Your thoughts

[pat8839]

I went to the boat show this weekend to look at different wakeboard boats. I have never riden on or behind a true inboard wakeboard boat - I have an I/O. So I wanted to take an up close look at the different boats and the way they were set up. There were only Super Air Nautiques, MB Sports, and Moomba there.

Most of you guys own or ride behind these proper wakeboard boats and thought I would ask what you like about a certain boat or do not like about a certain boat.

Certainly a wide open area for discussion, but the water is cold so we can at least discuss the boats!

Thanks guys!

[chawk610]

I've only ridden behind my Moomba and it has a really nice smooth wake... and it is a DD. I imagine it will be night and day if you get a V-Drive over your I/O. I think the nicer of these might be the Nautique though... some others will weigh in I am sure.

[pat8839]

The Nautique definitely seemed to have more extras than the rest-I of course only saw them sitting in the show room. The nautique had the ability to fold different sections of the seats to face the guy wakeboarding and they had a sweet table type thing that folded down in the middle of the back bench. Nautique also has a sweet tv screen thing at the helm! No idea what all it does as they were turned off...

chawk does your Moomba have snap in carpet? The MB Sports boats had magnetic carpet which I had never seen.

[chawk610]

no, it doesn't... it has regular carpet. I am leary of the hi-tech dash controls. I like my old fashion gauges! Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I would have one

[Suprahunter]

Never seen an MB but heard good things about them . Moomba is the entry level division of Supra . They are a very good boat without all the bells and whistles. Their prices reflect that. Nautique is the top of the line . They only build high end. If Moomba is a starter boat Nautique is a finisher. Very expensive and worth every penny.

[chawk610]

True, Moomba is the Honda Accord to Supra's Infinity. But they are good "starter" boats wake wise.

[pat8839]

Nautique apparently has a keyless starter-you type in a code to make it start. I hope that works!

I've never seen a Mastercraft I hear they are supposed to be upper echelon like Nautique.

Where does Axis fit in the mix?

[Suprahunter]

You can put a code in or just have a 1 touch start . Mine is a 08 400 hours no problems yet . Its covered by a 5 year warranty. MC is another high end builder close to nautique. Axis is more like Moomba not many bells and whistles .They promote themselves as a hardcore riders boat pricing is between Supras and Moombas. Axis only builds pickle fork boats. I'm not a fan they remind me of a 73 Invader I used to own.

[pat8839]

There was a MB sports boat that has the fork front end. I think I have seen a Mastercraft with that front end-this particular MC was enourmous...Is there a difference functionally or just cosmetic?

[chawk610]

I think it is supposed to add room in the bow, and look cool.

[pat8839]

Are the engines all the same boat to boat the way all I/O's are Mercruisers or Volvo's?

[Moon]

Kind of... Nautique and MB use PCM and I believe moomba uses Indmar.

[pat8839]

What do you guys think about these wake boats being in saltwater? I know some brands sell specific saltwater models. MB says all of their boats are set up for salt use...

[augie]

you need closed cooling systems for saltwater to get the longest life out of your engine.

If you are thinking of upgrading to an inboard, more specifically vdrive, sit in boats from each brand and ride if possible. You'll be happy with the wake behind any vdrive coming from i/o, but each brands/models have their own wake characteristics. Some are super steep and abrupt, others are mellow and rampy, some are wide wake to wake, others narrow.

inside the boat, you're really talking vinyl quality, stereo, controls (ballast and touch screens), tower type, rack types, etc....

I've found the nautiques to have very short seats and the seats are high in regards to water level. being 6'2" i couldn't own one. Moombas remind me a lot of malibu's vrides. Stripped down and everything you need for a good day on the water. mastercrafts are known for bling, ugly towers and great wakes. axis is the budget spin off from malibu. supposedly one of the best wakes for wakeboarding, good tower, good speaker placement. tige's are doing some awesome things. the new Z3 is pimp!!

[pat8839]

Augie that's a good point about sitting in the seats and checking out how they feel. I have never thought about that, but when I buy a couch I sure "test drive" they way it feels to sit there for a while and in different positions, why not do that in a boat too!

I have never seen a Tige either, are those common else where?

[FlatH20]

I've ridden behind most all of the Moomba's - the Axis, Natique, most of the Malibu's as well as the MB. our local dealer carries all of them and has various events throughout the year.

The MB in my opinion has the biggest wake out of the box. the Natique, the wake is great but it takes a bit more speed to clear it up. the axis was nice but you had to add a bunch of extra ballast, same with the Moomba to get anything comparable to the natuque or MB. I found the Malibu wake to be pretty decent and you can really customize it with the power wedge option.

haven't rode behind a Tige- although on our lake there is one and it's considerably louder then my malibu. if I had my druthers - I'd probably get a Natique 210. they come standard with what many other boats don't - but it is reflected in the price. the MC I would also like to demo

the closed cooling system would be a must have if I were to use my boat in salt water.

[pat8839]

Flat thank you! Great info!

For the closed cooling-is there no raw water uptake into the engine? Obviously if the engine never sucks up saltwater there would be less of a corrosion issue...

[FlatH20]

you are correct - no salt into the cooling system - not so for the ballast though

[ridininmd]

The closed cooling systems still use raw water to cool the exhaust manifolds, that's where your problem is going to be on a salt motor. As long as you flush it after use and rinse it down well you should have any major corrosion problems.

[pat8839]

Do most brands offer closed cooling? I am sure they are much more difficult to find used...

[ridininmd]

Depending on your area they can be tough to find used. Boats that have been used in salt will also be much harder to sell and will go much cheaper than fresh water only boats. If they are properly maintained salt use shouldn't be that big of deal, problem is most people don't spend the extra few minutes after pulling the boat to really clean it properly.

[pat8839]

Can you convert from regular to closed cooling? How bad will that hit the wallet?

[ridininmd]

A friend of mine did a conversion on a MC a few years ago so it can be done. Again, IMO closed cooling really isn't worth the extra cost.