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Old     (PaulL)      Join Date: Apr 2011       04-18-2011, 8:57 PM Reply   
Alrighty then.... I can't decide which to go with....

Here's the deal... both are dang close and comparable.... The Supra is yellow with white highlights and a silver/chrome waketower (not my favorite), and the MB is grey with red flames and a black waketower (better, but nothing to write home about).

Both have tower speakers and racks, but the MB sports also "sports" some nice lights up there too.

Both have ballast, but the Supra also has a hydraulic wake plate; on the other hand, the MB has 2100 lbs of internal ballast and no bags to mess with.

The MB has that 2 speed transmission or w/e they call it.

I'm lookin' at approx. $33,200.00 (US) for the Supra and about $34,000.00 (US) for the MB Sports (both come with trailers). Both have low hours (115 for the Supra and 155 for the MB Sports). Marine survey / inspection of the MB is flawless. I haven't had the Supra inspected yet (but let's give it the benefit of the doubt for this comparison).

I will primarily be on a 144 acre lake here in Michigan (the "home" lake, but plan to take the boat out for "adventures" too), pulling mostly wakeboards and tubes, and prolly trying out wakesurfing. Skiing will be had, prolly, but not high on the priority list. I have 5 kids and myself (I guess that makes 6 kids...), plus all their friends. Oldest is 14 (not counting me, that is) and youngest is 6. I want something that will preferably last through all of them.

HELP!!!!

Last edited by PaulL; 04-18-2011 at 9:00 PM. Reason: correct $$ amounts
Old     (jmanst15)      Join Date: Jun 2010       04-18-2011, 9:15 PM Reply   
I have not been in any supra's, but MB has excellent build quality and the b52 will be a bit bigger as its 23 feet. Bags can be a pain in the ass, especially with smaller kids to have to move out of the way and since they wont be much help as they are mostly young. I would go with the MB, but just my opinion. GOOD LUCK!
Old     (PaulL)      Join Date: Apr 2011       04-18-2011, 9:25 PM Reply   
Everything I've read (as well as the description from the seller) indicates that the MB is 21 feet... Nice thought, tho, on the bag vs. kid thing.... I'd think, tho, that since the bags are generally in their own storage areas, they "ought" to be out of the way.... I'd hope, at least..... but my fear with bags is the "oops, Dad, I think I just put a hole in the bag"; on the flip side... what if the MB's internal ballast system dies? what then?
Old     (moon)      Join Date: Oct 2008       04-18-2011, 11:23 PM Reply   
The only thing that will die on the MB's ballast system are the pumps, but that can happen with the Supra as well. I have an 03 MB 220V with dead pumps and I have not replaced them yet and I can still fill and drain my ballast. On the lower part of the transum (below the swim step), next to the bilge plug there are manual ballast drain holes that allow you to unscrew the plugs and drain the ballast once you have trailered the boat (basically they are there just in case your ballast puppys fail). Since my pumps don't work, what I usually do is stop the boat unscrew the plugs and let the ballast fill. It takes longer then the new MBs with the automatic gate system because the drain holes are smaller, but in essence it basically does the same thing (just not 60 second fill or drain). When I want to drain, I pull the plugs, get on plane and the ballast empties. I know there are a lot of people who prefer bags, but MB's ballast is completely hidden (which I'm sure you're aware of), and the storage is unbelievable. In my port side locker in the back, next to the engine, I can fit 3 wakeboards, 1 wakeskate, an inflated tube, a huge bucket with sand toys, 4 or 5 noodles, vests and other crap I don't mind getting wet. Everything I want to keep dry stays in the locker on the other side.
I will say that Supra is a great company and two of my buddies own Supras. The wakes on them can be big and intimidating to beginners, and they can flat out launch you. Good luck with your decision, but I don't think you can go wrong with either boat.
Old     (PaulL)      Join Date: Apr 2011       04-19-2011, 6:54 AM Reply   
Thanks! Any other thoughts by anybody? (Cricket sounds....)
Old     (moon)      Join Date: Oct 2008       04-19-2011, 6:57 AM Reply   
Oh, I should have said deflated tube... not inflated.

Also, if you have any other questions about the mb, you should check out www.mbboatowners.com.

Last edited by moon; 04-19-2011 at 7:01 AM.
Old     (wakereviews)      Join Date: Sep 2006       04-19-2011, 7:04 AM Reply   
I've ridden and surfed behind the 21' B52. I think the V3 version just added the triple up ballast (bow tank) and 2 speed tranny. (not 100% on that though). Anyway, the B52V I was on put out a good wakeboarding wake with stock ballast (1600 lbs) and a great ski wake at slalom speed. But what I liked most was the stock surf wake, it was a lot bigger than my 2011 Team Widebody (i think because the narrower beam made it easier to sink with less weight). Anyway, I have not been on that model of Supra so I cannot comment on that. \

couple reviews here too
http://www.wakeworld.com/products/in...detail&p=53608
Old     (nauty)      Join Date: Feb 2004       04-19-2011, 8:21 AM Reply   
I have never been on an MB, but I do own a 2004 Supra SSV. I bought it brand new in early 2005 (it was a left over from 04) . I paid $37k for it, so it's nice to see that they are selling for $33k, as it appears they are holding their value. I've been very happy with my boat over the last 6 years and have had no problems with it other than the pad on the swim platform. The material that the factory used during that time would decompose in the sun and the result would be that you would track black residue all over your boat. I have since replaced the platform pad with hydro-turf and have not had any issues since.

The wake is nice with the upgraded gravity games sacs (1180 lbs up front and 800 lbs in each rear locker). As long as you have the playpen version of this boat you are good, otherwise, the walk through bow version will not allow for the 1180 lb sac in the front locker. Like you said, all of the ballast bags are hidden in storage lockers, so no worries about climbing over sacs. You do lose some storage space by having the ballast taking up storage lockers, but it's never been an issue with me. With the play pen bow you can flip up the two seat cushions and use that space in-between to store some day packs, etc.

The wake is very versatile with the wake plate. Without the wake plate you'd have to fill/empty ballast to change the steepness of the wake for different riders. With the wake plate the size of the wake stays the same, but with the plate down the shape gets rampier for beginners. With the plate up the wake gets steep and firm for experienced riders.

Some things to consider with this year model are the steering cable and the rudder. I had both of mine replaced under warranty in the first year as did a lot of people. The factory got a bad batch of steering cables and rudders in 03 and 04 that caused really stiff steering. Being that this boat only has 115 hours on it these items may not have been replaced yet, so you may want to check that out. I wouldn't call this a deal breaker as you can replace them yourself for a couple hundred $$ and still have a great boat, so maybe you can get another $500 knocked off the price if they haven't been replaced.

Another thing to take note of is that the ballast system fills off of one 2000 gph pump. With stock sacs this is sufficient, but if you have the upgraded gravity games sacs it can take 10-15 minutes to fill them up. This system also uses sprinkler system manifolds to control the ballast. These are prone to wear out over time, but they are easily replaced. You can buy new manifolds at Home Depot for around $10 each. There are 3 manifolds in the boat and I have had to replace 2 of them over the last 6 years.

Don't let the issues I've mentioned scare you as the great thing about boats from this time is that they are very easy for the DIY person to work on. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Old     (PaulL)      Join Date: Apr 2011       04-19-2011, 8:28 AM Reply   
Awesome comment! Thanks!!
Old     (psudy)      Join Date: Dec 2003       04-19-2011, 8:37 AM Reply   
My 05 Supra had vapor lock issues that could be a pain. Other than that, I loved the boat. Did well in chop, held a lot of people. The ballast(GG) was a little slow to fill, but not that big of a deal. The wake was very nice, but the surf wake wasn't that great(it could be that I didn't have enough weight in it though).
Old     (tyler97217)      Join Date: Aug 2004       04-19-2011, 8:49 AM Reply   
That is a lot of money for a 7 year old MB. Nothing wrong with MB at all, I personally think the Supra is a better buy in this situation. I try not to wear owner goggles, but it happens to the best of us, but in this case it is a no brainer for me. Better price, lower hours, better resale........ In the end you should go with your gut and what you are happy with otherwise you might wish you went with the other.

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