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

[Brad460]

I have the 3.92 rear end. I’ve never been one to brag about the trucks I’ve owned (had a Tundra, F150, driven Chevy Silverados many times)- This Ram is hands down the best vehicle I’ve ever owned- best 1/2 ton on the market right now (I test drove them all before buying). It rides like a Cadillac, it’s quiet, comfortable and does a great job pulling.

This is coming from someone who in the past said I’d never ever buy a Dodge! My neighbor (owns the local Dodge dealer) finally convinced me to drive the new Ram and I was instantly sold.

 

[haknslash]

Just placed an order with WM. That 15% coupon I've been sitting on since last year helped. Finally going to get around to venting my midship bag into my rear bag overflow. This will fill and drain so much better than how the WM kit comes. Also bought some check valves just in case I get any back flow. Hoping to get down to the boat in a few weeks and I'll snag some pics of the new routing. This should also hopefully solve my issue with the ballast fill sensor getting false trips.

 

[MGoMike]

Alright, since we are on truck questions...

Did you go with the Air Suspension on the Ram?

Are tow mirrors worth it or are the standard mirrors fine with the Moomba Max?

We tow 20-30 minutes each way for our regular lakes. I need to upgrade the tow rig from our Jeep Grand Cherokee when I move to a wake boat next year.

 

[Brad460]

Alright, since we are on truck questions...

Did you go with the Air Suspension on the Ram?

Are tow mirrors worth it or are the standard mirrors fine with the Moomba Max?

We tow 20-30 minutes each way for our regular lakes. I need to upgrade the tow rig from our Jeep Grand Cherokee when I move to a wake boat next year.

Mine does not have the air suspension...I thought the truck would squat more with the boat, but it seems the boat is properly positioned on the trailer.

I think if I was pulling an RV the air suspension might be a good idea, or at least some assist bags.

I just have the standard mirrors and they are ok. Again, I think tow mirrors are needed with an RV or 8’ wide enclosed trailer (neither of which I have).

To be honest, the Max dwarfs the Ram in size. I would not be comfortable pulling this boat with a SUV (Cherokee size SUV) even the shortest of distances...

 

[MGoMike]

Thanks! 100% agree. There’s no way I’d tow a wakeboat with the Grand Cherokee.

 

[sleek98]

Finally got to put the boat in the water after 5 months of winter. Kids love it so far. Can’t wait for tomorrow so I can play with the settings and get some breakin time knocked out.

 

[007]

Congrats @Brad460 she’s a beauty!

 

[haknslash]

Finally got to put the boat in the water after 5 months of winter. Kids love it so far. Can’t wait for tomorrow so I can play with the settings and get some breakin time knocked out.

Even though we are in the south I kind of wished I had heaters. Congrats on finally getting it out!

 

[sleek98]

Real eye opening experience driving today. Got pretty windy and was in a tight cove at the in-laws private dock. I didn’t realize how used to the Yamaha I was. Got myself in trouble but made it out ok with no damage since the lake is 10’ high. I was in 4.5’ of water before I figured out how to get it going the right way, I have not gotten a handle on reverse turning yet so I hope I can figure it out quickly.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Real eye opening experience driving today. Got pretty windy and was in a tight cove at the in-laws private dock. I didn’t realize how used to the Yamaha I was. Got myself in trouble but made it out ok with no damage since the lake is 10’ high. I was in 4.5’ of water before I figured out how to get it going the right way, I have not gotten a handle on reverse turning yet so I hope I can figure it out quickly.

Sounds stressful! There are some good instructional videos on youtube about inboard handling. You will figure it out quickly once you get a handle on the concepts involved in overcoming the prop steer by using short reverse engagements to get moving backward and then engaging neutral to capitalize on the initial rearward movement while steering, then bumping momentarily into forward while countersteering to get the bow pointed in the direction you want...and then over again until you are headed where you want to go backward. Sounds more complicated than it is.

 

[haknslash]

Yup it takes a little getting used to. As Orange said, use reverse just in little bumps in and out of gear. That’s all it takes to get the boat to pivot. If you leave it in reverse for longer distances you will be fighting against yourself. Take the boat out to a secluded cove and toss out a fender without the rope attached. Then practice navigating around and up to it. Pretend it is a dock or boat you’re pulling up to. Then when you feel like you get the hang of it toss out another fender and practice pulling along the two imagining as if they were connected by an invisible line. Again pretend it’s a dock or boat. After a few times you should be getting the hang of it. On windier days the tall freeboard and Bimini will amplify being pushed around but the tracking fins and rudder help hold these boats better than your jet boat in wind so you should adapt fairly quickly after some practice. If you can drive and dock a jet boat then you’ll be a pro at these boats once you understand how to use bumping in and out of gear and prop rotation to your advantage. Until you get proficient I will warn you probably always want to try and keep the dock or boat you’re pulling up to on your right / starboard side. Go slooow. These boats won’t wander around like a jet boat does at low speed around docks so there is no need to have the mindset of you need throttle (thrust from jet boat days) to keep you on track to where you’re pointed or looking to dock. Go slow And approach at a shallow angle. don’t worry about the rear of the boat if it’s sticking out. Just get the front where you want it and when it’s time to bring the stern next to the dock you just put it in reverse enough for the transmission to engage (no additional throttle required) and the stern will pull itself to the right nestling itself parallel to the dock.

As mentioned there are some great videos out there about driving inboards so I suggest watching them. I’ve also posted a few of my videos on dock these boats a few pages back. Congrats and probably best to practice without family if it drives the stress level up. As Orange said this all may sound complicated but it’s really not and it will become second nature after some seat time.

Be careful if you’re boating in flooding lake or river conditions. That’s when trees and submerged objects become dislodged and float just under the surface.

 

[sleek98]

That’s the plan for today. Go practice before dinner with everyone. The wind really threw me a curve ball and I went into panic mode and kept treating it like a jet boat. Too much throttle and leaving it in gear for too long

Our lake is normally 3-5’ high right now. Looking at the core website we are actually only 7’ high so it’s not horrible. Every spring we get to 15-20’ then it drops.

no damage so it was a cheap lesson to learn. I will be watching some videos as well. I’m sure it will clickI just need to get to that point.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Haknslash describes it well. Momentary engagements of reverse and forward along with appropriate steering inputs will get you pointed any direction you want to go. Regarding side winds, our wakeboat is waaaaaay less prone to being pushed around by the wind than our Yamaha was. Not even close. Granted, mine doesn't have as much freeboard as yours but it has more than our SX210 did.

 

[sleek98]

Spent a good 45 mins practicing in a cove. Feel much better now. Was able to figure out how to spin the boat in both directions. Still not perfect at it but I don’t think I will freak out like I did yesterday. The in and out of gear bumps is how I was able to do it. Can’t wait to go back in 2 weeks and try again. We put 5 hours on the boat this weekend, water is 50* so hoping it’s 58-60 next time we go down and we can get in.

 

[haknslash]

I’m really debating just getting a dry suit so I can get a jump on the season and extend it. If this season is anything like last season was with all the new boat owners, finding good water during the middle of the day is going to be hard and slim pickings. Most people on my lake start to thin out in October as the water temp drops. They being lowering the water level drastically in mid November so I could squeeze another month or two of surfing if I had a dry suit. I don’t have the physique to pull off a wet suit lol.

 

[sleek98]

We got suits but they are shorts. Figured we would spend the first weekend breaking it in then hopefully the water temp starts to come up a little. I’m sure we will grab full length ones this fall. Didn’t realize how big my belly was until I got it on.

I’m tempted to grab 500-600# of lead to help offset it just being 3-4 adults and 2 kids in the boat most of the time.

Edit, ordered 500# from wakelife.co with their coupon code it ended up being 459 shipped.

 

[haknslash]

Today my fittings and hose arrived from Wakemakers and I decided to make a video explaining the issues or complaints I have with the WM bag buster kit and how the vent should hopefully resolve the issue with lots of pressure and nowhere for it to go (unless you manually vent the midship....which gets old for sure). I'll have an install and test video in the coming weeks once I get back down to the boat to put in the water plus get to see how the extra 500 lbs of lead looks on the wave.

 

[cozilla]

We have taken our Mojo out a few times and one thing that gets me is the lock to lock on the steering wheel. In the jet boat the lock to lock was less than a full turn but the Mojo can turn a few times before locking. Its an adjustment but loving it so far. Going out this afternoon to get some more hours on it. Hoping to surf soon.

 

[haknslash]

I personally welcomed the additional wheel lock to lock amount. It allows for greater control and less twitchy than the jet steering was. Just takes some time but for me its much more relaxing at cruise and better for surfing to not disturb the wave. I’m envious you’re on the water already!!

 

[cozilla]

@haknslash yea me too. Just trying to get used to it haha.