Mike,
I love that second generation X-Star. Such an iconic boat. The factory ballast system consisted of a KGB center tank and two "rear" tanks. The ballast tanks are actually forward and stretch from the front of the rear compartment forward under the seats. In total I think the system had a capacity of 850 lbs.
From 2003 until 2009 it was a popular option to add the Fly High Pro X Series Mastercraft X-Star Additional Ballast System. This consisted of two additional 720 lb. rear bags and two under seat 250 lb. bow bags for a little over 1440 lbs. of extra weight on top of the factory. The bags fit great but the installation was not my favorite. You would fill the factory then turn a valve in order to fill the auxiliary bags. This process was reversed to drain. I like to piggyback the front and rear bags in order to flip the switch once to fill the entire system. You can add ballast to any X-Star. What and how you add depends on how much weight you need and how long you want to wait. The rest is just about money.
In 2007 the ballast timers could not be reprogrammed to go past 6 minutes. In 2008 the Jabsco AI Pump Timer Module (MasterCraft)
was added and allowed the system to be run up to 20 minutes once programmed to do so. To be honest these timers are a huge pain from any of these boats. There is a guy that owns WakeBlaster.com that will reprogram them for you. He doesn't charge much and the benefits are amazing.
The higher output engine will be awesome and when coupled with the correct prop will get you rocking fast even when fully loaded. I would look at either the ACME 2195 or OJ 845. Sounds like you want a lot of low end and these props will deliver quite a punch. If you are worried about fuel economy don't buy this boat and definitely don't add any ballast.
Any year you go with will be awesome. My favorite setup is 700 in each rear locker, the bow bags, 400 in the walk way and another 400 in front of the back seat. Hands down the best way to get the X-Star to that "Pro Tour" type wake.
If you think you are going to wakesurf get the WaveControl MasterCraft X-Star Surf System. You will run similar ballast to wakeboarding but will probably not need the weight in the cabin of the boat. Should be a pretty rad way to spend some time below 12 MPH.
Thanks,
Spencer -
WakeMakers.com