X45 vs malibu 247

which boat has the best wake and how does the overall of the boats and give me the good and bad about both boats

Let me sum this up for you....Mastercraft folks will tell you that the X45 rules. Malibu folks will tell you that the 247 is the best thing since sliced bread. The rest will tell you that they are both great boats and that you should drive each and make up your mind which you like the best.
I just cost the popcorn industry a bunch of money! Sorry Robert...not trying to be a smarta$$. That's just the way these boat comparison threads always seem to go.
Good luck!

+1 ^^^

^^^ agreed

Demo, demo, demo

Demo them, both good boats.

but if it were me i'd get the X45.

but i'd demo both.

im a huge malibu fan but id say x-45 to me the 247 is just to big

I am a nuatique man and would say go MC X-45... lets say everything else is the same, except bow space.... so why not

I believe that the 247 is bigger and more adjustable with the power wedge. It actually seems to have more room in it also. Both need an upgraded engine.

Andy the 247 is not to big unless you load the crap out of it with the wedge down. The great part about Malibu is that they are WAy more stable side to side and have a bigger landing zone for us older geriatric riders. ;)

lol haha i never rode behind a 247 loaded down but i could imagine what it would be like!

They are so different, both good and bad - that you need to see which one YOU like better. The rest of us are just knuckleheads with our own opinions. Been in both and it's apples and oranges, just depends on whether you like apples or oranges....

The 247 has way more room and seems like a bigger boat. The X45 seemed to have about the same amount of room inside (except bow) as the 23LSV. Both wakes are totally different you would have to ride both to see what you liked best for sure.

I love Malibus but truth be told, I would have to go X45 just on looks and dash alone...

I just posted a thread as to why I just bought an X-45

Just from crawling around on them both at boat shows, the X-45 gets my vote. Can't comment on the wake, but I liked the style and function of the X-45 interior better.

You live in a good world if those are the choices you have.

I have an X45 and my best buddy has a 247. We have spent several weeks together at Lake Powell.

The comment about the 247 interior being bigger is not correct. The main cabin area is bigger, but the bow is tiny and is OK for 3 small people, max. The X45 cabin area is a little smaller, but the bow is huge and can comfortably seat many people. The kids seem to gravitate up there, and really enjoy my boat more than my friend's because of that.

Wake wise, we like both. With power wedge and quad ballast, the 247 wake feels bigger to me than mine with stock ballast. But mine is very nice in its own right.

The wake can be BETTER adjusted in the X45 with the trim tab. With the trim tab up, the wake gets to be overly steep. With it all the way down, the wake can be much more mellow. There is some adjustability with the wedge, but it has a little more limit to it.

You would not be disappointed with either one.

I chose the X45 in large part because I love the tower and could not find a 247 in the same price range with anything but an Illusion tower, which I do not like. With the illusion tower, you are not going to like having a big stereo up there because that big cabin area gets seriously blasted because of the position of the speakers. Also the MC tower is taller than the Illusion.

There was a guy that did a full on in depth review of both boats. So a search and I promise you will find more info than you want.

talltigeguy makes some pretty good points. I would add that while the x45 bow is huge it's also very shallow. I wouldn't want any kids up there while I was doing anything other than wakesurfing.

^ And the 247 bow isn't?

The very front cushion is very shallow, but the sides are pretty deep. I would not want people sitting up there facing rearward when going full speed, for fear they might fall over the front of the boat when I slow down. But I think for side facing passengers, you can fit 3 on each side pretty easy, and the side walls are pretty deep.

Definitely decide if you like apples or oranges for yourself. The 247 drives awesome, like a direct drive two feet shorter than it is and has a high end feel to its huge lounge. Positives for the X45 are the huge storage and capacity, snap out carpet, and in my opinion a much nicer wake. Both are sick boats.

^^off topic but I agree - the bow is no place for kids.^^

Does the nose of the X45 ride low like the Xstar?

How many people really like sitting up front? honestly!! I would take more cabin space over more bow space.

Derik- not sure if you have kids but they love sitting up front. Most weekends we would have 4-5 folks chilling up front while stopped or cruising SLOW. However, everyone seems to migrate to the main lounge area as soon as a rope is hooked up. The X45 has a nice compliment of fore and aft seating for any occasion. The 247 bow is just plain small. I bet the bow of a PS205 is bigger. The cup holders in the bow of the X45 are recessed into the side of the boat. Slot of boats out the have the cupholders down near the floor which is a PITA when you have kids because they seem to always kick over there drinks.

Josh the bow is the same size as the 23 LSV and vlx so they must have small bows to? The 247 is bigger from the windshield back and that's it (where people actually need and use the space). I don't think there is a bow out there bigger than on the picklefork MC boats.

If you want to see a small bow go see a Calabria, that will re-calibrate your thinking.

Nu bu-- You are correct about the seating in the rear. The BUs are huge from the windshield back.

I have been in both and I really like the huge bow of the 45. I don't really like my friends that much so I don't want to be sitting right next to them all the time. The bow is not as low as the Xstar.

Another thing to consider is how anal are you about keeping the boat clean and making people follow the rules of the boat. In my opinion the Mastercraft will stay nicer longer if you aren't very anal and don't worry about people jumping in with sandals on, eating chips, jumping in the boat soaking wet, etc... The Malibu has glued in carpet which give it a more plush feel but you have to be a more careful if you want it to look good for a long period of time. The snapout carpet on the master is awesome. It also has a drain in the cockpit so you can pull the carpet and just hose it out. I wouldn't dare do that to the Malibu.

Brett

I use a soft nylon brush and simple green carpet cleaner after each season. I just hose the water into the bilge and let it dry. Never an issue and the carpet looks great. I'm not trying to convince anyone its better/worse just that it's possible to basically do the same thing w/ glued in carpet as the snap out.

I could be wrong, but I've seen pics of 2010 Bu's with snap out carpet. So that argument might be dead.....