MB Sports, the Small California Builder Behind the B52

Family know-how, a company of his own

Mike Brendel did not start from scratch in 1993. His family had been building boats since 1950, and he had already put his name to hulls sold as Brendella, Hondo, Ski Brendella and Centurion before opening MB Sports that August in the Central Valley of California. Brendel has said his father told him to keep the operation modest and to build something other companies would not try, and that advice still describes the business. Boats are made by hand in Atwater, and the company now uses the shorter MB Boats name in its marketing.

The scale really is modest. Wakeboarding magazine estimated MB's annual production in the mid-2000s at a little over 300 boats, small change next to Malibu and MasterCraft. That shows up in a short dealer list, fewer boats on the used market and more personal contact with the factory.

Why a wake boat brand belongs on a yacht research site

Plenty of yacht owners also run a towboat at a lake home, and MB offers an alternative to the high-volume brands for buyers who want something less common. The brand's listings are also unusually hard to read, because one model name has covered several very different boats over two decades, so a short guide saves shoppers time.

Two hull families and how the range evolved

MB has built around two bow shapes. The B52 name marks the conventional pointed bow, and the Tomcat name marks the pickle-fork bow. Over the years the company has tried engineering ideas of its own, such as two-speed gearboxes in the mid-2000s, ballast gates that fill and drain without pumps from around 2009, and later the patented Switch Surf System for moving the wave from side to side. It also tends to bundle tower, audio and surf gear as standard rather than selling them as options.

Our MB Sports B52 review untangles the B52 generations, from the early 21 and 23-foot boats through the redesigns of 2008 and 2009 to the Alpha Series that arrived in 2021 and the larger 25 Alpha added in 2023. Engines, ballast weights, test results and current MSRPs are all on that page.

Resale, warranty and buying used

Hand building and small numbers help MB values among buyers who know the name, though most used boats sit in the West and shoppers elsewhere may have to travel. MB has historically backed its boats with generous warranties, and the current Indmar engine coverage is transferable, so ask the seller for paperwork. Because the same badge spans many generations, start by nailing down the exact year and hull.

Before you buy:

• Identify the model year, length and hull generation precisely
• Review engine hours and service on Indmar or earlier PCM power
• Check ballast bags, tanks and gates for leaks
• Inspect the tower feet and the deck beneath them for cracking
• Ask for transmission and V-drive service history
• Confirm whether a trailer is part of the sale and in good shape