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

[DavisAR195]

I think a lot of members would agree with you about Axis and ATX, however I see a ton of Axis boats on the local river's and lakes. That is really one reason I went with Mastercraft was the fit and finish along with the 5 year warranty. Mastercraft is by no means the industry wave leader, but with a little research I found you can easily upgrade the ballast system with aftermarket wakemaker bags and 600 lbs of lead.

 

[d_coyne1984]

So guys im thinking of making the switch, need some opinions. Leaning towards a supreme zs232 or something near 100k. I would like to be at 80 but realistically I would be ok with 100. I have looked at a few boats, axis, atx, Moomba low end tige but nothing has struck me that I have to have. Also In the mix is a 2014 super air g23 for 85

Supreme guy here so I am going to be a little biased:
I have not been in the Supreme ZS boats, but I hear they produce a REALLY nice wave right from the factory, which is not true of most of the "budget" brands. Most need some ballast upgrades after the factory, the Supreme "S" series included, to maximize the boats potential. I feel like Supreme took a small step back from the S-Line in interior looks though. The new dash screen for 2020 is a really nice improvement from the old control screen where you have speed control, ballast control, and tab control on different screens so you need to cycle through them while tweeking the boat, but at least there are hard buttons for that. It's not a huge deal, but a minor inconvenience when trying to operate the boat. Supreme/Centurion have an excellent proprietary vinyl which in my opinion, feels like the best on the market. The deep V's are really nice as long as you aren't on shallow lakes and the PCM motors are supposedly more efficient than the Raptors. Those ZS draft about 6" lower in the water than anything else on the surf market except the Centurions.

I am personally anti-Axis because I think the interior quality doesn't live up to the price point. Even the Yamaha, at a much lower price point have better interiors and controls. I also don't like the idea of towing a boat anchor to get a good wave, but they do make nice waves. I think Tige has the best looking interiors, but can't talk to their water performance at all. Their ATX's seem to be a step up from Axis, but I feel like they went a little too cheap on their tower and windshield. They don't look as if the boat was necessarily designed with them in mind, but were a bolt on from a fits-all manufacturer. Moomba's seem to be the Yamaha of the surf boats. There is a lot of really smart design and smart tech available, and I would say their interior design and quality are about on par with what Supreme did with the ZS. Their pitch and roll tech is really sweet and they have a few very new hulls so they shouldn't be outdated any time soon. I have never been on an MB so I can't say anything about them accept that all the MB owners seem to be very happy with them. As far as the Nautique goes, I would rather put my money into a new/newer budget brand with the most modern tech and hull design, than an older luxury boat.

 

[d_coyne1984]

One other thing to note: supposedly the Mastercrafts, Axis, and ATX boats will clear an 8' garage door with their towers dropped. The 2019 ZS Supreme, I think can get under with a very simple trailer lowering, but I don't think a the new 2020 tower on the ZS Supremes will go under even if you drop the trailer. The S-Line will go under with either, but the 2020 will need a trailer lowering. Just in case that is a factor for you.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Excellent post d_coyne1984. For the kind of money the poster is looking at spending, he/she should definitely get out and see and test drive as many boats as possible. It is a very big decision. One comment I'll make about MB - they are short on "tech" and trick features and long on build quality & fit/finish, in my opinion. I love ours but it certainly doesn't have as much of the techno-trickery as is common in many other brands. Having ridden in and behind and driven much higher tech boats, I don't personally miss the tech. That's just me, though. Regarding asking for 15% off list - I'd go bigger on the first round. More like 20-25. it isn't at all uncommon to see a final price 20% below MSRP, especially as the MSRP goes up. For example, our MB was more than 20% less than list (before taxes). My buddy bought his 17 Malibu 23 LSV new for about 26% off list.

 

[d_coyne1984]

Excellent post d_coyne1984. For the kind of money the poster is looking at spending, he/she should definitely get out and see and test drive as many boats as possible. It is a very big decision. One comment I'll make about MB - they are short on "tech" and trick features and long on build quality & fit/finish, in my opinion. I love ours but it certainly doesn't have as much of the techno-trickery as is common in many other brands. Having ridden in and behind and driven much higher tech boats, I don't personally miss the tech. That's just me, though. Regarding asking for 15% off list - I'd go bigger on the first round. More like 20-25. it isn't at all uncommon to see a final price 20% below MSRP, especially as the MSRP goes up. For example, our MB was more than 20% less than list (before taxes). My buddy bought his 17 Malibu 23 LSV new for about 26% off list.

I would prefer to just have analog switches to control my tabs than the touch screen so it's easier to adjust on the fly rather than having to toggle through screens, so there is some perks to going old school for sure.

 

[Meetball]

The garage height was a factor before but with me striking a deal with my boss at the shop my nee clearance is 10 ft. I would love to be at 80 as like stated before. I will need to get ahold of a moomba rep and see what they have to offer. What I can say is justin from atx and tige boats has been the most transparent person I have ever met. We had a long conversation in regards to the cool touch interrior that they are offering. Any particular boat in the moomba line I should be looking at? They seem to hide their price the most.

 

[BigAbe75]

The garage height was a factor before but with me striking a deal with my boss at the shop my nee clearance is 10 ft. I would love to be at 80 as like stated before. I will need to get ahold of a moomba rep and see what they have to offer. What I can say is justin from atx and tige boats has been the most transparent person I have ever met. We had a long conversation in regards to the cool touch interrior that they are offering. Any particular boat in the moomba line I should be looking at? They seem to hide their price the most.

As to Moomba - I think @haknslash would vote for the Max. I've really been hoping for a good review/walkthru of the Makai, but have been unhappy with all of the videos that I've seen. Our local(ish) dealer didn't bring one to this year's boat show in Feb, so I didn't get to walk through it there either.

(It's probably just as well - the wife would have disowned me if I looked too hard at it anyway.)

 

[Meetball]

It's crazy to think 2 years ago I was worried about paying for a 20k boat. Now I'm looking at these

 

[buckbuck]

Just follow @BigAbe75 example and buy a different boat every year.

 

[OrangeTJ]

The garage height was a factor before but with me striking a deal with my boss at the shop my nee clearance is 10 ft. I would love to be at 80 as like stated before. I will need to get ahold of a moomba rep and see what they have to offer. What I can say is justin from atx and tige boats has been the most transparent person I have ever met. We had a long conversation in regards to the cool touch interrior that they are offering. Any particular boat in the moomba line I should be looking at? They seem to hide their price the most.

Sorry if you already answered this, but what part of the country are you in? What brand dealerships do you have within say a 2 hour drive of you? Wakeboats are hand-built, by and large. While that sounds great, it also means that it isn't at all uncommon for a brand new boat to have a number of "issues". It doesn't happen every time but if yours happens to be a boat with issues, you'll be glad to have your dealership relatively nearby. I'm fortunate to live about 15 minutes from one of the most highly regarded MB dealers in the country, although in the four years I've had the boat I haven't actually needed them.....yet. There isn't a Moomba dealership near me, so while I like their boats I doubt I'd buy one. Same goes for Tige and Supra. Fortunately, we have Supreme, Nautique, Malibu and MB within a stone's throw of eachother so plenty of choices.

 

[BigAbe75]

Just follow @BigAbe75 example and buy a different boat every year.

Lol!! I think I’m taking this year off from that routine.

I would be scared to add up how much money this forum has cost me between 2 boats and what feels like a ton of mods on each. UPS has been making steady stops here for the last month or so. Mostly little stuff this year - but sure seems to be adding up.

 

[Meetball]

Sorry if you already answered this, but what part of the country are you in? What brand dealerships do you have within say a 2 hour drive of you? Wakeboats are hand-built, by and large. While that sounds great, it also means that it isn't at all uncommon for a brand new boat to have a number of "issues". It doesn't happen every time but if yours happens to be a boat with issues, you'll be glad to have your dealership relatively nearby. I'm fortunate to live about 15 minutes from one of the most highly regarded MB dealers in the country, although in the four years I've had the boat I haven't actually needed them.....yet. There isn't a Moomba dealership near me, so while I like their boats I doubt I'd buy one. Same goes for Tige and Supra. Fortunately, we have Supreme, Nautique, Malibu and MB within a stone's throw of eachother so plenty of choices.

I happened to luck out on my relocation for work. All the big boat dealers are all within 15 min drive from where I am now in indy

 

[MattFX4]

I happened to luck out on my relocation for work. All the big boat dealers are all within 15 min drive from where I am now in indy

Are you stuck on new? I picked up an ‘18 Supra SL 450 back in February of this year for $95k. Had 75 hours, several phase 5 boards, spare prop, and 3 years left on warranty. That boat was probably 145k msrp a year and a half earlier when the previous owner bought it. What I’m saying is you could get in to a slightly used higher end boat for same price or little more than a budget line boat.

 

[DavisAR195]

A weekend away without the kids. Love the new boat and still playing around with the tabs and settings to dial in the wave.

 

[d_coyne1984]

Super stoked about this even though the exhaust note out of the PCM EX343 is dead sexy. I found a guy who is going to fab up a little version of the Centurion silent stinger exhaust plate for me for $350 so I don't need to do a FAE. I love the sound of the boat, but I am looking forward to getting the exhaust down into the water for the boring regular riders and quieter to be able to more easily communicate with the rider. Apparently they quiet the boat down by like 50%. And if I really miss the sound, I can just pop off the flexible pipe. Winner winner chicken dinner.

My stinger trim plate:


Silent Stinger:

 

[d_coyne1984]

On another note, I finally tried out my "suck gate" last week and very pleased with the results. Only negative side effects were that the boat wanted to steer to the side that the gate was on, and the engine did have to work much harder.

After my buddy falls you can get a better idea how the wave looks at the end. I should have taken before and after videos.

 

[Lynkage]

Hello all,

This has been an interesting thread. Thanks to all who have added to this thread. I have a question for those of you who have done extensive research on these wake boats. We are ready to move up and need a boat that will average 35 mph or more. Our primary lake is Lake Powell and we will often travel long distances to get to different parts of the lake. We are not experienced surfers but the whole family wants to do this. We have knee boarded and of course we tube. We would also like to seat 12 people or more. Our preference would be to buy used but not to old. Our current boat is a 2008 AR230 HO. It's is fun but pretty limited and I really do not want to invest much money in the Yamaha because that seams like a waste. It certainly served it's purpose and let us know that our family really enjoys this hobby.

Any help that you folks can provide is greatly appreciated!

Shane

 

[d_coyne1984]

Hello all,

This has been an interesting thread. Thanks to all who have added to this thread. I have a question for those of you who have done extensive research on these wake boats. We are ready to move up and need a boat that will average 35 mph or more. Our primary lake is Lake Powell and we will often travel long distances to get to different parts of the lake. We are not experienced surfers but the whole family wants to do this. We have knee boarded and of course we tube. We would also like to seat 12 people or more. Our preference would be to buy used but not to old. Our current boat is a 2008 AR230 HO. It's is fun but pretty limited and I really do not want to invest much money in the Yamaha because that seams like a waste. It certainly served it's purpose and let us know that our family really enjoys this hobby.

Any help that you folks can provide is greatly appreciated!

Shane

My boat tops out around 36 mph. These boats typically have high altitude props on them to be able to handle pushing so much weight which brings down their already not stellar top speeds so you would probably have to be willing to make a sacrifice there. The base engines in most of these boats will probably get you around the same performance, or maybe a couple MPH higher. You can get the bigger engines, but they will probably limit your choices in the used market because they usually have a heavy cost associated with the upgrade. Even with the biggest engines, I don't think most of these boats will top more than 40 mph wide open with the surf props (and you will want the surf prop if you are going to surf). On the plus side, swapping the props is really easy so if you have a long destination in mind, throw a higher pitched prop on, just don't plan on doing any fully loaded surfing. Oddly though, I don't miss the speed om my Yamaha at all. Not only do these boats seem faster for some reason, there is more to enjoy in the journey getting there. They are so much smoother and quieter across the water. If you want to seat 12 people comfortably, you'll probably be looking at the 23' boats which really seems like the sweet spot for surf boats anyway. My 21ft will hold twelve, but just like any other boat filled to capacity, it is really tight. Keep in mind that a 23' wake boat will weight around 7000lbs so you pretty much need to have a pickup and a 3/4 ton would be ideal if you are towing that plus packing in the entire family, but half ton should do it.

 

[haknslash]

Haven’t been on here in a few months. This summer has been great with the boat and new ballast!

 

[haknslash]

Hello all,

This has been an interesting thread. Thanks to all who have added to this thread. I have a question for those of you who have done extensive research on these wake boats. We are ready to move up and need a boat that will average 35 mph or more. Our primary lake is Lake Powell and we will often travel long distances to get to different parts of the lake. We are not experienced surfers but the whole family wants to do this. We have knee boarded and of course we tube. We would also like to seat 12 people or more. Our preference would be to buy used but not to old. Our current boat is a 2008 AR230 HO. It's is fun but pretty limited and I really do not want to invest much money in the Yamaha because that seams like a waste. It certainly served it's purpose and let us know that our family really enjoys this hobby.

Any help that you folks can provide is greatly appreciated!

Shane

Hello Shane.

Like @d_coyne1984 mentioned these boats are not setup to run fast. They are intended to cruise and haul lots of ballast therefore they are propped to top out in the high 30’s. Our typically cruise speed is low to mid twenties and the boat just lugs around effortlessly at those speeds. Driving them at 30+ mph just makes them gulp gas and that’s not to say they can’t do it because they can it’s just not as enjoyable as cruising a little slower. Our last boat did 49-50 mph and we thought we would miss the fast speeds but we have not and it’s not an issue with these boats to stay on plane at slower speeds unlike a jet where you have to rev them out to stay on plane. I think you would find you’ll slow down and enjoy the sights on a wakeboat and not care about getting down the water faster. Sometimes I run in the low 30’s but this year the lakes have been so busy and we bought in a larger lake that can get real rough so hauling ass isn’t in the cards unless it’s end of the day or early morning glass. Old boats typically don’t have surf systems and don’t have a lot of freebies so if boating in a lake that gets rough be sure you take that into consideration. For a crew of 12 people I’d say get a boat that is in the 22-23’ or greater range. Any other questions fire away and I’m sure the other vdrive guys in here would like to help.