2022 Max Surf Setup Help

I ordered my Max and have now 17 hours on the boat did the 10 hour break in with no load and have now for last 7 hours trying to get a surf wave. I have done my research and seen on many post that I need to upgrade my ballast from 4000 to 5000+ to get a good wave. Thanks to everyone on this forum your information is beneficial to say the least! So from that information I purchased the Wakemarkers rear ballast upgrade and installed them before we where done the break in hours. Here is my issue and want to know if all of you out there with Max’s can do this or if it’s just my factory order Max has a huge issue! My Max was ordered with Raptor 400, OJ 15.5x18 Surf prop, Flow 3. If I setup the boat manually with Port wakemaker bag 100% full (air vented and water out side of boat est. 1340lbs) Starboard bag factory timer full (est. 1000lbs) and factory Bow bag 100% (water out side of boat) and only me 220lbs daughter 100lbs. Again with Auto Wake off and doesn’t matter Zero off cruise on or off. My max speed is 10.6mph, tops out at 3400rpm, with 9.3pitch, -1.0-1.5roll, 60 Flow 3, 25%wake plate. I feel even in manual my Max should be able to push through an extra 340lbs in port bag. When I activate Autowake the system will hold me at 8pitch and ask for more wait in bow, then drain Port and Starboard bags to 70% and 40% to achieve pitch and roll. I know from all the posts a 9-10 degree pitch is achievable with the Max and now I just don’t know what to do. The last test I did was fill my Max to 100% factory timer AMP and attempted to get on to plain with Wakeboard speed again maximum speed was 11-12mph 3400rpm with WP at 100%. I have taken back to dealer and they have no idea and did complete diagnostic check and all was good. We did another lake test and calibrated again, then I did same scenario with dealer lake tester and came up with same results. Dealer is going to contact Skiers Choice for help now, but I thought I would reach out to Moomba Max community for insight. In hopes that your Max can reach 11.4 and higher rpm with my same setup for both surf and Wake scenario? I have been wakesurfing since 2011 in a 2010 Moomba LSV which I sold and got the Max to replace it. I will try to get video attached of test but added a photo of my new pride and joy that’s give a bit of headaches!

2022 Moomba Max
2010 Moomba LSV (sold)

A 15.5x15 prop might be a better choice. I have a Makai with a 400, and get on plane with everything loaded using that prop. I would think the 18 pitch should still do it though. But maybe your altitude is playing into the equation too.

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Mine has a difficult time getting up to speed if there is not enough weight up front and I have too much in the rear.

I surf at 11.7mph.

It is a lot of weight in the back of the boat and almost nothing in the front.

I would personally try 2 things.

Add more weight to the midship. I have 750lbs midship (each side) and 500lbs of lead all midship minus 100lbs I stuff in the nose.

Easy solution for you would move your rear stock bags to the center. Assuming you have port and starboard wakemakers rear bags. That way you have almost 1000lbs midship and that would help balance the weight.

I would be willing to bet that would solve it and be enough to get you on plane. If it doesn't maybe just a little lead to put in the nose.

Also, make sure your center bag is full. Your can feel it in your little latch area or just flip the fill switch again until you see water come out the side.

I would say get the weight down first where it will plane and ignore the pitch and see how it surfs there.

Maybe use a level app on your phone to see what the pitch really is.

You may be at a higher pitch than you realize and something goofy with the calibration.

But if you have wakemakers bags in rear, 1000lbs midship and stock center bow bag I would think you can get on plane.




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Agree with htfit. Different year but my max loves midship ballast. I have around 5200# total between bags and lead and can get on plane for wakeboarding, and easily get to 11.5 for surfing. Can’t speak to your prop specifically, but I think I have around 760# midship on each side.

I don’t use auto wake and honestly don’t even know what my pitch and roll is. I just fill everything 100%, and the wave on both sides is awesome. More tab for a mellow wave for kids, less tab for a steeper wave, typically wakeplate at 0, unless water is choppy then I’ll use a little to clean up the wave.

I want to say Goose (employee for SC) spoke about the advantage of midship ballast in the Max when it first came out.


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With the weight you are running, you will want a different prop……16.5 or 15 pitch depending on your specific setup and expectations.


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I have a 2019 with 400 and OJ945 prop. I’m near sea level as well. I don’t have a the same trans ratio as you do so can’t really apply how mine behaves vs yours with the 1.76:1 trans. I run my boat anywhere from 5100 to 5850 lbs of ballast and lead. I don’t use Autowake but I can tell you that it’s hard for my boat to even think of trying to get on plane easily for wakeboarding with it fully ballasted. It surfs great though but for wakeboarding i don’t think you’d need as much rear ballast which would help it get on plane. Even when I used Autowake to deploy all 3 tabs it had a hell of a time trying to get on plane with that kind of weight. I don’t think anything is wrong with your boat if that’s the case. Could be your altitude where you live or prop setup and I’m sure the guys more versed with your engine and trans setup can chime in with good advice. I surf anywhere from 10.6 to 11.6 mph without issue at all given all the weight but getting up to wakeboarding speeds loaded down yea it’s gonna work for it if you’re pushing that kind of weight and biased more to the rear. Maybe for wakeboarding you try 80% rear or move lead towards midship. We don’t wakeboard so just saying what I would do to help the boat plane out.

There is also the front ballast bag from Wakemakers that is 850 lbs or something like that. It piggybacks off the stock center/bow bag. That would for sure help out your planing for wakeboard as it would balance out the bias better. It would also add good length and power to the surf wave. I use my storage in the bow so I wasn’t willing to go that route and instead I keep 300 lbs of lead in the bow.

2019 Max (for sale BTW:) I fill 500 in my bow with a psunami pump because I have only 2 in the boat usually. Makemakers set up, but 1000'midship. I fill rears to. 1000 approx and mids are 99%full center is full. I like HASH....look at my platform. If its 3"-4" under, I pretty good to go. Ride at 11.4 . NOW....I do often need to drain the rear some when I start because I have too much weight in the rear to get up to my 11.4. Everytime the lack of speed for me is because I have too much in the rear. I never use autowake, and never pay attemtion to my roll or pitch (maybe beacuse I know my boat well) but once I get the boat weight more evenly destributed, the speed works just fine. I have a friend that bought the same boat as mine, I did his wakemakers configuration, he didn't listen to me about all the weight in the bow, and then he called and said I can't get above 10.7. I went to the lake with him, set his rear bags around 80% mid ships full center full and we got to speed no problem. That rear weight (in my opinion) is only good maxed out if you are balancing the boat out more. Of course the prop can always have something to do with it, but I thought I would share my expeience....because I sort of went through the same thing. Just food for thought.

Thanks everyone I am very grateful for all this excellent advise. I will be back to the lake next weekend and will do some experimenting adding some midship weigh with my stock rear bags and bow weight with my old 400lbs bags from my LSV. I knew I would have to do some learning with the new boat to get it fine tuned. From what I see from these setup options is just like I did with my LSV. Thanks Haknslash for the wakeboard input good to know 100% you wouldn’t get to plane or have very difficult time getting there. We never wakeboard either and thought it was a good test on performance.

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Originally Posted by Dexky

I ordered my Max and have now 17 hours on the boat did the 10 hour break in with no load and have now for last 7 hours trying to get a surf wave. I have done my research and seen on many post that I need to upgrade my ballast from 4000 to 5000+ to get a good wave. Thanks to everyone on this forum your information is beneficial to say the least! So from that information I purchased the Wakemarkers rear ballast upgrade and installed them before we where done the break in hours. Here is my issue and want to know if all of you out there with Max’s can do this or if it’s just my factory order Max has a huge issue! My Max was ordered with Raptor 400, OJ 15.5x18 Surf prop, Flow 3. If I setup the boat manually with Port wakemaker bag 100% full (air vented and water out side of boat est. 1340lbs) Starboard bag factory timer full (est. 1000lbs) and factory Bow bag 100% (water out side of boat) and only me 220lbs daughter 100lbs. Again with Auto Wake off and doesn’t matter Zero off cruise on or off. My max speed is 10.6mph, tops out at 3400rpm, with 9.3pitch, -1.0-1.5roll, 60 Flow 3, 25%wake plate. I feel even in manual my Max should be able to push through an extra 340lbs in port bag. When I activate Autowake the system will hold me at 8pitch and ask for more wait in bow, then drain Port and Starboard bags to 70% and 40% to achieve pitch and roll. I know from all the posts a 9-10 degree pitch is achievable with the Max and now I just don’t know what to do. The last test I did was fill my Max to 100% factory timer AMP and attempted to get on to plain with Wakeboard speed again maximum speed was 11-12mph 3400rpm with WP at 100%. I have taken back to dealer and they have no idea and did complete diagnostic check and all was good. We did another lake test and calibrated again, then I did same scenario with dealer lake tester and came up with same results. Dealer is going to contact Skiers Choice for help now, but I thought I would reach out to Moomba Max community for insight. In hopes that your Max can reach 11.4 and higher rpm with my same setup for both surf and Wake scenario? I have been wakesurfing since 2011 in a 2010 Moomba LSV which I sold and got the Max to replace it. I will try to get video attached of test but added a photo of my new pride and joy that’s give a bit of headaches!

2022 Moomba Max
2010 Moomba LSV (sold)

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Your prop is your issue. I am not sure why they have it listed as a "Surf Prop" bc the pitch wont get a slammed boat to surf speed or to hold that speed. DAKOTA4CE (Mitch) on here had his Max slammed and tried that prop and said it was a no go. There was also someone here recently who picked up a Makai build that was already locked in and it had the 15.5x18 as their dealer said it was the right prop. He tried it out and reported back here, you can read the entire thread or check out his update at post # 97 https://forum.moomba.com/showthread....hlight=15.5x18

A huge factor in all of this is elevation. What elevation are you boating at?

My guess would be go pick up either an ACME 2847 (15.5x15) or an OJ 15.5x15 and that will give you the grunt to get you up to surf speeds. Now if you are at crazy elevation you might have to go to a lower # pitch but others will have to chime in because this flatlander has no experience boating at elevation. Once you swap the prop these other guys have the expertise to tell you how to load the Max.

We are around 2500ft above sea level, nothing too extreme but might be just enough.

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Originally Posted by Dexky

We are around 2500ft above sea level, nothing too extreme but might be just enough.

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Ya I don't have any experience boating at elevation so I can't say how much that is affecting your issue. I can say that regardless of your altitude your prop is holding you back. With your setup at sea level I feel like a 15.5x15 is a must but add your elevation on to it you might have to go to an even lower pitch #. You might reach out to ACME or OJ and talk with them as they should be able to recommend the best prop for your setup.

Thanks TXsurf4 I have reached out to the dealer and they that as well said 15.5x15 is what they order in for stock boats for our elevation. They have sent one out to me to install hopefully this weekend. Weather man is telling me there is no chance it will happen but fingers crossed he is wrong.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dexky

Thanks TXsurf4 I have reached out to the dealer and they that as well said 15.5x15 is what they order in for stock boats for our elevation. They have sent one out to me to install hopefully this weekend. Weather man is telling me there is no chance it will happen but fingers crossed he is wrong.

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Ya no worries. I think you will notice a big difference. Hopefully you can get on the water and test it out. Let us know how it does. Also send some of that rain way down here!!


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