2003 Moomba Outback LS vs. 2000 Mastercraft X5

Hey All
I Have been wakeboarding since 1996 but I have never owned my own boat. I have taken hundreds of sets of a SN 2001 hull (killer wake) and a few Supras (weigh it down) ...That being said I am at a toss up between these two boats and I was hoping to get some insight on the two from people who actually ride and just don’t act like they do! They are both open bow...The Moomba has a built in ballast system...Other than that they both have tower, racks, speakers, perfect pass...Both about the same as far as accessories and both have very little cosmetic damage. The x5 has 700 hrs and the Moomba has 475 hours on the motors. They both have the same price tag.
Any advice or insight is GREATLY appreciated.

Are you planning on skiing? Neither would be at the top of my list although the outback LS looks to be the same hull as outback LSV, mobius direct drive and Mobius LSV. It should throw a pretty decent wake with some ballast.

We wakeboard. So besides wanting decent wake and affordable boat here is where I am at. Thank you for the response! Does 14k sound about right for either one of them? I have a house and a nice truck so the last thing I need is another loan. I have about 15k cash to spend! Thanks again for the response!

14k sounds like a great deal for that Moomba. Is it fuel injected motor or carb. Either wya I still think it is a good deal with all those extras. 475 hours is fine.

the only thing really better you are going to find in that price range is potentially a Nautique Super Sport or prostar 205v and it is going to be hard to find either for 15k unless they are beat on. Other boats to check out would be the mid 90's to about 2000 mailbu sunsetter LX with a wedge. A mastercraft 205, supra sunport.

The Moomba has an Indmar 350 with new holly carb that was put on this season.
I really have to have an open bow because my dogs HAVE to be on the boat. That is their favorite spot and who am I to deny them...2 dalmations and a weimer?
They swim better than I do! I am just trying to figure out how to strap the weimer to my Trip!

Thank you for your help Brett!

I used to own the same Outback..


Get the MC

Why do you say that Jeff? Was the wake bad or was it that the Moomba felt cheap? That mastercraft is basically an open bow version of the prostar 190. It can actually produce a good wake as it is basically a smaller version of the 205 hull but there will be almost zero storage in that boat. Hell, the 205 has almost no storage. They also require a fair amount of weight. Probably more then the Moomba. The Moomba will be bigger, have more storage, some automatic ballast, drive better in rough water, is newer, has less hours, etc... The only thing good about the X5 is the name Mastercraft on the side and the slalom wake.

Please do tell Jeff! What was your experience with the Outback to make you say that? Thank You!

And Jeff, did you have the LS with the same hull as the Mobius or the standard outback with the flatter ski hull?

My boat is for sale it's a 2005 Moomba Mobius LS

Here is a link:

https://onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=29675

Originally Posted by 4Nash

My boat is for sale it's a 2005 Moomba Mobius LS

Here is a link:

https://onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=29675

Nice looking boat eric but the one he is looking at is the same boat(more or less) for 11k less. It looks like yours has some nice stuff but then again he says he doesn't want to spend more then 15k.

How did you like your boat and was the wake sufficient with some extra ballast?

If I am correct those have a bag plumbed in the rear locker. It would be easy to add another plumbed in bag into the ski locker in the walkthrough and probably another big one where the back seat is. Then you should be able to have ~1500 of auto ballast in that boat.

Eric, your boat is beautiful! I wish I had the cash but unfortunately 15k is what I have saved. I will look into the addition of plumbed bags...being a girl it is not fun trying to man handle a 300lb fat sac! The Outback that I am looking at does have a plumbed ballast in the rear locker so it definitely should not be hard to perminately plumb some bags else where! Also, my best friend is a plumber so no biggie!

Originally Posted by polarbill

Nice looking boat eric but the one he is looking at is the same boat(more or less) for 11k less. It looks like yours has some nice stuff but then again he says he doesn't want to spend more then 15k.

How did you like your boat and was the wake sufficient with some extra ballast?

If I am correct those have a bag plumbed in the rear locker. It would be easy to add another plumbed in bag into the ski locker in the walkthrough and probably another big one where the back seat is. Then you should be able to have ~1500 of auto ballast in that boat.

Brett,

Thanks! in 2003 there was the Outback and the Ouback LS The Outback LS is the same as the Mobius LS as the Mobius LS was not available in 2003. The regular Outback is a little bit smaller and weighs about 200#s less. In addition to being a little bigger the LS has a few more options not available on the regular 2003 Outback. I was just kinda throwing it out there .

My boat has a 400# hard tank plumbed under the rear seat and I added a 360# plumbed bag in the ski locker. The wake is sufficient for us. None of us try to go really big. But my brother in law can get some pretty good height on the wake. Wake to wake grabs and 360's are all easily done. Haven't had any more advanced rider ride behind to see what else could be accomplished. The two extra 750# bags were mainly for surfing. We love the boat and are only selling it so we can put some money into the house to sell it and move and then we will be in the market for a new boat. Just unfortunately we gotta do what we gotta do right now...

Originally Posted by jsc1010

Eric, your boat is beautiful! I wish I had the cash but unfortunately 15k is what I have saved. I will look into the addition of plumbed bags...being a girl it is not fun trying to man handle a 300lb fat sac! The Outback that I am looking at does have a plumbed ballast in the rear locker so it definitely should not be hard to perminately plumb some bags else where! Also, my best friend is a plumber so no biggie!

You could probably plumb in a second sack in the back really easy. Run the unput hose to the locker sack into a sack for the back floor then run another line from the overflow of the floor sack into the input of the locker sack. Then you don't need to add any extra holes or pumps. You just need to modify some of the hoses and fittings. Probably 100 bucks max.

Originally Posted by jsc1010

Eric, your boat is beautiful! I wish I had the cash but unfortunately 15k is what I have saved. I will look into the addition of plumbed bags...being a girl it is not fun trying to man handle a 300lb fat sac! The Outback that I am looking at does have a plumbed ballast in the rear locker so it definitely should not be hard to perminately plumb some bags else where! Also, my best friend is a plumber so no biggie!

Thanks! That model should have the bag underneath it and the seat raises so you can fill the bag. You can easily swap that bag for a bigger one. What would be even better if you removed that single bag and put in two bags so that you could fill or drain either side independently for better wake "tuning". I thought about taking my tank out and putting in a bigger bag or 2 but the tank actually supports the seat as well. Good luck in your search. Make sure you test drive and ride behind whatever boat before you commit.

I would still like to know what Jeff thinks and why!

Jeff Wadholm (jeff_mn) Join Date: Jul 2009 Today, 10:11 AM Reply Quick Reply
I used to own the same Outback..


Get the MC

I had an 03' Outback LS.. We used to run with a lot of different weigths.. 10 people with no ballast, 5 guys and 1500 lbs, couple guys and 2500 guys.. The wake was ok.. Not great not bad.. Not even close to a true wakeboat.. The ski wake was decent.. Not prostar 190 flat, not X star bad..

The boat was quality.. I didn't mind it.. Not a "bad" boat by any stretch but it wasn't REALLY great at anything. I used to run a few different weight set ups.. Sometimes a 750 or 900 along the back of the motor and a 500 in the ski locker and 500 up front. Sometimes 750's along the side of the motor and 500 in the ski locker and 500 in the nose.. With weight in the nose - you REALLY had to watch it or it would dunk.

Overall it just comes down to the boats. Neitehr will be a "bomb" wake.. Neither has glorious amounts of storage. The Moomba was a good starter boat but I think the Mastercraft has a bit more freeboard to it and the quality is a bit better..

I'm not knocking the Outback. I dug the boat. But being around a lot of boats - you can tell the quality is different. It shoudl be - one is a price point boat, the other is not.. You'll have fun with either.

Speaking from experience - if you are really into wakeboarding and you are looking for a $15k direct drive - do yourself a favor and either take out a $10k loand and just spend the $25k on a mid level V-drive or else wait a year and save another $10k and buy the v-drive. If you buy one of these boats - I'd say there is an 80% chance you're ready to upgrade by next year. Might as well just do it right the first time.. I've learned that the hard way - lots of people have.

Good luck - both great rigs - being on the water is what it's all about!

You got that right. There is no other better place to be! Thank you all for your insight. I really appreciate it!

I had the exact same Moomba also. 2003 Outback LS. The LS is far better than the regular outback, and the same hull as the Mobius LS in later years.

Mine had the factory plastic tank under the rear seat that was about 400# I think. The model that has the ability to raise the seat up and put a bag there should be the regular outback, not the LS. Mine didn't come with ballast but I installed a reversable pump and plumbed in the rear tank, and also used t-handle valves to shut it off and plumb in a 500# back in the front ski locker (only filled it up about 3/4 full though)

I also added a couple extra lines with quick releases so I could add a pair of 250# direct drive sacs on the floor... when I wasn't using them I would just tuck the extra hose inside the gunnels. Everything was run off the single pump and had t-handle valves to close off what I didn't want filled or drained. Not the fastest system but it worked.

Moomba states in the rear locker not to put over 100# or something like that in there... the floor is not super thick and its right on top of the gas tank. I know some people have reinforced the floor to add a ballast bag but its probably not the best idea.

With all the extra bags the wake was decent and def ridable.... but not spectacular. I eventually sold the boat to get a bigger wake (vdrive). It's also a pain in the ass with all the extra bags on the floor, so I only usually used those when there was only 3-4 of us out. There wasn't a whole lot of space on that boat... the bow held anchor, ropes, and buoys.. the rear locker held lifejackets and wetsuits... so really the only place to keep any personal day trip gear was behind the observer seat.

That being said.. its a good boat for your budget. It was fun, handled well, and I never had any problems with it. Under 15k seems to be a good deal if the engine is solid. Without finding a clean nautique there's not a lot of killer wakeboard boats for that price range. I sold mine for quite a bit more a year ago, but it only had 220 hours and a few extras (Stereo, lights, etc). Does that Moomba have racks or tower speakers.. ?? Doesn't appear to from the small picture.

Cant' comment much on the MC wake or the boat cause i've never been in one personally..

Hope that helps..

I have a buddy who has that same x5. There is no room in the thing. None. You get more than three people in it and some stuff and you feel cramped. That said, with some weight, it throws a nice clean wake. The x5 also drives and handles really well.

I agree with Jeff.

I would consider taking a 5k loan out, and spending around 20k. In that price range you can get a decent vdrive wakeboat, such as a Mobius LSV (2003 era), original Xstar, 205v, older wakesetter VLX.

Would you rather spend 15k and regret your purchase, or spend 15k, borrow 5, and be totally happy with your purchase.

My budget was 25k, and I was able to find a mint condition 04 Wakesetter VLX, that as loaded

Originally Posted by Indyxc

I agree with Jeff.

I would consider taking a 5k loan out, and spending around 20k. In that price range you can get a decent vdrive wakeboat, such as a Mobius LSV (2003 era), original Xstar, 205v, older wakesetter VLX.

Would you rather spend 15k and regret your purchase, or spend 15k, borrow 5, and be totally happy with your purchase.

My budget was 25k, and I was able to find a mint condition 04 Wakesetter VLX, that as loaded

Do this.. You'll regret it if you don't and that is NOT a knock on the Moomba or MC..

Lots of older centurions in that price range with v-drives.. at least you can hide ballast and they have more freeboard

I think Peter and Jeff make good points but there is something to be said about no debt. Remember, people buying things they can't afford is what got us into this mess. Although that doesn't sound like it would be the case if you took a 5 or 10k loan out as you would have plenty of equity in the boat and it would be easy to move without giving it back to the bank.

or you could get a Prostar 205 DDrive for around 15k (96-98) that would be way better than these two

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=29549 is pretty nice

Peter, You stole that VLX!!!

Can't really compare the two boats, but we used to board behind a 99 malibu response. It stays in my buddy's garage now that we have the VLX. The v drives have so much more room and throw so much better wakes(or at least with a lot less effort). I would follow the advice and save up another year (or sell the truck and buy a beater tow vehicle. ) and get a vdrive.

Originally Posted by ckdollar

or you could get a Prostar 205 DDrive for around 15k (96-98) that would be way better than these two

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=29549 is pretty nice

ding ding ding

outback for sure.
newer
less hours
ballast.
triple win

Originally Posted by ckdollar

or you could get a Prostar 205 DDrive for around 15k (96-98) that would be way better than these two

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=29549 is pretty nice

That is way too much for that boat. That boat should be priced around 12-14k. Nice boat and nice colors but it is still really small and has almost zero storage. I guaruntee that outback LS has a lot more storage. The 205 direct drive has a rear locker but the gas tank takes up 75% of it. It is basically worthless. The storage under the bow cushions are pretty small as well. It is probably a better ski boat then the outback LS but really the only good thing about it is the ability to make a really nice wakeboard wake. It doesn't appear that boat has a ski locker in the walkway either. That means you will have a bag across the back, a bag in the bow and a bag on each side of the engine if you really want a great wake. You can probably get 75-85% of the wake out of the outback ls with 2 automatic bags hidden and whatever is in or under the rear seat filled. You might have to add a little extra weight but not much.

I have a Mobius LS. I have been happy with it. I chose it over other boats because of the room inside. Nice large bow and plenty of storage. I commend you for being financially responsible. These guys suggesting a loan mean well, but I think you have the right approach. Buy what you can afford.

Moomba...Built in ballast is a huge plus. Unless you need 2k - 3k of ballast and plan on adding extra bags anyway, there is nothing better than hidden bags/tanks filling and emptying with the flip of a switch.

And definitely stick to your budget. Its a boat so you know you'll have to put money into it sooner or later...

If u ask me its about what features are more important to you. I have been in and behind both boats.


The moomba wins out in room. It is a true walkthru and has more wide open feel to it. The X5 is a step over walkthru. It may have open bow but its configured like 190.

The moomba has less freeboard and re nose rides really low. Not to say the nose of the x5 id high, but the moomba's rides low.

Th MC is a bit more solid of a ride and doesn't flex as much in the chop.

The wake on the x5 is also a bit better. Little more pop and very. However there will be next to zero floor upgrade.

I would also add to try and wait for a Mastercraft 205 or a Sport Nautique. The boats will have the room and performance u are looking for at your pricepoint. They just may not have all the extra bells, but in end you can add those as you go and I would think you would be happier in the end

I second the don't take out a loan and stick to your budget. Owning things is a much better feeling than "loaning" them. The MC will be easier to sell in the event u upgrade.

Thanks, You Guys Are The Best!
I took the Moomba on a test drive and it is nicer and cleaner than the pictures showed. I took the NADA for it with me and I offered the guy 12,500.00 and he accepted it. He got injured at work and needed to sell the boat to pay his bills until his long term disability kicks in and he also said that he couldn’t look at it any more knowing that he could no longer ride!
Oh....yes, it does have 4 tower speakers and 2 racks. He had them off so he could lay the tower down to keep it in his storage space.
I really appreciate all of your comments and advice! I will be plumbing some more bags!

12.5 is a steal for a 95% setup boat. It doesn't sound like you will have to do anything other then maybe plumb in some extra ballast. The best part is you will own it outright and if you want to sell it in 1-5 years you can probably get 12-15k out of it. Have fun.

Originally Posted by jsc1010

Thanks, You Guys Are The Best!
I took the Moomba on a test drive and it is nicer and cleaner than the pictures showed. I took the NADA for it with me and I offered the guy 12,500.00 and he accepted it. He got injured at work and needed to sell the boat to pay his bills until his long term disability kicks in and he also said that he couldn’t look at it any more knowing that he could no longer ride!
Oh....yes, it does have 4 tower speakers and 2 racks. He had them off so he could lay the tower down to keep it in his storage space.
I really appreciate all of your comments and advice! I will be plumbing some more bags!

That's a great buy Bro - you'll be happy with it.

Check out my rig...

Sponsored by WW!

Good buy at 12.5k, you're going to enjoy it for many years to come

welcome to the Moomba family! Now that you own a moomba the next step is to join the moomba message board! lol. im sure you will find tons of info on their on how to set up your new ride for boarding