Moomba Outback

Was looking for comments on these boats. I have some seen bad reports on them but wanted to see some more comments. I am wanting a direct drive for both water skiing and wakeboarding, but like a lot of people dont have $40,000 to spend. I loke the looks and tag of the Moomba. All comments are welcome.

Thanks,

Dave

Outbacks are great boats for both wakeboarding and waterskiing. '03 Outbacks with towers and ballast are going for around $26k now. It would be a great boat for both sports. I own a Moomba Mobius (i'm into wakeboarding more than skiing). Moomba makes a great boat.

we have an 'o3 outback with a tower, tower accessories, and sacs. She has been nothing but good to us. the layout is great and the drive is nice. with the sacs and the wakeplate the wake gets huge. if its waterskiing your into it looks like it would be nice as well. with no weight and some plate adjustments the wake goes flat at about 28 mph

I also have an outback that I use for skiing and boarding. It has been great. The ski wake is nice and with a little weight, it makes enough of a wake for a novice like me to have fun on a wakeboard. If you don't want to spend $40-$50k, you can't go wrong.

I have a 2000 Moomba Outback that I have been very pleased with. Had a couple of minor glitches when first took delivery but the local dealer quickly took care of them. I use it for wakeboarding, slalom and occasionally barefooting. Great wake for slalom and with some weight in the back is good for wakeboarding. Skier's Choice (the company that owns them and Supra) seems to be a good solid company to deal with.

We had a Moomba Outback until this year and we loved it. They drive awsome. The wake is a little harder than some comp. ski boats, but that helps to give a great pop off the wake for wakeboarding. I have seen slaloming at 36mph/ 39.5off behind our moomba!

Ive got an Outback and I love it. I will say go for the LS if you can, and if you are gonna board much get the internal ballast.

Do you want to buy my 02 Moomba Mobius LSV for $28,000? Heater, tonneau, storage cover, tandem axle trailer, red/white/gray/, board racks?
I've had nothing but problems with my Moomba (stranded on the lake for a day, three other times I've put the boat on the lake only to take it off); been to the shop three times already and the transmission still leaks. I have over 1000 miles on my jeep just hauling the boat back and forth to the dealer for repairs. Warranty's not so good. Moomba does not warrant the motor and drive train, Indmar does, so if you don't have an Indmar facility near you, good luck. Skier's Choice will "feel your pain" but they have no control over how or when Indmar will get the warranty work (i.e. Indmar works for free) done.
Moomba's are inexpensive but, in my opinion they are not a good value.

LSV= Let Steve Vent.

Steve... Now you can update your profile quote.

Dave:

Look long and hard at Moomba's product; check out the all-plastic ski locker, glove compartment; check out the wiring on the guages; check out the cheap plastic locks; how is the ignition switch mounted? How is the 12v plug mounted through the hull? Put 800 pounds of ballast in the boat then take the boat at 22.5 mph back through a double up and listen to that boat crackle.

Do you see quality? Boats are sold in a competitive market; price does not always equal value.

I have 101 hours on my boat. The transmission leaks. The motor has overheated. The guages have gone haywire. The rubber padding on the swim deck is bubbling. The alternator has gone out.

Understand your warranty before you buy. Skier's Choice does not, if your warranty is like mine, take any responsibility for repairing the power train, that's Indmar's responsibility. Where is your closest Indmar repair facility? LA? Is that the type of warranty you want?

Here's another acronym: MOBIUS-- Mechanic On Board Is Unquestionably Smart.

Jeffr, dude-- personal attacks don't phase me, they just reveal what type of person you are not. Plus Dave asked for all comments, not just the usual rah rah from Moomba Homers, so keep it to yourself.

Steve,
Easy now…I have read your previous posts and feel your pain on the issues you have run into on your boat.

I have also read a number of good posts about Moomba and happy customers.

Not meant to be a personal attack…. Just a bit of WW humor….

My bad.

Dave: Yeah, I should've asked for clarification before coming back at ya. Sorry. Your post is humorous in light of all that's gone on now that I think about it.

dave,
i have a 2000 outback ls. i love it & havent had any problems with it. yeah, it isnt a MC or SAN, but for the money its great.

can anyone offer any suggestions on weighing down an outback? right now im using 2 large fatsacks, but want the wake bigger. i'm thinking about ordering some "leadheadz", but if anyone knows anything cheaper that would be cool.

I agree with you steve I wasn't crazy about the build and looks of it, I do respect Mobius owners though I think the boat serves a great purpose and has a good wake.

I have a 01’ Outback LS and have nothing but GOOD experience with the Boat, My Local dealer, and Skiers Choice. Look at it this way, the hull has a lifetime warranty, the engine and transmission are the same that are used in many other wake boats. Good driving skills and basic maintenance will preserve your boat and keep its running well for a long time. If things come loose tighten them back up and put a dab of silicone on the threads and you good as new. Keep your fluids topped off and pay attention to your gauges.

If this is your first wake/ski boat then the Moomba line is a great choice, if you are upgrading from another ski boat you may want to look at the Supra line.

I have been very pleased with my 2001 Mobius.

Steven's situation is very unfortunate. He has had to deal with a lot of problems. I do however think that is not the norm for Moomba boats.

If you're concerned about Steve's comments, here are a couple of ideas to consider:

1. Do a search of "Moomba" and "Skier's Choice" on WW. Decide for yourself whether the comments are positive or negative.

2. For more info on Steve's issue, check out this thread: http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/66814.html.

3. Most ski and wakeboard boats will have engines and trans from Indmar (e.g., MC & BU) and will rely on Indmar's warranty, just like Moomba. The other alternatives are Mercury and PCM--with the same arrangements for warranties.

4. A few people have been dissatisfied with engines and/or trans of each type, while the vast majority of owners of all brands have been very satisfied. You can decide for yourself, based on Steve's account of his issues, whether the responses he received from his dealer and Skier's Choice were reasonable.

5. A $50,000 Boxster provides better power, style, and design details than a $30,000 MR2. Whether the Boxster is a better buy, however, depends on your needs and wants. If a luxurious interior is important to you, buy the Boxster. But it doesn't seem to make much sense to buy an MR2 and then complain because it has cloth seats instead of leather like the Porsche.

6. Consider buying the boat from a dealer who is closer than 180 miles away from you.

I have an 00 outback standard and have no problems whatsoever. I always have atleast 2000lbs of water weight plus 3 or 4 people in the boat all the time and have never had a problem with the boat. I had one issue that needed to be resolved... The windshield screws had stripped out and my walkthrough had fallen through. I called my local dealer and told them what my problem was and they said bring it in and we will cover it under warranty (keep in mind the boat is 3 years old when this occured). I dropped the boat off on Thursday, received a call on Friday saying that the boat was ready, but it was out of warranty. MY DEALER covered it anyways and just made me pay for two hours labor to replace it. I ended up getting a WHOLE BRAND NEW Windshield frame and all for two hours labor. The sum of this story is Yes, I have a wonderful dealer here, but they are backed by a very CUSTOMER Service oriented company in SKiers choice. I think Steve's issues are a rareity not a common problem. No matter what boat you have you are going to have issues, it's whether or not the dealer takes care of you or not that sticks with you.

William...
as far as weighting it, I have a Launch Pad fat sofa in the back, plus two 250lb side sacks under the front cushions and a 550lb sack in the walk through. I have found this to be the most economical as far as GPH and the best result of a wake I can get. Even with just tow people in the boat is it knee high at 22 MPH at 70' of rope.

I really appreciate the comments. In your opinions would you rather spend 25-30,000 on a used boat or 25--30,000 on a Moomba Outback. I know opinions are going to vary, but it helps me through the process. Again thanks for the range of info.

Dave

IMHO, I would go with the new boat with a warranty, plus with a new boat you know for sure how the boat was treated, VS a used when you have no idea whether or not the boat has been abused or not. I was in a similar delemma but decided to go with the new boat and with the dealer support I have no regrets on it.

Yeah, Fogey, we did lay it all out pretty good on that prior thread.

Dave, good luck with your decision.

I have a 2000 outback. After i worked out a few bugs left by the last owner. it has run great. but you have to weight the shiz out of them. at least 2000# at all time. I built a twin tank in the back with 900# and i put a 500 on each side of the engine and another 500 in the bow thats 2400 and 3 or 4 people. dont let anyone sit in the bow it wont turn

I agree with stormrider. I have a 2003 Moomba LSV and had lots of problems. Some are still not fixed after 3 months. If you are going to buy a Moomba I hope you live close to the dealer, so when you have to take it in again and again it won't cost you much. I live 2 hours from the dealer, big mistake. The customer service at Skiers Choice needs improvement. They don't return your phone calls or send out replacement parts when they say. I am still waiting for my perfect pass replacement, they told me I would have 2 weeks ago.

I have a 2001 Outback LS and use it every week. Never had any problems with it. My wife slaloms and I wakeboard, and it suits us both just fine. I have a tube sack under the back seat for ballast, a lot of times I don't even use it. I suppose if I could throw down some inverts I'd want a bigger wake, but I can still get a decent grab on a wake to wake 180 without any extra weight at all.
Our boat looks great, runs like a bear, couldn't be happier with the boat or the dealer we purchased it from.
I agree it's better to go new, to get the warranty coverage and the pleasure of being the original owner. Good luck in your choice.