MasterCraft CSX wake review

I finally got the chance to ride behind a CSX today. Had heard a ton of reports that the wake was money - I can say without a doubt it’s sick!

To give a little background, our crew have pretty much only been riding behind new X-Stars since 2003. We mostly have 3k ballast or more with either the MCX or 6.0L. Needless to say the X-Star wake is killer.

Well, our new team boat for this year is a CSX. I heard a bunch of feedback from different sources claiming the CSX wake is great, today I finally found out for myself. We had the wake edition with tanks, 2 x 500lb fatsacks and 6 peeps. It was so beefy, super poppy, perfect for spins or big lofty grabs etc.

I was amazed at how big and solid it was without a massive ammount of weight. Its different from a Star and takes a little getting used to, should be really fun once fully dialed in. We didn’t have the right prop on though, and i think we need to play around with the ballast some more - but for the first time it was awesome!

Anyone else rode the CSX yet? What do you think of the wake? Good/Bad?

Did you get a chance to drive the CSX? How do you like the layout, visibility, handling etc..?

I drove it for a few sets. The layout is different but comfortable. Visibility for the driver is ok - we will change the bimini and mirror to improve driver to rider vis.

The handling is fine, boat drives really solid, even more so than a Star. The CSX seems to handle rider side to side pull a bit better.

Couple of shots of the boat below - didnt get any of the wake unfortunately, will shot some with my Canon next time out. Sorry for the quality only had my phone with me...

Rode one last year with stock ballast and about 7 people and the wake was awesome. One of my favorites.

man that background is amazing.... boat's nice too

(IMO) I have to say the CSX has the best MC wake for boarding and the surf wake was super clean and solid. I come from loving the SAN 210 wake. The CSX drives like a dream too. We had the stock ballast full, an extra 750lbs of ballast, and 7 peeps on board; it still drove like a direct drive "ski" boat. The layout takes a little getting used to, but I think it was well thought out. "Congrats on your boat, enjoy!"

I think the layout is really cool with the driver sitting up higher and in the middle of the boat. Paul which do you think is better the T-top set up or the tower? Did they ever get board racks on the T-top? The direct drive is also a nice difference.

huh... good point..

I didnt notice that it was a tower and not the T-Top. I would think that the tower would be better for the board racks. It keeps the boards out of the way on a tower. If you had them on a T top... they would be right in the way. Looks sweet the way it is in the pics....

H2O Pro

I prefer the T-top. The board racks are mounted on the gunwale

H2O - that’s the Swiss alps you can see in the background! Very nice indeed, most still have heaps of snow on them...

The tower is a must for us I guess, as all we will use it for is wakeboarding. I haven’t ridden with the t-top, but have its heard its solid.

Here’s a better side shot, showing the Rusty wrap - it’s a little funky, and for sure stands out from the crowd!

looks great.... What's the seating on it? I have an X2. I like it just because it's a 20' boat.... easy to get in and out of places.

The CSX wake is awesome. Also has an excellent surf wake on both sides...

Seating is super comfortable. You can have 3 people in the front, 2 in the drivers pod, 2 on the back of the engine cover and 3 on the back seat - all with ease.

It’s really easy to get around and in and out of the boat, if we didn’t have sacks all place it would have been even easier!

I guess this layout is a big plus for families and anyone that is planning on using the boat for other stuff apart from wakeboarding.

does it have hidden ballast?

I'd buy one in a second if I could afford it. I'm a big direct drive fan and have always felt a center console would be the way to go for a wake boat. My dream boat is a center console with seating that wraps around the entire boat. Storage and ballast can be under all seats, yeah!!!

^you may want to check out the Malibu XTI then as well.