New Indmar Raptor Engine - Moomba Mondo

Hey Everyone. I have a decision to make. A 2014 Moomba Mondo or a 2015 Moomba Mondo. I know there are tons of other boats out there, but this is a nice price point/featured boat for my family. We are coming from a 20" I/O and wanted to stay in the 20' size and didn't want to drop $100K on a Malibu VTX with surfgate. The Mondo has some tech stuff, but not a full computer, but more than just switches. Also, the 2014 has a sweet color combo (2015 we would build so no worries there) so I am not buying an ugly to me boat. So here are my two questions:

1. The '14 has the Indmar 345 engine (so one up from the base 330). I have in my notes that the torque is in the 370 ft/lb range. Versus the new Raptor enigne at 400ft/lbs. So the question is will I be happy with the 345? Sooo subjective I know, but this engine when it came out in 2011 or 2012 won a whole bunch of awards for a bigger oil pan, among other things, when surfing really started to take off. So it is still really awesome technology, but now everyone is praising this new Raptor engine as the be all end all of the v drive world. Would like to hear opinions from any and all sides here please. Also, what price difference should I really get to for the 2014 to make the most sense (its a new non current)? Should it be 10%, 20% less than a brand new 2015?

2. I am sure this is everywhere, but I figure I would put it in with this. Would like peoples opinions on zero off GPS versus the non GPS version? My understanding is that the paddle wheel versions may be off by up to 1/2 MPH, where the GPS verison are pretty spot on. With myself being intermediate at best for surfing, wakeboarding (probably an expert tuber - more a joke than anything) am I really going to notice a difference. Would like to understand please which people have gone with and if they would do it differently?

Greatly appreciate any & all help getting us into our first V drive.

1. I'd say go with the newer boat with the more powerful engine, because if you're like me you'll be kicking yourself later on that you didn't get it. I hear the raptor motor is great on gas as well. On the other hand if you plan to keep the boat for a long time the 5.7 is probably going to be cheaper to have worked on and find parts for down the road since it is a much more common engine. Not sure if that will be the case or not but may be something worth thinking about.

2. I've had the paddle wheel "perfect pass" speed control and while it works great I much prefer the "zero off" gps speed control.

1) The Indmar 5.7l 345 Engine is running great and its a proven engine. No problem to handle a 20 foot boat. You will be happy with the engine.
2) GPS is nice to have, but you have a GPS on your smartphone to check the real speed and the cruise control is not really better with a GPS.

But what you really want is the Moomba Autoflow Surfsystem, thats the killer option in my opinion.

I think you will be happy with either motor. If you said you were a pro and planned on loading the boat with tons of weight you might lean towards the Raptor, but you should be happy either way. The Raptor does drive different and is bada$$ for sure, but will you guys need it as intermediate??? Just depends on the savings between the two.

As for GPS versus Paddlewheel. You will be happy with either. If you are on a lake the GPS will be exact all the time. The paddle wheel should be pretty spot on also. The real question is if you run a river with a current. The faster the current is moving, the more your GPS will be off.

Congrats on the new boat. That is a sweet boat.

1. I may be going against the grain, but I believe the Indmar 345 is a better engine than the base Raptor. Most of what I've seen for the new Raptor engines is with a 2419 prop (15x12) & have good pulling power with that setup. This prop allows for a ridiculous amount of weight, but tops out around 35-37 MPH (both the Raptor & Indmar 345 tach out around 5,300 RPM. The few I have talked to that own them say the Raptor is noticeably louder than the 350 Chevy it replaced, fuel usage is pretty much a wash between them.

2. Having owned both paddle wheel & GPS cruise controls, I prefer the paddle wheel-in my experience, it reacts quicker & holds the speed steadier as a result. I also never have to worry about losing signal due to topography (canyon walls) or weather-both of which have happened to me on my regular body of water.

In your shoes, I would work to get the best deal on the '14 & enjoy the summer. I did this exact same thing with my Tige Z1 at the end of last summer, '15 prices have gone up noticeably since last year.

having had a 20ft supra launch with the ext340(was a rare option on that boat) the 343 would be more than enough motor for that boat and the biggest benefit are no waiting for a build slot.

the 2 things for me would be 1) what you do. if all you do is surf(like me) then i'd consider a new build for the autosurf option, but if you do a mix, then 2) what's the price difference of the LEFTOVER 14 vs a NEW BUILD 15 assuming both are brand new and would come with same warranty. price should be quite a bit sweeter on the 14 and could sway to not care about the surf setup.

1. The new Raptor is awesome! Overkill for the Mondo but still great. We are finding that the new Raptor drinks considerably less fuel and runs at slightly lower RPMs for surfing.
2. For surfing you won't notice the difference between the standard speed control and Zero Off. If you wakeboard you will notice the difference, especially if you have the boat heavily weighted.

If the price difference isn't crazy, order the 2015. Raptor motor and Auto Flow are two big upgrades from last year.
Enjoy!! The Mondo is a great boat.

Thanks for all the replys. So paddlewheel vs GPS doesn't seem to be an issue, esspecially with being able to use my phone GPS to calibrate & make sure the paddlewheel is on point. Mostly lake use for me, but I am pretty ok with not having the GPS verison.

Then, it does seem that there are some that feel the 345 is more than enough engine for the 20' boat which is really nice to hear. Everyone kept saying that the Raptor was the biggest & best engine (which may be the case) but for me and my family I just don't know if that is really necessary. The trade we are looking to do sweetens the pie on the '14 more than the '15. Now I just need to come to an ending price that would be good (aka not getting ripped off) for the 2014. Any help here would be great. I wasn't look at these last year so I am not sure where the prices should be. The 2014 is well optioned with 345 engine, paddlewheel cruise, manual flow surf, three color combo, rally graphics, bow cushion, pop up cleats, snap in logo carpet, fold assist tower, swivel racks, cover, bimini, wake plate w/ ballast system (two rear locker bags plus bow bag), bow speakers, sub, tower speaker wiring, two amps, depth finder, dual battery & charger, heater, tandem trailer. Tried to list all that is has to help me understand where the pricing on this should be at. A 2015 (per the Moomba site) is pricing out to be $66,850 but them my local dealer throws another $2,600 on for dealer prep & freight, so its really at $69,450 (plus tax). I doubt I can get him to $55,000 on the '14 (20% lower) so please help with a good number. Live in MN if needed. Hopefully this is the final step & then I can post pictures of the new rig.

You can go with the paddlewheel and then get the Nautilogic kit to give you the GPS. This way, you have GPS for 90% of the time and paddle wheel in bad conditions where the GPS might not work - to change over from one to the other all you have to do is unplug and plug in electrical connections above the triducer. In my experience, the GPS is better because it is less prone to surging. The paddle wheel is located on the running surface so changes in the water passing by the hull effect the speed - changing directions, going over chop, more/less ballast will all have an impact. Also, depending on the sampling rate from the ECM, the use of the paddle wheel may lead to rapid fluctuations in engine RPM in response to what is erroneously perceived as speed changes. The GPS speed will not fluctuate as much as the paddle wheel in this regard.

As others on here might also recommend to you, try stroking the dealer a check to get that price down.

Just stroke a check bro!

I bet if you sent the dealer a $10,000 cashiers check he would accept the 55K as he will know that you are serious....