2021 Makai - Motor Question

[bmjenkins82]

Frame of reference.. Never owned a boat. We are part of a boat club and have used the MC NXT22, Tige R21, Axis T22. MC is our favorite, but it doesn't seem like you get much in the way of features for the price of the NXT22 or 24.

We are building a lake house, have young kids and so we are buying about. I've been researching a good bit online about the different boat brands where pricing isn't in outer space. At first it was Axis A22/A24, but reading some quality issues and my wife and I are big on fit and finish and it seems Axis lags the category in that area.

Then ATX boats, but we are a little hesitant with the brand being new.

Now we are looking much closer to Moomba. Seems that are nicely built, good features etc..

We plan on having lots of people on the boat, so don't want something too small, however trying to manage cost. The Makai looks great, but my question comes down to pricing, and is the motor upgrade over the base motor something we would regret not doing? The nearly $8K premium is a big jump.

Would love your opinion, or facts from people that have seen both sides of it.

Thanks!

Brad

[jph3]

Whats your elevation? With the idea of having lots of people on the boat, ballast, gear... you will want the upgrade.

[bmjenkins82]

825ft.. Austin TX area

Lots of people = ~4 adults and 4-5 kids I'm not sure if that really is a lot when it comes to surfing etc..

[larry_arizona]

You will be fine with the 400/1.76 at that elevation with the right prop.

I would also suggest waiting for the 2021 moomba mojo to be announced. 23 foot Makai variant, all new. 23 feet just seems to be the sweet spot for wake boats.

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[bmjenkins82]

You will be fine with the 400/1.76 at that elevation with the right prop.

I would also suggest waiting for the 2021 moomba mojo to be announced. 23 foot Makai variant, all new. 23 feet just seems to be the sweet spot for wake boats.

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Just spoke with my local dealer, very helpful and he mentioned similar.

Sounds like moombas are in short supply... was hoping to see some discounting, but that doesn’t seem to be the case

[larry_arizona]

Most dealers will give you 6-8% off on a Moomba.


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[bmjenkins82]

Good to know, sounded like not much wiggle room here as half of 2021 build allocation is nearly accounted for already. TBD, still going to poke around with ATX boats and a couple other to see who delivers the most value. Appreciate all the responses so far.

[SONIC]

Makai is a great boat, I prefer it to ATX but wouldn't discount ATX because it's new, it's just Tige's budget line.
Tige's been around for 30 years and makes a good boat.

Same relationships as Axis to Malibu and Moomba to Supra.

[SONIC]

For your area the 400 is fine with the 1.76 trans.
My SA is a 400 and it can get on plane with full ballast, people and lead. The 450 may be nice to get there quicker but I don't feel like I'm missing much for the price difference.
The bigger motors make a much bigger difference at higher elevation 2500ft+

[bmjenkins82]

Thank! Holding out to hear the details on the 2021 Mojo, dealer told me he was hoping to have the pricing worksheet and updated specs within the next couple weeks.