Mastercraft 235V rough water

I'm considering to buy a Mastercraft 235V. Can someone tell me how this boad (or a similar one like x25,x35..) behaves in rouch water? I drive on the river Rhine in germany where we have sometimes waves up to 1-1,5 meter and i try to find out if the 235v will be the right boat for me.
Thanks for helping.

I really can't say much for the boat but if you have 1-1.5 meter waves, my thoughts are that none of the standard wakes boarding boats will do well in that kind of waves. You really should not be on the water with these kind of boats. Just my thoughts. 1.5 meters is around 5 feet.

i have been in 2-3ft in a wakesetter, i grabbed life jacket i thought we were going down, 3 to 5 in a wakeboat is not good

The 3-5 ft are only sometimes on the way to the wakeboard place. The place itselve is much more calm only 1-2 ft in max. mostly under 1 ft. How does the 235v behave compared with a normal daycruiser of its size (Searay etc.)?

If its that rough and you are looking at I/Os, go with the Cobalt WS series. No inboard will compare in the chop.

No inboard will do as good as an I/O in rough water. No I/O will do as good as an inboard at wakeboarding and surfing. It is all a trade off.

The 235 hull is the same as the X-35, and it has a very deep hull, and a shape that is very good in rough water compared to other inboard boats. I would dare say that it is the highest riding, dryest inboard you can find. As was said above, however, if the rough water is really a concern, a 24 foot or bigger cobalt is going to handle those waves better.

I don't know why people are saying that an inboard isn't going to work. The 235/X-35 might be at the edge, but the 225/X-25/CSX220 and CSX265 are intercoastal designed boats. If you want the ultimate boat for handling that kind of waves, I would go with the CSX265!

Originally Posted by jason95gt

I don't know why people are saying that an inboard isn't going to work. The 235/X-35 might be at the edge, but the 225/X-25/CSX220 and CSX265 are intercoastal designed boats. If you want the ultimate boat for handling that kind of waves, I would go with the CSX265!

Exactly, its the hull design, not the fact its an inboard or I/O. Most larger boats use inboards.v-drives, the issue is wake/ski boats have a relatively flat bottom with little to no deadrise, and are very low to the water. (shallow boats with no freeboard) These traits combine for a very rough ride in waves, and a greater chance for taking water over the bow or sides.

I have boated on Lake Michigan for years, the general rule is buy as big of a boat as you can, with the largest amount of deadrise. (V and at the transom) Those MC CSX boats look very interesting if you're going to be in rough water, other than that I have heard Tiges handle slop well.

I looked at the Cobalt boats and the 230 wss looks allso fine to me but i still prefer the Mastercraft 235v because of its room. I'm a bit confused now what to do does anyone have some comments on this?

This is what you should do, (my thoughts), Get the boat that you like. If you like the mastercraft 235V and it suits you, get it. When you want to go out on the river make sure the waves are not over 3 feet. If you feel that there are waves over 3 feet most of the time you should think more about the cobalt. Only you know what the water is like. If you are saying that the waves are 1-1.5 meters sometimes, I would really look at a I/O deep v hull. Remember you can wakeboard behind an I/O.

Have you seen other wakeboard boats out on the river? You can always ask them how it is.

If you have consistant 3 foot waves, I would get the WSS26. It should have plenty of room. Getting an IO over a IB will have its drawbacks in the wakeboarding department, but unless you are going pro, I doubt it will matter much, unless you like to surf. You can't do that with the IO.

BTW, MC does make the 55. Have you looked at those?

Are there spots on the river that are calm enough to actually wakeboard, wakesurf? If you plan on doing watersports at all a tournament boat is the only way to go. Although they are very nice a cobalt is nothing more then a family cruiser. You can't surf behind a Cobalt and the wakeboarding won't be that great. I have never been in a 235/X35 but it is a huge boat by wakeboard boat standards. I believe it has a deep V compared to most wakeboarding boats so it should be better then just about any other wakeboarding boat out there. It probably comes standard but get the hydraulic wake plate. This will help shape the wake and also help the rough water ride by keeping the bow down to where you are cutting through the waves with the most amount of deadrise.

If you want to surf and wakeboard you may have to sacrafice a little of rough water ride. The other thing is with the X35 with a trim tab you can cruise on plane at probably 18-20 mph. That is slow enough that you shouldn't be getting beat to death but the tab should keep the bow down.

If you have a family any tournament boat will be safer as well. The prop is completely under the boat where a cobalt or any other I/O has an outdrive sticking out the back with a prop right under the swim step.

If you want to wakeboard/surf go tournament boat. If you want to cruise and party with the occasional wakeboard set get something like a cobalt.

Thanks for your helping. In our area i have never seen an wakeboardboat but we have all kinds of other boats. Here are only a few people wakeboarding. The waves are not constantly over 3 ft just sometimes. The Boarding place is much more calm, in summer in the evening we have completly flat water. I allso thought about the MC 55 but i think it will be to expensive. I'll try to get a testdrive on both Boats and than we will see wich i like most.

Alexander, I have not driven the X35 or M235. However, I have driven my 6.6m Sanger in 1.5m waves. A 7.1m Mastercraft with a deep V should be reasonable and safe in those conditions if the driver is experienced and knowledgable. The extra length makes a big difference. It would be very important that the boat you purchase have an adjustable trim plate so you can correct the attitude of the hull going into or with the waves. If it is storm conditions that produce the waves you should make sure that you a bow cover which can be put on. If the waves are from large shipping you can navigate across without issue. The Cobalt 230 is 6.65m so will suffer from the shorter length but I suspect the hull design is better in rough water if the two were the same length. I did not find the Cobalt 210 to be more comfortable than my boat when I test drove it before buying mine.
My personal opinion is that the wakeboat has enough advantages that it would outweigh the concern over the rough water characteristics. If it was a MC of more conventional design, for them, I would not recommend it. (like. the X-Star)
Good luck. If you could ride in the hull before you buy it would show you the differences.

A good captain can compensate for the shortcomings of hull design in almost all conditions. A 23' boat should have enough length to span the wavelength of any river chop. It is when the waves are far enough apart for the boat to drop into the trough that even the most skilled driver will have problems.

Ok, i decided to take the MC 235V. The next question is the engine, there is the option of 400 hp vs. 450 hp. Is 400 enough or do i need the 50 extra?

Mastercraft says the boat weight 4900 pounds. That is the same as the X45. The X45 does fine with the 400hp, especially with the 14.5x14.25 or 14.25x14x5. I forget which one it is. Again, I bet it is standard but make sure and get the trim tab on the back. Mastercraft calls it some BS name but it is just a trim tab.

The 235v is a big boat and I would go with the Ilmor 6l at the least if not the 6.2L. There is a big difference between the two motors, but the added torque alone on the 6.2l will be more fun. Especially on that boat. They are rated at 380 and 430 hp. In Germany you may want the diesel option otherwise.

I've never heard someone complain that they had too much power...

While cruising there is virtually no difference in economy but the initial cost is a factor.

I think the trim tab is not standard, they call it altitude adjustment plate, i got it in the dealers offer. Ok than i'll take the 6.2 it has even 130 lb off. But it seemes that there is no diesel option available around here but i'll gonna ask the dealer. What will the estimated topspeed of the boat be? And what of the option list is a must have?

Attitude adjustment plate is it. I am really surprised it isn't standard but whatever. I really don't think you will need that engine but if you can afford it it sure as heck isn't going to hurt. I am just basing this off of riding in a friends X45 with a 400hp LY6. Even with a fair amount of weight the boat did fine and I believe it didn't have the high altitude prop.

As for options here are my thoughts. First of all, are you looking at the 235 or X35. They are the same boat but the X35 probably comes standard with triple ballast, the normal tower and X series graphics. I am not sure how they do it now but they use to not come standard with PP. Maybe with the VDig or whatever they call it now it automatically comes with it. Make sure the boat has the base stereo, triple ballast, whatever tower you want, perfect pass, depth finder, cover and bow fill in cushion. There are some other options that may be nice depending on the weather you use the boat in. If hot I would get a bimini for shade. If cold get a heater and hot/cold shower. I am not sure how dirty the water is on the Rhine but you could get a fresh water washdown so you can hose off after being in the water. I think the 235/X35 use to have the option of having a sink/fridge area or you could just have seating all the way around. I so no reason at all myself for the fridge and sink so I would rather have the extra seating. I am not sure if that is still in an option though. On some boats it is standard but make sure it has the bow ladder. A actually like the standard Teak platform better but it is more work and 90% of people would rather opt for the fiberglass one. Then there is a bunch of options I don't consider necessary at all but add more to the bling factor. You could add the sub if it isn't standard but you can do a lot better with aftermarket product. Everybody likes tower speakers but again you can do better with aftermarket stuff. If you do get the JL/Mastercraft tower speakers upgrade your amps for the interior and tower speakers. The lights built into the speaker cans suck and don't do much good. The tower camera option is kind of cool but I don't find it necessary at all. Transom lights are neat but not necessary. They use to have an option for heated driver and observer seats. Again way overkill. A drivers side remote is a must if it isn't standard.

Suprised no one has mentioned it yet. Get your local dealer to test drive the boat in conditions you expect. You may have to leave a deposit and make the sale pending a water test. Most dealers are customer service oriented and will allow you this.

If it isn't what you expect you walk away

Thanks for your comments. The most of the options you mentioned are on the list. The shower and heater will be fine because the rhine is sometimes dirty if there is much rain and germany is cold anyway. Fridge and sink will be replaced with the seat option, its not needed. i'll take the 235 because i dont like the grafics of the x. The engine will be an 6.2 ilmor because the price is not that bad, does anyone know about the fuel consumption of this engine?
Is tripple ballast and the tower needed for a normal rider or is it just needed if i want to become a pro? i have to mention that me and my fiends are over 35 years .
The testdrive is a problem because the dealer is located near berlin and there is no water like on the rhine around, but yesterday i saw the video of the mc in open sea on the mc homepage and i think the boat will work perfect in our conditions. so now the only thing to take care of is the color i like a back hull with white and green combined in the inside but i cant find any photos of that so the dealer will send me some pieces of the material so i can choose what i like.

Alexander, If you plan on doin gany wakeboarding at all you will want the tower and ballast. Those things should also help with resale. It might be tough to sell without those options down the road. The tower serves other functions besides just haveing a higher tow point. It allows for tower speakers and tower lights. It also give you a place to store wakeboards and surfboards. You can but a bimini on it that is mounted without straps and it also give you a place to mount a tower mirror so the mirror isn' on the windshield. That being said I don't even want to know what a MC tower costs. I am guessing 5k+.

As for the stock ballast it wont increase the wake huge amounts but if you start to get into surfing you can run the overflow for the rear vdrive ballasts into big vdrive sacks giving you lots of automatic ballast for the rear corners. Just a guess but you will get into surfing big time.

I agree with you on the graphics of the 235V over the X graphics. Have them price you out a 235v with tower and ballast then have them price you out an X35 with the same exact options. If the X35 is cheaper tell them you want it an X35 with 235V graphics. There is absolutely no reason that they should be different prices. They are the same exact boat. In fact the 235V should be a few bucks cheaper because if doesn't have the big vinyl decals.

You may have misuderstood me on the shower/freshwater washdown. They are actually 2 seperate options. the shower pulls water from whatever body of water you are in(Rhine River) and sprays that. The freshwater washdown has a seperate tank installed in the boat that hold fresh water you would get from a marine/home that way you can rinse off the dirty water from the river. The only downfall of the fresh water washdown is that it is a tank that takes up some storage.

The tower is good because you can store things on it. The heater is wonderful. (I put two in my boat)
You will probably try surfing and like it and you need lots of ballast for that.
Now that we've got you spending too much, enjoy.

Brett, I saw the price for the tower and ballast and its realy expensive, my dealer says that it is no problem to upgrade the boat later if needed. Now i am waiting for material examples so that i can choose the colors. i hope its in the mail today. The freshwater washdown is on the list.

Does anyone know about the durability of the Ilmor engines and its fuel consumption?

Ilmor is brand new in wake boats. Before they have just been a high performance engine manufacturer, at least in the boat market.

Alexander, I really have a feeling you are going to want a tower and it is probably a lot more to add it after then order it with it.

Did you figure out what the difference in price is from an X35 and a 235V with the same exact options?

Brett, I haven't got the price yet. I'll wait for the material examples and than i talk to the dealer again, hopefully this will be tomorrow.

Jason is spot on for the kind of water you are talking about. The X25/225 or either of the CSX would be ideal for your situation.