2005 Xstar
 

I'm currently in the market to upgrade. I'm coming from a 2000 centurion vdrive that's been a great boat, but all the friends we go to the lake with have families and it gets cramped quick. I've found an 05 xstar that looks to be in good shape with fairly low hours. Below 400. What is their wake like and quality? We board 60% surf 20% and yes, tube 20% what has everyone seen them priced at? Any other boat i should look for in the 20-30k mark?

I would think a 2005 Xstar should be well above the 20-30K range. Looks like they are selling mid to high 40's. If you found one under 30, thats the deal of the summer!!

Help me convince the wife of that!

X-30 at Buxton Marine in Lewisville, TX
 

I am in Texas this week, so I stopped by Buxton's in Lewisville to poke around. They have a consignment boat you could easily pick up for $25K it's an X-30. It has 160 hours, but it's beat up and needs a lot of exterior cosmetic work....rub rail, gel scratches, but the interior looks really good....no vinyl issues.

If you can see past pre-detail and could put $1500 into it right away, you'd have a $40K boat.

Mike Smith is the salesperson, family member at the dealership.

full disclosure i own a 2007 xstar. their wakeboarding wakes are some of the most beloved of any boat by most riders (when slammed). It really sounds like you're looking for a family boat, and the xstar is anything but. If you have any goofy surfers, very difficult to clean up that side for them. Also, the bow sits really, REALLY low. (There are two types of xstar owners - those who have taken water over the bow and those who lie about having taken water over the bow). Even on the regular side it doesn't particularly surf well. Also, the use of a 22 foot boat leaves a little to be desired, an X15 (which is shorter) feels much bigger inside (the cabin of an xstar is actually smaller than an X2, bow is much larger). I'd say unless you're wakeboarding 90%+ of the time, I'd look at something else.

Plus an 05 star should be 40ish, maybe a little under.

Those older X30s from what I recall did not have a great wakeboard wake. If you appreciate a great wake, then I believe that is not the boat you want.

Also, I've had 4 X-stars and I didn't have any problem with them being a family boat. The newer boats are bigger in the main cabin area, but I never found the X-star to be cramped. I understand what Willy is saying, but the bow is only sitting low when buried with weight. And most boats will take rollers over the bow if you're not careful.

He's right on the surfing thing. I don't enjoy surfing so it wasn't an issue for me.

If u can get a under 400 hr good shape 05 Xstar for under $30 it's perfect! But do know surf isn't so great, can be done though. And yes cabin is a bit small. But who cares $30k is cheap!

If it were up to me, I'd do 100% boarding but we'd like to surf when the lakes busy or crazy windy out here. It seems like i can flip it if we end up not liking it. Hopefully going to try it out next weekend and he said he'll sell it to me for what the dealer was going to give him wholesale for it. I appreciate the replies so far. Anyone that has had luck surfing behind them let me know what your set up was.

2008 xstar owner here. Same boat really with some upgrades. An under 30k gen 2 X sounds fishy, be careful. As other have said they don't usually sell for that unless something is wrong. Check onlyinboards.com/ for reference, then you decide.

Concerning the boat, here's my take. As a family boat it's not bad, not great. The main cabin area is short but very wide. The boat is 102" beam. Offsetting the small cabin is a very large sunpad and a big bow seating area. The boat is comfortable with 6 adults and can handle up to 10 in a pinch. Storage is very good with enormous storage lockers in back and lots of under seat storage.

Wakeboard wake is anywhere from OK to as good as it gets depending on ballast. Stock ballast isn't enough so plan on adding another 1000 or more to get a really good wake. Surf wake is not as bad as "they" say as long as you are on the port side, forget about goofy. It's tall with lots of push but has a short pocket. With the correct balance of front to rear ballast you can make it quite good. But the bow will be low in the water when it's setup correctly so yes, need to be careful there especially when going back to pick up your surfer. My surf setup is full factory ballast, 1100# in the port rear locker, 750# in the compartment in front of the spotter seat, 400# in the center walkway and a few hundred lbs of lead in key places. This is with 1 or 2 people in the boat. You could do with less if you have more people. It takes a lot of weight to sink an X.

Other things to consider, its a boat you buy with your heart, not your head. If you are thinking about one, you know what I mean. From a practical standpoint there are better choices for people who aren't pro-level wakeboarders. But, it's a timeless design that holds its value. Its well built, super solid and handles like a slalom boat. If you get a good one I don't think you'd regret it.

What are some good options for extra ballast? I'm assuming you have to buy the pump and everything? Do I need to pull factory tanks and replace with bigger or just add some?

Thanks for the help and input.

P.S. the guy SOUNDS honest and just has other hobbies (and apparently plenty of money) and just doesn't take the boat out much. The closest wake is 2 hours away so I understand him not being able to use it much. I plan on checking it out as thoroughly as I can and taking it for a long enough ride to let everything get worked out. Any tips on things to look for? He hasn't listed it hardly anywhere, I just happened to find it on a Facebook group, and was already ready to sell it wholesale after having it on there for 2 days. I think he just wants the cash from it and to get it out of his driveway.

I run full factory, the fly high PWT bags under bow seats, 750's in the lockers, 1100 in walkway, and another 1100 on the floor if it's less than 4 passengers. The only bags I have to fill are the 2 1100's on the floor. Sounds like overkill, but the wake is amazing. I also put a 15x12 prop to help w/ the holeshot.

i'd check your weights on those bags man. no way a 1100 is fitting in the walkway. Plus, you're talking 5200 lbs of ballast with that setup, unless you're rocking the big block i'm pretty sure you couldn't get on plane with that much weight.

2005 Xstar
 

Been on the boat with Korey Griner with this weight setup, it does plane off, and it does have the big motor 8.1 I think. it likes a lot of gas and the wake is retarded, pretty sure its identical to how Rusty weighted his ill let Korey chime in on that.:D

haha, ah the unicorn of wakeboats, the big block star. I am very jealous then.

2005 xstar
 

Willy T , don't be to bad jealous. The gas bill is insane. beautiful boat Metallic Grey with the Yellow anniversary decal

Agree with this post. I would not sell my Gen one Xstar for that!

Gen ones stars sell for mid 20s now, so^^^^^^

Need wake pics of this thing with 5k in ballast.. Holy hell

Yes with high hours and not in good shape.

x1s sell for low low 30s now...

Thanks Luke, it has the LY6. The 1100 fills up in the walkway fine, pushes agains the bow seats, but just gotta keep an eye on it and make sure it fills correctly. It takes awhile to get on plane, but the 15x12 def makes a difference. I only fill the other 1100 full if there is a driver and spotter, otherwise I fill it to taste. Everyone hates having to run to the bow to get it going, but it works! Gas bill is rather large...

I don't want to take away from the thread, or start a pissing match, but I'll post a pic next time I'm out. My river's flooded right now so may be too late.

Patrick, look for core running gear and hull issues. At that price you could overlook cosmetic issues and even some electrical problems. First make sure he really owns the boat and it has a clear title, not salvage. Then make sure the engine runs well and doesn't leak any water or oil. Check the block and manifolds for cracks. Look for hull damage or poor repairs. Make sure the transmission shifts smoothly and look at the engine and transmission oil.

An even better plan than doing this yourself is pay a surveyor. For a few hundred dollars you can get a pro to check the boat out. Then if it looks good don't hesitate. There are a lot of people behind you that would buy a decent X at that price in a heartbeat.

Good luck.

Holy hell is right. That's seriously badass!

Voucher
 

Mr. Griner and Lucas are spot on, the wake is macking!!! I will vouch for that... I sometimes make him drain factory for my sets, just to make the wake more mellow. Well sorta mellow... No, wait huge but a little mellow. (31 yr. old knees) Just adding my .02 cents...

If you can get that 05' for that price, it would be a deal of a lifetime. I highly recommend trying this weight setup to anyone, especially if you like looking down the rope at the people inside the boat.

Took the picture when he first got it... Droooooooooool!

One of, if not THE cleanest Star that I have ever seen. Wow.

wake gets massive for wakeboarding! wakesurfing is pretty good on regular side. goofy side not so good.

we have 8.1 engine though


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My 06 star today with around 2300k..sumo 600s in rear, kgb 500 hard tank and a flyhigh 750 in walkway (prob only fills to around 600 though)Attachment 38283

Just out of curiosity for the people that have them. Can you weight them significantly (say 3000 lbs) and ride at 21.5-22 or will the wake be a washed out mess?

My pic is at 22.7 and 65'

that's going to be iffy... i don't think so. If you can, max length would probably be 65, but with 3k and at 22 mph that wake would be gigantic and super, super lippy.

8.1 X-star rules!!

cool i dont mind picking up the speed a little but i like 22ish and a 65ft line, been debating an xstar for a while now

22ish and 65' with a decent amount(stock+1500ish) of weight will be fine. The more u weight the rear and not the front though the more u'll need to pick up speed.