Impressed w/ Moomba XLV

This past weekend was the boat show in our area and it was my first glimpse at the new Moomba XLV. Now I've been looking at this boat on WW and here on the boards. I knew the size, I knew the upgrades and I heard the rave reviews about it but it still didn't prepare me for what I saw at the boat show. This is a serious wakeboard boat! Moomba just upped the stakes. It is absolutely HUGE! What ever visual you may have as to the size, double it! There is nothing else that I've seen that compares to the size, layout and storage capacity. Second, Moomba upgraded their interior. And before I get any nasty emails saying how much better MC or Malibu is, the fabrric they use is identical! The interior is plush, comfortable and has great fit and finish. This is the one area where everyone has knocked Skier's Choice in the past. Skier's Choice took away the difference between them and the competition and they've done it for over 30% less. I looked at a Malibu and compared it to the XLV. The Malibu lacked in two areas: 1. Not nearly the size and storage capacity. 2. The price on the Malibu was $22,000.00 more! That's a big difference in price. I don't see that more boat in the Malibu. Now I'm not knocking Malibu's. They're a great boat! But you've got to give credit where credit is due. Skier's Choice has hit a home run with the new XLV. It's a whole lot of boat for a whole heck of alot less!! Hence why I'm looking at buying one!

If you like it that much at the show, wait til you drive it and get behind it. You won't be able to resist.

Sounds great. Get any pictures?

Here is a few pics of ours. They aren't the best. We didn't have much room. It is a great looking boat and is HUGE.

To bad they could'nt be more creative calling it a VLX- opps I mean XLV

Doesn't malibu also make the sportster? Or is that Sea ray, Sonic and Wellcraft I am thinking of?

XLV = eXtra Large V-drive

How's it drive???

What's under the "hood"???

I am very impressed with mine. Mine has an Indmar 340hp MPI under the hood. I think it really rides nice and handles great. It doesn't handle quite as good as a 21ft boat but considering it is 23ft, it doesn't feel big, if you know what I mean.

I haven't even used my ballast yet since I got it toward the end of last year and I am still getting the basics down so the bigger picture is below is mine without ballast. The smaller pics are mcooks with ballast.







(Message edited by Schmo on January 22, 2004)

Yep, and as corny as it is XLV does stand for eXtra Large V Drive.

The story is (right from Matt Brown, the XLV designer) is that they just came up with that over coffee/lunch or something and it stuck. They didn't even think of the reverse relationship to VLX until afterwards.

Believe it or not....

Yeah, I can see where VLX and XLV (m-o-u-s-e) wouldn't seem to be similar at all. That is, if you've been stuck in a cave for 8 years, thinking of a catchy name for a boat. What else didn't they think of.....?

(don't get on me about knocking the boat itself, I'm not, just remarking on the escalating confusion in the names of all these silly boats)
KS.

I also took a good look at it this past week-end with the following impressions:

Likes- size, storage, great looking tower, price (value), a deeper boat than the previous Moombas (so it doesn't feel like you're sitting on the floor)
Dislikes- stepover style walk-thru w/ bow area in playpen arrangement only (who likes to crawl around a boat), reverse seating is good idea but doesn't feel solid enough, you have to change out sacks to get max. weight

It is a big improvement and gives you an option w/ Skiers Choice, but to me it seems that there are better packages out there. But one boat can't be all things to everyone.

I agree that I am not totally fond of the playpen and walking over the seats (or crawling) however it does give a log of storage and alot of space for ballast (that you don't have to trip or walk over.

As far as having to swap out the bags to get maximum weight. Isn't that true with any boat? They all come with the option of some ballast and then you can either add more or swap out what you have got.

The XLV can come from the factory with close to 1800lbs, I believe. However, you can swap those out for Gravity Games bags for a total of 2,600lbs of unseen ballast. The reason I was told that you can't get the GG bags at time of order was due to a liability issue since the max "rated" capacity of the boat is 2,600lbs itself, therefore a completely filled ballast wouldn't even allow for a driver, legally.

The reverse seating works however it isn't extremely sturdy, but then again, how sturdy does it need to be.

Overall, I agree with Paul. All boats can't be everything to everyone, it just depends on your priorities and what features are important to you.

How is it with those pieces in between the vdrive compartments and the engine. One thing I love about my 2300V is how easy it is to get in the enine. Nothing in the way when you remove the rails and dividers and the compartments are large enough to hide multiple people in.

Also, what's the height of the tower? It looks like it sits a little low in the case of adding speakers/bimini.

That wake looks large, but abrupt.

Kinda like Dave said, Matt thought of the name with a little help one day. The XLV took place of the Mobius V, so, since the new boat would be much bigger than the old boat, they just tacked on "Xtra Large" to the original Mobius V name..thus, the Mobius XLV.

McFly

The bimini is on all of those pictures (just not opened). Plenty of clearance for the bimini. Tower speakers however will get a little in the way of heads for taller people however. The speakers mount behind the bimini so they don't get in the way there but they do dip down furthur than I would like but.... what the hey... occasionally knocks sense into me.

My opinion for what it's worth.

We demoed the boat about a month ago. I really like the layout.

The storage under the seat for a cooler is great.

The reverse seating option is nice, but I would like to see something a little more sturdy.

As far as the play pen seating is concerned, I've always been a fan of it. I run an 800lb bag in the nose of my boat, and it's nice to have that ballast hidden, and out of the way. The XLV has a similar layout under the play pen, but it's a little narrower than the original Mob-V.

The free board in the new boat is much deeper than the Mob-V's, so the seating is really comfortable.

The interior is far superior to the Mob-V's. It's as plush, and quality built as any of the top of the line boats now.

The tower looks great, and is very solid, no creaks or squeaks. I wish they would raise it up though. When you put speakers, and lights on it, your going to be banging your head just like I do all the time in my boat.

The boat definitely needs the 340hp motor. The stock carbureted 310hp shouldn't even be an option.

The day we went out the water was rather choppy, and the boat rode like a tank. I was really impressed with how solid it felt.

When we rode behind it, we added two 550lbs sacks in the back, and used the stock front sack. The wake is exactly the same as the Mob-V's. I thought that was pretty impressive considering the huge length and width difference between the two boats.

I was really impressed with the boat overall. Other than the tower I really liked everything about the boat. The only option I think they're lacking is a larger motor than the 340hp. A boat that big could easily be outfitted with the 8.1.

It looks great. However, the observer seat looks odd - not comfortable - a wall.

Cliff, they need to put that tower from the Gravity Games edition Supra at the boat show on the XLV. Did you take a look at that tower? It looks similar to a Monster tower...on steroids. I have never seen that tower before. Very nice set up with the Mako speakers and lights.

Dave and Mike you have some nice looking XLVs there.

Cliff-
I agree with you on the stadium seating could use to be a little more sturdy. But IMO it gets the job done and is one of a kind on the market. Also Cliff, Supra offers a 385hp engine. It would be worth checking to see if they can put it in the XLV. Something tells me they can.
The tower didn't seem that low to me, but then again I'm not 6' plus either. I'm glad to hear the reviews that the tower and boat are solid.

Paul-
You say that there's better options out there? Where?!? I'm curious to know where you can find this amount of boatand this performance for this price? Or even remotely close to the price. New, not used now. And what other setups are better? Who has more ballast? They all have the plate. I'm not defending here, I'm in search for knowledge.

Andrew-
The XLV has removeable sides between the V-Drive compartments and the engine compartment too. It seems to me to be fairly easily accessable. The V_Drive transmission is very accesseable. Something I was very impressed with. Also, the XLV comes standard with a Remote Oil filter for ease of changing the oil and filter. The engine compartment, to me, seemed large. It's a good design. Kudos to Skiers Choice.

Cliff-
I checked and the XLV DOES come with the option for a 385hp high output 5.7 Vortec.
Just an FYI.

I tell you what, those removable side panels definitely helped me when I needed to drain the engine when winter was approaching but I was still using the boat.

I do believe you can upgrade to the 385hp engine. My 340hp MPI engine was 2 upgrades (310hp carb standard, 320hp EFI then 340hp MPI).
Personally, I think the 340hp does the job just fine. Quick out of the hole and planes relatively quickly. Of course more power is always better but there is a point of diminishing returns for the price.

Get that 385 hp with gear reduction. You'll have no problems with any kind of ballast with that.

Hey Dave, What is the weight set up in those pics you posted? I have also seen some where there is a rider in the dish of the wake that I believe you had posted. do you still have those?

The larger picture is with no ballast and just a couple people in the boat. The smaller pictures are not pictures behind my boat but another XLV owner in Dallas. I believe those are with the Gravity Game bags (2,600lbs).

I can search around but I don't think I was the one that posted that other pic you were referring to.

(Message edited by schmo on January 24, 2004)

Dave-
What options did you get on your XLV? And now after using the boat what options would you now get or not get?

I looked at so many "bang for the buck" boats because I didn't want to spend the life savings for the bigger name boats. I could have gone for a 2-3 year old boat, but I wanted new.

So what it all came down to was the Ski Supreme V220 and the Moomba XLV.

Size was not a huge issue, I figure bigger was better for me, so the XLV got the thumbs up for that. But just some little things that bothered me about the XLV was the lighter color dash and some of the things inside of the boat didn't feel all that sturdy to me.

The Supreme feels sturdy and appears to be a well built boat. Also the interior has a little bit of a Malibu feel.

I am a gadget and options person. So I opted for the Sky Supreme V220.

After having it loaded with every conceivable option, I saved a couple $1000 over the XLV. With the budget I was working with, I would have had to give up some little things, like a heater or shower or bimini top... I would have had to give up something...

Now if someone is looking for a wakeplate option... The Sky Supreme V208 has it. But if you are looking for a 23 footer, the V230 does not have the wake shape/size that the XLV has.

For the price and options and quality... the Supreme and Moomba are very close...

Drive them all... if you like both of them... then price them with the options...

Buy the one you love!

I got:

2 engine upgrades to 340hp MPI
Hydraulic Wakeplate
Perfect Pass
Depth Guage
Water Temp
Bertha 3 bag Ballast
3 Outlet Heater
Hot/Cold Shower
Bimini Top
Subwoofer
Amp
Tonneau Cover
Cockpit Cover
Wakeboard Racks
CIPA mirror
Stainless rub rail
Standard Tandem Trailer

Might have missed a couple.
$39,995 + tax.

I just bought an 04 Malibu VLX.
Monsoon 340hp EFI
Perfact pass digital pro
Issotta steering wheel and throttle knob
air/water temp gauge
depth finder
flip bolster driver's seat w/lumbar
gorilla tracking fins
MLS three hard tanks
pull up cleats
fiberglass swim platform
Illusion X tower
stainless rub rail
wedge (complete)
single axle trailer w/swing away tongue
Custom made cover
$41,300 + tax


(Message edited by bwood on January 24, 2004)

(Message edited by bwood on January 24, 2004)

Woody-
By my math, comparing options to options and then attaching price to options that differed, Dave paid $4,770.00 less than you. Now I don't know about stereo's or not, but if Dave took the free stereo they are giving away then it goes up to $5,200.00 I say this because he got the sub and amp. I will be the first to say that the prices are closer than I had first seen. But then again we are all in different parts of the country. And we all know that boats in coastal regions sell for less than inland states due to volume. By the way Woody, why a single axle trailer? How much is the dry weight of the VLX?

(Message edited by Kraig on January 24, 2004)

I am kind of confused how the relevance of a Malibu VLX plays in this thread. You really aren't comparing apples to apples and the thread was about the XLV. The VLX is a great boat don't get me wrong, but for someone looking for a larger boat, the correct comparison would be to the Malibu LSV (their 23 footer), which runs in the high 50s to 60s. The best deal any Malibu dealer would give me was about 46K on an 03 VLX and about 60K on an 04 LSV.

The Malibu VLX was my second choice but I do more than wakeboarding with large groups, therefore the 16 person capacity comes in very handy.

The dry weight of a Malibu VLX is about 3000lbs and the dry weight of the Moomba XLV is about 4100. The Moomba XLV can only come in a tandem trailer whereas the VLX can come with either single or tandem.

(Message edited by Schmo on January 24, 2004)

Those are all great prices... My 2004 Supreme V220 was...

6.2L 340hp
Perfect Pass Wakeboard Digital Pro
Faria Pilot 1 Digital gauge package (air/sea temp, ballast gauge, rpm, depth, speed, etc etc etc.)
Hard tank ballast with dash gauges
Tandem trailer with removeable tongue
Full hull gel coat upgrade
Jump seat
Bolster drivers seat
40 oz carpet
Tower
Board Racks
CD Player with dash mounted remote
Tower prewired for lights/speakers and switches installed.
Teak swim platform
4 blade acme prop
walter v drive
heater
shower
12v outlets front and rear
bow filler cushion
tower mounted mirror
custom cover... and some more things..

I am in Canada... works out to $38000 usd including taxes...

I like that deal on that XLV... thats a good deal... the moomba dealer wouldnt do any type of deal for me...

oh well....

All three dealers I talked to said a single axle trailer was fine. I keep the boat in the water five miles from my house, so a tandem axle is not needed.The boat is 3000lbs.

I had to go to three dealers to get that price. The first one wanted $7000 more. The second gave me a good price, but wanted to kill me on my trade(2000 mobius V). The third hit a homerun on both. He wanted low 50's for the LSV, but I wanted to go to a 21' for a better wake.

I still own the Moomba and wish I never bought it. I'm sure thay have improved since 2000, but I just believe you get what you pay for. I wanted to go cheep on my first boat and that's what I got.

Woody, sounds like you got a great deal on the Malibu. Sorry to hear you had some problems with the Moomba. I have personally been very satisfied with my 2001 Mobius and the service I have received from Skiers Choice. Malibu sure does make a nice boat though, I am sure you will have a lot of fun with it.

Dave-
Thank You for bringing to light the difference between the XLV and the VLX as far as size and weight. I agree with you that they are NOT apples to apples. And I agree that this post is not about the VLX, but the XLV. Hearing all these prices I am sold on the XLV more now than ever! The thing is absolutely HUGE!!!!!!!!!!! It's great for wakeboarding and Partying!!!!!!