I just remember my friends ladder on his I/O back deck being a pain to get on from the water, and that was a lot lower than the bow of an X-star(I/O had a 3 step, and the star has a 4 step but would the extra 11 inches of reach make a BIG difference?). And it seemed like an odd set-up to get it pulled out of the hatch they made for it. That area might be better used as interior space or storage... Chime in X-star owners