Mastercraft questions

barefooter or anyone else:

I demo'ed a new X-45 this past Saturday. Actually two of them. the first had the 8.1 big block and the second the 350 Motor.

I realize this is a relatively big boat, but I am wondering if ALL the X-45's steer so heavy and turn so hard?
Under power, the boat required two hands and considerable effort to turn. While it didn't bother me that much, my wife would be wore out after driving all day! The small block boat was a little better, but still not in the same league (steering wise) as the Tige` we demo'ed.
I was impressed with the build quality and the ride over large wakes.
A couple of weeks ago, when demo'ed the Tige 24v, the boat turned on a dime effortlessly, with just a little harsher ride. I realize the Mastercraft is 650 lbs heavier, thus helping the ride, but expectedly slowing the steering ability.
We are looking to buy/order a boat in the next couple of weeks, and I would appreciate some HONEST info on the steering concerns.
Thanks!

By the way, we are going to check out the Malibu LSV soon as well!

Thanks for the help!!

How was the 350 in the X-45? Did it feel at all gutless, or was it sharp considering the boats size and weight?

Sorry for a counter question.

Bring a grease gun and hit the zerk on the rudder shaft.

I have to grease the shaft in my X2 every 30-50 hours or the steering gets TOUGH! Granted a new demo boat should not need this, but I suspect a little grease would solve your problem.

I thought that the 45 with the 8.1 had hydraulic steering. I drove an X-45 with the 8 and had the same thoughts on the steering. The boat rode great and was relatively quick out of the hole but the steering was difficult. BTW this was a brand new boat out on a customer demo.

Joe ~ You grease the shaft of the rudder every 30-50hrs or it gets tough??

I haven't greased up anything on the steering and it is easy to turn,it just make a slight noise when I turn it too quickly,though not a concern to me.(very slight)175hrs on the boat

did you ask the dealer about your concerns? I have the MCX 350hp X-Star, its a great engine but even with a new ACME prop the boat when heavily loaded is underpowered. Reproping the L-Q9 is an option, however the L-18 seems like the obvious choice.. How would you compare the two engines you tested? As far as the poor steering goes, you wouldn't think it would be that difficult, consult your dealer. let us know about those engine performance tests!!!!

Hi JF-

So my guess is you demo'd a boat that was one of the early ones off the line. MC had problems with the early boats due to under-propping and the steering. Chris is correct, the later runs have hydraulic steering and it is like night and day. We demo'd an '05 X-Star and one of the early X-45s in March and both were impossible for my wife to turn at all and I needed two hands. I can assure you that this problem was dealt with. I can easily steer mine with one hand and my wife has no issue with it. But if you liked the Tige better then go fo it. It is all about what you like and what works for you. The other issue that MC dealt with was excessive vibration at high RPMs. They also have dealt with and solved this.

Good Luck.

I was sort of wondering the same thing Ed. My buddy has an 03 X10 with about 200 hours, and he's never greased his.

I take on a lot of water through the transom vents, and our riding area is very twisty, so the rudder is being used constantly. I figure the water in the hull plus the excessive rudder usage contributes to the grease "going away" faster than normal.

thanks for the help everyone, let me try to anwer a few questions.
As far as motors go, I was impressed with the 8.1 for the torque and pulling ability. I have no doubt that even with a boat full of ballast AND passengers, it would pop up quickly.
I was actually very impressed with the 350. It had good power, and with full ballast and 7 people on board, it popped up relatively quickly. Is it overpoewered? Defintiely not. Was is sufficient? I thought so. If someone didn't want to spend the extra bucks for the big block, I don't think they would be dissappointed. It did seem that the big block boat would throw a bigger wake with the additional weight on the very back of the boat, however.
As far as the steering issue, it felt EXACTLY as grud8 described. two hands for me, and impossible for the wife.
Under normal circumstances, it would be no big deal. On our relatively small lake, however, a big move to avoid someone/something could be a very big problem.
The dealer called his rep and something was said about the rudder shaft being too fat forward on some of the models, and that the manufacturer changed specs on this without Mastercraft knowing. They had a few other ideas as well, but could not pursue them until today.
Both boats had hydraulic steering.
I really liked the way the MC was layed out and built. this would be my boat of choice, but not if it continues to steer the way it does now.
Both boats were brand new, and I do know that the small block boat was an early manufacture (January I think) but I don't know about the big block boat, except that it was considerably later.
We might look at an X-star if the handling issue isn't resolved, but I would rather have the extra room in the 45.

I forgot to mention we did get to see ALL of the new paint schemes and pricing for the '06s. Like 'em or hate 'em, they WILL be different than anything on the water.
the X-45 is taking a HUGE price jump for '06. 5-7000 depending on options.
Just a heads up.

(Message edited by summerobsession on June 20, 2005)

So will the '06 X-30 be getting a new paint scheme mid-model year since it's already out? I don't actually see the new cosmetic designs hitting the market...

I didn't ask about the X-30, but my understanding was that it would be available with new graphics as well.
The '05 graphics will still be available and are now called "Old School". Go figure.

At first I wasn't to keen on the new graphics, but I do think with the right color combo they will be pretty cool.

The gel coat design just doesn't flow, with the rear end hacked off with another color...

The graphics are fine, but the gel coat pattern...ugh.