Boat of Choice

Just curious to know what everyone thinks about MB Sports boats..Besides the service at the dealer the overall boat, what is your opinion

I like them, but I also own an older one.

I will preface that MB is a sponsor of OIB. That being said I absolutely have loved the MB Widebody. I have had X2, XStar, X45, Malibu and Nautique owners on my boat and all have been very suprised by how good the wake is.. especially with 400 in the nose. the list of standard features is very impressive. I have also not had a problem with any of the MB's I've had (granted I've only kept them for a year each)

We seriously considered one when we were in the market. Very innovative company. The big thing I didn't like was the designs on the vinyl, and the gel coat designs. If it hadn't been for that they would have been more competitive against the malibu we bought

Favorite boat on the market. I used to have an 05. Sold it about a year ago, but Im definitely going to buy another one. Im hoping to get a widebody here within a year. I've been on just about every boat you can think of and IMO, the MB build quality is unmatched. The wake is great, it has a ton of room, and the pure vert ballast is incredible. They use a thicker vinyl for the upholstery, which was great for me because I've got 2 dogs that ran all over the boat and never so much as put a scratch in the upholstery. A lot of other boats use a lot of plastics and it just comes across as cheap to me. MB uses a lot of billet aluminum and very little plastic. It really just comes down to personal preference, but MB definitely makes a great overall boat

These are all good post..We are looking to buy one but there is no dealer around me, so we are wanting opinions about them..Please give bad things or problems you have had with them as well.. Even if you dont own one, put your .02cents worth in..

TOP OF THE LINE

Love the gravity fed ballast, no pumps to worry about. Fills/empties less than a minute.

I looked at dozens of wakeboats. Test drove five(MC to little boat for the $, Moomba (cheap materials, bag ballast, knees against my cheast when seated), BU's (nice but pricey, dealer was a ••••• too), Tige (can't remember to much from that test) Nautique (good boats but to much $$$ for what ya get) After two years, four boat shows and three summers of hard research MB came out the winner without regrets. In some test drives the MB felt like a Vette, and others drove like a Suburban.

When I was placing my order I couldn't decide on my hull colors. Called MB to ask if they had a larger photo gallery than what was on the web site. The receptionist couldn't help, so she put me in contact with someone who could.... The next morning Mike Brendel called me on my cell and we talked for almost an hour! Great Guy! Answered all my questions, and then some! Try getting the CEO of any other company to call a customer. Good luck...

Two things that surpised me after purchase were. The trailer, zero maintaince hubs (for 10yrs) and the boat practically parks itself on it straight every time. And the cover, very well thought out Sunbrella material. Any area that might mar the gel is double or triple protected.

Just be prepared to spend some extra time at the dock, gas station, marina, wherever you go with the boat people will stop and want to talk

Feel free to PM me if ya have any more questions.

I've never been behind one, but have spent time climbing all over them... MB's definitely well built and thought-out. I don't know that I'd say the build quality is "unmatched", because I do feel there are better built boats out there... however in the price category MB's fall into, their build quality certainly feels second to none.

Biggest pro is the pure vert ballast system, and 1800 lbs fills/drains in less than a minute or so. But if you like to run with extra weight, pure vert becomes the biggest con... because you cannot plumb in ballast on top of it without adding a pump system. Personally, I don't like most of the gel options, nor do I care for the look of the towers...though they are very functional. Those are both minor for me, because you have so many gelcoat color options, and I'm sure they can be ordered without a tower.

By the way, wouldn't the MB Team Widebody look amazing with a Samson Switchblade or Razor tower on it? Too bad that's not a factory option.

Killer surf wake on either side with stock ballast!

Awesome wake from beginners to pro's.

One more thing to compare... warranties!

MB leads the pack.

Not that you'll need it but it's a nice piece of mind.

They are sweet boats cousin has the f21 tomcat it puts out a sweet wake. Defiantly a bad a$$ boat wouldn't think twice about getting one.

MB sucks Nautique is better....joking they look sweet i would love to get a pull or even own one.

I bought my MB last year after seeing it at the Portland Boat Show. I had been shopping/researching for three years. I looked at just about everything. By the time I demo'd boats, I had eliminated most based on size, features, or price. I narrowed it down to the MB TWB and Malibu VTX (garage size was a big concern). Then I demo'd them both back to back.

Here is the thread I wrote which documented the process:

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/664773.html?1235285589

A year later I couldn't be happier with our boat. I just don't think you can beat it!

1,800lbs. of ballast in a 21' boat! Fills and empties in 1 minute
21' boat with the interior capacity of a 23' (16 people)!
dual batteries, amps, and sub woofer standard
flip up bow light standard
pop up cleats standard
swivel racks standard
343hp motor standard (not 310 or 320 like most)
thickest vinyl and carpet in the industry
zero off standard
pcm powertrain is silky smooth and quiet (not loud like indmar or mercruiser)
Huge bimini top that shades the entire cockpit
rock solid tower that one person can fold in 30 seconds
fits in a standard garage under a 7' door
power lift rear hatch
deep freeboard, deeper lockers
gently slopes seat backs (some boats are almost verticle)
rear facing observer seat behind driver seat (most just have a bench here)
transom step
huge surf wake on both sides with stock ballast
big wakeboard wake w/out ballast, scary wakeboard wake with ballast
15 cupholders
billet aluminum everwhere, no plastic
LED lights everywhere inside (including inside the storage areas)
removable pylon
clean, simple, elegant design
best warranty in the business

Here's one way to look at it... the MB TWB is very similarities to the SANTE 210 (engine & steep wake), only it has 2x the ballast and much cleaner design (not so busy and angled inside). Oh yeah, and it costs $20k less.

The best part about MB is MB himself. In the year that I've had my boat, I've had two face to face chats with Mike totaling an hour, received two personal emails checking in on how the boat is doing, received two separate gifts from MB, and a hand written thank you note. And I'm NOT affiliated with MB... I'm just a dad who bought a boat after determining it was the best one for ME.

I just have one warning... this is not the flashiest boat on the water. It is not meant to be. That is not MB's style. If you want flash, get something else. If you want crisp clean design, take a hard look at MB. Just be prepared. Teenagers on this forum who can't afford their own boats will throw rocks at you because you don't have a chrome plated hull with tribal stickers on it.

I've posted these before, but in case you missed them...









Empty ballast

Full ballast

Surf

NICE!!!

sweet gloves

From a service standpoint all of the MB boats are a dream to work on.

I can vouch for that ^^^^^

Boat of Choice... First it would be Centurion Enzo for surfing and the ride, but the Epic's are beginning to grow on me now. I just wished they did something with there interior. However, I do like his concept to sticking to the sport in hand and not overloading the boat with all the bling. Simple from beginning to end.

Malibu is a close second only because I have ridden in them and they make a great product. But they change there hulls every 5 years and move the old hulls to the ride series and the value goes down.

After reading the MC saga over the voucher and what the company had to say about it to the people it affected, I lost respect for them.

MB, to me, looks too much like a Bayliner, sorry and no disrespect for all you MB owners, but in my eyes it does.

Tige, Supra, Momba, SAN, nothing has really gotten my attention.

The MB's I've been on have been great (widebody and F23 Tomcat). The pure vert ballast is simply amazing, and the wake is absolutely sick. The wake also cleans up at a relatively slow speed, which is something that I think is frequently ignored (I don't like riding at 24-25mph).

I have a 2008 B52. I was going to get a Mastercraft or Enzo, but a few people turned me onto the MB's. There is no dealer in my state, and I have to tell you it was no problem buying one (had it shipped from TN for $400) and my local nautique dealer has serviced it both for 1 warranty issue and for regular maintenance. In all cases the service and support from MB has been good.

I love the boat and for the price (much less than a MC X2 which i was cross shopping), the quality and the wake size it has the MC beat hands down in my opinion.

The only issue i had was that the mp3 cable from the glovebox to the stereo was missing when i took delivery and MB never responded to my 3 emails and 2 calls to try and get it replaced.

Other than that, everything else has been great. I'd buy one again

-David

My first boat was a 1993 mb 190 this boat was built like a tank.I belive it was better quality than anything on the market today.The attintion to detail on all the small things such as hinges,guages,even the seats were bulletproof great boat wish i had it back it was on ebay 3 weeks ago started to pull the trigger wife would have divorced me 2 boats.

Does anyone have Mike Brendel's email at MB Sports?

email sent

i like those mb's more and more, whats the msrp on a normal 21'?

MSRP on the F21 and TWB is 63995. I think that comes standard with tower, bimini, zero off, spinner racks, stereo, sub, amp, cover, 343 motor. Obviously that is MSRP. I think with trailer you can get them brand new in the 50s.

MSRP is $63,995 on the 21's. Call around to your dealers as there are some great deals out there. www.onlyinboards.com has most of them listed. It looks like your dealer in Michigan, Aqua Sports Marine, has a couple of 21's in stock. It is important to talk to someone that knows MB's because their "base" model is "loaded." MB does not skimp on options, almost everything you can think of is standard.

FORMER MB OWNER

I wouldn't buy one again. They change dealers all the time. In Arizona I'm not even sure we have a dealer anymore...

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quote:

By Matt P (motorcitymatt) on Friday, February 05, 2010 - 2:03 pm:
One more thing to compare... warranties!

MB leads the pack.

Not that you'll need it but it's a nice piece of mind.

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It really doesn't matter what the warranty says, all that matters is what the company behind the warranty does. MB did NOT back their warranty on my boat.

The fit and finish and gel coat work is top notch on MB's because they have some of the best in the industry working on the boats. Sanger is better though... In the end though my old boat fell apart and I would NOT buy another.

I would look at Sangers and Correct Crafts for the money if piece of mind is what you are looking for.

^^^Sam sorry about your luck^^^

Correct me if I'm wrong but, is getting a boat fixed in Arizona, kinda like getting my snowmobile fixed in Miami???

If you live in Michigan you will be spoiled by the MB dealer. Haven't had any warranty work with my 2008. They do have a loaner boat for you to use if they need it over the weekend! It's an '09 Tom Cat, Niiiiice.

^^^^What does that mean?

I think they have plenty of lakes in AZ.

I think so

Plenty of lakes out here. Does anyone have any info on early to mid 2000 MBs? I am looking for a new (to me) V-drive primarily for wakeboarding and surfing. Would appreciate any insight. Most of what I have seen in my price range (under 25K) are Tige, Centurions, and Moombas.