Hello Moomba Makai

[Arcadyus]

I am really kinda sad my little jet boat will be gone end of July. It really showed us that we are definitely a water family. It's also so easy to go almost anywhere in it and it fits in my garage. But I love to surf and my kids will someday when they're old enough. So I talked my dad into going in halves on a new boat. We were planning on doing it at the 2019 boat show. Well that changed yesterday when I was taking him to pick up his Porsche from the shop. The Moomba dealer is very close to the detail shop. So I really wanted to see the Max. The Max was actually nicer than I expected. I was sold actually. But you always need to compare so we looked at an Axis A22. There was literally nothing nicer about that boat than the Max. So again totally sold. But there happened to be a Makai next to the A22 that was just getting speakers put on fora customer that was coming now today to get their new boat. The Makai to me is in a different class than the Max and the A22. Fit and finish are noticeably different. It's also huge. It's much bigger than the Max if you can imagine that. The walk through bow is really what sets this boat apart apart from its sheer vastness. I have a 4 and 6 year old so a bigger boat is never a bad idea imo. So we were all set to take our time and get the boat in January at the boat show. Then the pressure came. There was one build slot for a Makai in June. And just happens to be finished 2 weeks before our big family yearly camping trip. So we call our accountants and figured out how we can swing this as both of us are pretty strapped credit wise. Well we moved some money around and made it work. Our dealer even gave us over $10k off the MSRP price and threw in a custom cover at cost. Sorry @haknslash for hijacking your thread. Here's the build we ended up choosing.

Build Your Own Moomba Makai Online

www.moomba.com

 

[Arcadyus]

Got the call today no more changes. We did have a hiccup. The boat we chose was already slotted with a 400. They choose them before the dealer even gets the slot. Depending on how far you are in the from the spray date you can still choose you motor. We wanted the 450 but decided the 400 should be just fine. I even told the dealer keep my trade and we will wait till fall for a 2020 if he felt the 450 was needed. Since we only surf the extra hp wasn't needed.

 

[MidnightRider]

Huh. Not sure I follow that logic. Would have thought that surfing would be the one activity where you would want the extra hp with all the ballast required. I mean I'm sure 400hp will be more than adequate for all activities but just didn't follow the rationalization. What other activities would require more hp than surfing? Not trying to be a dick, its an honest query.

 

[MattFX4]

Doesn't the 450 also come with the 1.75 tranny on the Makai also? Or am I remembering that wrong?

 

[Arcadyus]

Doesn't the 450 also come with the 1.75 tranny on the Makai also? Or am I remembering that wrong?

1.76 yeah it does. But propped correctly the 400 at sea level is a beast.

 

[haknslash]

400 with surf prop 15x13 here and no issue with power. Made a beast of a wake with 12 adults and 1 9 year old onboard. With autowake in wake mode all 3 tabs drop down for launch assist should you need it. Based on your crew size you mentioned on the Moomba forum I think you’ll be fine since you’re near sea level.

 

[biffdotorg]

Huh. Not sure I follow that logic.

What logic I didn't quite follow was even considering the thought of giving up a boat for an entire season to wait for another to come in the fall. Of course he said he didn't go that route, but why give up a season of boating to watch your trade depreciate at the dealer lot. That thought should never cross a true boaters mind.

 

[Arcadyus]

What logic I didn't quite follow was even considering the thought of giving up a boat for an entire season to wait for another to come in the fall. Of course he said he didn't go that route, but why give up a season of boating to watch your trade depreciate at the dealer lot. That thought should never cross a true boaters mind.

We already have a price we agreed on and he said they would honor it. So if I take it and use it till end of August my trade value goes down. I'm already paying $100k cash for the new boat so every cent counts.

 

[Arcadyus]

Huh. Not sure I follow that logic. Would have thought that surfing would be the one activity where you would want the extra hp with all the ballast required. I mean I'm sure 400hp will be more than adequate for all activities but just didn't follow the rationalization. What other activities would require more hp than surfing? Not trying to be a dick, its an honest query.

wakeboarding takes more. You don't even plane when surfing right. So say you have a full crew. That's 4000 lbs of ballast and 2500 lbs of people and lead. So now your at 11.7k lbs. The extra HP would help get to wakeboarding speeds quicker and get on plane quicker. Since you only surf at 10-11 mph the extra hp isn't really needed. Note tho in tow boats torque is more important. There's only 20 something foot lbs of torque difference between the 400 and the 450. Also where you need the extra power would be above 4500ft. Also oddly the 400 is 350 hp and the 450 is 398 hp. If you look at the GM motors that are 450 hp they have the same amount of torque as the 400 raptor does with 100 less HP.

 

[biffdotorg]

We already have a price we agreed on and he said they would honor it. So if I take it and use it till end of August my trade value goes down. I'm already paying $100k cash for the new boat so every cent counts.

That part made sense. But it's like they put a price on your lack of boating for the summer. I don't think I can do that in MN. We only have a few months to enjoy summer. And I swear it has yet to get here with the weather we have been getting. I'm excited for you to get it so you can share more about it. So don't take my tone wrong. But wow, no boat for the prime of summer isn't worth it.

 

[Arcadyus]

That part made sense. But it's like they put a price on your lack of boating for the summer. I don't think I can do that in MN. We only have a few months to enjoy summer. And I swear it has yet to get here with the weather we have been getting. I'm excited for you to get it so you can share more about it. So don't take my tone wrong. But wow, no boat for the prime of summer isn't worth it.

Reading it on paper your right. But imagine your in my AR195 trying to surf a knee high at best wave. Then in the back of your head your like fuck in a month I'll be behind my Makai. Or your cruising the lake with a few homies and the kids. And realize you have no room to move around. Then your like fuck in a month I can be on my Makai. Also it's still cold here and we've had 1 weekend worth being on the water. I also have 3 vacations planned in the next month. So the dealer is prob going to pay off my trade this week and begin the process of selling it. Well as soon as he gets the 10% deposit for the start of the new build. That also frees up some debt to income to finance our soon to be new pop up trailer.

 

[haknslash]

The 400, 450 and 575 engine numbers are loosely the torque figures

400 = 408 ft lbs
450 = 452 ft lbs
575 = 580 ft lbs

For gear ratio it's:

400 = 1.5:1
450 = 1.76:1

I'm not sure if Supra run a 2:1 ratio.

I think if you're boating near sea level a Makai with a 400 and wake prop will be sufficient loaded up with ballast. Only one real way to find out though . You could always take your lead with you to the dealer and have them do a demo with you with a 400 engine with wake prop to see how it does for you and your elevation. Even if they don't have a Makai you could use a Max, Mojo or Craz to give you a rough idea if it's capable for you or not. The 13 people I had on board using an average weight of 164 lbs was 2,132 lbs. I didn't fill any rear ballast but had the front about 75% full (approximately 900 lbs) and it did fine. Add in the weight of my boat and that's probably around 7,700 to 8,000 lbs I was pushing that day and had no problems. I was even babying it because it was still during the break in.

 

[Arcadyus]

The 400, 450 and 575 engine numbers are loosely the torque figures

400 = 408 ft lbs
450 = 452 ft lbs
575 = 580 ft lbs

For gear ratio it's:

400 = 1.5:1
450 = 1.76:1

I'm not sure if Supra run a 2:1 ratio.

I think if you're boating near sea level a Makai with a 400 and wake prop will be sufficient loaded up with ballast. Only one real way to find out though . You could always take your lead with you to the dealer and have them do a demo with you with a 400 engine with wake prop to see how it does for you and your elevation. Even if they don't have a Makai you could use a Max, Mojo or Craz to give you a rough idea if it's capable for you or not. The 13 people I had on board using an average weight of 164 lbs was 2,132 lbs. I didn't fill any rear ballast but had the front about 75% full (approximately 900 lbs) and it did fine. Add in the weight of my boat and that's probably around 7,700 to 8,000 lbs I was pushing that day and had no problems. I was even babying it because it was still during the break in.

I could Def do that but I prob won't lol. I am pretty darn sure it will do fine. I am just thinking they wouldn't put in there if it couldn't handle the full ballast and maxed out passenger rating. I really think the 450 is awesome but mostly suited for high altitude like in Utah. The dealer was just on a shoot with liquid force on a Max fully loaded with like 10 dudes and the 400. He said it took some time but did get up to wakeboarding speeds. Without the ballast full had no problem going over 30 with all those people in it. I even talked to a rep he had call me from skiers choice. We talked for a few minutes and he also felt very confident I'd be fine. I just have been looking at the 440 numbers not the 450. My plan is if it's not capable with 400 plus ft lbs I'll upgrade in 2 years to a Supra. Paying cash gives you options you know.

 

[Arcadyus]

The other thing is I may never need the 1000lbs of lead. I've read a lot of diff reviews on the wave. A lot of them say the full ballasted wave is great.

 

[Arcadyus]

The 400, 450 and 575 engine numbers are loosely the torque figures

400 = 408 ft lbs
450 = 452 ft lbs
575 = 580 ft lbs

For gear ratio it's:

400 = 1.5:1
450 = 1.76:1

I'm not sure if Supra run a 2:1 ratio.

I think if you're boating near sea level a Makai with a 400 and wake prop will be sufficient loaded up with ballast. Only one real way to find out though . You could always take your lead with you to the dealer and have them do a demo with you with a 400 engine with wake prop to see how it does for you and your elevation. Even if they don't have a Makai you could use a Max, Mojo or Craz to give you a rough idea if it's capable for you or not. The 13 people I had on board using an average weight of 164 lbs was 2,132 lbs. I didn't fill any rear ballast but had the front about 75% full (approximately 900 lbs) and it did fine. Add in the weight of my boat and that's probably around 7,700 to 8,000 lbs I was pushing that day and had no problems. I was even babying it because it was still during the break in.

How did the wave look. That's just about your full ballast with no extra weight other than fuel. Also how was cruising around without ballast just your passengers?

 

[haknslash]

How did the wave look. That's just about your full ballast with no extra weight other than fuel

It looked real good! Better than 100% factory ballast full because the weight was distributed evenly throughout the whole boat. I really wished I wasn’t stuck having to baby it during the break in that day and would have love to fill the rear bags or mess with autowake that day. That’s where autowake really shines when you have a large crew onboard. I wished I hadn’t forgot my GoPro’s SD card that day and nobody else onboard took any pics as we were just cruising. The rooster tail when going off idle on plane was like 4’ tall lol. I didn’t have issues getting up to speeds or on plane nor did I have autowake turned on to activate the launch system. The Axis A22 I demoed by comparison seemed to take forever to get on plane with wedge deployed and all pnp ballast full (2800 lbs IIRC). The Raptor engines are no joke and pack a lot of power/torque.

You could looking into flashing the 400 to turn it into a 440 if you felt you wanted a little bump in power (15% or so I think). That’s all the 440 was back then is a hotter tuned 400. The 450 has different internals and I think intake manifold over the 400 so it’s a bit more involved. I’m not sure if those magnum flash kits void the warranty though so you’d have to do some research on it. But honestly I think you’ll be fine and likely may not even use all of the lead you have especially in bigger crew days.

 

[Arcadyus]

It looked real good! Better than 100% factory ballast full because the weight was distributed evenly throughout the whole boat. I really wished I wasn’t stuck having to baby it during the break in that day and would have love to fill the rear bags or mess with autowake that day. That’s where autowake really shines when you have a large crew onboard. I wished I hadn’t forgot my GoPro’s SD card that day and nobody else onboard took any pics as we were just cruising. The rooster tail when going off idle on plane was like 4’ tall lol. I didn’t have issues getting up to speeds or on plane nor did I have autowake turned on to activate the launch system. The Axis A22 I demoed by comparison seemed to take forever to get on plane with wedge deployed and all pnp ballast full (2800 lbs IIRC). The Raptor engines are no joke and pack a lot of power/torque.

You could looking into flashing the 400 to turn it into a 440 if you felt you wanted a little bump in power (15% or so I think). That’s all the 440 was back then is a hotter tuned 400. The 450 has different internals and I think intake manifold over the 400 so it’s a bit more involved. I’m not sure if those magnum flash kits void the warranty though so you’d have to do some research on it. But honestly I think you’ll be fine and likely may not even use all of the lead you have especially in bigger crew days.

Let's be real here. I coming from a ar195 that all it could handle was a few people in board and the rear swim bag. Plus the calf high wave. The makai will be such a huge improvement with just the 4000 lbs of ballast. I am assuming I'll be able to easily surf ropeless. I'm not 20 anymore so that will be just great for me. And I know the wave can be massive as you can see it on the wake9 shootout

 

[Arcadyus]

For the $7100 I could put a supercharger on it and prob get more than 50 ft lbs more and prob cost less than the 450 upgrade. But I will prob never do that.

 

[haknslash]

Let's be real here. I coming from a ar195 that all it could handle was a few people in board and the rear swim bag. Plus the calf high wave. The makai will be such a huge improvement with just the 4000 lbs of ballast. I am assuming I'll be able to easily surf ropeless. I'm not 20 anymore so that will be just great for me. And I know the wave can be massive as you can see it on the wake9 shootout

lol I think you’ll find the wave will be night and day compared to your AR195!!

I should get mine back tomorrow I think and hoping to take it out this weekend to do nothing but experiment with the wave all day now that the break-in is over. Going to bring my 750 lb fat sac with me for midship. I need to order a few hundred lbs of lead soon. If the Makai is anything like the Max it will wake up nicely with weight. You already got 1,000 lbs to play with so your wave can easily be massive I’m sure! This was a Max with just stock ballast + 550 lbs of lead distributed throughout.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

 

[Arcadyus]

That wave is huge