Buying a 2004 xstar
 

So I'm considering buying a 2004 mastercraft xstar (pickle forked hull)... Are there any things in particular I should be looking for? 350hp HO, 60 gal center ballast, 36 gal in each back locker, perfect pass, low hours?

It's priced under 20k so I feel I can't go wrong if the engine is solid. I plan on doing a compression test before buying and lake testing.

Under $20 seems like a steal. Saltwater?

No salt

It's 18+ hours one way from me so I wanted to see what y'all thought before commiting

If it's under $20k, I'd be surprised if it runs or even floats.... Way too cheap.

Too cheap.

Plan on changing the damper plate.. weak link that year if you run ballast..

Yeah something is fishy about the price. should be closer to $35k+ if it's in decent shape at all. If the deal were legit… it would be gone by now. But hopefully for you I am wrong

Well James knows how to buy boats low and sell high...just read his rudder hit log thread he's just way better at boat flipping than anybody else.

He's a flipper, not a rider. No big deal. James, I would probably pass. Let's say you get it for 20 and it needs 5-10. It will barely be worth it. You usually buy boats for under ten and sell for 20

From the pictures the owner sent me the upholstery is in great shape and everything works. Might need new tires but usually they all do... I might keep this boat until spring tho and ride all fall/winter... I can't wait to hit the wake as hard as I can with 4000lbs of ballast, 80ft back at 22mph... Prolly gonna scare the crap out of me lol I'll get it on the gopro 😬

Pretty sure in a star u can't put 4k in and ride 80' and only 22mph. Bump her up to 23+ and ready for launch!

If u do get this boat under $20 that's a crazy good deal, assuming it's how u describe. Guy must not be advertising it very well or like others have said it would be gone.

Its a saltwater boat down in Corpus Christi... Full salt not brackish... Buyer Beware..

http://corpuschristi.craigslist.org/boa/4706343831.html

We'll dang he said it wasn't salt... I hate when people that live on the coast say brackish water isn't salt lol any know this boat or looked at it?

Even with the salt if the engines good I think it's a good deal. Again I'm not trying to flip this thing right away, I want to ride all fall and winter behind it.

James.. wonder why he didn't post up pics of the engine compartment?.. hmmmm.. I bought a malibu from Houston that was "brackish" and two exhaust manifolds and engine mounts later, it ran ok.. lol.... saltwater is not good unless it's a closed loop cooling system.... good luck..

I ran a query on it and they do live on LA ENTRADA ST in Corpus on the intercoastal and also the boat shows a bank lien, probably a note..

Yeah it's kind of a bummer... I'm getting pics of the engine compartment Thursday when he gets back in town so I will post them when I get them. My Malibu vlx was a full time salt boat in Houston for 10 years and it looked like crap.... However with over 1000 hours it ran great once I fixed the IAC valve. He had just put new exhaust manifolds on it... Lol wonder why haha worst case I can drop a reman 5.7 long block it it and get new exhaust manifolds for under $2500. Would prolly be a fun to do over the winter... However the v drive is eh....
A dealership near me has a 2004 supra ssv that had a small engine fire and did no damage at all to anything except electrical stuff on the engine, so they pulled the engine for some reason or another.... I think they could part with it for well under 5k if anyone's interested in it. Has perfect pass, tower, tower speakers, I think the upholstery needs done tho. On a nice tandem boat mate trailer. I would buy it but it will end up sitting in my yard for a while lol

Hi James. Would be interested in more information on the Supra. I would love to get a project V-drive that skis well. I still break out a slalom from time to time.

Brian

I will go by the dealership one day this week for more info on that for you.

So found out from owner the boat actually has the 6.0 cadilac 400hp motor which is closed cooling. Was this the biggest engine you could get back then or could you order with the big 8.1? I also left a deposit on it.

Congrats James on the boat. Hope it is as nice or better than described. Let me know what you find out on the Supra.

Thanks
Brian
615-347-2949

Will try to go today! I'll send pics.

Here's some pics of the supra
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...37E874C4E4.jpg
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...047C4672F5.jpg
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...9AB023283C.jpg

http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...2A5E59AB3D.jpg
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...0BF0F6D9AE.jpg
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...810881D5_1.jpg

I talked to the manager a good while today. Basically after a small fire the owner took it to the dealership, the dealership took everything out of the boat, and after taking everything out the insurance company basically salvaged the boat and wrote the guy a check (the dealership told the insurance company there was expensive hull damage that could not be fixed basically because the dealership didn't want to fool with the boat. Long story short after checking the fiberglass and talking to the manger he and I both agreed there was no hull damage and he is getting the boat from the insurance company for basically free... And he doesn't want to fool with it so he's just looking to make a quick buck on it, said I would have to give him around 2-3 to take the boat and everything that was with it.... The seats are apparently at an upholstery shop where they were never upholstered, and the engine is on a stand inside the dealership... There doesn't appear to be any damage to it, might need new plug wires, and a few other things that got pretty warm... The whole situation was handled horribly by the dealership and they screwed the owner over on it pretty badly... The shop claims that they have everything that came off the boat, shaft, prop, wiring harness, fuel tank, floor that's missing, but they said it would prolly take a day for them to gather everything together. Also he said he would obviously be selling the boat as is, and couldn't guarantee that motor was any good, but it was good before the accident... The insurance company however did not salvage the trailer, and they are not sure if the owner knows that that trailer is even his anymore but it's sitting on a nice tandem trailer... Manager said it would probably be hard to get the title for the trailer unless you called the original owner and asked to buy it, or if you live in a state where you don't have to title or register trailers, just keep it. I know it's a sketch story and completely wrong that the manager salvaged a guys boat to make a couple grand. Just thought someone should get this boat before it ends up in a junk yard... Again there was basically no hull damage... No burn marks or anything on the hull

He is suppose to be calling me back next week after working out the deal with the insurance company... I will keep you guys updated... This boat may forever have a salvaged boat title.... Not sure exactly how that works

Hey James. Great talking to you today. Also a big thanks for the pictures and all the information. Looking forward to the road trip to South Carolina to pick up the Supra. Hopefully you will have the x-star and I can check it out before I head home.

Thanks again
Brian

there is no such thing as a salvage title on boats.

That was my exact thoughts

So in Minnesota boats are not able to get salvage titles. Basically the salvage classification is strictly for the insurance company to determine if they want to cut their loses and get out of the boat before paying the outrageous estimates provided by the stealerships. There is also no real tracking system or data base to my knowledge of where insurance companies keep this information. So in theory the boat has a clear title.

As for the trailer that should still be owned by the original owner. The insurance company when considering a boat a total loss has no connection to the trailer. Generally this is how people get leverage to get the boat for cheap from the insurance company on buy back. Other wise the insurance company is F$#@ed on going to have to buy a new tandem wakeboard boat trailer which we all know isnt cheap! That said the original owner should be in the green pretty good at this point (if they werent an idiot on their policy anyway) and will probably part with both the boat and trailer for a pretty fair amount.

The wiring harnesses on these boats are a real pain though and can get expensive in a hurry. Thus, i would see if you can source one of these and how much it would cost. I know on malibu's a new wiring harness costs like 2k.

Hehe... More pics to come... If anyone is interested I will give u a great deal on it! Call me 864-309-5091
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...1A7A0C118D.jpg
http://i1251.photobucket.com/albums/...62B7837C5E.jpg

The Quick Flip..........

http://columbia.craigslist.org/boa/4743477470.html