Stepping up. Would love a little help

I'm sure everyone here has seen this many times before... I was on the www researching the wakeboard boat thing when I stumbled on this site which seems to have the best group of people to help me out.
I currently have a I/O Monterey open bow which has been a great boat but last summer I was towed behind a new Malibu Wakesetter and I was hooked.

Here is the deal - I pretty much have narrowed it down to Malibu Wakesetter 23 LSV, or MasterCraft X45. I haven't shopped extensively but I like the all around quality, style, and functionality of those two so far. I also like the room cuz I want cruise with friends and family as well as surfing and wakeboarding, albeit a beginner/intermediate.

See any reason why I should look towards one and not the other?
Are there others that have the quality, form, and function that I should look at?
Any problems I should look for with those two?

Right now I have my eye on a '07 MasterCraft X-45. Today I test drove it.
The X-45 being offered to me has 4 tower speakers, lights, cargo rack, Bow Cushion, Heater, Heated Seats, Shower, F/G Platform(?) for $60k. Decent deal?
Stepping up makes me nervous when I don't know too much about the type of boat, let alone the money I have to spend to get there.
Sorry for the long winded post.
Thanks.

To tell you the truth, they are both good boats. your choice should come down to which one do you like the best. which one will suit you the best. the one question I have for you, do you need a big boat?

The boat for you is the one you want. Which one is talking to you the most. Don't settle for price. Buy what you want.

If I were you, find out which one has the best service manager. I would purchase the boat that had the best people working at the dealership. Service is the Key. When you need your 20 hour service how much will it be. Is it covered under warranty? A great service manager will always look out for the customer.

Good luck with your decision!

Funny, I have the choice between riding on the 23LSV or the X45 whenever our Sac river riding crew gets together. I really have no preferance between one or the other, I like both boats almost the same.

The X45 is huge, we have had 16 people on the boat comfortably. The wake always seems good to great. It drives great for such a big boat too. It's a beast to trailer and at the launch ramp but that may be due to the owner, he is hard on equipment. Tower is wobbly and has broken three times. It blew the first MCX at 400 hours, did I mention the owner is hard on his equipment?

The LSV23 is a beautiful boat, much sleeker lines in my opinion. The interior is not quite as roomy as the X45, but it's 2 feet shorter. Shorter drivers have difficulty seeing over the dash, if you sig other is ever expected to drive make sure she is included in your test drive. It's harder to get the LSV23 to make a great wake. We run full stock ballast, the wedge, two 500lb fat sacks, and 500lbs of pop bags to get the wake we like in the LSV. We also had to prop it down to the Acme 1235. Fully unloaded it makes a decent wake for slalom.

Both boats are a bit too big for my personal tastes. I prefer the X2, or X-Star from MC or the VTX or VLX from bu. If you are not consistently running a crew larger than 8 you should consider dropping down to a smaller boat that is easier to sink (easier to build a better wake).

If you choose the x-45 i would get the 8.1 big block option

I guess the roominess is what is gravitating us to the X45. Do we always need the room? Nah. But we like to camp out on the river and bring a lot of friends and family along. I think that a smaller one would do, but when we first made the decision to up grade, the first thing we wanted was a larger one. And we may have zeroed in too much on that and went overboard.

The service question is one I didn't think about. You are right, good service after the sale is very important. Which is not what I received from the last boat purchase.

When we started looking, Malibu was my first choice. Really like the Malibu style. The ONE thing that we (5'2" wife) didn't like about the LSV is the view over the dash.

Thanks for your responses, all good input for me.

go check out the malibu 247 lsv... its a sweet boat

If your like room - surfing, pretty good wakeboard wake = X-45...plus MC is top notch

If you want a better wakeboard wake, less room, and less wakesurf potential I would go LSV

I know someone suggested 247 from MAlibu, thats a big boat, also Nautique 230 is really big and an awesome boat... a local dealer(Wisconsin) is selling an 07 230 LOADED for 60k, and that was in like august, it is most likely cheaper now

I think if you say the boat drives great for such a big boat then you haven't driven the 247 Malibu. It's a freak of nature, to be honest I couldn't imagine considering an X45 without running the 247.Demo's are free, run the LSV the 247 and the x45 I'll bet ya that it will be obvious. It's a great time to be a boat buyer, do your demo's and make a great deal!

I would tell you to do a lot of research and also shop around. You can find some really good deals lately but you have to find the right people with the boat you want. Give it some time and do a lot of searching, you will be much happier in the end.

If you are going to spend the money i would say go out on a nautique It will be the last boat you will ever by Belt very well and last for a life time

They're both great boats. Pick whichever suits you best and you'll be happy. Also, remember that one of the most important parts of being satisfied with your boat is being satisfied with your dealer. Check out your local dealers. Ask about their service departments and choose which makes you feel more confident. I'm not sure what it is, but boats have problems when they're new. All of them. My first Sanger came from a really crappy dealer that left a very sour taste in my mouth. My mastercrafts have all come from Nor-Cal Mastercraft and while they've all had little problems the dealer has always been more than accomodating of my boating schedule.

Check out a Nautique 230, if you want a big boat that handles great, quality build, great wake as well for both surf/Wake.

Thanks for all the good input!
We have went out and looked at Malibu, MasterCaft and Nautique. The wife says no Nautique, she doesn't like the interior. So I guess I'm still up for Malibu or MasterCraft.

Quick very basic question-
When out on the test drive, the guy said that the boat just doesn't maneuver well in reverse. In fact it could only turn right in reverse. Is that normal?
As I said, i'm very new to this V-drive thing.

That is normal scott. Kind of akward to get used to if this is your first Inboard boat. Once you start getting used to it, its a breeze. Good luck with the choice on your new boat.

Yeah, rudder boats are a lot harder to maneuver than the boats that you are accustomed to. You'll get used to it though.