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

[OrangeTJ]

Got out for some social distancing boating before our ramp gets closed tomorrow.

Such a beautiful boat! The reverse pull to the side takes a bit of getting used to but I've learned a good "trick" for dealing with it. Steer the rudder in whichever direction you want the stern to go, then engage reverse only long enough to create some rearward momentum. Shift to neutral while coasting backward. Then rudder full the other direction and momentarily engage forward then back to neutral. This pushes water across the rudder and reinforces the stern swing in the direction you want. Full rudder back the other way and briefly reverse to acquire more rearward momentum before shifting back to neutral. Now you should be backing up in the direction you want, whether that is port, astern, or starboard. Repeat as much as necessary to complete the manuever. It requires some finesse but after a couple of times you'll get it and it won't seem so complicated.

 

[haknslash]

That is pretty much the same technique I use for reverse. Works great in most situations. Of course if it’s blowing hard winds you may have to make some changes. I always consider the wind and current direction when we pull up to places so I have a plan on how to maneuver and get out.

You’ll also learn to use reverse when pulling up to a dock if you want to pull the stern in and walk the boat sideways with forward and reverse inputs. Basically just enough to engage and then disengage is usually enough unless it’s blowing hard that day or stiff currrent.

Practice makes perfect and you’ll get the hang of it! If you can maneuver a wandering jet boat around a dock then you can learn to use reverse correctly with a v drive.

These refresher videos I made don’t cover reverse but rather pulling into a dock but you can see how I use reverse input to control the stern. I’ll try to make a reverse video if we ever get out this year lol.

 

[MattFX4]

Great song here if you want to test out your stereo. Sounds amazing on the JL system and the louder I push it the better it sounds.



A buddy just picked up a ‘19 SA. It’s sick. All white with black emblems and brown interior. He vented his 2nd sub compartment with this custom grill. I may have to do the same.

 

[haknslash]

Nice that vent is badass! If we ever upgrade it will likely be in the redesigned SA. Love that boat!

 

[MattFX4]

Nice that vent is badass! If we ever upgrade it will likely be in the redesigned SA. Love that boat!

I’m a big fan of the pre ‘20 SA’s but the new one is sweet too. I plan to keep my SL a few years and then go from there.

 

[haknslash]

Oh trust me I love my Max and I’m dreaming if the wife would let me get a new SA. It would likely be used and several years down the road lol.

 

[DavisAR195]

As long as no scratches and she drives that's a good maiden voyage in my book! m

How long is your breakin process for the boat engine? That was the worst part on mine and longer than the Yamaha but it was awesome once I was done. Enjoy it and you'll get used to reverse and how to position the boat in no time. Just take it slow and easy in an open area and toss out a life jacket or fender to practice.

The break in period per the manual is for the first 10 -15 hours. Right now the boat has 6.7 hours on it and really wanted to get the break-in process out of the was as soon as possible, but that is going to take awhile with the ramps closed. Mastercraft offers a 5 year warranty, but reading the fine print in the manual, the boat has to be serviced by a Mastercraft approved mechanic/dealer at each service interval.

 

[haknslash]

Yea the break-in sucks! I think ours was 10 hours or something. It took me 3 trips to get it over with. When I bought my boat we got 2 years of free maintenance and service so I’ve been lettting them do everything. I’m sure many people work on their own Mastercraft boats so maybe the fine print just means for the first service. I don’t even know how a warranty could legally prevent someone from working on it like say changing oil unless they could prove you did something wrong.

 

[DavisAR195]

Yea the break-in sucks! I think ours was 10 hours or something. It took me 3 trips to get it over with. When I bought my boat we got 2 years of free maintenance and service so I’ve been lettting them do everything. I’m sure many people work on their own Mastercraft boats so maybe the fine print just means for the first service. I don’t even know how a warranty could legally prevent someone from working on it like say changing oil unless they could prove you did something wrong.

On mine you have to enter a dealer code to clear and codes.

 

[haknslash]

Saw this today on the Moomba forum. Nice looking wave from a Max with just two in the boat and using Wakemakers kit rear bags and moved stock rear bags to the midship lockers.

 

[trace]

On mine you have to enter a dealer code to clear and codes.

Try 9191, my last 2 boats were from different manufacturers and both used 9191 as the dealer code.

 

[MattFX4]

This weather has been something else. Perfect Saturday’s for the past few weeks. Burned about 7 hours out today. Tubed with my son, and loved the sound of the V8 rumbling while on the tube. @haknslash the box anchor worked like a charm. Tossed it out twice and held solid each time.

 

[haknslash]

Yea the weather has been straight up gorgeous in the south for the past few weekends. Makes me miss the water that much worse lol. Glad to hear the box anchor worked great for you! Sometimes that sucker can get so set on windy days you will pull hard to retrieve that thing!

Are those white poles hazard markers? Is that the same lake that Ozark is filmed on?

I gotta say I've never really been a huge fan of the tan interiors but your white highlights and red piping break it up real nice! Really classy or timeless interior. Yea the motor sounds real good nice and throaty back there!

 

[MattFX4]

Yea the weather has been straight up gorgeous in the south for the past few weekends. Makes me miss the water that much worse lol. Glad to hear the box anchor worked great for you! Sometimes that sucker can get so set on windy days you will pull hard to retrieve that thing!

Are those white poles hazard markers? Is that the same lake that Ozark is filmed on?

I gotta say I've never really been a huge fan of the tan interiors but your white highlights and red piping break it up real nice! Really classy or timeless interior. Yea the motor sounds real good nice and throaty back there!

Yeah the white poles are hazard markers. Don’t want to go between that marker and the shore. Not in our boats anyways! Yep, this lake and Lanier is where Ozark is filmed. The Blue Cat Lodge is on this lake. It’s since been turned in to a BBQ restaurant though.

Thanks. I’ve always been indifferent on the tan interiors. I like them but if ordering a new boat I think I would be scared to order it. Mine is the light tan and not the darker. It looks much better in person too.

 

[haknslash]

I just finished season 3 of Ozark and I swear Yamaha must have been a sponsor or had a partnership with the show. Of course they all are apparently V8’s . Do you know where the Byrd’s house is on the lake? Would love to see it or where the Casino boat was.

 

[MattFX4]

I just finished season 3 of Ozark and I swear Yamaha must have been a sponsor or had a partnership with the show. Of course they all are apparently V8’s . Do you know where the Byrd’s house is on the lake? Would love to see it or where the Casino boat was.

ha I know right. Well Yamaha’s boat headquarters is right here in Kennesaw, about 15 min south from the lake. Maybe that has something to do wit it? We are watching it now. I think that might be on Lanier but not sure.

 

[d_coyne1984]

I finally got a shot of the wave. This is with my new 1000lb bags in the rear lockers, front bag full, and center tank full. Rear tanks at 1/2 full (I stopped filling those because I found a hose leak I need to fix) . I was hoping I wouldn't need to list it with the 1000lb bags but listing it still makes the wave a lot nicer. I'm going to need some bow babes once those rear tanks are full otherwise she is going to be too bow high.

 

[2kwik4u]

Great song here if you want to test out your stereo. Sounds amazing on the JL system and the louder I push it the better it sounds.

Had to look that one up.....I've heard it before. has a cool sound to it.

Anyone know that song that is sampled in the main beat? SOunds VERY 80's and a lot like this

 

[OrangeTJ]

I finally got a shot of the wave. This is with my new 1000lb bags in the rear lockers, front bag full, and center tank full. Rear tanks at 1/2 full (I stopped filling those because I found a hose leak I need to fix) . I was hoping I wouldn't need to list it with the 1000lb bags but listing it still makes the wave a lot nicer. I'm going to need some bow babes once those rear tanks are full otherwise she is going to be too bow high.

View attachment 115968

Looks good! You may find that there are other adjustments you can make that take away the need to list it or you may find that you only need to list on one side but not the other. I find that my MB seems to make the best goofy wave when I list it a bit but the regular side doesn't need that at all. Also, don't be afraid of a bow-high ride. I know it is nice to be down close to level but sometimes the wave you like best requires some bow rise to get the overall boat attitude you need in order to produce it. Bow high tends to translate to a tall but maybe a bit less long wave, at least on my boat. Whereas runnin a ton (well maybe a half ton) of bow weight and keeping it down mellows out the wave but stretches it out. I've had my boat for 4 years now and every time we go out we still mess around with the setup just to try different things. That's part of the fun, in my opinion!

 

[d_coyne1984]

Looks good! You may find that there are other adjustments you can make that take away the need to list it or you may find that you only need to list on one side but not the other. I find that my MB seems to make the best goofy wave when I list it a bit but the regular side doesn't need that at all. Also, don't be afraid of a bow-high ride. I know it is nice to be down close to level but sometimes the wave you like best requires some bow rise to get the overall boat attitude you need in order to produce it. Bow high tends to translate to a tall but maybe a bit less long wave, at least on my boat. Whereas runnin a ton (well maybe a half ton) of bow weight and keeping it down mellows out the wave but stretches it out. I've had my boat for 4 years now and every time we go out we still mess around with the setup just to try different things. That's part of the fun, in my opinion!

Thanks, I was trying to see how long I could get it in this photo so I had some trim plate down when this was taken. The struggle of the smaller boats seems to be wave length with good push out back. When I bring the trim up she gets steep and strong, but shortens up really fast. I'd like to see what more bow weight does so don't bring the ass out of the water as much with the trim. Enter bow babes (as long as they are less hot than my wife because we all know how that would go). Another thing that just occurred to me that I have never tried before, is to see what the side tabs do to the wave shape without any trim plate applied. I've only used the tabs for listing so far. I think one of these days I am just going to take the boat out by myself and mess around with it. The wife was getting annoyed with me on the last outing.