2021 Max Vs 2019 S238

[Josh828]

Alright so my budget is 80k and not a cent more haha
Been searching since august and exploring the forums but finally just needing some other opinions

Went to buy cash in hand (down payment) a 2019 S238, I love the supreme almost pulled the trigger on a 2020 photoshoot boat however waited around for a mojo and it sold. Haven't yet even got a supreme on the water nor will probably have the chance due to how hard they are to find and the 2019 is already winterized.

The 2019 S238 is pretty well optioned with the 450HP motor and a massive audio factory upgrade ect original msrp was 107k
However.. the dealer just got it for trade and told me it had around 100 hours on it. When I showed up I found out it actually had 264 hours.
The price was and still is "low 70s" but the hours scared me off so I went back to the local Moomba dealer.

https://www.carolinawatersportsmarin...ustomInventory

Built a 2021 Max with limited options (got zero off and few other hard to add on laters) Absolutely no audio upgrades as I plan on doing it my self to save some cash. But the boat came out to around 78-79k. which I was stoked about. Really trying to keep the boat at $500 a month not trying to be boat poor.

This is my first boat however I want to do it right, is 264 hours to many? Will the Moomba hold its value due to low hours and 2 years newer.
I plan on keeping the boat 3-7 years. Only will be doing surfing.

Thanks for the help, just a 25 year old scared to spend money and advice is appreciated (unless its not buy a boat, tired of hearing that haha)

[Prospersigman]

As I am sure you are aware, you will receive a "somewhat" biased response on a Moomba forum, but with that said I would no doubt go for a 2 year newer boat that has 0 hours on it made by Skiers Choice over the Supreme...it is not even close. If you are good with the looks of the Max, some love it, some don't...I fall into the don't category. But if you are good with the styling/look of the Max, then go Max. It is a far superior built product and it should hold its value more than the Supreme. You should also have a much better dealer network with the Max.

[haknslash]

Which dealer do you feel will support you after the sale? That can be the deciding factor more than the boat brand. Not saying these things break just saying you want to go with the dealer that will go to bat for you if you do run into problems. Also factor in which service dept gives you the best ease of mind if they work on your boat.

As for Supreme or Moomba I also looked at Supreme when I was shopping. Some things I liked about them and other things I didn’t like. I liked the deep v hull and quick fill option but I didn’t like the interior and the boat I looked at I wasn’t impressed with the gel coat finish from the factory. That was a few years ago so things might have changed. It kind of reminded me of a boat that is one tick above an Axis boat quality which IMO is not that great. Ultimately we picked the Max over the Supreme because it seemed a slightly better all around package in terms of quality and potential. The deep storage really gets used on our boat and I once I added ballast the wave really woke up. These days the Max comes with more factory ballast so you’re set there for the most part.

It really would help you to water test both boats and go with your gut. The deep V of the supreme will handle chop a little better but it’s also going to be more weight sensitive side to side and from videos I’ve seen you’ll still need to list them more than say a Moomba. I’m not sure how high the bow rides on a Supreme vs Moomba but if Supreme hull is like Centurion it might have to ride real high. Def do a water test if you can. That all being said I think the new Max is the better boat. Trying my best to not be biased as I crawled around all of these boats a lot when shopping for years. The changes to the new Max are all of the things I wished mine would have had at the time. Get the 7” screen option for sure.

[Josh828]

Yeah I realized everyone here would be slightly biased, however that brings in the network, I have two Moomba dealers near me and obviously just this forum is a resource that should be noted. The supreme dealers are harder to come by and work with for sure. I actually thought the supreme would hold its value better its just the hours that are turning me off. However the 450HP is huge for me, I'm a big power junkie but have no idea how that will play out vs the Moombas 350hp in the real world. I have heard the 400hp supremes are "underpowered". And the 6 wet sounds speakers, 12" sub and 4 10" tower wet sounds also add some icing to the cake.

With the max I will be getting a flawless boat but not little gadgets and I will have to fork out to do my own audio, and probably under water lights down the road.

My real fear is the max won't surf as well nor have the power for massive amounts of ballast and crew

[larry_arizona]

What engine is in the supreme?


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[haknslash]

Torque is what it’s all about with these boats vs horsepower. I’m not sure where you’re t in the Carolina and what elevation but the Raptor engines are no slouch on power. Don’t let the 350 hp fool you. There is a reason why all of these engines use the torque number to round out the model number than the horsepower. There are guys that have well over 5k-6k lbs of ballast on their Max. The newer Max also has the better trans gear ratio which opens up prop options and pulling power (torque) vs rpm. What engine does that Supreme have because I don’t remember them having 450 hp?

[haknslash]

What engine is in the supreme?


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I think they come with the 409 hp PCM motor but I could be wrong. It’s been a while since I looked at them.

[Josh828]

What engine is in the supreme?


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GM 6.0 L96 I believe

[larry_arizona]

LS 6.0 is a solid engine, but I would prefer the raptor and I am technically a GM guy.


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[haknslash]

“Powered by GM Marine Crusader Engines from PCM, the S238 comes standard with the forceful EX3 engine, optimized by a 1.72 X 1 gear reduction and specific propping for instantaneous take-offs. You can upgrade to the GM Marine H5DI or H6DI by PCM with S-Force for even more pulling power. Supreme Force (S-Force) is torque optimized propping and gearing to fully utilize the extremely efficient power of a direct injection GM engine. With 5 years of warranty these engines provide as much piece of mind as they do mind-blowing performance.”