2020 Moomba Makai surf set up question

:confused:I am new to the surf boat world. I know the perfect wave is in the eyes of the beholder but I dont really know how to go about setting up a decent wave in my new boat. Because of COVID-19 I was unable to take my boat out when it was delivered and have the dealer really walk me through how they set up a wave. The boat was dropped off at my house and the keys practically thrown on the grass. If any of you have settings you like to use when surfing to create a good wave please send them my way, Id be very appreciative

Thanks

If you have AutoWake, I would start with these instructional videos:

Part 1- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVueG9JaD4c

Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sri1pLtsjtc

Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btq6hr04nLs

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Originally Posted by brandykn00

:confused:I am new to the surf boat world. I know the perfect wave is in the eyes of the beholder but I dont really know how to go about setting up a decent wave in my new boat. Because of COVID-19 I was unable to take my boat out when it was delivered and have the dealer really walk me through how they set up a wave. The boat was dropped off at my house and the keys practically thrown on the grass. If any of you have settings you like to use when surfing to create a good wave please send them my way, Id be very appreciative

Thanks

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Hey! stoked for you to get the new Makai. have you been out much yet? sorry that your delivery did not seem to have gone too well. we picked up a mondo the end of 19. it has autowake. we have 28 hours on and have been on the water 6 times this spring. every trip out seems to be a new learning expericne so far. of course our crew size has been different too, so that impacts things too.

so far my process has been to fill up the ballast to 100% with autowake off.
turn on auto wake with amplitude at 100%
have people sit a bit loaded toward surf side
setup pitch and roll to some values (i don't remember, written down in the boat)
drive a bit and see what autowake does and look at wave
check the pitch and roll values and what ballast has dumped
turn off autowake, play with the ballast and wake plate and speed and see what the wave looks like
if the wave is looking good, turn on autowake and note the actual pitch, roll, WP, speed.
adjust autowake pitch and roll the current actual that is giving a good wave
surf a bit and see what autowake does to the ballast, pitch, roll, etc.

I feel like i am still very far from having a consistent (or good) surf.

but i got a new surf board so i am certain that all will be good and happy now.

when we demo'd with the dealer he did go through lots of stuff on autowake, but it was still so new to me i really don't remember much. maybe as the weather here warms and we can visit other people i can get to dealer and take him out for a ride and get a refresher instruction.

hope you get more useful info here than from me. and i hope i can learn more from this too.

Man I am on the exact same page. New makai, we have put 4 hours on it. Got it out yesterday and actually got in the the water to surf for the first time.

I filled ballast up to 100%, turned autowake on with amplitude at 100%. Ran it like that for about 15 mins and noticed the wave was not looking worse and worse. And rider having more trouble. Looked at ballast and they were all almost empty besides port side. So I messed around with settings again and ended up switching autowake off. filling all ballast to 100% and just adjusting using the wakeplate. Rider was pretty happy with that wave.

But frustrating because I could never get it as clean as I was wanting.


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I haven't had very much time at all to set ours up. The first few quick rides and being virus times i don't have any other people in the boat but my wife and 2 young kids. So I noticed AW dumps the bow and starboard to achieve the settings. Yesterdays quick ride I manually filled up the bow 80% and starboard to 80% and port to 100%. Made a big difference in the wave. But still no where near dialed in yet. I really just need a few hours one day to go through some set ups and see what the hull responds to.

She likes weight. The more the better. The heavier she gets the slower the speed! Dont give up! Once you get a Makai dailed in you'll never look back!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...f1b15ea67e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...4a6f05d749.jpg

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With all due respect, I know I'm not the most versed in setting up the wave and no one should prolly be listening to me anyways, but, I'll offer my 2 cents anyways. I hear many opinions on emptying ballasts to achieve desired list in boats that are equipped with surf tabs. Methinks that all your'e doing is reducing your overall displacement. You may create a wave shape that looks good but the volume of the wave will be less, its just plain physics. My mojo had a pretty looking wave when I bought it at 2500 lbs ballast factory, as a newbie I did not know better, quickly I found out that there truly is no replacement for …..you know.
Bottom line, consider not emptying ballast, fill everything at 100% and displace as much friggin' water as you physically can and then use your tabs to create list and the surf plate and speed to adjust the amplitude of the wave. Don't sell yourself short, get the biggest wave you can get and then shape it, that what these tabs and plates are for.

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Originally Posted by Isaguel

With all due respect, I know I'm not the most versed in setting up the wave and no one should prolly be listening to me anyways, but, I'll offer my 2 cents anyways. I hear many opinions on emptying ballasts to achieve desired list in boats that are equipped with surf tabs. Methinks that all your'e doing is reducing your overall displacement. You may create a wave shape that looks good but the volume of the wave will be less, its just plain physics. My mojo had a pretty looking wave when I bought it at 2500 lbs ballast factory, as a newbie I did not know better, quickly I found out that there truly is no replacement for …..you know.
Bottom line, consider not emptying ballast, fill everything at 100% and displace as much friggin' water as you physically can and then use your tabs to create list and the surf plate and speed to adjust the amplitude of the wave. Don't sell yourself short, get the biggest wave you can get and then shape it, that what these tabs and plates are for.

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Not in a Makai either.... but that's pretty much what I do. Then I adjusted my lead to have the pitch that I liked and haven't touched it since (until my actuator went out recently and I moved lead around to make it through the day haha). Maybe when the kids turn to teenagers and their weight matters more I would entertain auto wake to adjust roll and pitch some.

Well we didn't get a chance to work on the set up this weekend, wind was blowing 20-30mph and white capping. I will say the Makai handles it like a champ especially compared to my older boat. Found a cove and ended up anchoring up. Was still a very nice day.

Good thread. I got a Makai at the end of last season. We are still messing around, looking for that perfect wave. I found the boat likes a little more weight in the back. We usually run around 11.5 mph with the surf tab at 65 and center plate at 0. 1,000 lb of lead all towards the back and midship. Ballast bags all filled to 100. If it's only three of us I found that filling the bow bag to 70% is helpful. Good luck and congrats on the new boat! Let us know what settings you are at when you find that perfect wave.

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Have you tried deploying the tab at 100%? And then start gradually lowering it from there?. I know people like to do partial deployment quite a bit, 60-70 %, and that may shape the wave, make the lip cleaner, but you're giving up list at the same time which makes the wave smaller. Especially if you're riding 11.5 MPH, that'll lengthen but also lower wave amplitude, maybe try increasing tab to 90-100 % if you want to keep that speed and see if it adds some height and push. What do you have to loose.
Granted the Makai is much heavier than Mojo so more displacement and you will get away with more speed, but I run my Mojo around 10 mph with everything full and tab at 100% deployment. That produces quite a bit of lift and I can see my boat prominentaly list. If have little ones and I want to tame the wave I'll lower tab to 60% or deploy the center wakeplate more.

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Originally Posted by Isaguel

Have you tried deploying the tab at 100%? And then start gradually lowering it from there?. I know people like to do partial deployment quite a bit, 60-70 %, and that may shape the wave, make the lip cleaner, but you're giving up list at the same time which makes the wave smaller. Especially if you're riding 11.5 MPH, that'll lengthen but also lower wave amplitude, maybe try increasing tab to 90-100 % if you want to keep that speed and see if it adds some height and push. What do you have to loose.
Granted the Makai is much heavier than Mojo so more displacement and you will get away with more speed, but I run my Mojo around 10 mph with everything full and tab at 100% deployment. That produces quite a bit of lift and I can see my boat prominentaly list. If have little ones and I want to tame the wave I'll lower tab to 60% or deploy the center wakeplate more.

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We have tried the tabs from 30 to 100. Tried some different weight combinations and speed as well. So far this is the best center point that we have found. Sounds like maybe a little less speed and some center plate might help as well? I appreciate the input. Let you know if we find something good

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Hey everyone - reviving a thread here. I’ve found that with about 800 lbs of people, I can surf all day long. When that drops to ~400 lbs of people....not so good. Thinking of buying 500 lbs from leadwake.com OR buying the bags from bad wakemakers.

Question - on Makai - if I buy the ballast bags does anyone know for sure if the back trays still fit in the boat? I keep deflated tubes in them and don’t want to give up the storage.

Thanks in advance.

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Originally Posted by Max20

Hey everyone - reviving a thread here. I’ve found that with about 800 lbs of people, I can surf all day long. When that drops to ~400 lbs of people....not so good. Thinking of buying 500 lbs from leadwake.com OR buying the bags from bad wakemakers.

Question - on Makai - if I buy the ballast bags does anyone know for sure if the back trays still fit in the boat? I keep deflated tubes in them and don’t want to give up the storage.

Thanks in advance.

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Do both!! 500 in lead and the rear bags!! LOL

I am in the process of upgrading mine and the trays will not fit. That is why I waited until now to do them as the storage was nice. Instead I used 1k in lead. I no longer have a need for the storage so I am working on the new bags and keeping the lead!


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Thanks for the info! I will go with lead. As much as I’m NOT a fan of inflating/deflating tubes....the smiles on the kid’s faces make it all worth while.

I really think 500lbs will be sufficient. My wife and I have 4 kids between 7&12. When it’s just us, I cannot got without the line. Throw a couple big guys in the boat I can surf all day long. I have to think 500 lbs even in the very back of the boat will be more than enough.

The 2 girls are 12 and they can surf all day long without the line. They just learned how a month ago. It’s amazing how fast kids pick things up.

Complete curve ball - I put on a slolom ski for the first time in at least 20 years this week and had a go. I told my wife to just put the hammer down and the cruise would take care of the rest....I forgot to turn on the cruise....lol. I had a nice rip at like 38 mph!

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Originally Posted by Max20

Complete curve ball - I put on a slolom ski for the first time in at least 20 years this week and had a go. I told my wife to just put the hammer down and the cruise would take care of the rest....I forgot to turn on the cruise....lol. I had a nice rip at like 38 mph!

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Savage... sure your wife didn't tap the ZeroOff button just to give you a run for your money @ WOT?

Well maybe....lol. Nah, totally my fault, she’s pretty new to the water sports, we’ve owned a cruiser together for the last several years but she really doesn’t know how fast a skier should go, she was literally following directions...lol. I did finally have my spotter tell her to slow down a bit so I could cut through the wake and have some fun without fear of dying....lol.

Without a 1000lb of lead the Makai wave sucks. I have 1250lb and it's a monster. I have the wakemakers bags on order. They do take up all the space. You will lose the storage. I have all my weight under the ballast bags so we don't lose any storage that way.

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Originally Posted by Arcadyus

Without a 1000lb of lead the Makai wave sucks. I have 1250lb and it's a monster. I have the wakemakers bags on order. They do take up all the space. You will lose the storage. I have all my weight under the ballast bags so we don't lose any storage that way.

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Do you tow it on the trailer with all the weight in the very back or do you load and unload? Who knows...maybe another 500lbs coming after I see how it does with this weight...lol

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Originally Posted by Max20

Do you tow it on the trailer with all the weight in the very back or do you load and unload? Who knows...maybe another 500lbs coming after I see how it does with this weight...lol

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Tow with 1100 lbs. We have 100 lbs under each rear bag. 100lbs in each rear locker. 100 lbs each in both rear corner seats. 200 lbs under each midship bag. 100 lbs on the floor in the bow. Then we use 100 that we move to each surf side.

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Originally Posted by Arcadyus

Tow with 1100 lbs. We have 100 lbs under each rear bag. 100lbs in each rear locker. 100 lbs each in both rear corner seats. 200 lbs under each midship bag. 100 lbs on the floor in the bow. Then we use 100 that we move to each surf side.

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Thanks for the info. Also finding that we are gonna to need more weight with our Makai. Where did u buy ur bags ?

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Originally Posted by GreersFerryARK

Thanks for the info. Also finding that we are gonna to need more weight with our Makai. Where did u buy ur bags ?

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https://wakeballast.com/?cmp_id=1097...SAAEgLH5PD_BwE

Crazy to think the Makai has a hard time putting out a great wave. Its a 5200lb boat + 4000lb ballast + >400lbs fuel+ crew should be displacing >10k lbs easy. Something's amiss.
Wonder if the size of the boat and the flatter bottom hull are reasons. The larger the boat the more hull surface area for buoyancy and hence the more weight you will need to sink it. A more pronounced V shaped hull will dig deeper into water and displace more. I guess I don't remember the shape of the Makai hull well.
But, even so, an extra 1000 lbs lead should make up for it. My mojo only had 4000lbs total ballast and the boat 4400lbs and produced a very surfable wave, buts it's smaller boat.

And for whatever its worth, my 2 cents, go for lead instead of bags. Cannot overstate the importance of storage when you have a large crew. I always wished I would of used lead instead of enzo's. I hated not having walking room and negotiating coolers and towel bags and other stuff when moving around. We always have friends in our boat. Biggest issue is extra weight towing and if you have skiers in your crew. No one in my family ski's so.

My wife and I are in the process of selling our Sanger V215sx, and are very interested in the 2021 Makia. I would prefer to have a 21 SA, but she can't see past the dollar signs.

I appreciate this thread because it is helping me plan for when we purchase. I'll be salvaging 400lbs of lead from our current boat, and since it is just her and I and two Ausholes most days, I'll be looking for 500 more.

That being said, storage is a concern as well. We have a large tube for the kids, and all the other accoutrements of family boating with young-un's, dogs, and FOP's alike. I don't want to thread-jack, but what pros and cons of the Makai do you Makai owners have with regards to surfing. I surf, and my wife is just getting willing to try. We have been teaching boat guests how to surf, and have the occasional wakeboarder. I've found some boards that surf well for me, and am looking forward to longer waves with more push so I can get on the old guy 360 thread, if I remember my GoPro.

We really are trying to be wise with our purchase. It's a lot of money, and we quickly outgrew our Sanger, and don't want to make the same mistake. Any info without overtaking the original intent of this thread would be appreciated.

I bought a leftover ‘19 in April. Timing was on my side. I can tell you for sure it has storage for days. We have 4 kids and definitely still tube. I have 2 large tubes that I inflate and deflate when necessary and store them in the storage trays when not in use and it works well. I have 500 lbs of lead on order. When I have our family on the boat it’s difficult for me to run without the rope. Throw a couple more big people on the boat (around 500 lbs) I can run without the rope until the boat runs out of gas.

Our 12 year old girls on the other hand can surf ropeless with just our family with no problem at all.

I love the makai

I see wake9 and others talking about displacement and adding up the weight of the boat etc but that's a meaningless number IMO without also referencing the size of the boat.
Take a 21' boat and a 23' boat with the same overall weights. They are technically displacing the same amount of water but the 21' is sitting deeper in the water for the same displacement thanks to it's smaller surface area. This translates to a larger wave, I think draft is just as important as weight.
My last boat was a 23V and a buddy has a 21V. Same exact boat with 2 extra feet in the middle and the 23 takes a lot more weight to make the same wave.

Same with the Makai, you've got a boat that's not that much heavier than it's siblings overall but has significantly more surface area so it doesn't sink as deeply in the water with the same weight. Hence the need for 1000lbs of extra weight to get a great wave. I would venture that more weight would make an even better wave.

I run roughly 300lbs right now in the back under the corner seats. I can ride ropeless all day long even with 2 people in the boat now that I have it dialed in better. Will 1000lbs make it better and easier to dial in, you bet it will but its not a must if your skill level is there and your on the proper board for your size. All depends on the size of wave you want it to put out. It can go from mild to huge and most prefer the huge wave, so they run more weight. I personally won't be swapping out the rear bags as we use the storage bins. Speaking of storage, its huge. I put 2 surf boards under the front observer seat and bow for traveling and my son's board under 1 of the rear benches.

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Originally Posted by SONIC

I see wake9 and others talking about displacement and adding up the weight of the boat etc but that's a meaningless number IMO without also referencing the size of the boat.
Take a 21' boat and a 23' boat with the same overall weights. They are technically displacing the same amount of water but the 21' is sitting deeper in the water for the same displacement thanks to it's smaller surface area. This translates to a larger wave, I think draft is just as important as weight.
My last boat was a 23V and a buddy has a 21V. Same exact boat with 2 extra feet in the middle and the 23 takes a lot more weight to make the same wave.

Same with the Makai, you've got a boat that's not that much heavier than it's siblings overall but has significantly more surface area so it doesn't sink as deeply in the water with the same weight. Hence the need for 1000lbs of extra weight to get a great wave. I would venture that more weight would make an even better wave.

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This absolutely nails it. Well said.

And running around the lake with 1200+ of lead in the boat kind of sucks is you ask me. The makai is a huge boat with tons of storage. For me, driving and towing with less lead weight in the boat trumps the extra storage.


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Originally Posted by dakota4ce

This absolutely nails it. Well said.

And running around the lake with 1200+ of lead in the boat kind of sucks is you ask me. The makai is a huge boat with tons of storage. For me, driving and towing with less lead weight in the boat trumps the extra storage.


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Very true, its nice to dump all the weight to cruise or towing.

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Originally Posted by dakota4ce

This absolutely nails it. Well said.

And running around the lake with 1200+ of lead in the boat kind of sucks is you ask me. The makai is a huge boat with tons of storage. For me, driving and towing with less lead weight in the boat trumps the extra storage.


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Why? It holds 6500 lbs what's a 1000lbs of lead gonna do? I don't even notice a diff with 1250lbs of lead or zero when ballasts are empty.

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Originally Posted by Arcadyus

Why? It holds 6500 lbs what's a 1000lbs of lead gonna do? I don't even notice a diff with 1250lbs of lead or zero when ballasts are empty.

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Sounds like it works great for you! I strongly prefer towing and driving an empty, light boat if possible.

1200 lead is like having 7-8 invisible people sitting in there when you jump in. You can feel it, and you’re burning it. Then add 7-8 regular visible people for a cruise. Then pull a tube. I don’t think the logic is hard to understand.

But hey man, no bigs! If you don’t mind it, rock it. I could feel it and liked it better without.


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A lot of it will depend on your motor, your prop and lead placement as well.

All your lead in the back and you're going to really notice it, distributed evenly in the boat it will be a lot less noticeable (but still affect the fuel economy of course)

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Originally Posted by dakota4ce

Sounds like it works great for you! I strongly prefer towing and driving an empty, light boat if possible.

1200 lead is like having 7-8 invisible people sitting in there when you jump in. You can feel it, and you’re burning it. Then add 7-8 regular visible people for a cruise. Then pull a tube. I don’t think the logic is hard to understand.

But hey man, no bigs! If you don’t mind it, rock it. I could feel it and liked it better without.


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The only logic I think that's hard to understand is why you would pull a tube😊 But really 19% of capacity isn't going to make much of a difference. I also always tow with it, and I don't even feel the boat back there most of the time with my 3500. I once even forgot to drain the ballast and towed 30 miles home. Still barely noticed it. I also have it all even under every bag so it's nice to not lose storage. But the fact remains without the 1000+ lbs of lead the wave is just underwhelming...

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Originally Posted by Arcadyus

The only logic I think that's hard to understand is why you would pull a tube[emoji4] But really 19% of capacity isn't going to make much of a difference. I also always tow with it, and I don't even feel the boat back there most of the time with my 3500. I once even forgot to drain the ballast and towed 30 miles home. Still barely noticed it. I also have it all even under every bag so it's nice to not lose storage. But the fact remains without the 1000+ lbs of lead the wave is just underwhelming...

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Like I said—all good if you’re good with how your boat is set up. I personally like the feel of an empty boat if it isn’t wakeboarding or surfing. I once was like you too—I didn’t mind it. But I have come back to appreciating light handling of an empty boat in this way.

It’s not drastic. But I like the feel. And I tow with an Expedition Max so weight matters a bit.

And yes, the wave leaves some to be desired without the weight.


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Originally Posted by dakota4ce

Like I said—all good if you’re good with how your boat is set up. I personally like the feel of an empty boat if it isn’t wakeboarding or surfing. I once was like you too—I didn’t mind it. But I have come back to appreciating light handling of an empty boat in this way.

It’s not drastic. But I like the feel. And I tow with an Expedition Max so weight matters a bit.

And yes, the wave leaves some to be desired without the weight.


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However, towing with full ballast is something that should not be attempted! You dodged a bullet with your trailer on that one.

Saw a boatmate last week that was BENT to oblivion from a G25 that bounced on a road dip. Very alarming sight. Made me realize what transom straps are for.


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Originally Posted by dakota4ce

However, towing with full ballast is something that should not be attempted! You dodged a bullet with your trailer on that one.

Saw a boatmate last week that was BENT to oblivion from a G25 that bounced on a road dip. Very alarming sight. Made me realize what transom straps are for.


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Yeah I will never make that mistake again. I did upgrade my trailer to make it stronger but still a really stupid mistake.

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Originally Posted by Arcadyus

Yeah I will never make that mistake again. I did upgrade my trailer to make it stronger but still a really stupid mistake.

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Upgraded the trailer?


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Originally Posted by dakota4ce

Upgraded the trailer?


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You can do a torsional upgrade.

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Originally Posted by Arcadyus

You can do a torsional upgrade.

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Got it. I would be afraid of the frame as much as the axles. The G25 incident was a straight up bent frame. Horrifying.


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Originally Posted by dakota4ce

Got it. I would be afraid of the frame as much as the axles. The G25 incident was a straight up bent frame. Horrifying.


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I wanted a Tri axle but they would not let me upgrade it with a moomba.