X5 - Give me feedback!

Guys, I am in the process of looking round for an X-star of a couple of years old and my local MC dealer (who has just sold the X-star they had in)has suggested a 2000 X5 might equally fit the bill. It looks pretty tastey an all that but what's the wake like on one of these ....... isn't it just an Prostar with a tower? ie. will need a hell of a lot of weight to get anything near an X-star?

Any help/comments welcomed and thanked in advance.
Cheers
Matt

Not really a great wakeboarding boat from what I've heard. I know Mastercraft took it out of their line of for 2003, so that should tell you something right there. Much more of a ski boat.

That's what I thought Pat, looks like a damn nice boat (saw it over the weekend) but you know what these dealers can be like, they're sell their own back sides if they had the chance ........

As an owner of a 2000 x-5, I have some good first hand opinions. First, it is smaller then the x-stars. As far as wake, I have never heard anybody complain about the size or shape of my wake. Our crew rides on all the top 4 boats every week, and my wake stands up to thiers. Tige, Malibu, Calabria and Supra. All my buddies post on this board, so I hope they will back me up on this. I run a 300# sac in the rear and a 300# sac in front of the engine box where the ski pylon is. Also, the x-5 is a prostar 195 NOT a prostar 190 hull. It is the same shape hull as an x-star, just smaller. The ski wake sucks compared to a ski specific boat, so it was not made for just skiing. My wake is perfect for wakeboarding, and can be dialed in for your needs just by adding or subtracting ballast. The boat reacts well to ballast due to its smaller size. If you have any questions feel free to email me.

Hey Matt,

Not to take any wind out of Andrew's sails, but I think you have a few other areas to think about. I'm sure, as he's stated, that with enough weight you could make a great wake out of the X-5 hull...but if you want a user friendly boat...the X-5 is small especailly once properly weighted.
When I bought my boat I looked at an X-5 and the dealer was nice enough to give me the previous owners number. The former owner convinced me that the X-5 was not what I was looking for and had just bought himself an X-star. I think that it is important to state that his son (who competes and is a fabulous young rider) did not dislike the wake on the X-5 at all...the problem was there was no room once weighted to his liking. Because of his input I kept looking and found an X-star. I typically have 4+ riders in the boat at most times and now know that if I had bought the X-5 it would be up for sale looking to buy a larger boat.
Sorry bout the long post... but if all your looking for is a great boat...the X-5 will probably do, but if you want an excellent boat and user-friendlyness I think the V-drive is the only way to go (especially if you don't live lakeside or have a cabin).
Think hard...either boat will throw a great wake with the right amount of weight.
Cheers,
todd

RTmunroe, you are correct 100%. To get more room out of mine I took out the ski pylon and have a fatsac there. It is not in the way too bad . Without the pylon there, it really opens up the boat. The bow area is small too. I usually ride with 3-4 other people so the size is not a problem for me. If you are a person who runs with 4 or more people, I would suggest you not get the 5 It will get cramped in a hurry with the gear. If you ride with 3 other people on a regular basis, it would be a perfect boat. For me it was a MUCH cheaper alternative to getting an xstar. Also if you are looking a a v-drive xstar, fill it with the number of people you usually ride with and see if it is going to be too cramped for you. Wakes can be made big, but it is not worth the trade off if you are having to jump and crawl over the fatsacs and gear all day. I have my ballast set up and my gear storage all set up so we can put 5 people in the boat and all be pretty comfortable. 6 people is pushing it on the x-5 if they all have wakeboards and gear.

I say the x-star is the way to go. Find one a couple years old and save a little money. The
x-5 and x-7 are way to small.

You come ride in and behind my 99 X-star and then ride any other 2000 X-5 and you can make your own decision.

It's pretty simple, X-5 is real small. Wait for the next used X-Star to come along, they always do and it's easier to get a big wake out of them.

Thanks guys, you are pretty much saying what I was expecting to hear ....... the X-5 looks like a great boat and would probably fit the bill, although I had a couple of weekends and a weeks holiday when we had six people in my 1983 procomp - yeah we were a little squashed!! So space as well as a great wake is a bit of an issue yeah, which is why I think my mind is now set on an x-star. I've managed to find one of the blue '98 X-Stars with tower and bimini, which looks like a reasonable price although it is still the DDrive and not VDrive edition so less space than a newer model. But it has a great wake, bit more space and its pretty cheap .......... I think I may go for it ............ I've got a mate who gets six people in his 97 x-star on a regular basis. Looks like I may have found my next move.
Cheers
Matt