In 2007, we flew out to California to meet with Mike Brendel, owner of MB Sports, to take a tour of the factory and test out some of their top boats. Needless to say, we were so impressed by the trip that we agreed to make MB Sports the official sponsor of OnlyInboards.com

What impressed us so much about the MBs? Let’s start with Mike Brendel. After only a few hours of meeting with Mike, the MB vision was very clear… To make the absolute best wakeboard boat on the market in every aspect without skimping in any step of the construction. It wasn’t to sell 10,000 boats a year and make x amount of profit. His goal is to make 300 or so of the finest wakeboarding machines in the industry every year and keep his customers 100% satisfied.

The structure of MB Sports makes this simple for Mike. If there are any improvements that need to be made on any of his boats (which does happen on any boat), Mike fixes it. Period. No matter the cost, no matter how long it takes. One of his boats isn’t putting out as big of surf wake as you’d want stock, Mike is instantly on the case fixing the design. And that is a big example, there are tons of other smaller innovations that MB brings to the table that you’d never know about because he simpily doesn’t advertise them (which is crazy to me!). Mike doesn’t have to deal with investors, stock holders etc to get his designs and modifications approved. He just does it!

Construction – -Starting with the construction of the boats. Every single MB Sports wakeboard boat is hand built. The fiberglass is all hand laid and not sprayed. The techniques that MB uses to build their boats stem from Mike’s history in boat racing where he built racing and speed boats for many years with his father. These boats had to withstand tremendous wear and tear and needed to be built extremely tough. Mike has brought these same principles in boat building to the wakeboard boat market with the MB Sports boat lineup.

Their warranty is top in the business. We’re talking a LIFETIME warranty on the hull, deck, exhaust, instruments, and anodized hardware. You also get a 5 year warranty on the composite swimstep, upholstry, carpet, (yes 5 YEARS on upholstry and carpet!!!) and blister free. 3 year warranty on the gelcoat and engine/drivetrain. This is one of the top warranties in the business and MB has no problems offering it because of their high quality product.

Materials – MB Sports uses only the finest materials. It’s amazing how many little pieces in these boats that MB takes pride in. A part here or there that others might spend 2-3 bucks on, Mike and the MB Team will use carbon fiber at a cost of 50 times higher. They do this to ensure the highest quality product on the market. But the best part is that you won’t see these higher costs passed down to you. MB boats are priced in the same ballpark as the competition!

Now, if we get down to how the boats perform on the water…. all we can say is get out in one and you will see for yourself. Getting behind the wheel of the Tomcat the fist time made us feel like we were 16 again. It is a blast to drive and handles great (especially in the chop).

But the main things that stood out for us in all the MB boats were the wake, the comfort, how it handles chop, and the dash/cockpit area.

Wake – The wake on the Tomcat, B52V, and B52V 23 hulls are incredible right out of the gate. No need to add fat sacs to these boats because they come stock with 2000 lbs or more of ballast. The wakes are very nice and rampy with a great lip at the top for extra pop.

Comfort – Sit down in any seat, the bow, passenger seat or in the rear and you will be met with incredible comfort. This is due mainly to the fact that MB reclines the seating to the perfect angle. Go sit in one and you’ll see what we mean!

Ride – the ride in any of the MB’s is smooth. But where they stand out is in rough water. Especially with the Tomcat, which Mike calls the rough water king, these boats handle chop amazingly. The hull design on all the models make it incredibly hard to get water over the bow. We’re not saying it’s impossible, but both are extremely dry boats.

Dash/Cockpit – The new dash on the ’08 models is sick. Straight up one of the best dash layouts we’ve seen for 2008. But the real kicker is that you don’t even need the flip up seat to have clear vision when driving an MB. Even before you are on plane you can sit comfortably in the drivers seat and have a full view through the windshield. It is the only inboard we’ve been in where this has been the case.

Check out the MB model lineup below. You should absolutely put MB on your list of boats to check out if you are in the market!