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-   -   Mastercraft X20 Surf Review (http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=803343)

melton1wake 09-15-2014 7:07 PM

Mastercraft X20 Surf Review
 
3 Attachment(s)
I had the pleasure of getting out and surfing on a Mastercraft X20 yesterday and thought I would share a little. First, I would like to thank American Boat Center in Knoxville, TN for taking a few of us out during their customer appreciation day on Ft. Loudon lake. These guys are wonderful and do a great job of promoting watersports and the wake culture in Knoxville. I'm not trying to advertise for them but they did take me out on a new X20 yesterday so I'm going to give them a public thank you.

Now to the review. The inside of the boat was typical Mastercraft and if you have been in a recent X10, X30 or X46 this boat falls right inline with the things you have grown to expect from a Mastercraft. I happen to like the Mastercraft style so I was very happy with the features of the boat. Not a whole lot of noticeable changes until you start digging around inside. The boat is much deeper than the other boats in the X series and there is an incredible amount of space in the cabin and storage for a twenty foot boat. Most of this stuff you can check out in a showroom so I'm not going to spend much time talking about the inside.

The boat handled great and with the depth of the hull had a very smooth, comfortable ride.

We surfed two of the boat's settings, mellow and steep. I am not sure if the boat had more programmed settings but you could adjust things to get the wave just how you like it. The wave was long, tall and very powerful. This is the largest and longest wave I have ever ridden behind a boat. We had the stock ballest full at 2000lbs without any additional ballast. There were three adults in the boat at around 450lbs and 1/4 tank of fuel. One thing I noticed is how quickly the ballest filled. I didn't time it but it was much faster than I'm used to. The boat itself has a dry weight of 4800lbs so all together the whole setup was around 8000lbs with gear, fuel, ballast and people. The wave made surfing very easy and recoveries were a piece of cake. We could get well back past the length of the surf rope and still surf effortlessly. We only surfed the port side but the starboard side looked great as well. We also did not switch back and forth between the two sides so I do not know how smoothly that aspect of the gen 2 system works. To sum it up I would say that it was just a spectacular wave and the best I have ever surfed.

The only real drawback I saw yesterday was that with boats of that size you just need upgraded power plants. That boat had the 5.7 and I think the 6.0 or the 6.2 would make it perfect.

Hope you guys like the info and just so you know I am not a MC fan boy. I will gladly go out on any boat that wants to give me water time. I love wake boats and I have good and bad things to say about every manufacturer. Also, Dave, the fellow surfer in the pictures is around 5'10", 5'11".

To illustrate: my current top wakesurf boats that I have personally ridden are:
1. 2015 Mastercraft X20 with gen2
2. 2014 Malibu MXZ 24ft with surfgate
3. 2014 Axis T22 with surfgate
and tied for 4. 2014 CC G23 with NSS, 2014 MB B52 23 Wide Body Listed, 2014 MC X30 with gen2

runin90lx 09-15-2014 9:12 PM

What was the price tag?

Froggy 09-16-2014 5:06 AM

The X20 was 4 times better than the G23 ? You really are a MC fanboy.

cwb4me 09-16-2014 5:11 AM

I don't know which G23 you surfed behind.I can look at that wave and tell you a G23 is much bigger.

dejoeco 09-16-2014 5:23 AM

List top surf boats and not have a Centurion on the list? No, they do not have a NSS or a surfgate but RAmFill and CATs are great features and the wake is great. Yes, I am a Centurion guy and love my boat. I also think that other companies make good surf boats. The G23 is wonderful for instance.

Bit 09-16-2014 5:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Froggy (Post 1892590)
The X20 was 4 times better than the G23 ? You really are a MC fanboy.

He did not say 4 times better, he just like the wake from 3 other boats more then the wake of the G23. And because that a personal taste, theres nothing wrong with that.

Fixable 09-16-2014 6:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dejoeco (Post 1892593)
List top surf boats and not have a Centurion on the list? No, they do not have a NSS or a surfgate but RAmFill and CATs are great features and the wake is great. Yes, I am a Centurion guy and love my boat. I also think that other companies make good surf boats. The G23 is wonderful for instance.


He said "That I have personally ridden"......

And a stock G23 doesn't have a much bigger wake than that. A G, with 1100s in the lockers, is a different story....

melton1wake 09-16-2014 7:05 AM

I'm still checking on the price of the boat. All the boats that I listed are great boats and I would be happy to own any of them. The difference between first and fourth place on my list is very tight, kind of like Olympic athletes, very close but still a winner, a second place and so on.
The 2014 G23 I rode had 9 people in it and was being operated by Correct Craft management and they said they were running the boat with optimal weight in the best configuration they could. It was an incredible boat but I felt it was very comparable to the X30 for surfing.
This is also my opinion and I'm not trying to knock anyone's brand or sell them anything, just trying to put some feedback out there.

andrew_moreton 09-16-2014 7:08 AM

Looks great. Thanks for the review! And if you took any more pics, post them up! The more the merrier.

tampawake 09-16-2014 7:15 AM

I am with you not a fan boy of any boat but to not list centurion or tige seems odd when it comes to surf wake.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dejoeco (Post 1892593)
List top surf boats and not have a Centurion on the list? No, they do not have a NSS or a surfgate but RAmFill and CATs are great features and the wake is great. Yes, I am a Centurion guy and love my boat. I also think that other companies make good surf boats. The G23 is wonderful for instance.


boardjnky4 09-16-2014 7:54 AM

geez you guys are a picky bunch. he's comparing to boats that he has experience with, and which HE prefers. take it for what it's worth.

Fixable 09-16-2014 7:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tampawake (Post 1892613)
I am with you not a fan boy of any boat but to not list centurion or tige seems odd when it comes to surf wake.

Did he ever mention riding a Tige, or Centurion?? I am sure there are boats that he has not ridden....

dejoeco 09-16-2014 8:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tampawake (Post 1892613)
I am with you not a fan boy of any boat but to not list centurion or tige seems odd when it comes to surf wake.

I agree, but to be fair I reread the original post and the evaluation was one boats personally ridden. Therefore, I can only assume that both Tige and Centurion have not been ridden. Other boats such as Sanger and Supreme are not listed either and probably others too.

All of the manufacturers have upped their game regarding surf boats. This makes everyone better.

melton1wake 09-16-2014 8:33 AM

We don't get many Centurions and Tiges in the Knoxville area so I don't have much personal experience with those brands. The newest Tige I was on was a 2008 and I have only ridden one Centurion. The Centurion I rode was a 2014 FX44. It was being shown by a guy from a dealership and a guy from Centurion management. I don'tthink they had the boat weighted correctly. the wave was very long and kind of flat. I think with more weight it would have been an awesome wave. I was very impressed with how easily you could tune the shape of the wave. I think if it would have been weighted correctly it would have easy been in my list. If any of you Tige or Centurion guys want to show what those boats can do, I would jump at the chance.

Fixable 09-16-2014 8:42 AM

Wayne- Based on what I was told, the X20 is only running stock under floor ballast, even if Gen2 is added. Is that correct, or did this boat have rear bags?

melton1wake 09-16-2014 8:49 AM

The 20 was stock with no additional ballast. that is one of the things that made this boat so impressive. all the ballast was from built in hard tanks.

Fixable 09-16-2014 8:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melton1wake (Post 1892628)
The 20 was stock with no additional ballast. that is one of the things that made this boat so impressive. all the ballast was from built in hard tanks.

That's excellent. I was hoping that was what they were going to do. It sounds like the new X23 is going to be the same way. 23', and 2500+ hard tank ballast. Still in the rumor phase at this point, though.

dejoeco 09-16-2014 9:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melton1wake (Post 1892624)
We don't get many Centurions and Tiges in the Knoxville area so I don't have much personal experience with those brands. The newest Tige I was on was a 2008 and I have only ridden one Centurion. The Centurion I rode was a 2014 FX44. It was being shown by a guy from a dealership and a guy from Centurion management. I don'tthink they had the boat weighted correctly. the wave was very long and kind of flat. I think with more weight it would have been an awesome wave. I was very impressed with how easily you could tune the shape of the wave. I think if it would have been weighted correctly it would have easy been in my list. If any of you Tige or Centurion guys want to show what those boats can do, I would jump at the chance.

You have to come to Florida to try mine. Certain areas are difficult to find certain brands. Dealers certainly make a difference too.

83Starsnstripes 09-16-2014 10:32 AM

T22 and save $50k all day!!

09-16-2014 11:15 AM

Boat and wave look awesome but I still wonder why they made this design in a 20 footer off the bat. It seems lower price and towability are arguably the biggest advantages of a 20' er and this boat is gonna need a big rig and a big bank account to attain.

denverd1 09-16-2014 12:38 PM

NXT is their price point boat... I wouldn't expect this one to be very close.

lifetimewarranty 09-16-2014 12:53 PM

Sexy boat! Love those mastercraft lines.

501s 09-16-2014 1:53 PM

If you are rich and live on a lake with a size limit of a 20 footer, I think this boat would be a good fit. Luxury and wave of the big boats in a small package. It actually seems like a smart move to me.

dezul 09-16-2014 6:29 PM

I know Wayne and I trust his opinion. He is still a db MC fan.

runin90lx 09-17-2014 7:45 AM

my dealer sent me some pics of their demo they did yesterday. looked like a great wave. they said the boat used a bunch of fuel though in their short demo.

dejoeco 09-17-2014 9:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runin90lx (Post 1892791)
my dealer sent me some pics of their demo they did yesterday. looked like a great wave. they said the boat used a bunch of fuel though in their short demo.

I have heard that the G burns more fuel than usual. Anyone else experience that?

andrew_moreton 09-17-2014 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dejoeco (Post 1892821)
I have heard that the G burns more fuel than usual. Anyone else experience that?

Haven't done any research or really even thought about it, but could that be because the Gs and the X20 have 2:1 transmissions.

canucked 09-17-2014 10:22 AM

Holy smokes, 20 ft and 4,800 lbs dry weight....2 friends lighter than a G21 (5,200 lbs)

canucked 09-17-2014 10:26 AM

...100lbs heavier than an X30

Bamabonners 09-17-2014 10:37 AM

Wayne,

I am close friend of the owner of the new Centurion dealership in Knoxville (sunny marine). I know he would be more than happy to give a demo to anyone interested. BTW, he is a great guy too.

Fixable 09-17-2014 10:37 AM

Pretty sure, that any boat running around at 8000lbs for surfing, is going to burn a bit of fuel....

melton1wake 09-17-2014 11:25 AM

Hey Preston, I spoke with the Centurion rep about those guys picking up the Centurion line. How are they doing? I think I'll get by there and see what they have going on. We did notice some substantial fuel usage but like Eric said 8000lbs + 10.4mph = $$$

melton1wake 09-17-2014 11:26 AM

Hey Tim, thanks, I think?

09-17-2014 5:13 PM

Good review and pics. It's funny how defensive people get on this board about their brands.

I bought a boat from American Boat Center a few years ago. Good all around experience with them.

I like the MC lines. I'm curious on the price range out the door.

Mark

dezul 09-17-2014 6:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melton1wake (Post 1892848)
Hey Tim, thanks, I think?

Lol. You know. This weekend may be my last for the year.

loudelectronics 09-18-2014 7:42 AM

I would love to take you out on the water and show you what a real surf boat can do. The defined lip all the way from the curl to the roost, a wake that is equally at long as the boat, a wake with a nice transition and great "push" everywhere you ride.

If ever in the North Dakota area Pm me.

wake2snow 09-18-2014 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loudelectronics (Post 1892944)
I would love to take you out on the water and show you what a real surf boat can do. The defined lip all the way from the curl to the roost, a wake that is equally at long as the boat, a wake with a nice transition and great "push" everywhere you ride.

If ever in the North Dakota area Pm me.

So what kind of boat is this real surf boat you are talking about I would love to know.

cwb4me 09-19-2014 4:25 AM

Probably a Tige. They are known for their long waves with a smooth transition and defined lip.

Bamabonners 09-19-2014 5:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melton1wake (Post 1892847)
Hey Preston, I spoke with the Centurion rep about those guys picking up the Centurion line. How are they doing? I think I'll get by there and see what they have going on. We did notice some substantial fuel usage but like Eric said 8000lbs + 10.4mph = $$$

They are doing well on Norris. His goal is to be the #1 dealer in the east. He is who I used to buy Malibus from (at his previous dealer).

If you stop in, ask for Zac.

surffresh 10-12-2014 7:17 AM

not to PO anyone but just to keep it real, the OP was at Southern Surfest and out of a possible 60 points this is how he rated the boats, very close to what he said here
MXZ 24 58
FX 244 51
MB 23 51
Axis 49
G23 46
Supra 45

OneCent 10-12-2014 9:46 AM

http://southernsurfest.com/?page_id=15

Fixable 10-12-2014 10:25 AM

Interesting to see all of those rating compiled like that!!


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