MB Sports
 

I posted a topic yesterday about the best surf boat

A lot of love was received for MB! I was surprised but excited.

So, is there a consensus that MB B52 WB is the best surf boat in the bunch?

for the money i say it would be hard to beat

Consensus? Probably not. MB is a boutique manufacturer despite what you might read here, and there are probably fewer twb 23's in existence than malibu made lsv's in the first three months of this year. MBs don't tow comps, don't get much magazine time, don't have sponsored pro wake surfers.

If you want a boat that is the consensus best surf boat on the market you will probably hear centurion (haha can you even wakeboard behind one of those anymore?), tige, supreme, and then the big 3. If you want to be patted on the back for buying a great boat and be the envy of everyone at the ramp, the G23 is probably the current consensus boat. And it will surf.

For whatever reason MB is a polarizing boat not a consensus boat. Buy one and see: the haters will hate. 99.999% of them haven't actually ridden behind the twb 23, let alone surfed a properly weighted one, though. Or surfed one at all for that matter.

All that said, the twb 23 surfs pretty good in my real world experience. You must add weight over stock (budget a couple thousand for plumbing in bags) and you must have a trim tab (whether you pay the $1400 premium from the factory or DIY for $400).

Shawndoggy, the avalanche is actually a great surf AND wakeboard boat. Always has been. A buddy of mine here has an awesome 09 Avalanche C4 and has it really well dialed in for both sports.

I've wakeboarded behind an Enzo 230 and it was a huge wake as well. Say what you will, but they are great combo boats. Centurion is just focusing on their surf marketing because that's market that they've been able to get a stronghold in.

That was a joke... Sorta. Go on the centurion (or tige) forums and the surfers seem to outnumber the wakeboarders like 15:1. I know you *can* but it seems the trend is that most people *don't* wakeboard behind *new* centurions or tiges.

Get to surf behind a B52 WB pretty regularly. It has a great wave, stock ballast plus a plumbed in enzo sac on the regular side. Wave is awesome for skim, the pocket is huge and the length is good. For surf style, the lip is not my favorite but still has a good amount of pop. Trim tab all the way up and the lip is there but it will also develop some spray on the face, it is just cosmetic though and won't really effect the riding. Only gripe about that hull is that it runs such a deep v that it leans really easy. This is both a good and bad thing, easy to weight but the lean gets obnoxious after being in the boat all day. Just comparing to the z3 we usually ride which has a similar quality of wave but leans much less. For the price though the B52 wave is solid.

Agreed as well as mentioned in the previous thread a loaded up MB 21 is approx. 60K and here in California the 23's are in the mid to upper 60's depending on how equipped and you still have to add bags etc, while an Enzo SV230 can be bought in the low 60's with all of the bags already plumbed in, or the premium 233 for 70K with all of the amenities - no need to add bags, drill holes in your new boat, etc. The true cost between an MB and an Enzo is real close.

Rob, B52 moniker is used on the 21 and the 23. For sake of clarity for the OP, which one are you referring to? And what year?

well yeah that is true

I meant amongst the MBs...Is the B52 WB the best ?

Both traditional (pointy) bow boats are (unfortunately) called B52 widebodies. Are you asking about the 21 or the 23?

I have no idea Shawn.

Just want to know which MB is considered the best surf boat and easiest to ballast?!?!

I'm on my 3rd MB B52 and don't see me switching brands unless something changes. Why do I keep buying MB? Price is one thing, as has been mentioned the bang for your buck is hard to beat. We use the boat for about 90% surfing although it's good for other things as well. The surf wake is good on both sides and the ballast system is amazing but does need additional ballast for a high end wake.

But my main reason for buying MB is the dealer. You can't underestimate the value of a good dealer. When you have had a bad dealer you learn quickly. My MB dealer takes really good care of me and as long as he continues to sell MB, I'll be in one.

If price wasn't an option and the dealers close to you were all great then you have a hard decision. If I had an extra $20,000 laying around I would look hard at Tige, but I don't so I'm perfectly happy with my MB.

conventional (consensus?) wisdom across all brands is the bigger the boat, the more ballast you can handle, and thus the bigger the wave.

As between the picklefork MBs (F21 and F24) and the traditional bow (21 and 23) boats, all seem to produce similar waves for their size, when weighted. I've seen vid of an off the hook F24 wave. So IMHO there's an element of fashion to which you choose. the pickleforks are love 'em or hate 'em. Truth be told the 21 and 23 WBs don't have the sexiest lines in the world ... they are kinda tugboat-ish. I find that somewhat endearing, others find it ugly. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (see also the G23).

I know that picklefork owners will confirm that they can take rollers over the bow. I'm not saying you can't in a 21 WB (never been in one) but in the 23 it's pretty hard. We haven't in 240ish hours of operation. In our old 06 malibu vride we took rollers over the bow probably a half a dozen times a season, so it's not like I'm a super attentive expert boat driver. the 23 has freeboard for days.

I have a full day of demos tomorrow. 9 AM-2014 mastercraft X-10; 11 AM-2013 MB B52 23; 1 PM-2013 Tige RZ2; 3 PM-2014 Nautique SAN 210

Talk about a fun day!

I will get back to you guys on the results but I am starting to look hard at MB!!!!

the best surfing boat I've ridden was a properly weighted B52 23 Widebody

how was it weighted Zach?

the 23wb must have the "cav" plate (trim tab on the back) and you need 750 in the corner and 400ish in the bow, on top of factory ballast. Guaranteed money with that setup. More weight than that is more better, but that's guaranteed to get a very very nice wave. Stock ballast only is surfable but unimpressive.

please post up your reviews!

Shawn, sorry for the late reply. I was speaking of a 2012 MB B52 WB 23 foot. Just rode that thing again last night. The wave really is awesome, and we took a wakeboard set when the lake glassed out and I was really impressed with the wake. Stock ballast with a 400 in the nose with 4 people. Rode at 80, 23.5, wake was solid, nice tranny with a decent lip at the top. Really like the performance of the MB, just not my favorite boat to drive or spend a whole day in.

Doc Phil..i posted a couple pics from yesterday we took in my 2013 MB b52 23. it is properly weighted and we had 5 adults in the boat, 1 adult surfing.

So, what are the results of your test day?