Maximizing a Moomba Makai

[jvas]

Hey everyone,
I am new to the forum, but I figured I'd come out swinging.

Recently I have entered the market for another surf boat. We have been in a 2008 Supra SSV for years and have loved it, but the time has come to upgrade. After lots of research, I keep coming back to the Makai. I ride behind lots of Nautiques and love the push I can get with an undersized board, but am looking for a little more adjustability and ... of course ... lower price. So I have a few questions about the makai:

I have come to understand that the makai needs at least 1000-1500 lbs of extra weight. I am not at all against lead, but have that the wakemakers rear bag upgrade would add net 600 lbs the the rear of the boat. I know the rear compartments will be filled up, but our boat stays on a lift and the lake is not very big, so storage is of little importance. with the upgrade and and another 400-600 lbs of lead be sufficient for the makai to reach the potential of the 24'5" hull?

We are in South Louisiana, close to sea level. I would like to think that the 400 raptor engine is enough for us to surf and cruise. I no longer wakeboard after 2 knee surgeries and I do not need to have the boat slammed for any buddies of mine wakeboarding. Is the 400 engine enough? Prop suggestions?

Does anyone have a makai with the rear ballast upgrade? Results?

I have watched every video on youtube about the boat and understand it has great potential. Just looking for some real life opinions.

[Stazi]

The bigger the hull the more ballast it will need to make a big surf wave.
This is an issue that many new boat owners cannot seem to grasp.

They assume that because a boat is 24’ that it will instantly produce a tsunami behind it. But the fact is that surface area of the hull verses weight determines how much water it will displace. So the more water you displace, the bigger the wave.

With that being said the Makai needs 1000-1500 lb EXTRA weight over the stock ballast to make is a big wave.

If you do t NEED a 24’ boat, look at the Kaiyen. That would need less ballast to make a similarly sized wave and you could get buy with only 1000lb of lead.

I run upgraded 1100lb bags in the rear of my Craz plus 500 lb of lead and I still have to add at least. 400lb bag on the surf side seat when we have a small crew. Ideally I think I need another 300-500 lb of lead to eliminate the need for extra bags and I plan to experiment with more this weekend as my buddy just sold his boat and has 1000lb I could add if I wanted.


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[larry_arizona]

Do you need a 24.5 foot boat?

22-23 foot boats seem to be a sweet spot. Might want to consider the next generation 2021 Mojo. Moomba will be announcing it in September.


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[jvas]

The bigger the hull the more ballast it will need to make a big surf wave.
This is an issue that many new boat owners cannot seem to grasp.

They assume that because a boat is 24’ that it will instantly produce a tsunami behind it. But the fact is that surface area of the hull verses weight determines how much water it will displace. So the more water you displace, the bigger the wave.

With that being said the Makai needs 1000-1500 lb EXTRA weight over the stock ballast to make is a big wave.

If you do t NEED a 24’ boat, look at the Kaiyen. That would need less ballast to make a similarly sized wave and you could get buy with only 1000lb of lead.

I run upgraded 1100lb bags in the rear of my Craz plus 500 lb of lead and I still have to add at least. 400lb bag on the surf side seat when we have a small crew. Ideally I think I need another 300-500 lb of lead to eliminate the need for extra bags and I plan to experiment with more this weekend as my buddy just sold his boat and has 1000lb I could add if I wanted.


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We only would need a 24' boat about 30% of the time, when we have our whole family or are bringing guests to the lake. We are still rocking with the 22ssv currently and it can get really crowded and occasionally have to leave people on the dock. The plan with a makai would be to upgrade the rear sacks from the 1000 subfloor bags to the 1300+ lb bags from wakemakers, along with more lead spread across the boat. Have you heard of anyone using the wakemakers makai upgrade?

[jvas]

Do you need a 24.5 foot boat?

22-23 foot boats seem to be a sweet spot. Might want to consider the next generation 2021 Mojo. Moomba will be announcing it in September.


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Definitely will be looking at the mojo. I talked to Skiers Marine in Westover Alabama (great people) and they said it will be a 23' version of the mondo. A mojo with 16/17 person capacity will be worth more than just a look. The sales rep at SM guessed the mojo would have 4000 lb ballast, but maybe not all subfloor. Either way, the approach with the makai and new mojo would be pretty similar.

[Isaguel]

Do you need a 24.5 foot boat?

22-23 foot boats seem to be a sweet spot. Might want to consider the next generation 2021 Mojo. Moomba will be announcing it in September.


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Is that confirmed or a rumor? I love the Mojo. If they upgrade it to new Mondo hull design, and throw in SF Ballast it is game over. The boat is great as it is and the best value in the Moomba line ( Sorry Max owners), with an upgraded tower and 7" touch screen, 4k ballast and new design, I think it'll make some Supra buyers turn their heads and give them some pause.

[Max20]

I own a Makai so I’ll chime in. I love the space in the boat. We have 4 kids and I will tell you with my wife I the boat and the 4 kids and me trying to surf it’s about impossible. However, throw two of my buddies in the back of the boat and I can surf without the rope till the boat runs out of gas. Mind you I am still a very novice surfer and have not done 360’s or anything like that but I can surf 10’ back easy with the load mentioned above. I just received 500 lbs of lead and am putting that in the boat for a run this week. Other than that the boat is stock.

The 400 raptor is enough for me. If I were ordering a new boat I would not spend the extra dough on the motor upgrade.

[jsb]

We have a 2020 Makai with the wakemakers upgraded bags and 1000# of steel. We're no pro surfers but it's a great wave even with just 3 (1 adult and 2 kids) in the boat. (Drop the rope and surf 10-15 feet back all day...recover easily on my Phase 5 Phantom from 20' back.)

We often go out with 2 other families (6 adults and 6 kids) and the wave is even better. The extra space is very much appreciated for moving around, blowing up inflatables, changing boards, etc.

We love it.

[haknslash]

Definitely will be looking at the mojo. I talked to Skiers Marine in Westover Alabama (great people) and they said it will be a 23' version of the mondo. A mojo with 16/17 person capacity will be worth more than just a look. The sales rep at SM guessed the mojo would have 4000 lb ballast, but maybe not all subfloor. Either way, the approach with the makai and new mojo would be pretty similar.

Hey that’s my dealer and yes they are great people!! My salesman was Greg. AJ is a standup guy as well. Actually everyone who works there is awesome so if you do buy from them you’ll be in great hands.