Malibu 247 LSV or MC X-45....? Need Help Fast!

Sorry to start another annoying thread like this, but I'm really torn. I just sold my Tige RZ4 and need to replace it. The boat show is in town and we want to put a deposit down tomorrow so the boat is built by April.

WHICH BOAT THROWS A BETTER SURF WAKE?
I don't know anything about the wedge, any quirks I should be aware of?

WHICH TOWER IS BETTER, THE NEW BU OR THE OLDER STYLE MC?
BTW, the samson on my RZ4 almost rattled off my boat? I like the MC but the tower looks like an erector set and they just keep adding braces to make it stable. The new Bu tower is pretty sweet looking and it felt stable when I tried to shake it.

WHICH BOAT RUNS BETTER IN ROUGH WATER? (8.1L to 8.1L comparison)
We go to a crowded lake and always have a ton of people on the boat, we want a smooth ride.

Take a test drive in each and make your decision from there. It's too expensive of an investment to not form your own opinion.

VLX, by the time the lakes thaw it will be too late to order a new boat. Unfortunately, I need to make a decision before driving either one.

Perhaps you coul fly down to Tennesee and arrange a demo with each. It would suck to spend all that money and being dissapointed come April.

Troy, I agree it would be a bummer to pick the wrong one. I've been doing a lot of research tonight and I'm finding a lot of negative comments about the MC's tower and over all bang for the buck.

i would go with the malibu 247lsv it handles way better than the x 45 the wedge also puts out a great surf wake

I'll second the 247 if you're wanting a surf boat.

Check out the pics here:
http://slayshtank.com/photography/will-russ-and-the-lake-austin-strobe-sesh-with-hazen-an-beck/

We were out on a 247 for this sesh. EVERYONE out there had nothing but good things to say about the wave behind the boat. It was setup with a custom sack on the port side and a wedge.

I've seen a number of x45's out surfing, and the wake is not comparable at all in my opinion and I've never seen a wake behind one that made me want to go catch a pull. But to each his own.

Can't tell you much about rough water handling, we were out in a river/lake that never gets that rough.

Did not care for the wakeboard wake on the 247. Surf wakes are great on both. Not familiar with rough water ride in 247. X45 has great rough water capability. 247 handles awesome. Can't go wrong with either model. It's all personal preference. I'm sure there are guys out there that love the 247 wakeboard wake and hate the X45. You'll be happy with either one.

I have a friend that has an X45 and we got a good surf wake out of it but it took a ton of weight. Overall the X45 is a really nice boat. It is huge, has a huge bow area, snap-in carpet, and quality components through out. The swivel racks are best functioning racks made in my opinion.

I have only ridden in a 24LSV but it was extremely nice as well. It has a more plush feel with wall to wall carpeting. Their seats and vinyl seem to be a little more on the plush side than the Mastercraft. I think you have to be a little more careful as you can't remove the carpet. The main cockpit of the 247 is like a living room but the bow is small for a 24 and a half foot boat. The stock wake with 4 ballast tanks and wedge will be better than the X45.

It is a tough call and I think you would be happy with either boat. If you really aren't going to get to demo one before you buy go with which one you like better, which dealer you get a better feeling from and which dealer gives you the best deal. With equivalent options I would expect the 247 to be 5-10k less than the X45.

Thanks for all the feedback, we purchased a 23 LSV. We ended out liking the Bu better after going over each boat for hours. The mastercraft is better looking on the inside, but I can't get over their dated tower. It's my understanding MC has a totally new tower coming for 2011. The 247 is due for a remodel in the next year or two, so we decided to buy the recently updated 23 LSV. It's a little smaller than we wanted, but it feels like it has the same amount of space as our old RZ4. Fortunately, we could still get the 8.1 liter and the Bu rep said it should still be great in rough water. We'll get the 247 in a couple years once it's been updated.

BTW, we did a fiber glass interior with snap out carpet. They give you an option now, no way we would buy a boat with wall to wall carpet.

Thanks again for the help,
KD

Damn dude, you could have gotten an x25 or xStar!!!

But that LSV will still be dope. Warm weather is coming.

Good for you man, couldn't go wrong with either purchase probably. What makes you think MC is changing their tower in '11?

Congrats on the new purchase!

The current MC tower came out in 2007. So it's on it's fourth year. Seems reasonable that a new tower may be on the horizon. Four years is a long time for the same tower design.

Kdawg,

You are moving fast. I didn't even get a chance to respond!

I am sure you will be very happy. If your life has these kinds of tough decisions, you live in a very good world.

For those reading the thread with a similar dilemma, I would only add that my two primary boats are the X45 and the 247. I think the 247 wakeboard wake is better than my X45, but my surf wake is better. I hate to have opinions opposite what has been posted above to just confuse people, but I think it must boil down to opinion. My buddy uses a custom sack on his bu with the wedge for surfing, and it just seems to have a more gradual wave to it, and it seems to not have the same power to it. But judging by the pictures above, somebody figured a way to surf the heck out of a 247.

I love the tower on my MC. I rarely hear complaints about the tower on TMCowners.

I hope they throw in a jock strap with your 23LSV purchase. If you value your boys get used to wearing it in rough water.

Your RZ4 will handle the rough water much better thann the 23 LSV.

I've logged many hours in the 23LSV ( 2005) and the RZ4 ( 2008)

curious why did you get rid of the RZ4

The 247 is good for surfing, whereas some MCs have trouble giving you a top class wave - 45 included. Considering all I do is surf, you made the choice I would have if I had to choose between those two.

Have a good season! (when it finally gets here)

247 is a big boat and takes a lot of weight to sink it, but really rewards you with a good surf wake when you do. Bet you get similar results with the 23. Congrats on a great boat.

Good decision. If nothing else, you got the better tower. MCs blows, band aids & all.

If anything, you'll be able to pass the time peeling the chrome that will start flaking off the racks when the wedge breaks off and your buddies are diving down looking for it.

Seriously though, my buddy has an '05 23LSV. It's one of my favorites, especially when loaded down.

I love it. I am sure the wedge will fly off and hit him if he doesnt watch out. I was out in an X-Star when I sold them and a few of the bolts came out of the tower with rider in toe. Now thats a real problem. 23 is a sick boat, and it is easier to set up for surfing than a 247. Good Pic. Congrats.

I think the Illusion tower is much less useful in certain circumstances. More specifically, it is short. Lots of guys have cracked their head on that tower. Even guys who are barely 6 feet.

My biggest beef with the Illusion is mounting HLCD's to it. Especially with the long cockpit of the 247, the speakers are too loud for the majority of the seating area if you want the rider to hear them. A forward arching tower is just not speaker friendly.

My tower on my MC is very stable. I have no complaints whatsoever. The rotating boardracks are extremely well engineered.

I'm 6'1 and have no problems with my Illusion tower in my VTX

The G3 is taller than the old Metcraft Illusions. I agree with Talltigeguy that it's less usefull though. With only 2 legs, you get to store half as much before it's overloaded. Look at all the bad bushings & cracked glass they have caused.

But the MC tower, load it up & watch it sway in the breeze. They didn't add band aids to it for no reason. Loaded down in choppy water & it's too much for me. Several guys we ride with have it. Some have less problems & others post videos on Youtube because it's so bad.