MasterCraft CSX

So I figure some people are probably curious how that new fishing boat rides.
I'm lucky enough to have a demo for the season(its my girfriends, I'm not ashamed), and finally had it out this weekend at the Midwest Militia's May Demo Days in Ottawa,Illinois, so now I have an opinion.
First and most important,the wake is for real. It was big, really big. Shaped like the X1 wake on steroids. Riders were going huge, coming up all smiles. A couple guys that rode it said it's the most fun wake in the MC line.
There were definitely pros and cons about the new boat layout, though.
It handles suprisingly well for such a big boat, but I figure thats because it's a direct drive.
Also, I kinda like driving from the middle, and lean/standing is a pretty comfy way to drive.
But I think the throttle placement could be better. I kept bumping it and the boat would lurch and send people flying(sorry FRG).
The built in sink/cooler is nice, but I didn't fill the fresh water tank, so we didn't use the sink, it was just a cooler.
I love the no carpet, and the self bailing thing is pretty great.
The boat got up to riding speed pretty well too, even with ballast full and 12 adults on board. And that's the stock prop.
The biggest drawback I've found so far is it doesn't surf well. Yet.
I think we can make it work, I just need to spend some time tweaking it.
I think they could do a better job with the placement of the board racks. The boards in the racks manage to do a great job of hooking the rope when we picked up riders, and they also are fantastic at spraying water in the back of the boat. I think all they need is to move them forward more.


Overall, I really liked the boat. I had a great time on it, and I'm looking forward to spending more time in it this season.(especially if we can get the surf wake dialed!)

Jesus. That thing throws up a wall of water. Does the ballast double as a live well? Just think of all the kids who's dads like fishing more than rec. boating. That should fill that void nicely. Thanks for the post.

that wake looks great! after your pull you can get a line wet all in the same trip.

Very interesting. Thanks for the review

I rode, drove and hung out in the boat.

It is the real deal. IMO, a more user friendly wake than the X-star with just as much mass. The wake in the CSX with factory ballast and 12 people was large, thick and provided great vertical pop.

How much do those sell for?

Dood, that wake looks good.

We may have to try one of those on for size next year. LOL!!!

Live wells and rod holders are available options from the factory. i asked for them, but the dealer we get the boat thru wouldn't let me. It's set up well for a fishing boat. The 2 seat pads at the bow come out and its just more floor to walk all the way around.

Retail on that boat was $107K

Retail on that boat was $107K

You would have to be a complete MORON to spend that much on that. Isn't it like 22ft long? Mastercraft is getting a little too proud of their product. I hope they don't sell even one of those at that price. I was thinking more like half of that.

(Message edited by psudy on May 22, 2007)

It certainly doesn't look like a hundred Gs. Which hull is that thing floating on?

IMO, an X-Star doesn't look like 80G's plus....hell, no wakeboat looks like 60g's to me!

Anyway, from my understanding the hull is it's own. It has a similar look to the Xstar while on the trailer, but the transom is completely different. Not as much going on under the platform and the 'box' that's on the back of the X-star isn't there.

Either way, if they could make this hull work under a traditionally laid out V-drive it would screw up a ton of marketing campaigns for MC and others! lol

Oh, btw....that wake is coming from a freakin' DIRECT DRIVE!!

"IMO, an X-Star doesn't look like 80G's plus....hell, no wakeboat looks like 60g's to me! "

Can I get an amen.

$107 was the MSRP on it.
Don't know what a real price would be.

I think you can get them for around $80k I see huge potential at the lower end of the market.....

thanks for the review - they went out on a limb with this concept, even though it's a narrow market for this boat.

"the girlfriend with a $100K Demo Boat" - can you go into a little more detail about how that works? that's what I wanna know

That price seems high. I looked at one this weekend, in SoCal, and it was in the mid 80's. Every MC dealer had to buy one of these, so your local dealer will/should have one to view. The wake is consider in the top 2 of the the MC fleet. The seating is odd to say the least, but the rig was interesting, and I would like to see one pimped out.

they are so proud
here is a 2006 32 foot donzi w twin 250 mercs for less than 110K, not much of a choice, I would pay prob mid 40's
http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/6/1/85721261.htm

(Message edited by supra24ssv on May 22, 2007)

Wow! Impressive wake from a "fishing" boat. I must say that when I saw the advertisement for that boat, I kinda liked it. I thought the drivers seat in the middle was cool for some reason...

Doesn't it handle rough water really good too?

ill 2nd the reviews. i rode behind it and it was huge. booze cruzin in it was the best. just standin around and chillin with everyone.

thanks again, vince

They need to get that hull in V-drive form with a normal seating configuration and tower and they have the next generation X-Star.

where do 12 people sit?

when fishing in a 28' center console, more than 4 people is crowded.

80k is way to much for a bay boat, and most bay boaters want an outboard.

definately a nice wake though. i agree, fill it out with a normal pleasureboat seating layout and you got a nice wake boat.

couple more pics. These are pics of the CSX Mikey Marsh, Andrew Adkinson, Billy Marsh, Jack Blodgett & Zane rode in GTMO Cuba last month. last one shows the air possible off this boat





(Message edited by jaysus on May 22, 2007)

pic of Mikey Marsh going big off CSX, Cuba

You know, they prbly could have just put a normal tower on that thing and it wouldn't look as weird as it does with that tower in the middle only. I guess it might be hard to move around with a regular tower though.

I like the boat overall, but the price is too high. I agree with Timmy, the tower would look good and you could put conventional board racks if it were a more traditional style. The wake looks nice, I have always wondered what the wake of the old inboard Shamrocks and Fish Nautiques looked like.

Timmy you can get a regular tower for it just like the ones off of the 07's.

Rich G, The girlfriend with the $100K demo boat rides on pro tour - that's how that works!

Nick is right. Thats my sweet boat hook-up.
My baby's sponsored!
Pro- we get a free boat
Con- My girlfriend will always be WAYYYYYY better than me.

Ha, ha, ha... be proud brotha, be proud.

LOL!!!!

I really want to get one out into the water. I think driving dubs from the center console seat would make me laugh everytime.

Man I saw that boat this weekend at the Militia event, pretty crazy to see in the midwest!

Evan, my initial thought on this boat is that it would be a GREAT tournament boat.....think about it, the layout is judge and driver friendly!

This boat looks SO crazy! The hull must be one of the best designs ever to get that wake from a direct drive. If they change that to a v-drive, the wakes might even beat an x-star. The price is outrageous though! 80k! Thats ridiculous! I would have expected
like 30k less!

Tim-

12 people don't sit in it...most were standing, which the wife and I thought was cool, but you have to pay attention! Someone brought it up before, NAW or FRG don't know how legal that is, and probably varies state to state...

We were in the bow most of the time and it seemed to handle the chop/doubles very well. But it did have 12 people in it!

I'll third the wake, it was huge, but easy to ride...even swimming in NAW's bindings!

Falco...been thinking 'bout this, why couldn't you get a set of racks for the current tower to get them up off the gunnel?

(Message edited by siuski on May 23, 2007)

exactly, who would want to stand in a wakeboat all day? haha

Pwork, probably would work, but this is the way the boat came, and it being a demo we probably won't do much customizing.

CSX w/ Tower

Much better with that tower on it!

Brad---v-drive or DD, the hull is the same on most boats, it's just the placement of weight.

Some pics.

I think a boat where the driver sits all the way up in the front would be cool. Think of all the seating. IN V-drive form.

I've ridden the CSX at home, Naples, Miami, and Cuba and the wake no matter what is always SICK....the first session we had just stock ballast and House was pulling his 7 and BS5 easily...that was just stock ballast...the past few rides have been for demos and it gets bigger with all the people....having grownn up in the Salt water I am really excited to see a boat that will let kids get out from behind the old Whaler and actually do some riding. There's a ton of kids on the coast that want to ride and Dad wants to do it all, the CSX delivers...any way..having taken this boat all over the place I'd say it's about the most versatile boat out there...so that's my $0.02 Thanks Zane

Vince tell your Girlfriend, my son Liam and I said hello.

that seating layout looks pretty reasonable actually.

Zane, your opinion will go a long way with most of us, and I'm sure it's a bad ride. But 100K for anyboat that doesn't go 85+ or have sleeping quarters is just absurd.

MC has always been on the forefront of pushing the high end of wake boat pricing. How many off us were blown away at 60K? Then the new X at 80K? Now 100K? At that kinda price, the dad who wants it all can buy a fishing boat, and a used throw down wake boat for the kids.

With the way the economy is, and the still tanking housing market, you wonder if the boat manufactures are gonna price themselves into bankrupcy

A lot of people have traded 2 boats (a wakeboard boat and center console) for the CSX. Maybe thats how people who have bought the CSX have justified it. The Dad can use it for intercoastal fishing and the kids can wakeboard. I'm glad I live inland and only need one. Shheeeeeeaaaaaat!!

With as low as the bow is I doubt many will use it much for fishing in anything but smooth, protected waters. the fish & ski concept is one that seems to come and go with some regularity.
As to the price... MC is clearly positioning themselves to cater to pros and rich kids. MC is good, but not THAT good- their boats are pushing 150% of the price of comparable boats across the board. Dangerous game to play right now with "money" getting more expensive. I am surprised they haven't done more with some value based trim levels to draw boat buyers who comparison shop.

I've sat in one and played with all the gizmos.. I've gotta say that they're pretty cool. I'd really like to get one out on the water and check it out. The seating is a little bit different, but it's actually pretty good for a d-drive. I like the rear facing seats on the motor hatch. The back seat is a full seat when the flip down cushion is up. I think it'll crossover well for people that don't get into deep sea type fishing. It's no Boston Whaler, but I think it'll go a long ways in satisfying kids that ride and parents that want a console boat.

As for the price.... LOL!!! I think a lot of boats are pretty out of control right now. Our current X-star with the 8.1 was pushing close to the century mark, but man is it ever a cool boat. I laughed at the MC's a few years back because of how pricey they are, but for people that spend a ton of time on their boats they are really constructed well.

Just my opinion.

there is a reason they KEEP selling boats,overpriced or not!

They certainly do make a well constructed boat. You could say that bout all of the top 3 or 4 manufacturers of 'ski' boats.

They do keep selling them for sure.....but we're the idiots that keep buying them!

Mars, what boats from other manufacturers are "comparable" to the CSX, X30, X45, or even the X-Star?
I hear this a lot, and you can't really compare any of those models, which are the only models priced that much higher than the competition, to anything made by nautique, malibu, supra, or anyone else.
And if you think that any other 23 foot inboard is the same as one of the MCs, try putting 10 people in one, and then do the same with the X30.
And then tell me if they are still the same.
I know I probably come off a little biased, and I better be since MC is nice enough to hook us up, but I'm pretty open-minded about what's out there,
and I spend a decent amount of time in the best of the rest too. That said I'd like to submit gold star requests for both the Malibu VLX and the Supra SSV, I really like those 2 boats a ton.

And I'll be the first to agree that paying more that 100k for a wakeboat sounds crazy, especially when there are so many good options for so much less.
But to say MC is crazy for making boats that expensive sounds funny when they sell as many big boats every season as they do.
It seems to my that they may have a little bit of a clue.

I think every inboard boat manufacture makes a comparable x-30 and x star as far as size goes.

Cramm, X30 and XStar but not the X45?

Cramm, other companies make boats that are 23 feet long, but get in a theirs and then get in the x30 and tell me they are the same size.
I'm not defending the X30, I don't even really like the boat, but its not the same.
And I don't think putting the XStar next to any other high end wake machine is an apples to apples comparison either. It's just such a different boat.

What puts an x star at a level that none other can achive?

^^^^A combination between the wake,room,storage,look and quality all in one.^^^^

Falco, you should have stuck with your first post, it was informative.

Cramm , the same reason "you" won't compare the X45 to any other 24' boats.

Cramm, I never said different level. I just said different. I personally don't like riding the Xstar.
Some people think that wake is the best wake available.
I haven't one time said any of these MC boats were better. Just different.
Not sure why you're getting all uppity about it.
MC just does they're thing a very different way than the other guys.
Its seems to be working for them. Last time I checked the XStar was the readers poll winner on this site.(since 2003 actually) But again, it's not my favorite.
For my money, I'd rather ride the X1 wake all day long.

Falco you sound like a mastercraft salesman. The ww readers poll?? Give me a break

what boats from other manufacturers are "comparable" to the CSX, X30, X45, or even the X-Star?


Is all i was asking is why you think there is nothing "comparable" to theese modles of boats. What was the real reason you started this thread? To let everyone know you girlfriend rides on the pro tour???

cramm- what the hell is your deal???? falco starts a post about a brand new boat that only a handful of people have ridden behind to give his honest opinion. every point that he makes has fact behind it. and whats with bringing his girlfriend into the mix? the only reason that he mentioned it was because its a $100k boat that not a lot of people have. hes not trying to rub it in. deal with it.

I got a chance to ride this boat today and the wake was sick. It was full of potential too - it only had a 3 blade prop, we had 4 sacks in it, and 5 people, and the boat planed off perfectly. With a 4 blade this wake can get even bigger (while staying clean) and plane off immediately. Sweet ride.

That's wild, very informative, thanks

Cramm, I did used to be a MC salesman, actually.
Didn't like it much. Not selling MCs, just the whole selling boats thing.
I just went back and read all my post looking for what might have sounded hostile. I couldn't find it.
The reason I started the thread was maybe someone was curious about a new boat.
I didn't even ever say that I thought any MC was better than any other boat. Just different.
And I never posted that my girlfriend rides on tour, someone else did.
Probably if I wanted people to know that i would have started a thread titled "Who else has a girlfriend that rides better than you and your friends?" or something like that.
I'm not sure exactly what I said to get your undies in a bunch. Help me out here.
I never attacked any brand of boat, said MC was better, or even tried to justify why their boats are that expensive. And the reader poll thing was just to point out that it sure seems like a few people think maybe MC knows what they are doing.
Maybe you should lay of the caffeine, or take up yoga or something. You're a little angry.

Would i want a csx? hell yeah !!! Would i pay 80-100k for it? Hell no !!
Gotta admire MC for having the stones to make it tho and for being able to sell it at that price. It's innovative, sick and could someone please give me one for my birthday..

On a slightly different note ; Mercedes sells their crappy overrated high-society b.s "luxury" cars at astronomic prices but noone gives them a hard time about it, so why shouldn't MC do the same? (not saying MC makes anything but killer boats)

My $0,002, that's all.

Oh, and i'm guessing Slim Shady doesn't like MCs. That's probably why he's so angry..

(Message edited by scanboarder on May 31, 2007)

This boat does seem high priced vs reg v-drives. Go to a boat show on either coast and you'll find the CSX is priced right between the Boston Whaler 210 and 240 or equivalent Grady White center console boats. It hurts to see it, but the boat is priced right for those cross shopping the cent console category.

Fish where the fish are/sell boats where the money is. I won't be buying one (I'm a skier), but there is a lack of awareness from those who baulk.

On a side note, I would spend more $ on a boat if I lived closer to 30 degrees latitude where I could use the boat all year long. I think a majority of boaters similarly justify more $. I personally don't think it makes sense to spend $80k on a boat and live in an area where you can only use it 3 mos out of the year and are still making payments to just to decorate the garage. There is of course no better way to decorate a garage.