Mastercraft vs. Centurion vs. Malibu

[Vandr]

I am looking to purchase a new 20' to 24' boat and am looking of feedback on the Mastercraft X2/X15/Xstar vs. the Ski Centurion (Enzo) vs the Malibu(Wakesetter). My kids are wakeboarders and would like to surf.

Does anyone have any feedback that might be helpful?

[03 35th Anniversary]

It all depends on how much $$$$ you want to spend...

[Sodar]

Centurions will be the cheapest.

[Eagle]

X2: excellent surf, ok wake
X-star: awesome wake, ok surf
X-15: dunno. I've heard good things about it.

Enzo: awesome surf, ok wake

VLX: excellent wake, excellent surf

[TMCNo1]

In MasterCraft's Team Talk humble owners opinions, MasterCrafts would be best! Nuf said!

[ProTour X9]

X2: excellent surf, ok wake
X-star: awesome wake, ok surf

Enzo: awesome surf, ok wake

VLX: excellent wake, excellent surf

X15: Excellent Wake, Excellent Surf

[Vandr]

I plan to spend 50 to 80K so I am not looking for the cheapest boat out there. I am looking for a boat to do what I want it to do.

[MC X-15]

X-15 has great space, storage and very nice wakes for surfing and boarding. im a little biased though. My neighbor has a malibu wakesetter, an his wake is great too, he does tons of surfing. I still like my MC though

[bigmac]

If you're not looking for a price-point boat, it would be hard to beat an X-15 for wake, comfort, performance and value (especially resale value).

[Maristar210]

X15 will be my next boat. Eric at Chicago MasterCraft sells em like free doughnuts to cops, so I hear :D

[D3skier]

Mastercraft boats are far above the rest in class, quality, and resale value. Like TMC01 said Nuf said!

[Vandr]

Any particular options for the X15 would be absolutely essential?

[captain planet]

You have a pretty wide price range and can do a lot with that dollar amount. I would recommend to you the following:

Ski behind the boat before you buy it. You going to drop a nice chunk of change on a boat, you better enjoy being behind it.

Do your homework and check out the construction of each of the boats. Lift cushions and stick your head below what is pretty on the outside and see how the boat is put together on the inside. Look at the plumbing job on the ballast systems. Ask questions about construction. Ask how the engines are mounted in the boats, ask about backing plates for hardware, ask about how the hull/deck of the boat is equipped to handle the tower that is on it. Ask if you can do "dips" on the windshield of the other two boats. It is here where you will see what boat is built the best.

I know I am a little biased, but my boat is 10 years old and it feels just like it did the first day I put it on the water.

[btriantos]

Why not a X-30? What Malibu model are you comparing? 21, 23? I love my X-30. Great wake, great surf.

[sand2snow22]

X15 will be my next boat. Eric at Chicago MasterCraft sells em like free doughnuts to cops, so I hear :D

How come nobody likes the orange doughnuts?

[Roonie's]

I love the X2 as I have an 07 now. If I were to buy again today it would be between the X15 and X2 again. I chose the X2 because it fit into my garage where the X15 did not. They are both great boats. Stock surf for X2 is just ok (I have added a lot of aftermarket ballast to make it work). I have heard the X15 stock wake is a little better but would still probably have to add ballast too.

[Sodar]

Cause who wants orange flavor on a doughnut. Its like eating a strawberry flavored steak... it just do taste right.

[2RLAKE]

look into the quality of the boats and take factory tours. You will be amazing at the MC quality ... you will understand the price difference. Look at resale values as well. My good friend and neighbor at the lake has another wakesetter ... their interiors look and feel dirty all the time .. the malibu vinyl jut doesnt clean very well ... go look at a 5 year old malibu and compare the interiors.

Go MC

[Vandr]

I was comparing it to th the Wakesetter 247 LSV.

[captain planet]

I love the X2 as I have an 07 now. If I were to buy again today it would be between the X15 and X2 again. I chose the X2 because it fit into my garage where the X15 did not. They are both great boats. Stock surf for X2 is just ok (I have added a lot of aftermarket ballast to make it work). I have heard the X15 stock wake is a little better but would still probably have to add ballast too.

My buddies X2 surf is fine. We do it all the time with just 4 people in the boat.

[Vandr]

Can any one comment on the additional of ballast tanks to the X15? I am looking to buy the boat with everything included. Thanks.

[Vandr]

Captain, thank you for the information. I still have a lot of checking to do. I am trying to narrow it down and look semi intelligent when I visit the dealers.

[Vandr]

X15 - X30 - can someone let me know what the main difference would be between the two models? I know the obvious difference but why would one buy the X30 over the X15?

[captain planet]

Interior space. The distance from the dash to the rear seat is longer in an X-30. X-30 is 2 inches wider.

X-15 would be a little friendlier to the recreational slalom skiier.

[btriantos]

MC's answer to the Malibu 247 is the X-45. Big boats! I was thinking about going that route when I first started looking, but then the price of gas shot way up. The times that I would need a boat that big would be about 1x per year, so I choked down to the X-30, Malibu's 23 LSV. It's got plenty of room and the wake performance is really good. If I were to do it again, I might consider the X-Star, but seeing what people has said about the wake for surfing would change my mind. I really had my sights set on Malibu, but in the end went MC. Great after sales support from my dealer, and I am able to drop my boat off on a Sunday afternoon for service the next week on site. My local Malibu dealer open on Sunday when they feel like it, and send it to another location for service... My two bits

[btriantos]

X15 v X30...size! X30 can fit a couple more people, little wider, little longer. The added weight is really nice for surfing, although I admit that I have been behind a X15. My girlfriend, and my three kids, can give me enough weight to surf my 195 lbs *** ropeless indefinately.

[cbryan70]

That orange boat looks decent i saw it going down the road today. Not all that bad looking at all.

[MYMC]

X15 - X30 - can someone let me know what the main difference would be between the two models? I know the obvious difference but why would one buy the X30 over the X15?

Given what you are looking at and for I would take a ride in the X35 and X45...my personal opinion would be to skip the X30. The X35 has a great surf wake and does really well wake boarding...the wake can be pro level. The X45 has more room than the X35, and surfs very well...wake board wake gets wide quick.

If resale matters MC has the highest resale value of any inboard boat and can be verified in the NADA book.

Malibu builds a good boat. The 247 is priced very well...the comment made earlier is accurate, find one 5 to 7 years old and see how it compares to a new one.

Centurions are loud and lack the build quality of the two other brands you are considering.

Lastly, if you are dealing with Mark Lawhead (Portland) on the MC side you would be hard pressed to find a better boat dealer. He is a former Presidents Award winner and takes great pride in his operation.

[TX.X-30 fan]

I know I am a little biased, .





Now that's what I've been waiting for. :D

[Roonie's]

My buddies X2 surf is fine. We do it all the time with just 4 people in the boat.

You can't let go of rope and you have to be almost on the platform with stock. I tried to make it work but eventually added the fly high system and now the wake is ginormous and no troubles with the sweet spot. Just for kicks I tried it yesterday with just stock ballast again and it was a no go. The wakeboard wake is great though with stock ballast unless you are pro then go with X-Star as you will notice a difference. As mentioned above the bigger boats x-45 etc will have no trouble with a good wake out of the box.

[brucemac]

roonie, did you ever post pics of your surf wake with the addl' ballast? would love to see some. pm me if you don't want to post 'em public please. thanks.

[Roonie's]

I don't have any pics yet as it is usually just me and the driver. Unfortunately neither of us can take a pic. Been using it a lot and love the added ballast for sure. You can try it out next year on my boat.

brought it in today to get winterized.... bummer.

[brucemac]

right on! yeah, i've been putting it off, i might try and get out one last time this weekend, but that's probably it. :(

[Michael Epp]

I own a 2007 X15; 127 hours; my second MC; best boat i've ever owned (includes Malibu Response); does it all; great big water boat...likely the best due to the depth of the hull; seats 14 (the most seating capacity of any 22' v-drive i know of); I went with the 400 hp LY6 engine since i'm often at full capacity; I have heard that the X-2 and X-15 are the biggest sellers for MC; the X-2 also gets great reviews...just a little shorter (20')

[Jerseydave]

Love my x-star! Great wake with stock ballast, even better with an extra 1400-1600lbs.
My 3rd MC, build quality is second to none. If you need room for more than 9-10 friends, check out the X-35. Nice high freeboard for rough water.

My X-star throws a nice surf wake when loading down the port side.

Resale value, I would think the X-star is the boat most shoppers are looking for.

[kgrove]

Can any one comment on the additional of ballast tanks to the X15? I am looking to buy the boat with everything included. Thanks.

X15 - X30 - can someone let me know what the main difference would be between the two models? I know the obvious difference but why would one buy the X30 over the X15?

I can comment on both... I just replaced my 06 X30 with an 08 X15 and I have experimented with extra ballast on an X15. I had the same 350hp MCX engine on both. The simple answer is that most people aren't buying the X30 instead of the X15, at least as best I can tell.

X15 ballast: The 1000lbs of stock ballast is good for most situations. With just one of the corner ballasts and the centerline/front ballast full, the X15 produces a decent surf wake, but like nearly all boats, the more weight the better. I've seen smaller and much more skilled riders surf my boat with just the stock ballast, but my fat, a** lacks the talent to allow me to do the same. I plumbed an X2/X15 sac (450 lbs) into my starboard rear locker and usually put a 450 lb sac on the seat behind the drivers chair and sometimes another on the floor and it produces an excellent surf wake. For wakeboarding, the stock ballast is pretty damn good. I had a guy a couple weeks ago that dropped the rope after going back and forth between the wakes a couple times because he was scared to go down...

X30 vs X15: physically there is *very* little difference between the boats - if the hulls were painted the same most people would have a difficult time recognizing the difference between the boats other unless they were side by side. The X15 is a little quicker due to the smaller hull and reduced weight, but the difference is small. The wakes are also somewhat similar, but the surf wake on the X15 is a little cleaner. The X30 is about 800lbs heavier between the boat and trailer which does make a small difference towing. The opening on the rear lockers on the X30 are somewhat trapezoid shaped where the X15 is rectangular, so the X15 is actually easier to get large items in/out of the locker even though the interior of the locker on the X30 is actually bigger.

So why would anyone get an X30? Honestly the best reason I can think of is interior room... While incredibly similar, the X30 is a couple inches wider and a foot and a half longer. If you frequently have 8-10 people on board, there's a touch more elbow room. The other reason I can think of is if you are buying used, there is a poor selection of X15s as they have only made them since 06 and I get the impression the volume didn't really pick up until 08. X30s are all over the place.

[Vandr]

Thanks for the info, makes a lot of sense.

[djhuff]

FWIW, many in my riding group really like the X2 wake for boarding, and we ride an 03 VLX and an 07 VLX also. One even will say he likes mine better than his (but only when his boat is a few counties away, doesn't want her to hear that).

I've got a good bit of extra weight, but not quite as much as the fly high system ( I like to still have some locker space).

Go and talk to the dealers, make sure you are comfortable with them as well (on all brands). You also want to be sure they will still be around in a few years if the economy doesn't play nice (dealer in a financially stable position, they won't tell you, but you can figure it out, look around the store).

[jpattigr]

I surfed behaind a Bu 247 this summer and was surprised at how poor the surfing wake was! I am behind a X10 and a CC 216 (Direct drive) and both were much better!

Did noe like the surf wake at all on the BU!

[PDXSurfer]

I love the wakeboarding wake on the LSV. It's super clean and easy (no excess shifting, weighting, etc) and the power wedge is phenomenal. The surfing is great on the starboard side and good on the port side - haven't gotten to add a ton of extra weight though as the LSV is my buddy's boat and sometimes you're just not the captain... But I'd still surf behind the X1 before the LSV because I'm regular and the Port side just doesn't clean up as well.

The tower on the LSV looks sick but it ends there - the MC tower is the best out there and the board racks are second to none. The Malibu has great bling and is a good looking boat, but I too have seen more problems with fit/finish/vinyl than on MCs of same age or older.

To go further I think the big ?s are:
Regular or goofy
What % of time do you spend on sports
Average crew size

I ride behind an X1 so I can't speak to the other X2 vs X15 debate except to say that I'd buy the X2 in a hearbeat.