1997 mastercraft xstar help

Ok so my friend just purchased a 97 mastercraft xstar with no trailer and let's say for now that it has a blown motor.... I've found a 86 supra comp that needs stringers and transom but motor is pcm 351 and is good and trailer looks to be in decent shape... Would it be possible to swap the 351 into the xstar? And would the trailer work? The comp is 19.5ft I believe and the xstar is 21 so the back would hang about 1.5 ft off the back which we could make new bunks that were a little longer for the trailer? Would this be possible?

That 351 is a Ford if I'm not mistaken. Kind of an odd ball engine these days. I'm sure you can get parts for it though. Mating it to the existing drive is probably an issue though.

That trailer probably won't work without some heavy modification. First off would be the axle placement. It/they are going to be way too far forward as is. F you could move the winch stand about 3ft forward you might have a chance. I highly doubt you can move it at all. That would mean moving the axle. This would involve cutting the spring mounts off and moving them back. Huge PITA if your good at it. It also means moving the fenders and steps. At that point, you would have to figure out the bunks. Retrofitting new bunks for a different shape hull that is too big in the first place is another huge PITA if you're good at it. At at least 1 1/2' too short, it would take some fairly serious modification to support the heaviest part of the boat.

I hear where you're coming from but, once you look at what's involved, it's just to convoluted to be worth while

I'd say find out about a replacement motor based on what's in there and will work with the existing drive and get a new, fairly basic trailer from someone like Boatmate who should have a pretty good idea on a correct setup for that boat.

Actually nada has both boats listed at 20', and the beam of the mastercraft is only 2 inches wider than that of the comp... So I fell the trailer should be fine... My question is about the motor swap...We would have to get mounts for the ford motor... Anything else?

Finding a trailer for that Xstar should be easy. Its the same hull as any Mastercraft 205 from 96 onward as well as the 205v X1, and early X2 so there should be lots out there. As for the engine, its just a GM 5.7 so finding one of those should also be easy. No point in trying to make a Ford 351 work when there are so many 5.7s out there.

97 x star is the old 205 hull, not the 205V hull


Also, width has literally nothing to do with the similarities of the boats

Originally Posted by jamespjackson95

Actually nada has both boats listed at 20', and the beam of the mastercraft is only 2 inches wider than that of the comp... So I fell the trailer should be fine... My question is about the motor swap...We would have to get mounts for the ford motor... Anything else?

Ahh. That ain't so bad. Still, getting the tongue weight correct is a critical, CRITICAL factor. That Comp is a Ddrive. Vdrive trailer axels are set further back to compensate for the rearward COG. Simply sticking a Vdrive on a Ddrive trailer is dangerous. It takes loads of tongue weight off. If you don't have enough tongue weight, the trailer will want to wander back and forth. That could potentially make you lose control and throw you and your boat into oncoming traffic. Trust me, it's horrific. So, I really don't feel that cheaping out on a trailer just so you can get that thing to the lake is a very responsible move. It's not just your life in your hands. Know what I'm sayin'?

Originally Posted by aricsx15

97 x star is the old 205 hull, not the 205V hull

Oh... Check the tongue weight anyway.

Both boats are direct drive and the mastercraft is suppose to be only 310 lbs heavier

What engine does the MC have?

Chevy 350

I'm not qualified to comment on the engine swap, but I've been in your position with the trailer situation. When I bought my first inboard, it had no trailer. I ended up buying a trailer for an IO and adjusted it accordingly to make it work. On the one I bought, I was able to move the arm the bow winch sat on. While this worked, the boat never loaded properly. You could get it into position, but it was a pain to get onto the trailer. It's something I never thought of prior to doing that. Given that you have the Supra trailer, I'd try to make it work and then keep your eyes out looking for a good buy on the proper trailer if the supra trailer gives you problems

Can the 351 be put in that boat? Anything is possible.

Would I put a carb ford motor in that boat? No

I'd find out if it was blown and look at the options from there.

Trailer should be fine.

Like most have said you could probably make te motor work with a ton of work and money. Will severly hurt resale also. Wouldn't do it. Its not going to be a direct swap, you would have to change about averything to make it work. You'd be time and money ahead to find a running motor or do a short block.

Will a corvette 5.7 ls1 motor bolt up? What if I bought one off a car and put all my marine accessories on it?

Originally Posted by jamespjackson95

Will a corvette 5.7 ls1 motor bolt up? What if I bought one off a car and put all my marine accessories on it?

It should, as long as the boat has a GM based block the bolt pattern should be the same.

Originally Posted by aricsx15

97 x star is the old 205 hull, not the 205V hull


Also, width has literally nothing to do with the similarities of the boats

No. The 97 Xstar is built on the same hull as the 96 onward 205. The same hull was used for the 205 and the 205V.

Pulled the heads off today and got down to the block... Inside of a few cylinders it is slightly warped....guy said the boat blew a head gasket which it did and he said he never changed the impeller for all of the time he owned it... Which he didn't... Impeller was one of the worst I've ever seen so it wasn't pumping, and the motor over heated.... It's a $30 impeller and super easy to change why not change it every year???? Some people lol.... Think we're just gonna go the route of finding a 350 block and rebuilding it... Seems way easier... And will bolt up directly...We got it apart in only about an hour... Super simple motor... Anyone know where I can get a wiring diagram for the electrical harness? The guy that had it was a so called "mechanic" and all he did was unplug the wiring harness about halfway.
Sorry I don't have pics

Hit up www.skidim.com, they can help you with anything for the older inboards. I would match it with a proper trailer down the road, there should be one pop-up if you keep an eye out.

I think you could use the main portion of the trailer but may need to have a fabricator redo the bunks/supports.

The 351W even in carb form is a great engine. I am not sure I would go through through the trouble though. Can't you get a vortec(assuming the motor in the 97 xstar is a vortec) long block for reasonable pricing? a couple grand maybe?

You might have better luck for the specific tech questions if you go to the Mastercraft teamtalk forums. Lots of knowledgable people over there to help you out.