Thoughts and demo rides of wake / towsports boats: Moomba Max, Axis A22, MB Sports

[OrangeTJ]

FWIW, the system in my MB is zero off gps and it is freaking fantastic.

 

[swatski]

Awesome and thank you!!

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Wow. So, except Makai and Mojo - this is new AR240 territory...

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[MattFX4]

The craz pro msrp is $94k. The other prices look right. Maybe they didn’t have the info yet on the pro.

 

[haknslash]

Wow. So, except Makai and Mojo - this is new AR240 territory...

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Yea it's kind of crazy either way you look at it huh? On one hand it kind of puts into perspective how the Yamaha's are creeping into serious boat category and on the other hand it shows you can get into a nice wake boat for close to the same money you can get into a Yamaha. When you factor in the way Yamaha sizes their boats calling them a 24' when in reality they're closer to a 22' boat as far as cockpit space goes, it really makes these wake boats attractive and feel massive by comparison when you climb inside them.

This is an interesting article I read last night about the seedealercost website and how when it was first introduced had MFG's sweating bullets and trying to shut them down or MFG's who work with them. https://www.boatus.com/magazine/2011/june/dealersee.asp. While SDC does show invoice it doesn't factor in what the 'dealer cost' is meaning the margin he must meet to cover costs of the boat order, employees, service, etc. They are a seasonal business afterall so they will have higher running costs to cover during the slow times of the year. So while it is great info to know for the SDC invoice price, I'm not going to expect to get anywhere near that price lol. It does help though once you understand what a dealer is trying to cover once negotiating happens. I've tried to read up on various wake boat forums what people actually paid for their boats and it seems you can haggle up to 15% or so below MSRP, obviously depending on the dealer you're working with. Some people will always pay less or more for the same boat, car, RV, whatever. Hopefully I can find some middle ground in my negotiating to help offset or absorb some of the negative equity in my Yamaha. I understand everyone needs to eat and be able to put food on the table at the end of the day/deal.

Edit - here's another good read from the dealers perspective if someone comes to their showroom quoting SDC invoice numbers https://boatingindustry.com/blogs/liz-walz/2011/03/29/talking-to-prospects-about-seedealercost-com/

What I've learned from reading I don't know how many threads and posts on various wakeboat forums over the year or so is that your new boat sale ultimately is going to come down to dealer relationship and sometimes that trumps whatever the cost is of your boat or whatever deal you can squeeze out of one vs another. That is most important. Meaning you can get a killer deal from a dealer but if their service or warranty help is horrible then it's going to cost you a bad experience all around and not worth whatever deal you may have saved at one dealer vs spending a little more while still getting a good price at another dealer who has a better post-sale and service relationship with their customer. You want he dealer that goes above and beyond. The one that will go to bat for you if/should you ever run into an issue. The one who will "whine and dine" you months or years after the sale of your new boat. Those things make the ownership much more appealing than saving a few hundred ot grand here or there with someone else and a different boat. Unlike Yamaha there aren't thousands of these wakeboats made every year. They are all hand built and problems will arise every now and then from some random boat regardless of who made it. Could be a top of the line MasterCraft or a bottom of the line Heyday. Just like we experience with Yamaha boats and how important the dealer comes into play. Just have to multiply that relationship importance by a few times since these boats can cost much more depending on how you option them. I can tell after working with 3 different boat dealers which one has gone above and beyond from day one. Even having one of the manufacturer CEO's sit down with me and personally put a dealership in touch with me based on all my questions and concerns with switch to prop from a jet.

Rambo Marine took me out on a demo ride of their Axis A22. When I stepped foot in their dealership I didn't get the same great vibe I did from Skier's Marine. Aside from one follow-up call from the salesman, they have all but dropped any contact with me. Hell they didn't even sign me up on their spam email lists lol. Skiers Marine on the other hand has invited me to several of their events throughout the year even though I haven't gone to any of them. These events are primarily for their customers who have bought boats from them, not really for every Joe Schmoe that comes through there I would imagine. So to me it seems they really want to earn my business and not only that but keep a great relationship through the boat owning experience with them. That goes a long ways to me even if I never cared to attend one of their events or cookouts. Just that it shows they care to keep it feeling like a close extended (albeit it expensive hobby ) family. When it comes to service and help I would imagine they step up if their hospitality for everything else is any indicator. So yea I think it's easy to see why I'll likely go with a Moomba and in particular one from my local Skiers Marine dealer than another brand of boat or dealer.

 

[swatski]

Yea it's kind of crazy either way you look at it huh? On one hand it kind of puts into perspective how the Yamaha's are creeping into serious boat category and on the other hand it shows you can get into a nice wake boat for close to the same money you can get into a Yamaha. When you factor in the way Yamaha sizes their boats calling them a 24' when in reality they're closer to a 22' boat as far as cockpit space goes, it really makes these wake boats attractive and feel massive by comparison when you climb inside them.

Talking of nailing it on the head!
Very well said, Sir, on both points.

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[OrangeTJ]

Absolutely right, Hacknslash. FWIW, I got my MB about 20% below MSRP. The prices of ALL boats have really become astronomical, but Yamaha has gone that same direction. If you want/need a jet drive, I believe Yamaha is the way to go. However, the days of choosing one over other brands based on Yamaha offering a lot more for the $ than virtually every other brand are ending.

 

[MattFX4]

Wonder what rising interest rates is going to do to the boat market. Past few years we have enjoyed low rates to finance these toys. Couple points in interest makes a big deal on $100k boats.

 

[spatty99]

@haknslash The Helix is a phenomenal water sports machine.

The wakeboarding wake can get too big if you don't cut back on the ballast, plus it's easy to dial in razor sharp wakes both sides.

The surf wave is likewise impressive and totally adjustable. With just the upgraded 3000 pounds of ballast and a driver the wave has good push for a 200 pound rider and is maybe 10 feet long (plus it is rated to carry another 1000 pounds, but we haven't tried that yet).

 

[SCP1]

Honestly that red and black color combo is the best looking color scheme I have seen on a Moomba. I like the Moomba boats however I find most of the color schemes bland. Must admit I like the name Makai too.

 

[MattFX4]

https://www.facebook.com/194749913983052/posts/1222918434499523/

 

[MattFX4]

Not sure if that link works but it’s a news anchor at the Portland boat show displaying the Montara Surf Boss. Looks pretty cool if pontoons are your thing.

 

[msavold]

Sorry miss perky news anchor but I'm of the school that thinks that no matter how much you gussy them up and make 'em go fast, pontoon boats can never be "totally cool"!

 

[bobbie]

We are going to the portland boat show tomorrow....i’ll take a peek!

 

[haknslash]

Sharp boat and the size of the bow is crazy!!

 

[bobbie]

Surf pontoon is super lame

 

[haknslash]

Here's the smaller 21' ZS series

 

[MattFX4]

Surf pontoon is super lame

You check it out in person?

 

[MattFX4]

Sharp boat and the size of the bow is crazy!!

Yeah nice looking boat but I’m not a fan of the windshield on the supremes. I think Axis does the same thing. I prefer a wrap around window. I know it’s supoosed to give more visibility for water sports, but I just don’t like the openness of it while driving the boat. That’s one thing i really liked about my Yamaha. The deep cockpit with high freeboard.

 

[bobbie]

@MattFX4 yes ...according to my boat dealer they just have the one that's going around to the boat show. He said the hull is made in China. The dealer that is carrying it must think it's lame too because they had it stuffed by the used boats in the far end of the expo center.

 

[MattFX4]

@MattFX4 yes ...according to my boat dealer they just have the one that's going around to the boat show. He said the hull is made in China. The dealer that is carrying it must think it's lame too because they had it stuffed by the used boats in the far end of the expo center.

Lol yeah who’s going to pay $90k for that. That is lame.