XSTAR - 3 yrs in... is it still hype or badass???

When this boat first hit the market, there was a whole lot of talk about it just being hype. I'm wondering, now that people are riding 06 models (meaning it's been out 3 years), is that opinion changing at all???

I'm not looking to argue dollars vs value... Or MC prices versus Nauti and Bu prices. I know it's damn expensive.

Just wondering if the wake really is that bad ass... is the boat handling well... do you have to weight it or is it nice dry as well... any problems owners are experiencing... etc.

Any body that's ridden behind an xstar more than one pull or owns one please chime in.

I think it's a nice boat and I honestly like driving it. IMO, the boat needs nearly double the factory ballast to get a huge, well shaped wake.

My .02.

I have a couple of friends, one with an 03 and another with an 05. The wake is perfect with factory ballast,a 250 on each side of the engine, and a few people. I like everything about the boat from the way it drives,looks,the wake,power (with the 8.1L) I think it is an amazing boat.

Don't have one but have a friend who does(Kevin striking python)he loads the crap out of it and the wake is with the best of them.I think you only need to weigh the back down alittle more to get the right shape.IMO I don't think it needs tons of ballast,just like Dustin said..

And as far as the boat....IMO UNTOUCHABLE!

So you guys hit on exactly the two things I'm concerned about... wake and power.

Wake - Couple of questions... does this mean the wake isn't well formed/hard/large when riding without ballasts? Also, what speed is required to clean it up with/without ballasts? (I'm worried about teaching friends that come out on a huge washed out tidal wave going less than 23 mph)

Power - So is the MCX a bad choice for the Xstar (i.e. underpowered)? Is it tough to get on plane, bogging in turns, etc??

Thanks.

We ride at about 22.5 mph. at 80 foot rope and the wake is perfect. The shape is perfect,height is perfect,it has plenty of pop. If you are teaching someone at slower speeds just shorten your rope to 55 feet and it is narrow and not too big.When a couple of the girls ride, they will ride all the way in at 18-20 mph. Just drain a little ballast or somthing it only takes a second or two.

The 03 has the 6.0L Caddy engine in it and the power is ok, it takes just a tad longer to plane off than the 05 with the 8.1L does. But there are absolutly no complaints with these boats at all.

x-star is still my favorite boat....

Regarding the engine, I can say this....

When we went out with Nick & Julz a few weeks ago we had two X Stars, one with the larger engine and one with the MCX. When it was time to let the pros go...we all assumed that we should pile into the boat with the larger engine. With 13 people in the boat, it took about two miles to get on plane and that's with everyone standing on top of everyones head on the front of the boat.

Then, we tried the boat with the MCX AND a 18pitch prop....on plane in a few seconds with the same load.

Point is that the MCX will have plenty of power with a completely full boat with the right prop. But, it was a 35mph boat with that prop.

For what its worth.

18 pitch prop seams high, mine has a 13 which inboards had been running for a long time

I own an 04 X-Star and absolutely love it. I absolutely love the form of the wake. I've ridden behind many other boats and while it's all personal preference, I would rather a rampy wake than a steeper wake. The rampy wake gives me a smooth transition and doesn't throw me off balance. We took out a friend recently who doesn't wakeboard but skis (he's good). He got out there and within about 15 minutes he was throwing wake to wake 180s. Because he doesn't wakeboard I asked him how he liked the wake. He said that the wake immediately made him comfortable and confident. So to answer your question, yes the wake is bad ass, it's not all hype. The wake is awesome dry as well as weighted.

The 350 MCX (this is what we have) is not underpowered. It's not as fast as the SANTE or the BU but it doesn't need to be, it's a wakeboard boat. It has no problem getting on plane with the ballast full and people in it. Robert is right, you can change the prop and make it more powerful on the bottom end. Oh, remember the 350 MCX and the 385 LQ9 have similar torque and the bottom end is virtually the same. The only difference was in the top speed.

Also, so far we haven't experienced any problems, just maintenance.

This boat used is not as expensive as you would think. We got ours 1 yr. used for 54k.

Hope this helps.

Very innovative. Mostly positive.

I am looking forward to the X2 version - the "smaller" xstar.

me too. I think that may be my next ride.

Only complaint I had with the X-Star was that the factory ballast made a lame excuse for a wake. My stock Sang Air ballast made a better wake than that thing.

I have an 03' X-Star and load it with stock ballast and usually around 7 or more people...today i had 12 people in the boat the wake was perfect and big!! Took a while to get on plane...

Evan ~ Just the stock wake is TOOOO rampy but add a little to the back....BAAAAM you got something nice,tho you want it to be HUGE....Then talk to my man Kevin Pothier! AKA striking python.

(Message edited by big_ed_x2 on July 29, 2005)

I have an 04 with the MCX and love it! I changes the prop to a 13.7 x 17.5 OJ and the boat plains like a champ. I have 500 lbs of water on each side of the engine and 400 lbs of steel shoot on each side of the bow and the MCX works great. I tried the same setup in an lq9 (caddy engine) and the same prop and the boat would not plain. Before I bought my boat I talked to reps and Mastercraft, Indmar, Zane and some other pro riders and they all said the same thing, " the MCX is faster out of the hole and has more low range torque then the LQ9. If you really want a diffrence in the motor move to the 8.1." The 8.1 is ALOT of money and the MCX is more then enough as long as you prop it right. As far as my view on the "hype" of the boat I must addmit that I thought that it was all hype untill you use one then your HOOKED!!!