WSM: Why should someone buy this?
MasterCraft: It?s the largest open bow direct-drive in its class. It?s 96 inches wide, so it is really huge on the inside. It?s roomy around the motor box and it has a spacious open bow. It?s about as big as you can get with a direct-drive boat and it still skis great because it is a direct-drive. So, it?s ideal for the family who wants the performance of a traditional ski boat but also wants something bigger. It has a deeper vee than our traditional 190 ski boat, so it?s going to ride better in rough water. It?s not a traditional slalom boat with perfect wakes for the course, but it is a good combination for just about everything.
Are there any innovations on this boat?
This boat features some items we?ve worked throughout much of the line. Of course, it has all the newest construction technologies, like the full-molded fiberglass liner, new gelcoats and rack-and-pinion steering. And the fuel tank has an integrated fuel pump inside of it, so we push fuel to the engine instead of pulling it. We?ve done that by going to a lower-profile tank. This boat has the new angled transom and an integrated transom platform bracket which sits horizontally instead of vertically, giving it twice the strength. The sundeck is a new feature ? it?s a removable rear bench that sits on top of the armrests level with the rear hatch to create a full-sized sunpad. We have a Masterview driver seat, which is a flip-up bolster seat that raises the driver six inches.
What aspects of this boat are you as a manufacturer most proud of?
Probably the overall design of the boat. From a slalom perspective we made a bigger boat without really making a bigger hull. From a wakeboard perspective it has a slightly deeper vee so the boat will settle in the water and make a better wake. For even better wakeboarding, we offer the same hull in the X-9 with a ballast system under the rear seat and in the ski locker. We tried to flare out the hull sides a lot while keeping the running surface narrow so you have a small, narrow slalom wake. We didn?t want to make a bigger boat overall because it would ruin the performance. You also have a beveled transom. This is unmistakably a MasterCraft.
Super Specs
Length 20 ft. 11.5 in.
Beam: 96 in.
Fuel capacity: 35 gal.
Seating capacity: 12
Test prop: 13 in. OJ 4-blade
Test engine: Indmar TBI 5.7L EFI Predator
Base price $36,300
On the Water
Performance
Top speed 43.5 mph, 4,900 rpm
Accel. to 22 5.02 sec.
Accel. to 36 7.62 sec.
Accel. to 30 to 36 3.60 sec.
Noise levels (db)
Idle 59 D, 61 R
22 mph 79 D, 85 R
36 mph 89 D, 95 R

WATERSKI Magazine