I jumped ship today - initial new boat review (X2)

[bamabonners]

built in engine bay fire extinguisher:

Stainless cover under helm:

power distribution:

center step under seat:

[bamabonners]

cooler under starboard passenger seat:

Powerplant:

V drive and one of the 3 Johnson reversible pumps:

glove box at night:

glove box open:

Edited July 6, 2013 by bamabonners

[bamabonners]

interior lighting:

Dual bilge pumps (front and rear):

[Indyxc]

Love that craftsmanship, it is superb.

[wakesetter8796]

Love all that billet.... Very classy.

[Tims]

Very nice!!! LOVE the fit and finish. Malibu should take a lesson.

[jk13]

Man, that is nice. Outside colors metallic blue and white?

Side note: we've been scaling back on the use of carbon vinyl in the custom vehicle industry over the last few years (pretty much small trim pieces only now). Crazy to me to see so much of it in a boat a few years later. Wonder how long the trend will last with the marine guys.

[bamabonners]

Man, that is nice. Outside colors metallic blue and white?

Navy blue, gray, and white - I am a Dallas Cowboys fan so it spoke to me. LOL! Metallic goes on bass boats.

The billet is really awesome! Take the windows frame supports for example - they milled them and put a diamond pattern and some scroll work. Nice touch.

Tims, I agree. The fit and finish of the interior has really impressed me. Everything seems so finished. I even crawled around with a flashlight and looked at how the carpet was laid, how the electrical is ran, etc... Everything is super clean.

This was in the glove box:

[Dare2goBare]

interior lighting:

Dual bilge pumps (front and rear):

Bama

Got to tell you I love that Blue LED lighting Very nice.

I'm in the midst of converting mine to red.

[Fman]

Bama, I really hope your X2 is everything you want in a boat... but comparing apples to apples, the X2 does not seem to have near as many features as the VTX.

X2 is missing:

-No surfgate

-No quad tank ballast (1250 lbs)

-No power wedge

-Smaller beam width

-G3 Tower (just my opinion, but I like it better than any MC tower)

Are they using throttle by wire now on the new MCs? I know my brother in laws X-15 shifts like a tank, I like his boat, but there is a lot of plastic components in the boat...

Did you actually compare and test drive both of them? actually wakeboard and surf behind both boats?

Crickets....

[IXFE]

Bama, I am glad you are stoked, honestly. But since we're on the subject of MC, can I ask some things that have always confused me about them?

• Why the fixed pylon on every MC I see? How hard is it to do a collapsible pylon? And why do they make their pylons so tall? It's hard to believe MC has overlooked this; there must be a reason. I'm curious what it is.
• Why all the plastic molded parts, exposed fiberglass, and screws (e.g. dash, glove box surround, helm side panel)? For the money you pay and all the talk of "fit and finish" it should be vinyl wrapped, right? It always feel very bare and spartan to me.
• Why no bow ballast option? Choice is good, right?
• Why is MC still doing carpeted lockers?
• The manual blower switch makes me wonder if there is an auto blower like with Bu.
• What's with the grab handles for your ankles?
• Finally, why do folks keep saying there's so much storage (wasn't this also in your original post)? Here's what I see: 1) Huge cooler takes up all storage on right side, 2) Small lockers made even smaller by ballast tanks that extend above normal floor level, 3) No way to store even small items such as driver's personal effects under the helm (helm has more of a console feel to it), 4) No storage trays above engine and transmission. All that spells less storage, not more. What am I missing?

Edited July 6, 2013 by IXFE

[Fman]

One last question, are the ballast pumps still on timers or did MC finally install floats in there tanks to get a true reading of water level in hard tanks?

[shawndoggy]

One last question, are the ballast pumps still on timers or did MC finally install floats in there tanks to get a true reading of water level in hard tanks?

Well.... it's not like those float gauges are super accurate either. There really doesn't seem to be a certain answer to that problem. Nautique's G's are on timers too AFAIK.

[nyryan2001]

Where is pics if the rest of the boat????

[bamabonners]

Where is pics if the rest of the boat????

raining for 4th day in a row. Will get pics once the sun comes out.

[bamabonners]

Bama, I am glad you are stoked, honestly. But since we're on the subject of MC, can I ask some things that have always confused me about them?

• Why the fixed pylon on every MC I see? How hard is it to do a collapsible pylon? And why do they make their pylons so tall? It's hard to believe MC has overlooked this; there must be a reason. I'm curious what it is.
• Why all the plastic molded parts, exposed fiberglass, and screws (e.g. dash, glove box surround, helm side panel)? For the money you pay and all the talk of "fit and finish" it should be vinyl wrapped, right? It always feel very bare and spartan to me.
• Why no bow ballast option? Choice is good, right?
• Why is MC still doing carpeted lockers?
• The manual blower switch makes me wonder if there is an auto blower like with Bu.
• What's with the grab handles for your ankles?
• Finally, why do folks keep saying there's so much storage (wasn't this also in your original post)? Here's what I see: 1) Huge cooler takes up all storage on right side, 2) Small lockers made even smaller by ballast tanks that extend above normal floor level, 3) No way to store even small items such as driver's personal effects under the helm (helm has more of a console feel to it), 4) No storage trays above engine and transmission. All that spells less storage, not more. What am I missing?

1. don't know. some models offer removable pylons that store out of the way. doesn't bother me.

2. Personally, i prefer the fiberglass. Both Malibus that I have owned have had the vinyl dash areas punctured or ripped. It would be ok it it were tougher, but it isn't. Kindof stupid really, if you think about it. It still have some vinyl wrapping on the sides, just not on the top where the sun bakes the vinyl or people throw their crap on it.

3. it is a 20 footer, putting bow ballast in would take up the storage under the bow seats. The VTX has NO storage up front thanks to the tank. It is a tradeoff and I would prefer to have the storage this time around.

4. don't know, but that is a nice thing to have no carpet in the lockers.

5. no auto blower on my model, but I believe touch screen models have it (not sure though). Not too hard to turn the switch on...

6. don't know, but how many grab handles are in the VTX? none. At least it gives you something to hold on to if needed.

7. 1) Cooler under the seat keeps a cooler that size out of the floor taking up floor space (in a 20 foot boat, floor space is already limited without added a cooler to it). We always take along an igloo with us because the bag cooler sucks. In the VTX, the igloo would be in the floor in our way. 2) The lockers are plenty big and the protrusion really isn't bad (only so much space in a 20 foot boat). Plus you get bow storage and access to storage on the front side of the helm - you get no bow storage at all and no access to the space in helm in the VTX. 3) I never used the engine warming tray so I don't miss it. The "storage" in the VTX helm is not waterproof, why store any personal effects. It is simply an opening in the side of the boat. Store you personal effects in the waterproof glove box. Malibu glove boxes are not waterproof. 4) no tray above engine - no biggie, never used it. No, you don't get storage tray under the center seat, but you do get a step to enter the interior without stepping on the vinyl seat. This causes the vinyl to stretch and tear. Besides, you gain more storage in the bow area that more than makes up for the shallow tray in the v drive storage area.

Edited July 6, 2013 by bamabonners

[JoeA]

One last question, are the ballast pumps still on timers or did MC finally install floats in there tanks to get a true reading of water level in hard tanks?

I suspect not since the 2013 X-Star uses timers.

[bamabonners]

ballast is on timers that can be adjusted if needed.

[JoeA]

Bama--

I think you'll enjoy the MC very much. I looked very closely at Malibu and Mastercraft before deciding on the MXZ. I think Malibu is ahead in terms of hull, electronics, surfing and tower/bimini designs. Mastercraft has much nicer finishes inside the boat. I just absolutely love the billet aluminum. I have ridden an driven the new X-star so I can make these statements which are just my opinion.

The battle between Malibu and Mastercraft will continue and we the consumers will benefit as they try to match or one up one another. Congrats again.

[bamabonners]

Thanks Joe. You still coming to the WOW?

[Fman]

Well.... it's not like those float gauges are super accurate either. There really doesn't seem to be a certain answer to that problem. Nautique's G's are on timers too AFAIK.

I will take an actual float over a timer system any day.... both of my vlx's gauges seem to work great. Edited July 6, 2013 by Fman

[Fman]

Love that craftsmanship, it is superb.

LOL, you mean all the plastic? that stuff is amazing.

[bamabonners]

LOL, you mean all the plastic? that stuff is amazing.

Dude, that isn't plastic, it is vinyl wrapped and stitched. I can take a close up picture if you would like. Knobs are billet aluminum. Not sure what plastic you are talking about...

sorry for the dark pic, but you get the idea (wrapped dash, not a sea of plastic). The parts around the steering wheel are the same way:

Edited July 6, 2013 by bamabonners

[Rznhales]

Bama,

That is one beautiful boat, Congrats!

Funny side note, my wife and I two weeks ago ordered all the vinyl for our local upholstery shop to install at the end of July and we picked the same carbon fiber silver with white. I was stoked to see the same colors in your boat I think they look excellent.

Pic of the outside of the boat?

[bamabonners]

Unfortunately, this is all I can get at the moment of the exterior. It is in my storage space. Hoping to get it on the water tomorrow. Will get more exterior and wake pics if I mother nature cooperates:

The step on the trailer wraps all the way around the back of the boat. It is real nice and wide. It has illuminated Mastercraft on the side of trailer as well (hard to see here). Went with single axle in hopes of being able to maneuver it in the garage for winter storage. They say the ZFT0 tower doesn't fold, but it does hinge backwards at the base. It has a big Hex screw on the base that is removed and the whole tower hinges backwards.

Pic from dealer website:

Edited July 6, 2013 by bamabonners