MC vs Nautiques

I am in between the MC X-2 and the Nautiques Super Air 210... I know this might start a little debate, but that is the point... Which is better?

I personally like the 210 and the wakes and performance that it has to offer. I know it lacks storage but that is not an issue to me. The quality and the performance is unmatchable to me. Maybe if you draw up a pros and cons list of each, that will help you.

Both have very nice wakes.
Both are great boats.
The X2 has much better storage but less cockpit space.
The SAN is more expensive.

The SAN has an alternate prop rotation -- effects surfing and parking.

What is up with this alternate prop rotation? And I have yet to get a price quote on the X2... How much more is the nautique?

What Dane says is right.
To add to it, the wake differences I see are are:

SAN: Steeper with less transition (less length from trough to the lip of the wake)
X2: Longer transition, not quite as steep but still sends you up.

The SAN seems to take less weight to build the wake up.

If I'm not mistaken the boats are within 5-7K of each other in price? I know when it comes down to me buying a boat I can't see letting that influence my decision if I'm already paying that much for a boat.

You have a tough decision to make. To make it easier you should let me make the decision and give the boat to me!

What he means by steering is the SAN backs to the left instead of the right. Its something you get used to.

if it were me i'd go X2. i like the wake shape a lot better.

Sounds like people are leaning twards the MC... That was my original track but started looking into the SAN 210... Keep the comments comming...

Any buzz on the the Malibu "wedge"? Seems like a good concept...

Andrew, it truly is an individual decision. What is important to you? Price? Wake? Room? We can offer opinions on all of the above but they kind of balance out if you ask me, depending on what's important to you. For example, storage is really important to Dane because he spend a full day on the boat, whereas most people down in our neck of the woods don't use storage much. If building a really steep wake is important with less weight, then the SAN is a better choice, whereas if you prefer a little more forgiving wake (but still incredible) then the X2 is the choice.

I have spent considerable time in both boats and you really can't go wrong with either. You will be happy. Make sure you find out all there is to know about the dealerships. Having a poor service department can ruin an otherwise good choice. Despite paying all this money, things WILL go wrong with the boat and you want people to work on it that are dependable, knowledgable, and know good customer service.

Andrew, you are getting really good advice from all of these people.

The SAN wake is steeper than the X2 and the X2 wake is steeper than the VLX. And, the steeper wakes require less ballast and less gas.

Take a look at my profile for MY CC/MC/BU ratings. They are all three great boats! It is just a matter of deciding what is important to you!

And, what Paul says about service is very important -- the service on my BU in the year 2000 was so !

Andre has great advice.
The dealership or who will be doing warranty work is huge! Try to find out as much as you can about the local shops. Take a look at the maintenence shop itself, that will tell you alot about how it is run.
Both boats are great for wakeboarding, the main differences already have been pointed out.

it should come down to your local dealer/service options and which boat you personally like better...

when i had to decide between the vlx and the sante I had both dealers bring their boats out on the same day and JR and I drove/rode behind them head to head. do that and by the end of the day you will likely know which you like better, or at least get to compare first hand what we're all telling you here...

Wes

as far as my own opinions, here goes (and I'm a bit out of touch with the 2004 boats so keep that in mind):

1) sante has 5 year warranty which was big for me
2) MC cockpit was noticeably cramped for me at 6'3"
3) MC sunpad is very plush, nice to lay out on
4) MC is noticeably shorter in passenger area
5) wakes are fairly similar, MC a bit less steep
6) sante needs a drop-in windguard, like the VLX -- not sure if MC has this as well
7) sante has moved to manual latches on rear sunpad hatches, with big round handles that look like knee-breakers -- i prefer my old automatic ones that lock when the boat is off -- MC has out-of-sight latch releases
8) both look good in black :-)

go try em and see what you like!

Wes, those big round knobs on my BU sunpad are knee breakers and continuous vinyl failure points. They suck.

Paid $4,700 less for my 04 SANTE than an 04 X-2.

I get a better boat, better wake, better warranty, better interior, better resale, better dealer, better service.

Life is good

(Message edited by dfish on January 19, 2004)

How can you say that?? Compared to a loaded X-2??? Is your boat a Limited, Signature, Team????

I question the better resale.

dfish, explain how you got your boat for that cheap. I am currently in the process of looking for a new boat and I have yet to find a SAN for cheaper than any MC(except new X-Star) or Malibu. Your better dealer, better service line depends totally on your location. The dealer I would deal with is an absolute jerk. I have met with him on more than one occasion with different people each time, including my parents who will be paying for the boat, and they have all walked away with the same opinion. Your better boat is for you not anyone else. Correct Craft builds a damn good boat but it is not the best boat for me. The same dealer was asking 62K for a 210 team and 65K for a 226 and was not willing to deal anymore because they were boat already 10grand of msrp. That is why I question your price. Any help would be appreciated and sorry for the long post.

(Message edited by cbrown on January 19, 2004)

Both are great and resale will depend somewhat on area and how the boat is optioned. Wake is matter of preference also between the two, but both are great and have a lot of pop. I am not sure which I would get if buying a new boat here in the not too distant future. I would say X-2 because I am used to the wake and love it, but I would SAN because I have yet to won one and I have already had an X-Star. I think it is a toss up.

And they're off!! Wow, and it only took three weeks too...

Best advice is to demo them both. Load up all of your gear that you would have for a day of wakeboarding, then take the boat to the water and treat it like it was your own. You will get a feeling for the total package if you REALLY demo the boat. Talk to current customers. Not what they like or dislike about the boat, but about the service the dealership offers. Don't look at it from the standpoint of which boat is "better", but which boat is "best" for you...

I will probably never budget for the big name boat like CC, MC, BU, Tige, etc.... but when in my search for a nice affordable tournament boat, Supreme, Moomba, etc.... I have asked all of the dealers that sell the lesser named boats... and I say if money is no object "what would you buy" They have all said CC. Just an excellent history and well built and great name. That is the type of response I have received. But it does come down to personal preference...

Find a great dealer!
Test drive in all conditions!
Test drive with your weighting scheme!

Buy the boat you like the most from the dealer you like the most!!!

If the dealer is a jerk, and you don't like the service before the sale, what do you think it will be after the sale. If I was not happy with the dealer, I would not have got the CC. Luckily both our CC and MC dealers are first rate. Anybody that has asked my about which to get, I have said you will not go wrong with either, but our CC dealer (HWC) has been 1st rate with us. My neibor has a BU, and his dealer (DM) has been 1st rate with him.

Get the MC if the CC dealer is crap.
Get the CC if the MC dealer is crap.

If both are crap, go to a different city, and buy there. I would rather drive 8 hours than to give a bad dealer my money.

I own an X2 and love it. I have been in and rode behind a SANTE and I really liked it too. The wake was a little different but nothing dramatic. I liked the fit and finish in the sante and it had a few features that my X2 doesn't have. For example locking storage. Anyway, it comes down to your personal preference. You should try out both boats and see for yourself. If I had a Nautie dealer where I live I might have one.
If the dealer sucks I would think long and hard about buying from them. It's a long term relationship and if things go wrong on your boat you don't want a hassle to get it fixed.
Both boats are really nice and you'll be happy either way..just my 2......

a 2004 SAN team edition is around $50,000, including single axle trailer and tower speakers. I don't know about the MC as my local dealer is so bad that i did not even bother asking.

My husband and I narrowed our new boat search down to an X2 and SANTE. We bought the X2 and are 110% happy with our decision. Our local Nautique dealer completely blew us off... and Jason and I walked out of there feeling disgusted. Our Mastercraft dealer treated us like royalty, and they continue to do so. Because of this we will be Mastercraft owners for life.

Customer Service is key IMO....
Good luck

i think alot of nautique dealers are like that. the one in houston sucks.

If I lived closer to Ski World in Pleasanton I would have bought an X-2

I have owned both a Mastercraft, and my current SAN. I do live close to Ski World in Pleasanton, and it is definitely a bummer that I have to drive an extra 30 miles to my closest Nautique dealer (though I realize some have it a lot worse). Both are great boats, and have individual pluses and minuses, I couldn't be happier with my Nauty, it's an amazing boat (though it still drives me crazy that it reverses in the opposite direction). I personally prefer the wake of the SAN, it's so nice and steep, it really bucks you up. I love the look on a newbie's face the first time they come back in the boat after skiing behind it. I think that the Sanger also has just as sweet a wake BTW, when weighted similarly. i was actually going to go the Sanger route, but I got a smoking deal on my Nauty that was too hard to pass up!

BTW, i meant boarding behind it, I'd definitely get a surprised look after having someone ski behind it with the ballast tanks full

My 04 SAN is a Team edition with: teak platform, heater, shower, custom carpet protectors, custom cover, custom tower paint, dripless packing, air chair rack, custom DHM trailer with prop guard rollers, disk brakes, LED lights.

I must be missing something in all the boat war discussions because (and I tried) to find an X-2, VLX or a B-52 with the same options for even close to the same price. I could not do it.

I know CC had a $2,000 rebate they held over from last year and threw in another $1,000 for the boat shows but even at the shows, no one could or would compete the the CC's price.

Still have MC's written quote--and yes they did let me out of the dealerhip with it even though they were not suppose to.

cbrown

We are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I liked alot of things about an X-2. I have owned MC's and CC's. Switched to CC's after a dealer change. Looked at them again after the latest dealer change. Talked to some of their customers and decided to stick with CC's for the exact reason you cited. MC dealer was also charging $225/hr for shop labor vs. $75/hr for CC.

Its too bad, with all other things being equal, the dealers enter the boat buying decision. The good news is their are numerous (despite the boat war discussions) dealers and manufacturers who have great service and boats to choose from.

Dan-my MC dealer charges $60 an hr for non warranty work they do, I thought that was high...$225 is crazy.

One of the first comments stated that prop rotation affected surfing wake, how?

One of the first comments stated that prop rotation affected surfing wake, how?

Posted By 882001

think alot of nautique dealers are like that. the one in houston sucks.

I don't understand that comment. I bought my boat from HWC, and John, James, Paul, and Charles (when he still worked there) were great. They still are great. They have never treaded me like I could not afford their boats, and I am not a rich kid. I am not even 30 yet, so I do look like I might not be able to afford that price boat, but they have always treated me the best. They do sometimes come off as though their boats are the best, but I think that is just having pride in their product.

Was your comment aimed at HWC or at Kaiser?

BTW, the prop rotation affects the surf wake by pulling one side of the boat down more than the other. Think of it as the prop resisting the rotation, transferring some of the rotation to the attitude of the boat in the water. This means that RH roatation wil cause the opposite side of the boat to have a bigger wake than the LH rotation would.

well, i went in there for some parts nobody else in there, the guy was a rude jackass, acted like i was totally wasting his precious time. so screw them. oh yeah he never did call me back to tell me if he could get my parts that was 6 months ago. maybe he will call soon.

How does the B-52 compare to The MC and Nauti ?
I have a friend telling Me that it's the best Wakeboard boat ever made !

The B52 wake seemed like it used to have some wash issues. Not sure if still the same. May want to demo before buy.

Honestly, I personally don't think the B52 compares to the X-2 or SAN. I've been behind a B52 and as far as the boat itself, it was nice. Nicer than a MC/CC? I definitely don't think so. As for the wake, it was big but had no shape whatsoever. It was like a big mound. It was a nice boat, but definitely not the boat I would choose for the money. This is all my opinion. Demo the boats, see what is best for you.