07 Mastercraft Xstar

I am possibly looking at purchasing a Mastercraft xstar this weekend. I have been behind almost every boat except for this model. Can anyone please tell me the pros and cons for this boat. I know Mastercraft is a great brand but I just want to make sure this throws out a good wake. It also appears that the cabin is a bit crowded and tight

Originally Posted by acrull

I am possibly looking at purchasing a Mastercraft xstar this weekend. I have been behind almost every boat except for this model. Can anyone please tell me the pros and cons for this boat. I know Mastercraft is a great brand but I just want to make sure this throws out a good wake. It also appears that the cabin is a bit crowded and tight

What % are you wakeboard vs surf? IMO if you surf more than wakeboard look elsewhere. If you wakeboard the stock wake is okay. Once you add weight it really comes alive it seems like every 100 pounds you add makes a difference in the wake. I wakeboarded for 10 years and almost every one of those were behind this hull. I've ridden it stock ballast all the way up to almost 5k pounds. The wake is phenomenal but I find it very unforgiving. The cabin is cramped, and the bow will dip easily. The tower is solid. Clamping board racks are amazing (if you buy it never drive down the road with boards in them. And if you're in REALLY rough water keep an eye on them.) the sunpad is HUGE on them. JL audio is a plus for stereo. IMO the only reason I'd be reluctant to buy that hull of x-star is because of cabin space.....also, what motor is in it?

Originally Posted by tn_rider

IMO the only reason I'd be reluctant to buy that hull of x-star is because of cabin space.....also, what motor is in it?

They are a frightful gas hog and surf pretty poorly. Great wakeboard boat tho if you don't mind paying the piper.

what chase said about the cabin space, bow dip, sun pad, and wake is right on with my experience. Seems that the new 20' boats have more cabin space than this 22' 3" boat. The transom slopes forward, with a long sun pad, and a huge bow, there is very little room left for a cabin... It does not handle chop very well, does not turn very well, can be a gas hog.... with all that said, the boat is awesome. I think it is one of the sexiest boats ever, THE sexiest mastercraft to date, and has an amazing wakeboard wake. Legendary. Favorite wake ever ridden was one with 5K in it. The tower is solid and the board racks are awesome. For all of its faults... I would not hesitate on one if you can afford it and it is a good deal, no matter the motor in it... you can prop up and still run a whole lot of weight.

That year model of the x-star looks so sick when it is sacked out sitting in the water.

The tower on the 07 was not rock solid. That was the year they started with the braces in the top corners on the rear bars. Those braces were bolted on after the fact because of tower failures. I had a buddy with an 07 PWT xstar and another with an 07 x2, both got the braces. Otherwise a nice boat for sure.

Rock solid, so long as it did get the braces..... Make sure it has them. Most got updated, as long as the owner knew that they could get them installed for free.

My experiences with the X-star:

Pros:
* stock + 2000 lbs its an insane wake
* Great looking
* Great build quality
* Good storage/boat layout

Cons:
* Surfing is meh at best
* Cabin middle of boat is smaller than I would like

Pretty much what everyone else has already said. Horrible surf wake compared to most other boats. But pretty darn nice wakeboard wake so long as weighted and u are aware that it can be somewhat unforgiving with that lip it develops.

As for gas hog not sure it's any worse than any other similarly weighted boat with similar motor.

Originally Posted by nautiquesonly

The tower on the 07 was not rock solid. That was the year they started with the braces in the top corners on the rear bars. Those braces were bolted on after the fact because of tower failures. I had a buddy with an 07 PWT xstar and another with an 07 x2, both got the braces. Otherwise a nice boat for sure.

You are correct. The braces should still be free I believe.

I've got a 2008 so nearly the same boat. I second most of what's been said except for a couple things.

My prior boat was an MC197 (slalom boat) and I find the handling on the X to be very good. It's nimble for a big boat, rides well and doesn't do anything weird like porpoise. It handles rough water pretty well even though it's a flat bottom. I chock that up to how solid the hull is. The thing is a tank. The tower is too as long as you have the braces. The main cockpit area is small for the size of boat. I call it "intimate". That's a bad thing if you always boat with a big family or crowd. It's kind of nice if you don't because it doesn't feel like you're in a bus. It has a bad rep for surfing that's not really deserved. Port side wake can be made pretty good with the right ballast. Goofy is hopeless.

It's definitely not a boat for everyone like say a 23 LSV. But it has it's charms and when bought used it will hold it's value well.

I have never had an issue with the cabin space. I have always been very happy with the boat.

Wake surf sucks, its like riding a wave in the ocean and your riding the crush. Its an amazing stereo boat, sexy as hell. Great wakeboarding boat, I have always thought it handled rough waters well.

I thought the xstar surf wake sucked, but then I figured out how to properly weight it. I was used to running nearly 1500 lbs of ballast in the nose of my x1. The star does not like nose weight for surfing. Factory kgb filled and that's it, no more nose weight. Fill the rear up with 2-3k lbs of ballast and you're good to go.

As for handling, imo it handles like a dump truck compared to my x1/205v. But, it also handles chop 10x better than my x1.

For interior space, you do give up cabin space im exchange for large rear lockers that hold a ton of ballast, and a huge roomy bow.

In the looks department it's hard to beat how sexxy an xstar looks sitting on the water.