X45 wake quality

My brother is considering buying an X45, its a 2005 with 8.1 and fully loaded. I have heard that alot of the MC models require alot of ballast to get a great wake, and have heard that the bigger MC's like the X80 have not so great wakes. Who here can report on the X45?

Thanks
Bill

I think the wake on the X-35 is better for wakeboarding specifically.... it feels just as big as the 45 too... that maybe an option.

Why is the 35 better? Just curious. He has a line on an X45 repo. Its a 2005 with less than 40 hours he can probably get for under $40K.

I think the hull shape is more condusive to wakeboarding.... I've never wakeboarded behind the X-45... but been in and on the 35 and it was really nice, pictures I've seen of the 45 look far less impressive.... I am speaking solely on the wake, nothing else.


If you can get the deal go for it, I'm sure the 45 isn't bad

I've been on one 45 and loved the wake, granted i'm not all that good but I thought the wake was great with some extra weight. If an MC was in my future, the 45 would top the list.

i dont know about the wake. but i wouldnt look at a mastercraft after what i just saw/read in another post.
IMPO master as a company sucks and if you buy one its buyer beware. the man using his boat as any normal person would hit a wave and his tower breaks and his boats gets a 110 cracks down the side. then master craft tells him oops you it a wave wrong sorry about your luck.
MASTERCRAFT IS A JOKE look else where you will find better boats made/backed by better companies.

(Message edited by kko13 on March 24, 2009)

Kevin, while i have read the post you are giving reference too i do believe that spreading that kind of information with out hearing both sides is very uncalled for.

yeah kevin, you are a hack! Get a tige!!!! By the way, I like tige's and I would never say that TIGE'S ARE A JOKE. I like all boats in our industry. Every boat has a buyer and a great dealer to back up their product. WAIT THATS RIGHT YOU DID NOT ANSWER HIS QUESTION IN FACT YOU SAID

I dont know about the wake

Go away unless you have something to add.

Oh come on, Kevin, not again. I usually don't reply to ridiculous posts such as yours, but this time, I think I will. This guy has the option to buy a great boat at a great price, a boat that he obviously likes, and wants some info on. He's not asking what you think about his choice of boat, he's asking about the wake. If you want to bash MC so bad, go start your own website and do it there. I've personally have seen/heard stories like that about every boat on this site, but I will not bash them for that. Boats are man made, which means "not perfect." I've ridden behind a lot of different boats in competitions, and they all have their ups and downs, thats what makes you buy or not buy their product. If you don't like it, don't buy it, period.

Bill, sorry I can't help with your post, but I know with that 8.1L, you should be able to get that boat sacked out and on plane no problem. Good luck with whatever you decide to go with!

Nick I think the X-45 wake is misleading.. there is alot of "meat" to it.. nice ramp but it is definetly wider than some other boats in the market.

Als should noted the X-45 makes a KILLER port side wakesurf wake some some wieght in it!

sorry boys i dont drink that koolaid. new i would get some flack but thats ok if i get 1 person to read that post and save them the headache Gene is going through i will be happy.
never told him to buy a tige so dont put words in my mouth.
what kind of boat i own has nothing to do with what MC is doing to Gene so you can attack me all you want it wont change my opinion of the situation MC has left Gene in.
If MC has a leg to stand on lets hear it. step up like other brands have on this site and get it handled.

How much is a new tower for a 2005 X-45?

Bill,

The wake on an X-45 is terrific. I have ridden it with just stock wake and took a very solid rider who landed 540's all day long with just the stock wake and 3 guys in the boat. I liked it. Just resist the temptation to put the trim plate all the way up, it has to be down some to flatten it out.

A new MC tower is pretty steep...I am guessing 7-8K at least. I would go with just a solid aftermarket tower like Samson if you don't like the tower on the boat. The Samson can be gotten with a good bimini for around 4k+.

Super solid wake, you can add weight if you want but you don't really need to. The whole "Mc's take more weight" is ludicrous. Most pros weight theirs beyond stock but so do pros who ride for other companies.

For surfing I would add a little extra ballast to a 45. You can plumb in V-drive sacs to overflow from the factory, super easy install esspecially on an 05' because you don't have to reprogram any pumps.

In terms of the other post about warranty, I can say that I've seen MC step up time and time again for their boats and customers. I have NEVER seen them deny a legitamite warranty in the 5+ years (currently 12th largest MC dealer in nation) I've worked at a dealership. I don't work for the dealer that serviced Genes boat so I don't have the full story, hence I've not commented on that thread.

Bill, I am biased, I own an X45. What I can tell you is that the 45 makes a great wake. For beginner and intermediate riders factory ballast is plenty, maybe even not necessary if you have a bunch of peeps in the boat. I always have the trim tab set at 3/4 down when wakeboarding, IMO it produces a rampier wake and still maintains a great lip. If you like to add more weight with this boat, like I do, you have to run at faster speeds which is what I prefer. You cannot get the wake to clean up at 21 mph if you're running an extra couple thousand lbs over factory. However, the stock set up at this speed puts out a great wake IMO. I've ridden behind most of the major flagship models with extra weight and can honestly say I've never found a wake I like more. Keep in mind that I have my boat dialed into my liking. I also will say that I've known of 45 owners getting frustrated trying to dial their wakes and my biggest piece of advice is that it's a long boat and it craves weight up front, in fact, I keep 500lbs up front at all times, no matter what type of wake I'm trying to set up.

I should also add that if you like a narrow wake it's probably not the best set up for you if like to ride further back. I like landing in the flats so it's not an issue for my tastes.

Why the comments about the tower? It has a factory tower. And we have been riding behind a Cobalt which has a fairly wide wake already so no prob there.

(Message edited by drknute3 on March 25, 2009)

MC experienced some problems with some of their towers shaking especially those with a lot of speakers, boards in the racks etc., and it was more prevalent in their wider beam boats. I never had issues with mine which is full of speakers,lights, extra racks etc. I did add the tower stiffeners they came out with just because they offered them to customers for free but like I said I love my tower and 45.

The 05 tower shouldn't have those problems. It is completely different than the newer tower that has had some problems.

Comments about the tower is that I found a 2005 X-45 repo, but the tower is missing. Must not be the same boat you guys are looking at.

The X45 wake gets really big. We had 15 people in my buddies, I had to ride at 27mph to get it clean. The wake is so hard at that speed it boots the heck out of you. Big wake, big rush, huge jumps that day, felt like I was going off a ski ramp.

Bill

I have ridden the X45 for several years now all over the country for various events. If you want some more information on it you can PM me.

The wake on a X45 is a little wider than some of the 20,21, 22'boats due to the beam of the boat, so I usually ride about 5' shorter than I would on my X Star. It's a very fun wake to ride because it's easily adjustable with the attitude adjustment plate, with it in the up position you get a very vert wake great for trip flip moves like tantrums and front rolls, and with it partially down you get a more rampy wake which allows you to charge hard and fast at the wake like you would for raley and "out in the flats" tricks, plus at the mid setting it allows for a longer transition to land on which is always more forgiving on the body! Dropping the plate can reduce the wake down a ton which is great for first time riders and little kids! The surf wake is pretty awesome as the boat is larger and with the construction of the MC it can be a little heavier than some of the other boats out there.

I've rambled enough, I think you'll be impressed, PM me if you need/want some more information.

Zane

WORD. Couldn't say it better myself. By the way Zane's the man!

'06 stock ballast and two people in the boat.

This area of the lake gets a bit shallow and therefore the wake 'flatens' out a bit.

It was a little rough out so a bit of wash out. The KGB filled and trimmed down. Nice for the eight year old.