Are Moomba Boats Reliable & Good? (Helpful Tips)

Moomba Boats is an established brand of wake surfing and wakeboarding boats. They are marketed as a mid-tier manufacturer in this very competitive market.

Before we start, check out our list of the most common complaints and problems with the Moomba boats.

With several high-profile brands to choose from, how good is Moomba Boats?

Here’s how good Moomba Boats are:

Moomba Boats has a reputation for making quality wake sport boats at a very good price. The hulls are made of top-quality composites, and the waves they generate get favorable reviews. They keep the price down by being more functional than luxurious in their interiors and have good resale value.

A Brief History of Moomba Boats

Moomba Boats was founded in 1990 to offer an affordable alternative to the more expensive lines of ski boats on the market. It was started by the owners of the more luxurious and expensive Supra brand of ski boats, established in 1981.

Moomba was originally manufacturing only boats designed to tow water skiers at a good price.

With the evolution of water sports and the exploding popularity of wake surfing and wakeboarding, the brand was converted to those sports exclusively in the late 1990s.

This primarily involved moving the propeller to the inboard or V-Drive position for the surfer’s safety.

It also involved the evolution of wave generation, with various technologies developed to create longer and more favorable wave shapes for the rider.

While their boats are still used in water skiing, they focus on wake surfing and wakeboarding.

In 1999, they sold the Moomba and Supra brands to private owners, who had been associated with MasterCraft. These owners created the banner of Skier’s Choice, and they have been the owners ever since.

They have been made for their entire existence (along with the Supra brand) in Maryville, Tennessee, outside of Knoxville.

How Reliable Are Moomba Boats?

Wakeboarding is a towed water sport where a rider is on a shortboard and is carried behind the boat, riding the waves and performing tricks. Wakesurfing is not a towed sport; instead, a rider on a surfboard rides the waves behind and to the side of the boat.

Both depend on the quality of the waves generated by the boat, meaning that every wake boat manufacturer strives to set their brand apart from the others.

This is where the reliability of wake boats is measured.

Moomba is defined by three technologies: the Smart Plate, the Flow 2.0 and 3.0, and the Autowake systems.

The Smart Plate is a centrally-aligned plate at the stern of the boat that may be raised or lowered; the Flow 2.0 and upgraded 3.0 are movable plates to either side of the Smart Plate. In conjunction with one another, they give a wide variety of wave heights and widths and curls to optimize the wave for each rider.

The Autowake System is an automatically controlled ballast program, where the water in the ballast tanks is distributed according to the weight on the boat and the speed it is traveling at. It performs in conjunction with the Smart Plate and Flow technologies to produce a smooth ride for both boat and board riders.

Feedback from owners on forums regarding the wakes is generally very positive.

This is especially true from the early 2010s forward, as the company introduced the Flow 2.0 and 3.0 systems to their wake technology.

Boaters asking each other about their experiences online with a particular brand is very common, and on wake sports forums, Moomba Boats gets high marks.

How Durable Are Moomba Boats?

The focus of the Moomba line is to provide a great wake boat at a favorable price.

Moomba Boats are built from high-quality composites, the same as the parent company’s more expensive brand of Supra. The hulls are made from the same materials and techniques; the interior separates Moomba from its more luxurious sister brand.

This is not to say that the internal components are cheap, only that they are not as luxurious as more expensive brands. While there are some options available, in general, there are fewer bells and whistles on Moomba boats so that it does not approach the expense of other lines.

This is reflected in the Moomba warranty, Lifetime for the hull, stringer system, and deck.

The opinion of the boating public on Moomba’s durability is generally very good. You can find some complaints about things other than their construction up to the early 2010s, but since then, a search of major boating forums has turned up no complaints about durability issues.

This fact, coupled with their factory’s strong oversight and a good warranty, makes it safe to say that they build durable boats.

What About Older Moomba Boats?

While Moomba has had a pretty good reputation throughout its existence, there have been a few complaints online about older models.

The lower seats used in some models before 2008 have gotten several mentions contributing to cramped feelings and a difficult ride, but other owners from these same models refute that this is a problem.

The props for some older models required being upgraded before the boats produced the best waves.

Overall, though, older Moomba boats have the same reputation for good boats at a good price that the current models have.

Do They Still Make Parts For Older Models?

It is unclear how far back in years Moomba maintains replacement parts. Their website directs those who need such parts to contact the dealer network.

But the brand does have a very active forum community at forum.moomba.com. Many threads easily found concern replacement and OEM parts for models from all years.

For Moomba owners with older boats, this will be the best resource in trying to track down difficult-to-find replacement parts.

There are also several online retailers of replacement parts for Moomba. Activewake.com seems to be one of the better sources, as they specialize in replacement parts for wake boats only.

There are also the regular online retailers of greatlakesskipper.com and boatseabass.com, each of which has a selection of replacement parts.

What Are Typical Problems With Moomba Boats?

One of the more typical complaints to be found online is the time it takes to take on water in the ballast tanks. Having the right ballast is key to getting proper wakes, and it is necessary to take on the ballast correctly.

This particular complaint is heard with other brands, though, so it is difficult to say whether it is truly a problem with the Moomba brand compared to others, but it is mentioned on several threads.

Another problem commonly mentioned online that concerns the ballast is its proper distribution.

Some owners report difficulty in getting the right ballast. Most of these complaints are before the introduction of the Autowake System. Some online commenters chalk these complaints up to the inexperience of the operators.

Several owners have reported a problem on the Moomba forums: getting vapor lock. This problem seems to be centered in some boats from the 2000s. None report it being a difficult issue, just an unfortunately recurring problem.

Another problem owners report on their forums is the central locker developing an unpleasant odor, requiring replacing the carpet frequently.

The other problem that some owners have reported is water getting trapped under the ski locker.

Some have had to drill holes to drain this water. Again, this seems to involve boats from before 2010.

How Long Do Moomba Boats Last Compared To Similar Brands?

From all available information, Moomba Boats seem to hold up as well as comparably priced wake boats. They seem to hold up compared to higher-priced boats, as well.

This is undoubtedly due to Moomba using the same quality materials and techniques as the more expensive sister line of Supra. While internal components will not have the same durability as Supra, the hulls will stand to time every bit.

After several online searches, there are no well-known instances of Moomba Boats having any delamination or other fiberglass problems.

All that being said, of course, you must maintain a boat properly. Even the best-built boat will deteriorate if left exposed to the elements and not winterized every year.

Do Moomba Boats Hold Their Value?

This question is a bit tricky to answer accurately. Most entries on the NADA guide show Moomba Boats appreciating. This guide is compiled from resale prices provided by dealers.

But this guide is not always accurate, as dealers do not always provide data on boats that sold for low sums, and private sellers and buyers will experience different circumstances than what a dealer provides.

We’ll look at a few models on NADA and what they are reported to have sold for on soldboatprice.com.

There are some other sold boat databases, but they are not free for the consumer:

2014 Mobius LSV:

A 2014 Mobius LSV had a retail price of $55,000 new that year.

Currently, on the NADA, that same boat is listed as having an average resale value of $58,730. Soldboatprice.com lists one as having sold recently for $52,325, with an asking price of $66,000.

Even though it does not match the NADA average resale value, that is still a favorable depreciation of 5%.

2017 Craz Surf:

A 2017 Craz Surf sold for $62,620 that year as a new boat.

Currently, that boat is listed on the NADA as having a $73,620 average resale value; the soldboatprice.com page lists one as having sold recently for $75,000.

Based on these available numbers, while a small cross-section and far from definitive, it seems that Moomba Boats do hold their value comparatively well. The comments of many owners on various forums seem to back this up.   

One factor that may be involved here is that, despite their good pricing, they are not as mass-produced as some of their competition. Therefore, they are not as common, and in general, the less common boats tend to hold their value better.

Are Moomba Boats Still Being Made?

Moomba Boats are still being made in their Maryville, Tennessee factory, alongside their sister brand of Supra.

They have been made here since the company’s inception.

There are currently 6 models in production. These range from the 20′ Mondo, which starts at $79,000, and goes up to the 24’5″ Makai, which starts at $100,286.

Final Thoughts

The prices for Moomba Boats have increased over the last few years, as they have for many boat builders, but smaller boat builders have been hit worse, as they cannot afford to buy in higher bulk to keep their costs down.

Despite that being the case, Moomba’s prices are still very favorable for the quality of the hull and the nature of the waves they produce.

Sources

Moomba Boats – Home

Moomba – Wakeboarbingmag.com