Fixing the moomba outback slalom wake

[pjnyk]

Went out for a few sets behind the new boat. Found that the wake was extremely stiff and it was absolutely launching me as I was cutting across. I was skiing at 34mph, not sure how much length I had off the line as I didn’t have our ski rope. I was just behind the rooster tail though. We had a spotter and driver in the boat with minimal extra weight. Lake was glass. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

[thager]

Try some weight in the bow. About 70 lbs. or so may help

[Zman]

If the Moomba hull reacts like the old Supra Comp ts6m, driving the bow down as @thager noted is the right move.

Does the Moomba have a wake plate at the bottom of the transom like the Comp? If so, lowering the trailing edge might also help.

[foxriverat]

Did you ski behind it before you bought it? Me and 2 of my ski partners have Responses 2000 to 2003 other ski bud has an Outback. His Outback only gets used when he goes out with his wife. I had a 96 supra ts6m. Tried everything weight in the bow different prop 22 off wake was a killer.

[Andre]

THAT is the difference between a Moomba and a MC or Nautique of the same era.

Helped a first time dd owner this morning lauch his new to him Tigé 21 2000.

He bought a ski boat after skiing my 94 MC and he liked the wake compared to his older sterndrive.He found the wake at 15 off 28 mph to be a wall on the Tigé.

I did advice him to stay with either boat from the big 2 but he didn't listen...

[pjnyk]

@foxriverat didn’t get to ski behind it. Lake was way too choppy, drove 4 1/2hr to check it out so we weren’t about to make another trip. Drove at speed and it looked good so went off that.

[MISkier]

Some options:

 

1. Don’t have the gas tank full. Start out less than half.

2. Add weight in the bow (as was mentioned).

3. Shorten the rope to 28 off or shorter.

 

Unfortunately, you will likely have to fix yourself, rather than the wake. To do that, you need straight arms, handle low and on your hip, lean away from the boat (not back on tail) with shoulders back/hips up, and never cross that wake on anything remotely resembling a flat ski on plane attitude.

[foxriverat]

Exactly what @MISkier said. I also bent my knees a little more to absorb the shock the 1 time I skied 22 off behind my buddies Moomba

[skiboyny]

Moomba ski a little "bigger" than some of the others but it is skiable. Give yourself some time to get used to it. You will no doubt have to be in a stronger position which isn't a bad thing. The good news is we get used to what we ski behind. The moomba will be fine and so will you.

[BraceMaker]

Not the best solution but you might be to experiment with some different rope lengths. With our old boat I really hated 15' off - particularly free skiing there was a good size bump and when we were free skiing with a full load of people in the boat or if we had a full tank of gas for the day it would be really firm. But 18' was money.

 

You can of course buy these https://www.masterlineusa.com/products/masterline-10-75m-progressor-slalom-rope-extra-loops

 

But you can also just take apart a normal mainline and reassemble in a different order (when was the last time you got to 41' in practice? ) or just ditch say the 41' section entirely and have a rope that's a bit shorter at 15' and 22' off if that is more friendly for your scenario.

 

 

[FSSPCat]

22 off isn't terrible behind the Outback. I have a buddy with one. I bought an RLX and we do not use the Outback anymore. Unfortunately, the wake is just pretty stiff behind Moombas.

[andjules]

Folks are being a bit vague/generalizing here about Moombas/Outbacks (some of which are great)

I think we're talking about a 2002 Outback (98-02 hull I think, with the round tail). Does anyone have specific experience with that hull? @pjnyk you might want to check out the Moomba Forums.

 

Nonetheless, if you're freeskiing, the suggestions above are valid:

- try any length between -15 and -28 off to see what works best

- keep working on slicing through the wake on edge with hips up, weight neutral (not back), arms straight but low to your hips as you lean away from the boat; when your technique at the wakes is right, the wake won't make much difference

- if it has a wake plate at the stern (I know they showed up on later Outbacks), lower it a little

- consider trying about 100lbs in the bow and see if helps or hurts

[Tryathlete]

Hope to hear back the results of the experiments!

[JayG80]

Removing the tower may help the slalom wake but the tower also strengthens up the hull.

 

I had a 97 Outback that served flawlessly for 1100 hours. My only complaint was the hull flexed in open water waves. The hull would flex enough that the flip windshield would fall all the way through. Ended up having to screw the flip windshield down.

 

No issues on private lake and the 15/22 line wakes were not bad.

[Zman]

@JayG80 Had the same issue with a 98 Supra Legacy (open bow version of the Comp). Boat built by same parent company as Outback.

My folding windshield also fell through into the walk-through due to excessive hull flex.

This happened when the boat was new, so it went back to the factory where they added structure to the hull and eliminated most all of the side-to-side flex. Under warranty.

 

[pjnyk]

Went out for a few sets today with a bigger group than usual. Would typically only have one or two people in the boat but instead had the driver, spotter and one person in the bow. Wake was awesome at 34 @ 28 off, soft and low. Felt like I was shredding hard.

[MISkier]

Are you still skiing the Moomba? I thought you were looking for a different boat.

[pjnyk]

@MISkier still on the moomba. Response comes in Thursday as long as it passes the mechanical. Just having some fun while we still have it. Looking for a buyer