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2011 MasterCraft Secret Photos From Dealer Event
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Wow, that automatic tower is not the best looking thing I have ever seen. I am not sure I like the graphics at all either. I was told that they are offering 3 or 4 different gelcoat schemes though so it might not matter. They are getting wild with their interior and accents.
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They are definitely catering to a different crowd with that design feature. I am sure they will sell a ton of them and the first person to buy one will be the guy with the x-45 on my lake that pulls tubers from sun up to sun down while risking the lives of almost every wakeboarder on the lake.
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I like that X-45!
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this industry is so ass backwards. Little to no innovation in the actually quality of the wake a "wake boat" puts out over the past 15 years. But hey, we've now got auto towers cause that is so totally necessary....
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Lol when did we start taking parts off of optimus prime for our towers...
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Damn....can't access FB from work. Can someone post the pics?
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Tower of Power!
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Its like Thor's hammer on a wakeboard boat.....or like chase said....optimus prime's unit hahaha.
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Just looked at some more of those pictures, who took these!? they are all framed like ****, you cant see the whole boat in most of them.
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Here you go...
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Yea im not diggen the paint at all..or the auto towers. Im a mastercraft guy, and im kinda disappointed. I did like the the x 15 tower though.
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Where is the CSX?
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Noticed no speakers on that new tower.
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That 197 is one sick boat!
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197 is sick... that X15 is wild.
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I'm kinda diggin' the new paint scheme...I'm an odd ball though, lol.
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Wow. "I'm not quite athletic enough to lift up the tower....... Thank god we have a mastercraft, Lets go wakeboarding!"
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at least you'll be able to identify a 2011 easily
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In 15 years we will look back at this stuff and say my god what was I thinking. Kinda like my high school prom photo with a powder blue tux with ruffles and a big mop of hair.
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I like the X45 scheme. Sorta like the tower myself, but not into having more moving things on a boat. Wish it were manual instead. Not a MC guy at all but like the X45 alot.
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Now fast forward to 2030. NO one is going to want that moving tower because it will be next to impossible to fix it when it breaks. No more moving parts, IMHO. I am in favor of keeping it simple, but I don't know anything, I am still complaining about LCD touch screens for the same reason and everyone has one now. |
Where's the new for 2011 X star?
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^It looks like the 3rd and 4th photo from the bottom are the new X-Star, but yeah I was wanting to see more photos of that boat.
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I like the graphic schemes...sure is better than tribals and skulls everywhere. Definitely don't like the Power Tower!!! Might actually be worse looking than the wakecraft tower...imho. The tower on the x-15 looks very nice though!
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Does Roger Penske still own Mastercraft? This is extremely interesting if he does as he also owns Ilmor...
I wonder if he's planning to use his muscle in the marine sector to start gaining market share with these Ilmor engines... |
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The X15 is on point, love all the extra red accents. The 45 (sans the tower) and what I assume is an X Star look hot too. I hate the new tower its just horrible looking and I mean c'mon who the hell needs an automated tower? I think the Gel schemes look good, to me they got back to a more boat look.
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Not digging the tower yet...might grow on me over time just like the graphics. I like the hardcore graphics style myself but I understand that some people want their boat to look more like a family boat :D What I really like is the diamond design on the interior in that one shot, that's cool.
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I don't beleive Roger still owns Mastercraft. I think it is owned by Wayzata investing firm since sometime last summer http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/4...kruptcy-filing and http://www.boating-industry.com/output.cfm?ID=2207269
Here is an interesting article on ilmor: June 23, 2010 Ilmor Engineering Announces Start of Production at Marine Engine Manufacturing Facility in Mooresville, NCIlmor Marine, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ilmor Engineering, Inc., began production today at its new headquarters in Mooresville, NC. The 50,000 square foot marine engine assembly and test facility, under construction since 2008, is capable of assembling up to 15,000 engines per year. The first engines off the production line today are already on their way to the OEM customer – MasterCraft Boat Company. Ilmor Engineering, Inc., a high-performance powertrain engineering company, has operated worldwide since 1984. “This is a great day for our marine division. The program has been in the works for over three years,” said Paul Ray, President of Ilmor Engineering, Inc. “We found a solid opportunity when we entered the marine business as a racing organization in 2002. Our core business had been auto-racing, but we believed our engineering skills could be put to good use in the high-performance boating industry. “We made the decision to enter the inboard market in 2007,” Ray continued. “Since then, our staff has worked flat-out on engine design and development, in-water testing, engine integration and facility construction. The new facility allows us to expand into highervolume markets, with an initial focus upon our key partner, MasterCraft, the lead manufacturer of luxury performance inboards.” Ilmor’s inboard offerings in the fresh water and salt water ‘Ocean Performance Series’ will be 5.7L (litre), 6.0L and 6.2L variants based upon industry standard General Motors powerplants. Each engine is assembled with Ilmor-developed parts and systems to increase overall performance and reliability. All of the engines are EPA, California-ARB and EU-RCD emissions compliant. “We created an assembly plant that is very much in keeping with Ilmor’s other facilities around the world – both from a quality perspective and from a technology point of view,” said Ronald A. Brown, President of Ilmor Marine LLC. “We have partnered with Fanuc and PPG to create a robotic paint system that ensures a very high-quality paint application. This ultra-clean system also helps create an employee-friendly environment. In every instance, we searched for suppliers and technology partners that share Ilmor’s passion for excellence and are the highest quality in their specialty, including companies like GM and ZF. In an economy where most companies have scaled back investments, Ilmor has invested heavily in the future of the marine industry with the latest technology.” Ilmor has worked closely with the state of North Carolina and Iredell County to hire skilled specialists from the area. “Through careful planning and product development, we now have a very well-known brand synonymous with performance, high-quality and strong customer support,” said Ray. “Each of those attributes are very important to us, and our goal is to provide all of our customers with the same experience as we expand into exciting new areas of the marine business.” Created in 1984, Ilmor Engineering is a worldwide leader in high-performance powertrain engineering. Its’ championship heritage includes 16 Indianapolis 500 wins, two Formula One World Championships and three Powerboat P1 World Championships. Ilmor’s facilities in Europe and the United States provide engineering and manufacturing expertise to the auto, motorcycle, aircraft and defense industries as well as motorsports clients in IndyCar and Stock Car. For more information please contact: Paul Ray, Ilmor Engineering, Inc: paulray@ilmor.com (734) 456-3600 Ronald A. Brown, Ilmor Marine, LLC: ronbrown@ilmormarine.com (704) 360-1900 Or, for more detailed information on Ilmor and its history, visit: www.ilmor.com |
I dont really dig the look of the power tower either but from an engineering point of view I think it is kind of cool that the board racks and and cross bar rotate and stay horizontal as it is lowered. It looks like you can actually drive the boat with it down which is kind of cool...I guess...lots of low bridges?
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As far as I know, each boat will have three tower options. The base tower is the tower in the photo of the X2. That tower does not have the Mastercraft inserts and the board racks are very basic and use bungee cords and do not spin. The "regular" tower that is in the photo of the X15 is the current tower and is the mid level. The power tower is the high end tower, so you will have options as to what tower you want to get on a 2011 Mastercraft.
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Is the dash in that X45 new as well? Looks like a pretty good sized LCD screen.
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Who the f designed that tower...Don Johnson and Scarab?
The tower is not for my taste, seems over designed. |
im diggin the paint schemes this year, but that automatic tower is absolutely horrid!! the x-15 on the other hand looks perfect, and the x2 tower looks almost like they went back to the 2004 tower. like the boats and paint, just not the auto tower.
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Like the diamond pattern in the interior. Other than that. fugly IMO
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the 2 direct drives look sick. the rest are about par for mastercraft and their weird accents and crazy ideas.
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Can't wait to see the price points on these things! Do they know that we are still in a recession?
I give them credit, they are definitely pushing the design and "foo-foo" envelope. |
on the plus side, being as that crazy looking tower is automatic, you can now rub one out and put down your tower to go under a bridge at the same time. now that's enjoyable!
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The tower is wild, but is very beefed up and strong. If you are on a chain of lakes with bridges and locks, then this tower is an amazing addition to these boats. There is not a new X-star for this year.
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What is that fugly tower about. Looks like some sort of robotic arm from a closed auto plant. It doesnt even appear to fold down under the windshield. How do some things make it off the designers computer screen? I like to color scheme on the X2 though. Mastercraft must have stock in Alcoa. They spend alot on aluminum!
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I'm not sure yet how I feel about the new exteriors... pretty sure I like my 2010 better. And the tower definitely seems suspect. My first thought was it looks like a transformer. I'm glad my boat goes onto the lift and under the canopy without having to fold the tower. |
I'd like to see the gelcoat patterns to see if it's possible with the stripes to get a more "traditional" gelcoat where there is a color above the rubrail, a stripe under the rubrail, and a different color base. I'd love to be able to recreate Travis's gold flake X-Star next year. Hopefully I can with the new gelcoats!
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I like that 15. Power tower looks a lot better than the prototype I saw!
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That 45 looks like crap, better plan on bringing your snorkel gear if you sitting up there..start the "45 sunk" thread countdown.
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That is by far the ugliest tower I have ever seen. What kind of idiot at Mastercraft gave the thumbs up to that. The same guy must work for Mastercraft that designed the Delorean.
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Really??? You are digging on the design of the Delorean?? In 1980 the Delorean design was cutting edge...
I love how Correct Craft went with a counterweighted tower that you can lift with one finger and MC went with a hydraulic, pneumatic, or is it a linear actuator? Who cares, I guess.... |
Sorry about the Delorean comment. Didn't know that would strike a nerve.
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Not sure on the tower, could possibly grow on me but how does that work with a bimini or cargo rack?
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I bet you could attach a rigid type bimini to that cross bar section and it would fold flat when the tower is down since it looks like it pivots.
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I guess that says "Star"....
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They need to stop hiring fourth graders in there r&d department.
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The direct drive and the X2 are the only 2 good looking boats they have in that set. I like the graphics on the X-Star, but that tower is terrible. I'm not sure how you fit all of the mechanical parts into something that would be more attractive to look at though. The auto-tower will fit a certain sector in the market, but I have a hard time believing that you will see them on the water all that often. I can already see the power turning tuber yanking that thing across the lake.
Can't wait to see a repair bill on one of those auto-towers once the warranty expires too. |
Lots more photos on Facebook. And I think that X-Star just above has the Indmar 6.2L Supercharged engine. On Indmar's Facebook page they have a photo from testing it on a boat with the same tower, same interior. There are going to be so many options on next year's MC s for ordering a boat that it's going to be crazy for dealers to know what to order. My buddy owns a Ford dealership and I know they have one guy whose full-time job is to just study sales data and to order vehicles because there are so many different options with all the trim lines, engines, colors, interiors, etc.
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The tower will have its buyers, but many will not be willing to fork out the extra jack. I never fold down the tower, so that feature does not interest me. I do like the new X-Star graphics and that white interior (nothing new about that).
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This was the last car I owned....
and for the record I bought it with that spoiler, and didn't really want to pay for a smaller one or take it off and have holes in my trunk..... and now, MCs inspiration: |
Check this automatic folding tower out.
The Power Tower eliminates the need for a person to raise and lower the tower manually. It's powered by electrically run linear actuators ( screw drive ), air shocks, pneumatic shocks, or hydraulic cylindersAir a http://www.mikemurphyentinc.com/powertower.html. |
That tower is straight out of Transformers, and nasty. Graphics no good. That red boat is terrible. Sorry, but MC totally missed it. I like the X2 the best, but still not a fan of even that tower.
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Why can't they just go back to the 05/06 tower? That was one of the best looking and most functional towers ever made.
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agreed, 06 X-1 and X-2 are my two favorite boats still
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A video review of the new tower has just been posted up on MC's facebook.
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You would think they would post a few concept photos here to get some feedback before they go making crazy stuff. Maybe even survey current owners.
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http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/...v=414306336381
video of zane explaining the new tower and showing its features |
I would really love to read what people thought about the 2003 Xstar when it came out...
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Darren, what is the cost of that option over the current tower?
After watching that video the tower seems to be very functional. There is a lot of good thoughts that went into it. Now they need to improve the looks of it. |
can anyone out there post up the Zane video mentioned above without having to sign up on Facebook?
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I bet once you cover the power tower with speakers the access to the rear storage compartments and swinging in the board racks with boards in them becomes a bit more troublesome.
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when it is folded down that is.
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john delorean is the man. shame on you. he designed alot of cars you don't know about besides the s.s. future ride. he was also entrapped by some a holes.
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Texas Mastercraft has posted all of the photos from Dealer Days in NC to Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...2642646&ref=mf |
They must have watched the TRANSFORMERS movie, then designed this crap. This is a tower LON would buy! Remember when sick looking meant awful! Try as you might they will never catch up with Nautique. Why do direct drives keep getting better looking and v drives look the same?
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give it 2 years and everybody will be offering some type of auto tower... I'm not a fan of the way it looks but if you need to lower it everytime to you put the boat up then it makes a lot of sense... BTW - I like the new graphics.
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how about the cts-v motor. That is the best picture of the bunch.
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Not a fan of the new looks or the tower sorry MC. Thumbs down....
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jeez look at the tower on that x45 and xstar. what a waste of money. and they wonder why they cant get the prices down.
looks like a robotic arm at a factory or something. exept its not stamped steel. its all billet CNCed aluminum :rolleyes: |
I like the idea of the new tower. Ya I can fold my tower down, I do it 16 times a week!! I fold it down to get in the garage, back up when it's in the garage, down again to leave the garage then back up again(I have it up in the garage to avoid stressing my sun deck). Even with my tower speakers and bimini it's not heavy but a switch is def easier. The new tower looks like you can trailer with it in the down position. For one I wouldn't need to get out of my truck again when I get home to fold the tower down, back in then put it up again. I could hit the switch when I leave the lake, trailer home with it down, hit my garage door opener and back in, way easier. Doesnt look like it stresses the sun deck in anyway so I prolly wouldnt need to put it back up.
Assuming you can trailer with it down and from the looks of Zane's video when it's down the majority of the tower and board racks are behind the windsheild it would eliminate a ton of bug clean off. Looks like if you had tower speakers they would partially be behind the windshield as well. Trailering with the tower folded down is a win for me. I think it's smart engineering for those reasons alone and would make me buy it. Even if it pushes the price of the boat way up it's still cheaper to me then my other options of buying a lake home in my area of a $M+ and 15-25k a year in property taxes, or sliping my boat and having my crap exposed to theft or buying an affordable lake home and having a 1.5 hr commute into the city. Just makes sense for my situation but not everybodies. Just my .02 |
That tower motor sounds terrible, and annoying. I'm picturing a gerbil inside cranking it up and down.
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that tower looks terrible! The x2 set up looks great tho!
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Wtf?
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