan.

Do you trailer a lot over long distances?

Are you status/brand consience?

Do you buy something and keep it a long time?

Have you test driven both and really like the BU that much better?

If yes to all the above get the BU. If not consider the Outback V. I have been in both hulls of the boats you are comparing and do not turn down rides in either. Both will get you out there wakeboarding with nice wakes when weighted and sure if the prices were really close it would be a no brainer. The resale argument really doesn't hold water IMO but research these boats yourself and see what the market prices are for 3 yo boats and see how much less they are really selling for compared to new prices.

edit: I own a Centurion so do not have 'owner' goggles for either of these rides.

(Message edited by bmartin on September 20, 2007)

The fi, finish, materials used, tower stability, storage layout, creature comforts, etc.. Makes the bu a better built boat than the moomba. I owned a moomba and it was a great problem free boat but it's like driving a chevy work truck (most stripped down model they make) vs. driving a cadillac.

hey andrew,

for the bu, either paris marine or gordon bay marine, wherever the better deal is really. that and when i do my final approach whoever is the most informative will be the one with the sale. information to me is everything, i dont care if he has to ask his boss or call someone up, as long as i can have answers im happy.

ive never driven either, but i have ridden behind the bu, im goign to see if i can demo the outback, just for some piece of mind.

i dont NEED a cadillac, but i do need reliability and good service

and whats the big diff between mobius and moomba?

theres no difference, I just didnt type in moomba mobius lsv. laziness. Shop around your going to find a lot of the people on here saying one brand is wayyyy better than the other, but face it, they are all luxury boats, that cost a pretty penny. Most of the people tellin ya one wake is better than the other could prolly ride just as well behind an aluminum boat with a 25 horsepower anyways. They are all nice boats, moombas included. Don't be so concerned with what brand you end up getting, be more concerned with what dealership you buy off of. I bought mine from Pride Marine, and I highly recommend them. I was not impressed with Gordon Bay when I was shopping around there, they didn't seem to take me seriously likely because of my younger age. good luck

I may be wrong, but I think Mobius is just the wakeboard version of the Moomba. Same boat, the Mobius just comes standard with tower, ballast, etc. The Moomba is geared towards skiing and family boating. However, you can add a tower and ballast and it's identical to the Mobius.

Now then, onto the Outback V compared to the Malibu.... The quality these days with Moomba/Supra is right up there with the top 3. A few years ago you could argue otherwise, but these days things are pretty close. So, if the quality of the build is the same and you can add the same options to each, which one should you buy?

In this case I would go with the Malibu if the $11K isn't an issue for you. If you were comparing the Bu to a Moomba LSV (2006 or later) then it may be a harder choice. These hulls are much deeper than the Outback V and can safely accomodate more ballast. The downside to the Outback V for me is the lack of freeboard. These boats are so shallow. Put 2400 lbs of ballast in there and your rub rail will be pretty close to the waterline.

The other thing that sways me to the Bu is something that Andrew said above. Although you can dial in the wake, they are finicky. They wash out on one side unless they are balanced just right. My Supra SSV tends to do the same thing as do most boats. However, from my experience Malibus just seem to have a cleaner wake and don't wash out on one side when someone gets up to get a beverage.

I own a Skier's Choice boat and would buy one again, but in this case I would go with the Bu.

yup, I would have to agree with Richard that the lack of freeboard is an issue. Thats the only reason I'm looking to get something new, I've actually bein lookin to get a newer Mobius LSV. They changed the hull in I think 05, might be 06 I,m not sure to the deeper draft hull. Go on the moomba website and check it out, www.moomba.com

hey andrew, do you have an email or somekind of contact i can just ask you a few questions about ur bought purchase

I'll agree with Richard and Andrew... I shopped the Outback V and even an almost new 05 Mobius LSV (Same Hull). Freeboard was the big issue to me. I know from the Moomba board that you can get great wake out of the V's / Pre '06 LSV's, but I just sold an 04 Outback and it was Shallow and I did not want that again.
Also, Richards point about older Moombas (Pre-99/2000 era) were not near the quality they are now. No Doubt, my Moomba LSV is not as blinged as a Bu, CC or MC... but I enjoy it and I am comfortable with what I paid for it. I found on the Moomba website that if you optioned up an Outback V comparable to an LSV, they were pretty close in price, as the LSV due to packaging of Ballast, tower, etc.. all options on V.
Get what you are happy with. If you feel like you'll have envy in a year, get the Bu.

I currently own a 2003 Moomba Outback.

I love it and it has been completely trouble free.

I definetly, without a doubt, will purchase another Moomba in the future and it will be the Moomba Outback V.

My Outback is an excellent ski boat, but with the engine in the center, not configured as well as I would like for wakesurfing.

I was once in this very dilemma and it was this year in fact. At the boat show in January. In one hand I had a 2007 Moomba Outback. Fully loaded for $36,000. I put a deposit, but knew in the back of my mind I wanted a Malibu Response LXI. The 2007 bu was insantely expensive. I talked myself into the Outback because of the year and price and features. At the last minute I backed out. Two months later, I tripped over a 2006 Malibu Response LXI promo boat with 90 hours on it, with more features for $2k less expensive. I bought it and have never looked back. I have put 72 hours on it so far this year. I intend to use it 100 hours this year in total. I love my Malibu. My sweetwater trailer sucks, but that has no reflection on my boat. My color pattern is the promo Black and Rueben and it stands out like a sore thumb. People just wave and stare when we are around. Follow your heart, but I don't believe you will be unhappy with either.

Hey with the canadian dollar doing so well at the moment and close to being above the US greenback, I think more people should take advantage of the situation and purchase a boat from the US. Some of the conversations I have heard people are saying you can save around 20% right off the sticker price.

ive thought about that, im just concerned with the warranty issues.

i hear dyou can pay a price and transfer the warranty, but i know the dealer probably wont be as nice and inviting if you didnt purchase it from them

service is my number one concern

Chase - the 2008 Moomba has an industry leading lifetime 4 lifetime hull/ 4 year factory powertrain warranty. Talk about stepping up to the plate

View warranty here at Moomba Website
http://moomba.com/news.php?view=article&news_id=62

Chase, I'm the proud owner of a 2005 Mobius LSV, which I believe is the same hull as the new Outback V. I have owned it for 3 years and its been nearly trouble free (all boats will have little quirks that you need to work out, but nothing has kept me off the water). I would not be in a boat if I didn't get the Moomba, so for me it's perfect. However, when people find out I have a wakeboat, I find myself saying something like, "Yeah, well it's just a Moomba". You don't hear many people saying that about their 'Bu.

I love the way my boat looks, but as mentioned previously, it does feel like a slightly stripped down version...fit and finish is the main difference. Since I use my boat for 'riding', not cruising...all I was worried about when purchasing was the wake. I have had very advanced Outlaw riders on my boat, throwing all their tricks big and into the flats, so properly weighted you should get all the wake you'll ever need.

Chase, drop me a line at andrew.chinn@rogers.com.
Cheers