Help and opinions needed with boat choice

[holdenh2o]

Agree on the 6.2, wet sounds and teak platform suggestions.

Congrats on the x45. It is the Mastercraft Id own if I could afford it.

[FourFourty]

Originally Posted by willyt

The only other thing I would say is I've never seen surf tabs work that well, and I think you can achieve the same results just using water ballast. Now, if those are all about convenience then I understand, but I've seen absolutely amazing surf wakes without the use of tabs.

Would also save you money for that 6.2l...

^ This also. I found that the tabs have a very, VERY, slight effect on tuning the wake. Proper ballast is the best way to tune the wake. That being said, if you are only going to use stock ballast, keep the tabs....... You will need all the help you can get. However, it still wont kick a very good surf wake without additional ballast.

[willyt]

Originally Posted by sully

Heated seats are a must!

Poor guy, looks like his wife found her way onto his SN. Ha.

[FourFourty]

Originally Posted by willyt

Poor guy, looks like his wife found her way onto his SN. Ha.

[jason95gt]

I would also recommend going to the 6.2l. You will appreciate the extra power and it is better on gas than the 6L.

[Heelgrad]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! These are a great help. The main reason I was leaning towards the fiberglass platform is because my kids liked the idea of the soft platform vs. the teak if they're chilling back there with their buddies. Not sure I can omit the fiberglass platform but saving money with a couple of other changes for the bigger motor I'm certainly going to consider. Sounds like having anything that can provide some heat, be it the shower or heated seats, is a big bonus. Knew I'd get some great feedback from everybody here!

[scott023]

Originally Posted by willyt

Wait - you said you wanted to stay in the 22 foot range but are looking at X45's? That's a completely different class of boat (well... X25 isn't 22 ft either).

From a reliability standpoint there are some that would shy away from the 8.1 because of issues they've had with it throwing rods. If your not going to be slamming it out, an X25 would do alright with the 5.7.

If I were just taking my family out, the 25 has plenty of space. if I were ALWAYS taking another fam with me, 45 would be a good option. Bigger boat = more work, more gas.

I say rubbish to this comment. Seems a lot of people think this, but I have yet to hear of more than a few occurances of this happening. Just sayin.

[FourFourty]

Originally Posted by Heelgrad

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! These are a great help. The main reason I was leaning towards the fiberglass platform is because my kids liked the idea of the soft platform vs. the teak if they're chilling back there with their buddies. Not sure I can omit the fiberglass platform but saving money with a couple of other changes for the bigger motor I'm certainly going to consider. Sounds like having anything that can provide some heat, be it the shower or heated seats, is a big bonus. Knew I'd get some great feedback from everybody here!

I actually enjoy the feeling of sitting on teak a lot more..... It is probably an adult thing though . I am sure i would have wanted the fiberglass when I was a kid!

And yes. Shower and heater are both VERY nice to have.

[cpr05xtr]

Def dont go without the shower it is the most used accessory i have ever had on a boat

[JJN]

Personally, I have had both Teak and fiberglass on various MC's. I would not go back to a Teak. Again, just personal preference. The shower is a must, However something you can add after, if you decided. Relatively easy to install, for the avg MC owner.