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WATERSKI MagazineBack in the fall of 1992, a man arrived at our boat tests with the first production model of a new boat he said would set the skiing world on fire. Ordinarily, our veteran crew would give little credence to such claims, but in this case the man had some pretty impressive credentials.
Mike Brendel is a second-generation boatbuilder with a lifetime of experience in the inboard arena. He not only wanted to tell us of the quality and attention to detail that went into his new boat, he wanted to show us. Test team members were encouraged to examine the workmanship of hidden wiring, judge the underside fit and finish of structural components, and investigate the materials and methods used in the creation of his 19-foot Boss.
Our reviewers praised Mike for the quality of his new product and found some qualities of the skiing performance to be outstanding, but noted that others could use some work. In the years since, it's been obvious that Mike took those notes to the drawing board, as readers of our annual Buyers Guide have noticed steadily improving scores for the MB Boss 190.
In 1997 the boat's semi-V hull was modified to soften wakes and enhance performance, and a four-blade propeller was added in 1998. “Near perfect,” our test team said, but there's still a bit of spray at line lengths beyond 28 off.
When the Boss 190 appeared out our 1999 Tests, it became apparent that Mike had once again done his homework. The boat that had always earned the highest marks for workmanship and creature comforts now had slalom performance to match.
This year our skiers gave perfect marks for the low, soft wakes and found no hint of spray, at even the shortest line lengths. Tight, responsive handling, low-effort tracking and plentiful power were other attributes our skiers praised.
When asked which boat they would like to take home from the tests, two of our slalom skiers chose the Boss 190. In our opinion, Mike Brendel has now created one of the finest slalom boats ever built.
