XStar or SAN, Which one?

Ok, I've got two boats I'm looking at right now as a replacement for my old DD. The boats, a 1999 SAN and a 1999 XStar. If there was very little difference in cost and both were comparable equiped and in excellent condition (which they are), which boat would you buy, and why? I'm not looking for bashing on either boat here. Simply choose which you think is best and support your choice with some good reasoning. Also, no recommendations for Tiges, Malibu's, Sanger's, etc either. It's either the XStar or the SAN.

-Mike-

well they are so close in niceness.If you were buying a new boat I would recomend X-2 because of the interior and the tower and WB racks,It's all around better boat but a 99 it's tough because MC didn't have these awsome racks then thought the tower was still nicer IMO.
If you are all about the wake and don't care too much about the rest of the boat then I would maybe have to go with SAN but that is a matter of prefference.Either way you are gettin one hell of a boat.
Not to talk crap about any boat but I still didn't ride behind a boat that has a wake like my x-2.
And I definetily hear you about no recomendations for Tiges,Bu's and etc.IMO they can't compare to MC or a SAN.like I said you can't go wrong.

Mike -- If you can drive both/ride behind them, that would be the best thing to do as most folks here will point out. That being said, I'd say the X would probably be a better all-around ride. More interior space, world-class wake, probably a better trailer. On the flipside, if space isn't too much of a concern and you're all about having the most hardcore, vert wake possible then the SAN is your ride. Good luck!! Either one will be a killer ride!!

Not again, I hate these posts. They just start a war. Please drive and ride behind both and go with the one you like the best.

Scott.... When i laid the groundrules for this post, I specifically designed it to avoid the haters. I have ridden behind both of the boats I noted and must say they each have their pros and very few cons. I personally think both boats are fantastic, which makes my decision that much harder. I just wanted to see what others who went through the same buying decsion thought.

Joe... I'm surprised to here you say the XStar would have more room. Is that passenger space or storage space? After looking at both, I would have thought the SAN would have had more storage. Do tell.

Everyone... Forgot to add this to my original post. Whichever boat I select will not be wakeboarding specific. I have two boys and their friends that are also into skiing and tubing as well. That said, does that change your recommendations?

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Everyone... Forgot to add this to my original post. Whichever boat I select will not be wakeboarding specific. I have two boys and their friends that are also into skiing and tubing as well. That said, does that change your recommendations?

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then you better consider other boats, such as centurion, supra ssv and tige d-drives.

I've been in a 92 Natique d-drive and to this day I've never seen a better ski boat

IMO the SAN has more interior room than the 99 X-star, there is much more depth between the back of the drivers seat and the back seat in the SAN. 99 X-star has a better ski wake than the SAN but is still not ideal. SAN is a more efficent wakemaker, ie you don't need to carry as much ballast to get a "pro-sized" wake but once you load up the 99 X-Star it gets as big as the SAN. I prefer the 99 X-star wake shape but like the ballast requirements, gas bill & less bow rise of the SAN. IMO, the 99 X-stars towers are ugly, the SANS hardward is nicer. Toss a coin, these are both great boats.

What motor do the boats have in them. If the SAN has the gt-40, I would go with that boat. The gt-40 has been proven to be a great motor that will last forever. That '99 SAN hull will be the exact same hull as the new SAN's of today, whereas the '99 X-star is pretty much the same as todays X-2's. Does the '99 SAN have the newer style tower on it? If so, that's another plus because it flows with the lines of the boat a lot better than the tower did on the '99 X-star's. I have heard complaints of the welds breaking on the older MC towers.

These are just some other things to look at. Personally, between those two boats, I would go with the SAN because I think they were made better back then. Now, if they were both new boats, it would be a toss of the coin.

WRT space in both, not only does the X-Star have a little more beam than the SAN but the SAN also has much wider gunnels which cuts into interior space. The X has more freeboard, and the storage space in the X is much much more useable. It's beyond me why CC still uses that stupid clamshell passenger seat!

I'm pretty certain about the SAN dimensions and the majority of my experience with X-Stars has been with 00 and 01 years, but I'd assume the 99 would be similar.

I'm sure either boat will do great for you!

Buy the boat that is in the best condition, hours etc. The 99 x-star has the old style tuna tower, which were prone to break, does it have ballast? the early 99 san's had the same old style tuna tower, does not fold in half, lays down flat, will not fit in your garage. If both boats have high hours, over 500hrs, buy the one that looks like its been taken care of, I've seen some boats that were promo boats for riders and they were trashed,so be carefull on what you purchase, demo both boats, buy what you feel comfortable with, wake, space, looks. etc.
Mike

For Justin and Mike D. and Others, here's a little additional info on both boats.

1999 SAN - has the FCT, GT-40 motor and approximately 286 hours on it.

1999 XStar - Is towerless, but priced accordingly, has the 330hp EFI Indmar motor, and has approximately 175 hours on it.

My thought was if I went with the XStar, I'd have my local MC dealer install the newer 2001 and up OEM folding tower on the boat.

Neither boat has Perfect Pass. After having driven a couple new boats this summer with PP, it will be one of the first new items installed on whatever boat I finally buy.

Like I mentioned previously, both boats are in excellent condition, both inside and out, so overall condition as a deciding factor is pretty much out.

Keep your comments coming, I find them very helpful in working through this decision.

-Mike-

I thought that is what made a 205V an X-Star....the tower, ballast, graphics ect....???

So was there a tower that was removed?

E.J.

Might be a 205V with X-star graphics then

E.J.... Don't know for sure what the original deal was, but there never has been a tower on the XStar. The original purchase paperwork the owner showed me for the boat lists it as an XStar, so I don't know what to tell ya.

-Mike-

After you get done adding all that stuff the cost will have gone way up. You might as well look for a '01 X-Star. They come with the newer style zeroflex, ballast, and perfect pass.

first off how much are both of the boats and where are you from.

they are both good boats i wouldnt buy anything but a mastercraft or a natique. and that is from looking at boats for about a year and a half before i bought mine.

does the boat have the "X-Star" interior stitching on the seats or does it say 205V? Are the tower mounting brackets in place or does it show any signs of having a tower in the past? Anyone can put on X-Star graffics, that doesn't make the boat an X-Star. As stated above, tower, ballast and graffics both interior and exterior make an X-Star, among other things.. You need to compare prices... a 99' 205V vs. 99' X-Star. I think your comparing a 99 205V with a 99' SAN. X-Star and 205V share the same hull, thats obvious, but the options that come with the X-Star package make it just that... check it out a bit more... theres a difference!