Boat reviews-MC X 10
 

Okay so here is a follow up to my demo day. I looked at the 2014 MC X-10, 2013 MB sports 23 WB, 2013 Tige RZ2, 2014 SAN 210. I surfed and drove all of them hard (except the Tige-I will get to that). Now keep in mind that the surf wake was not set up on a couple boats as what many would consider ideal. So all I can review is what I looked at. I will start with the MC X-10 in this thread. I may not get them all done so I will post separately.

1)First was the MC X-10. Right off the bat, a beautiful boat. MC really pays attention to detail. From the rear facing seat to little touches like the slightly more plush seat ends (that give the seats a bucket feel), the interior is top notch. The tower is beautiful as well as functional.

Fit and Finish: A

For wakesurfing, I wanted to see the wake with all the ballast full and the surf tabs. The salesman filled all the stock ballast and then switched the surf tabs. The wake was average at best with this setup. I had a feeling you have to list the boat to get a good wake. I had him list to the regular side and he brought along a 750 that we put in the back locker. Also had 2 of my buddies and the driver. The wake was very good here. I can imagine that with more weight, it would only get better.

Wakesurf: B

I drove the boat surfing my buddy then without anyone in the boat. It had the stock Ilmore motor and stock prop. I must say that I hated the booster seat. It was set too far forward and my butt was falling into the back. It wasn't bad without the booster but I like a good booster. I also have to say that I was very disappointed with the power and the handling. The handling was tight and boggy. The motor was very unresponsive. For a 21 foot boat, this was the worst of the day. Very disappointed here.

Handling/motor: D

The price of the X-10 was very high. This particular boat (that wasn't very loaded at all) was about 95K. Probably closer to 110K out the door with the sky being the limit in options. I have to say that I didn't think this price was warranted for the amount of boat, options, motor that was there.

Price: E

The salesman was fairly knowledgeable. I would have hoped he would have known more about the specs. He did an okay job but didn't know a few things which he stated was because the boat was new. My feeling is if you are selling a boat, you should know it. He didn't know the exact weight or the fuel capacity. Inexcusable in my mind. The dealership was impressive.

Dealer and Sales: C

Overall, this was a beautiful boat with a very nice surf wake. I can see this being a wake surf monster with more weighting. However, I question the price and the motor and handling. It seems that MC paid more attention to interior/design and surfing than performance and slapped on a wicked price because they can.

Overall: C

I agree with your comments on the salesman. Why would you sell something you know nothing about? The first thing I do when I get a new product is learn all the features and explain the benefits to the customers. Shame on the salesman.

So the base in that boat is a 5.7L Ilmor V8.. The same as my X-30. So in a bigger heavier boat I love that engine. It pops right up on plane with 3k ballast. I almost wonder if your test boat had a problem?

You rarely see MC dinged in the area of engine power or handling.

I do agree about the driver booster seat though!

I tested all the major brands 23-24 footers (2013) and I found the MC to have equal or more power than the competitors...

I have no idea if there was something wrong. Compared to the other boats it felt unresponsive and boggy

wrong prop maybe?

On the X30 I have used the stock prop as well as the Acme low torque one (forget model). I felt like I had plenty of power with either prop.

Boat demos are pretty subjective, but it's rare to find MC downgraded for power and handling. Still makes me think his demo boat maybe had an issue of some sort...
It also has a digital throttle that may have been outa whack?

Digital throttle? Are you referring to Throttle by wire? Did MC come up with something new, never heard of a digital throttle before.

Yeah, I don't know what year they changed, but I was told MC no longer has a mechanical (wire) throttle assembly. I was told it is now electronic.

maybe the new electronic throttle is not good.

My 07 Xstar has DBW.. The throttle by wire is perfect, but with stargazer engaged and if you throttle up slow, it becomes unresponsive.. If you power up normally it's fine..

I love just about everything about my X30 including the throttle. I was just speculating as to why your demo felt to have an unresponsive throttle and feel underpowered. Just a wild guess. I have never had or heard of any throttle problems.

wasn't just the throttle. The handling was boggy too. compared to the other boats that is

X-10s drive very well and they are very responsive with the Ilmor 5.7. Your dealer had it propped wrong, plain and simple.

The dealer decides which prop goes on each boat?

We do at our dealership. For a 5.7 X-10, we have 4 different props that we like for different types of customers and their needs.

Pretty easy to figure out, call the dealership and ask them what prop it has on it. You are still a prospective buyer at this point.

How does the wrong prop make the handling boggy?

If the prop is too sluggish for the boat, it will cause the engine to bog in turns because it is not turning enough RPM's to be in the power band. If there are any shortcomings for an X-10, it certainly is not the handling nor the Ilmor engine.

I drove one for an entire weekend two weeks ago and the 5.7 had plenty of power to push full factory ballast and extra weight for surfing and it would turn as sharp as I wanted it to. Maybe it was propped with the wrong prop as several people were saying, or if it had the trim tab, maybe it was set incorrectly for taking off (not sure if that would be all the way up or all the way down). But the 5.7 should have been plenty of motor for the X10.

Phil, what dealer did you go to?