MB Wake

I recently rode behind a 2006 MB (actually Cobe Mikacich's boat, no lie) and we had stock ballast, 2500, and 12 people. I rode and the wake was VERY washy. I was wondering if all MB wakes are like that. Please post some pics of some.

Nope, Bonnette just does not know how to run the ballast.

If you are going to have 12 people in the boat and have 2500 lbs of ballast the wake on the MB or any other boat 23 ft and under will not have a clean wake unless you are riding at least 23mph. If you can not ride that fast you have no business riding behind a boat with a wake that big. If Matt would have filled the rear tanks half way and the front partially with 12 people, this post would have read "Dude I rode behind the biggest wake I have seen in my life." I ran my entire "Outlaw" tournament with full ballast (2500lbs), full tank of gas (350 lbs). 12 full grown adults (1800 lbs), four of which had at least 30 lbs of camera gear, (2 HD cameras). I pulled 15 riders for 10 min each, and then pulled a finals round of 6 for 10 min each. The wake never washed, but then again they were all riding 23-27 mph the whole time.

(Message edited by Alan-s on July 18, 2006)

Agreed with Walt. I was with him riding cobe's boat. We had some nice water.. a little rouch by any chance on the water when you rode? Weight distribution can be a key factor also... All i know was that it wasnt washed out for me.

You guys rode behind Cobe's boat when it was Cobe's boat. Wakeboarder 3922 rode behind it with the new owner of Cobe's boat.

Is that stock ballast + 2500, or stock ballast (2500)? Surely you didn't fill stock, add MORE sacs, and THEN 12 people?

Just making sure I'm reading it right...at any rate, if it was washing on both sides (ruling out improper weight distribution) then Alan is dead on, didn't have enough speed. If that's the case, and 23-25 was too fast, why did you sack it out so much?

I had my 02 sacked out (2200 or so) with 8 or 9 people in it, in about 15-20ft of water, and at 23-25mph, the wake was downright frightening. No wash at all.

it was stock ballast of 2500, and 12 people. alan, you must know bonnett because you are right, i didn't ride with cobe or anything. i wish.

I rode behind a B52 yesterday with full factory ballast and 5 people---pretty much sucked!!!!!

Yea Cobe is a fun guy to ride with. Matt works for us part time and bought the boat from us, he always likes to argue with me about how to set up the wake.

This post has got me thinking about the problem with MB ballast systems. With a Super Air, for example, anyone can just fill all of the factory ballast and they will get a clean wake. This is not the case with the MB, with an MB you are playing with 2500 lbs, enough weight to actually cause damage to the wake if it is not set up properly. In my opinion, if there is anyone on this forum that does not like the MB wake, the person or persons that they rode with did not have a clue about how to set up their boat. And, it can be confusing with an MB because the "rear" tanks actuall run 2/3's of the length of the boat. So if all tanks are empty and people are evenly distributed throughout the boat, you will have a clean wake starting around 18.5-19 mph. If the rear tanks are 1/2 full, this means that the back of the boat is more weighted than the front because of the running angle of the boat, now you need to either put one or two people in the bow or fill your bow tank a little. Now if you fill the "rear" tanks all the way and have people evenly distributed in the boat, the boat is balanced. However, if you have 4-8 people sitting behind the windsheild you need to start adding weight to the nose, via ballast or 1-2 people, accordingly. Hope this makes sense. The 23' MB's are serious wakeboarding machines, but apparently not fool proof.

Alan

Some MB wake Pics, all factory Ballast


911 Fabian Ashley

S- Bend (there is some wash! haha) Adam Fields

Square Raley Derrek Bullok

Byron Johnston 313! look out for this kid

Davis Prillamin TS OA 540 on the Double Up

you are a genius.

It takes a genius.

looks like good riding---not necessarily a good wake.

Dude can we get any honest opinions in here. Im looking at purchasing a used boat and have found some MB B52's and MU WS LSV's. I really want a 23' boat but cant decide on which one puts out a better wake. I havent ridden behind either. Just by looking at pics it appears as if the MU's have a rampier less vertical wake where as the MB's have a peakier/vertical wake. Im new to the game so im not sure what type i like. Any suggestions?

Also, are the 21's that much smaller than the 23's?

Have you condsiderd a Sanger V230? I think its like 22'7". I think the dealers blow those out pretty cheap cuz everyone wants the V210 and V215.

Of the two I'd definately go with the Malibu for wake quality. I've ridden an MB and did not like it one little bit. I can't say it was weighted by someone who didn't know what they were doing because the owners are sponsored by MB, have been featured in their ads and know what they are doing. It was just a washed out mess.

(Message edited by stephan on July 19, 2006)

wow so far it looks like we have more people saying its a washed out mess then anything. Does anyone have any pics of the MB wake? Also how does the Tige and Supra compare to MB and Malibu

Jesse,
The only thing that you can really do is test out the boats yourself and make your own decision. Just about eveyone on this board is biased one way or another, either they are an owner of brand xyz or they are dealer. Test drive, test drive, and do more test drives! If someone does try to give you their opinion, even in private they will get blasted if someone else finds out so there is really no point in giving your opinion.

I think deciding how to spend $50K based solely on the opinions of anonymous strangers is a great idea!

A wake can easily be washed out on both sides if you're too heavy in the rear, or going too slow.

The last MB I rode behind was about a ~03 B52, and it threw a clean wake very similar to my old VLX with similar ballast.

If you think im solely basing it on the opinion of strangers then your a moron. I also think buying a boat solely based on test rides also isnt the smartest thing to do. IMO opinions from those that have experienced the boat is worth something.

hows about this go try the wake for yourself. I wouldn't rely on anyone's opinion to spend 50K but my own. Personally I LOVE the MB wake. The numerous times I rode behind it, the wake was rock solid, super big, and the best part i love about it is how narrow the wake is. I normally ride a VLX about 75' and I could easily ride behind the MB V23 at 85'. I enjoy having a longer line but the Malibu wakes are somewhat wide. I think the MB is everything that I like about Malibu and Nautique all summed into one awesome wake. A narrow, Huge rampy rock solid wake. I talk about the MB boats all the time on my local forum endofropegang.com and I AM NOT EMPLOYED BY THE ANY DEALER, I AM NOT SPONSORED, AND I DON'T EVEN OWN A BOAT SO I RIDE BEHIND EVERYONES BOAT AROUND HERE. CALL ME A PROFESSIONAL BOAT HO IF YOU WILL. SHOOT I WISH I WAS GRACED WITH SOME OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE AN MB.

SO HERE IS MY VERY FAIR AND HONEST REVIEW AND OPINION. MB IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE WAKE. I HAVE RIDDEN BEHIND MANY MALIBU'S, MANY NAUTIQUES, MANY MASTERCRAFTS, MANY CENTURIONS, ETC. NONE OF THEM COMPARE TO THE MB B52 V23. I THINK A COUPLE OF YOU MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED AN MB THAT WASN'T SETUP RIGHT AND YOUR LED TO BELIEVE THAT MBs PUT OUT THAT WAKE NO MATTER WHAT. THATS LIKE BLAMING A BAD RUN ON A BOARD OR BINDINGS.

Well, you have two identical threads going with strong opposing opinions. Are you finding this helpful? I didn't think so. Time to demo.

i've ridden behind a few mb's. all were weighted down and had big wakes, but i've never ridden behind one w/ a clean wake.

stop yelling nathan.

the problem is that the boat is heavy the bal. is heavy so when you add 12 people its yes im going to say it "its too much weight" if you were to empty the bal. some the wake would clear up try it i bet its the best wake youll ever ride behind and for all who dont believe me come ride behind mine and ill prove it

bring the boat to me. i'll have boats from other manufacturers there the same day and i'll tell you if it's the best wake i've ever ridden.