Best surf boat for 65k ish...

Hey everyone, first post, and I really enjoy the site! Lots of great info! I'm looking to upgrade my I/O to a more dedicated surf boat. The downfall is where I live, in bfe WV, and do not have any dealers close by to set up demos. what I have looked at so far, is a couple of used 11-12 Tige z3s, malibus, and new moomba mojo, none of which I've demo'd tho. I know the new mojo would probably exceed my budget a bit, but having a brand new boat with a warranty wouldn't be a bad thing.
So outta those 3, 23lsv, z3, mojo (or even the craz), what would be the best for surfing with the occasional wakeboarding? Also, fit and finish is important, and I would like to have a boat that cruises well too. Sometimes we hit the river in the evening and just ride around. Lemme know what yall think, or any other suggestions yall have. Thanks and great site!!

the tige would have the best surf wave, the 23LSV next best. lsv might be a tad better interior quality, tige has them nice PCM engines. i would pick the best maintained of those two.

Any reason you don't want a centurion/supreme? You could be in a 15 s226 for that

You can most definitely get a new Craz in the price range ... I demo'd a lot of boats and the Craz with the new Autoflow 2.0 had one of the longest waves I have ever ridden behind .... with a 5 year indmar engine warranty ... its something I would consider.. the Hull has DNA from the Supra SA.

You should most definitely add the Supreme S226 in there. They have one of the best surf waves period and they are adjustable. They have a great warranty also.

Thanks fellas. I have looked at supreme online, I haven't ruled them out and I do like them, I guess all the boats I've seen fs are out west, and nothing close to WV.

I live in TN and have a 2015 Axis T23 that I'm planning on selling pretty soon. I'm probably going to price it in the $65K range. It has the SURF GATE and that is by far the best thing for surfing. The boat is loaded. Send me a message if you would be interested.

Here's a pic of it.

Not sure of Supreme's dealer network out east but do know there is a big supreme dealer in FL - Transition Watersports.
Could probably get it bought and shipped to you pretty reasonably. Definitely add the S226 to your short list and I'd hit up Transition for a quote

I wouldn't go for a west coast company when you're in WV. Stick with companies with strong dealer networks where you are. Probably Malibu, Moomba, and maybe Tige of the ones you're looking at. Dealer service is a big deal and having a boat shipped to you from a dealer hundreds of miles away is not a smart decision if you value service at all. so I would not look at Supreme, my $.02

Yea, I looked up supreme dealer info, and the closest one to me is 8 hours away.

If you look around and not picky about the color or options, many dealer might be getting ready to unload their demo mojos or mondos.

Great looking Axis Micheal! I will keep an eye out for it. One question tho, how does the lack of a side windshield do for water spray in choppy water? That is the one big dislike I have about the Axis. Other than that, I love them.

Patrick, that will be the one problem I have, I'm very picky about color, and only want an orange color scheme of some sort. Guess that's the die hard Vol fan coming out in me!!

Originally Posted by King12

Any reason you don't want a centurion/supreme? You could be in a 15 s226 for that

Maybe he doesn't want to have to tow his boat to the shop every Monday.

Originally Posted by jarrod

Maybe he doesn't want to have to tow his boat to the shop every Monday.

Need a hug big guy?

The centurions for sure have had trouble with the ram fill valves but no problems with the supreme. We ordered our 226 in 14 and are closing in on 300 hours without one problem. I would not worry about a dealer network as long as you you have a good local dealer that is PCM certified to do service. Other than that you will be out surfing on one of the best waves in the business in a new boat with a better ride than any of the boats you listed.

Let me get this straight... You said that a Supreme has a better ride than a Malibu, Tige and Moomba? Right...

Originally Posted by Rusty

Let me get this straight... You said that a Supreme has a better ride than a Malibu, Tige and Moomba? Right...

If better ride means better rough water ride, that wouldn't surprise me at all. V hull beats flat hull in rough water every day of the week.

For sure the supreme has a better rough water ride than Malibu tige or moomba . The deep V just cuts through chop better resulting in a smooth ride. All boats listed are nice and I have surfed all of them. If just going off the list the tige will have the best wave

http://boise.craigslist.org/bod/5174500181.html

Which of the dozen + Malibu boats would you be referring to and how did you make this assessment? Sure this isn't an owners pride statement?

Personally I get a laugh out of all of the ride and handling quality arguments. If that's really what we were after, we wouldn't be buying v-drive wakeboard boats at all. If the water is rough, all I need to do is get my boat back on the trailer.

What we're really after is a boat with a great wake (Waves are made in the ocean) that can pull a ton of weight, drive a straight line, hold speed, and have the amenities and features that we enjoy. ...like easy to use ballast systems. Reliability is also a factor, and if you're going to tell me that supreme has been a top performer in this area, then I believe that would answer my first question.

But again at the end of the day....is rough water ride really a factor when you're surfing across the lake MAKING the water rough for everyone else at 10 mph?

C'mere bud bring it in.

Originally Posted by jarrod

Which of the dozen + Malibu boats would you be referring to and how did you make this assessment? Sure this isn't an owners pride statement?

Personally I get a laugh out of all of the ride and handling quality arguments. If that's really what we were after, we wouldn't be buying v-drive wakeboard boats at all. If the water is rough, all I need to do is get my boat back on the trailer.

What we're really after is a boat with a great wake (Waves are made in the ocean) that can pull a ton of weight, drive a straight line, hold speed, and have the amenities and features that we enjoy. ...like easy to use ballast systems. Reliability is also a factor, and if you're going to tell me that supreme has been a top performer in this area, then I believe that would answer my first question.

But again at the end of the day....is rough water ride really a factor when you're surfing across the lake MAKING the water rough for everyone else at 10 mph?

I'll bite.

on big water, yes rough water ride is important. Getting caught out on tahoe, lake almanor, or pyramid lake (NV) in a lower freeboard flat bottomed boat is much different than something with a deeper v and more freeboard. It can be a safety issue.

If every day on the water were glass, you are probably right. But in the real world, where lakes get rough when you are 10 miles from the ramp, a deep v hull provides comfort and and some cases safety (when compared with, say, an early 2000s vlx, or a sanger v210 or something).

Rough water is a non issue for me. All we have locally is rivers, and the only time it gets rough is when a storm is Rollin in, and that means it's time to head back to the dock anyway. Supreme is out of the question for me, no dealers even remotely close, and the only one I've found I like is in Cali...and I'm not paying to have it shipped to WV.

There aren't any big water lake in West Virginia to worry about having a safety issue with the ride of the boat.

I have an Axis on an average North Carolina lake and have never had an issue with ride quality or chop. My passengers don't get beat up at all.

edit: OP chimed in and beat me to it.

Out of the 3, 23LSV easily. I've driven a Tige Z3 and HATED it. Hated the way it handled, hated the throttle, disliked the situation with the touchscreen, etc... It surfed great, but the wakeboard wake is VERY finicky. You can't even flip a penny from one side of the boat to the other without the wake washing out.

For sure we ride the Columbia river and when the wind comes up it can get real sketch real fast. I have had other boats with a flatter bottom and now having a deep v i will never go back

I personally love the windshield on the Axis. I have never had water spray in from that direction even in rough, windy conditions. The cool thing about it is that I can get in and out of the drivers seat and step between the tower and the windshield as well as reach right out and grab the dock. Also, the wind behind it vs. a Malibu (wrap around) is no different.

I don't get this focus on wake surfing. To me, it is a novelty sport that runs thin very quickly. After building a huge wave and doing it a number of times, I could care less about doing it some more.

Originally Posted by diamonddad

I don't get this focus on wake surfing. To me, it is a novelty sport that runs thin very quickly. After building a huge wave and doing it a number of times, I could care less about doing it some more.

Neat.

OP, of those i guess the 23lsv. Or actually an older 247 would be nice. That or a t23. A lot of people love z3 so I think you will be very happy with any of the boats. Getting on the water is what matters.

I hear epic makes a good boat if you want to get into a mastercraft for less money.

Originally Posted by jarrod

Maybe he doesn't want to have to tow his boat to the shop every Monday.

then I guess malibu is out too:
http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=805344

And Tige has had their fair share of issues!

Pretty ignorant blanket statement imo. Every manufacturer has isolated issues. Except for EPIC that is

I'd demo everything you can possibly get your hands on. That's the only way to be real sure you are happy with what you get!!

I'll put my A24 up against anyones wave.....and its under 65k - http://www.wakeworld.com/classifield....php?view=4595

I am looking to sell my 2015 Mondo Surf Edition w/ 30hrs. Loaded up plus window tint, upgraded rear bags to 1100's and added $3k of Wetsounds gear...rev10's / EQ w Mic / Syn6 and 12" Kicker Sub

Thanks fellas, but I'm super picky about color. I am looking at Moomba and Axis also tho, they seem to be great boats for the price!!

What do yall think about the T22? Seems I may have found one brand new in my price range in the right color. Has surfgate, great options, 350hp, etc.

Moomba Craz surf wake was great when I demo'd it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or6tmPgL7qI

Boat was 68k out the door with a trailer.

T22 throws a great surf wave!

what part of WV are you in? If southern WV, you have dealers within 3 to 4 hours in the carolina's and virginia. Clarksburg north you have dealers all the way to erie, so you have just about every popular brand, bu,cc, mc, centurion, axis, supra, mooba, tige, probably missing some.

I live just outside of Parkersburg, along the Ohio border. Closest axis/Malibu dealer is deep creek, MD. Closest Tige is outside of Knoxville, Moomba is Cincinnati, about 4 hours, and they're all in opposite directions of each other obviously. Couple of my buddies have Malibus, going out on my buddies Supra today. I want to look at Axis, and I've looked at Moombas, just never driven any of them. There's a Tige z3 fs in Columbus I may go check out, and that's only about a100 miles.

We love our T22, surf's great and definitely in your budget. I'm in Columbus as well and purchased from the dealer in Cincy.