Which Wakeboard Boat To Buy

I am looking to buy a boat this summer and I would like to get some opinions from boat owners. Money is not an object as I would just like to get the best wakeboard boat possible. I have been looking at the Mastercraft X-Star. any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Please boat owners only NO salesmen

What about a boat mooch?
Boats are all personal opinion, and we all like differant boats for differant reasons. Wakeshape, capacity, etc, etc. There's no best wakeboard boat, just the boat we like the most.
All the wakeboat brands have pro-level boats in there line that are very good.
If money is no object, heck go for the X-star, great boat.
Others boats to look at, purely for wakeboarding:
Tige 22V- 24V
Malibu VLX
SAN

(Message edited by kristian on May 01, 2004)

Opinion is what it is all about! The best wakeboard boat on the market dollar for dollar is the Supra SSV. Great wake with the factory ballast, HUGE with a little aftermarket weight, and equiped with everything you need for around 50k. Don't overlook the SUPRA!!!

Brian,
If money is not an option then your answer is a
Natique. Just as Teddy Put it Supra is a great boat for the money. Check out the Tige'22v you will love the room this boat has.

Natique? what the hell is that?
nautiques on the other hand are cool.

Go to the dealers around you explain that you are in the market for a new boat, let them give you their talk, then go through the boat and see if it checks out. sit in the boat, see if what you want in a boat, will work in that boat. ask your self how many people will i be bringing, where will all their junk go? etc. go sit in all the boats possible, when you have it down to a few boats you really like, go get a test drive on them.

You can not go wrong with any of the brands you hear people talking about.

Oh yea, ask around where you live, how is dealer service? that is a big part of buying a boat, you also get with the dealer, so if the dealer is bad, consider not getting that boat.

The problem with a question like this is the best boat is in the eye of the beholder. The Xstar owner will say the Xstar is the best the Bu owner will say well you get the idea. Read the post s that will follow about why the owner of a particular boats think he has the best boat.
Then you need to do your home work vist the dealers go for as many demo rides as you can. The boats are all different in the way they ride, drive, and board. Some wakes are rampy some are more vertical. In the end you will need to decide for your self because the best boat is not the same to all people.

Now that you have your home work assignment good luck
Good luck

The "best" is up to your personal preferences.

The top-line boats use similar engines, similar construction materials, similar vinyl, and similar construction techniques. Here are the things I would look for in a boat, with the degree of importance rated from 1 to 10 (10 being the highest).

1. A solid, clean wake back to the end of an 80' line, that I like to ride. (10)

2. A hidden ballast system (i.e., no fat sacks on the floor). (10)

3. A flexible water ballast system that can easily be upgraded beyond the basic factory weights. (10)

4. A v-drive. (10)

5. Style and graphics that I like. (8)

6. Lots of storage space. (9)

7. Realistic room for at least 7 people, based on my own evaluation of the space. (8)

8. A wind-break from the bow area. (7)

9. Racks that are easy to use. (7)

10. A manufacturer that has a reputation for stanidng behind the product. (8)

11. A manufacturer with a reputation for standing behind the product. (8)

12. A bow cover. (7)

13. A hydraulic wakeplate. (6)

14. Oh yeah, and a dealer who has reputation for great after-sale service. (10+++++++++++)

Very hard to justify the best with no parameters, with that being said, go with the best boat/dealer combination. The dealer can make or break the boat owning experience.

What he's saying is that since money's not an object, he shouldn't have to take time to do homework like look through archives or hook up for boat rides or go to dealers. Also means he doesn't have any personal tastes in wake shape/size yet (I have no wake taste either).

Whatever we do, we shouldn't mention any of the fifteen recent threads about what makes a GREAT wakeboard boat (wake, storage or space?). He's looking for 'the best' without knowing what makes it the best, only that it's 'the best'.

FWIW, I say go for the X-Star and pay Grant to pimp your ride. Then nobody would be able to say you didn't have the best wakeboard boat.

Hey all I appreciate the feedback to change the style a bit if you do own a newer boat, Please tell me the likes and dislikes, and the type of boat.. thanks

Buy the new X-Star, the wake is the best and in the bow area you can fit 5 people. Great Boat, Just Buy IT.

in the last 5 years, we have had a 2001 vlx, a 2003 SAN Team Edition, and a 2004 SAN Team Edition. I have ridden behind my friends 2004 Malibu LSV, another friend's Calabria Pro-V, and my other friend's 2004 X-Star. I would say that i like Nautique's product the most, hence the reason we have bought 2 of them in a row. I am not brand loyal, nor did i get a GREAT deal or any other reason you can think of that i would have purchased my boat for that was irresitable, and now i am defending it. Malibu has a good mid-priced product with cheaper vinyl seating of less than half the thickness of the other brands. you do not have a taste for wakes yet, but that is also a huge reason to buy a boat. malibu has a unique boat, especially with the illusion tower which will help you on mans' ever ending quest to look pimp on the lake, some on the other hand despise that tower though. nautique is a little more expensive, has a tad bit better fit and finish, and with the team edition, comes with the full kicker sound system that is a great starting point for future audio upgrades, because we all know that stock systems, no matter how good they are, dont cut it. as far as storage and room, the lsv takes the win. the x-star on the other hand is another story... the wake wasnt up to par with the other boats, no matter how you like your wake delivered. with stock ballast and 5 people, the wake wasnt preferred by anyone of the people on the boat, except for the owner of course, who got a great deal on that boat as well, which is the reason he actually purchased an x-star(55 grand demo boat) the tower on the x-star is a nusance, and takes up the entire side of the boat where you enter, which is a huge inconvenience in my opinion. im not a big fan of its consmetics, but some are, and that is your decision. the standard snap on carpet is a plus, and plush seating is as well. the dash and interior has a style all of its own.

in the end, i would either get the vlx or the SAN. nobody has UNLIMITED money, so if i were you, and had little experience with wakeboarding, i would go with the vlx, and spend the extra cash you would save from the SAN on audio and other things to pimp it out. i love these two boats, and i think you would as well. a lot of manufacturers are trying to be unique and going far too extreme with it, but malibu and correct craft have stayed simple for the most part, and that has kept my vote with them.

All boats are based on compromises, and there is no objective overall "best." For example, many think the SAN's wake is the "best," but part of the reason is that the boat is small--too small to meet the needs that some have.

I like my Supra and would buy another one, based on the factors I listed above (plus the price, which I understand is not a factor for you).

Beyond that, John B's insights are good. The VLX and the SAN (and the X-2, for that matter) are excellent boats with many fans who will tell you that one or the other is "the best." Each has its strengths, but you can't go wrong with these choices if they fit your needs.

I agree that any of the boats being discussed are good boats. I doubt you would be disappointed with any of the boats. Dealers are another story. Good dealers will be with you as long as you own the boat. Others (amazingly) will apparently not care much about you once the purchase is complete. I was recently in the same position and ended up with the Supra SSV Gravity Games with most available options including the 385 hp engine. The size of this boat worked better for me than a SANTE. Both the dealers were great and I know many people who have been happy for years buying from the same dealers. Cost was not a big deal, but I hate to spend extra money for no reason, that was another reason I went with the Supra, the price of the Supras compared to similar sized boats with similar equipment is very good IMO. I would try to talk to some people who have purchased from the same dealers you are looking at and ask how they have been treated on warranty issues etc. Good luck, they are all great boats!

Oh and by the way, I think some of the boat whores have the most objective opinions. Most boat owners are going to talk up the boat they own simply because they spent $40,000 plus on it. Non boat owners have no particular ax to grind, or purchase to justify. Not that I would let my recent purchase cloud my opinion in any way!



(Message edited by arrowride on May 03, 2004)

Has anyone had any major problems with the X2? I found a 2000 for a great price. Also, don't they normally come with a stock ballast system.The dealer said it didn't have one but he would give me a couple of skins from Straight Line to put in the side compartments to add weight.

chris, i own a SAN and i didnt talk it up.

X-Star - def. an X-Star.....

im looking to buy the 2004 supra launch LTS , anybody have one. or any opinions on it. thanks

I would defiantly go with the X-star if price is no object, also MC just came out with a X80 that looks awesome on the website and I’ve heard you might even be able to get two motors, again if price is no object. Haven’t heard anything on the wake, but the x80 appears to have the same hull design as the x star just bigger.
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JUST ONE WORD OF ADVICE I noticed you live in Antioch which means your closest MC dealer is probably SKI WORLD USA. We live near Stockton and my dad owns some property in the bay area so we thought the SKI WORLD USA in Pleasanton would be convenient location to buy/service our boat. We had the worst experience with them, we bought the boat and went to pick it up, but it didn’t have the bimini top we ordered installed. This was not such a big deal, but when we confronted them about it they said we hadn’t ordered the binimi and tried to charge us for it twice. To make a long story short we showed them the receipt and they agreed to put it on within the week, we gave them more than that and when we returned still no binimi. Finally my dad canceled the installation and went to get the binimi, but in order to get the right size/color he had to personally go into their warehouse and help the dealer find the box. We ended up getting it put on at Larson marine, It was a horrible experience.

So when it came to buying a tower there was no way in hell we were going to buy it from them and decided to get it from the Ski World in Castro Valley. Again a horrible experience, didn’t get it installed their so again we went to Larson marine in Stockton who did an excellent job, but it took forever because the people at SKI WORLD USA sent Larson the wrong mounting hardware 3 times in a row. Larson finally just stopped asking them and called the tower manufacturer, we had the boat back the next day. by the way if anyone needs mounting hardware e-mail me.

So needless to say we won’t go anywhere near a SKI WORLD anymore and get all of our parts/ service in Folsom at Cope Mcpheters. It’s a little longer drive, but the difference is like night and day. Also I’m not knocking Master Craft in any way, we are on our second boat now and wouldn’t buy anything else, we were just caught way off guard by this dealers service.