Mastercraft XSTAR

Tested here is the Mastercraft XSTAR which is a real show-stopper whether you are at the helm, lounging aboard or swinging on the rope behind.

This boat review was all the more interesting in that it was the world wake boarding champion’s personal steed and he kindly handed over the reins to us while he had a tow behind.

Harley Clifford is obviously pretty good at what he does (proven to be the best in fact) and happy to do it behind what he firmly believes is the best wake boarding craft available for his profession.

An under-tower boat cover for when it is sitting in the air dock was included in the optioned cost.

This allows for all the bling upstairs to be significantly displayed to all and sundry; and there’s plenty of it. The tower is a ‘ZFT5P’ model and sports four audio speakers and two forward-facing lights. A bundle of other swanky speakers are flush-mounted throughout the cockpit on any available panel. There is a stereo remote control fitted for those lounging fore and aft.

There are also lights flooding the rear deck from the tower to illuminate the party activity when the wake boarding is on standby.

A canvas bimini covers a good area over the helm and front-passenger seat which will be welcome with the black colour scheme of the boat and the silver dash which will absorb heat more than lighter colours.
The targa supporting the shade is electronically adjusted to raise and lower the tow point to suit individual boarders, as well as the position of the shade that falls on the cockpit. The multi-board racks attached to the targa allow boards to be locked out over the water rather than crammed in the cockpit .

Those braving the colder climes when taking part in this type of sport may enjoy the on-board heating system and even heated seats -- just couple more of the little luxuries aboard this boat.

It would seem that any of the plush seating has some way of manipulation that turns it into a flat lounge.  On the bow riding lounge one could easily bed down for the night on what is equal in spread to a double bed. Lift up the bases and so much stowage space is exposed that the downside will by trying to locate items spread about the boat; simply, there are just too many areas where things could be.

A neat boarding ladder sits between the twin points of the bow and tucks away under a lounge cushion completing the opulence of that area.

The draft of this hull is just over 0.7 of a metre or 28 inches at the transom so back anchoring to keep the four-blade CNC OJ screw off the bottom would be a priority and with a LOA nudging 7.4m, the forward boarding ladder should be handy to the beach while the transom sits over the deep. Looking back at night the underwater lighting will set the mood.

A freshwater wash down will also be handy -- bring your own pressurised shower to the beach.

A metal door with an attractive motif emblazoned in relief either side, halts any draught and sits well amongst the rest of the colour scheme and is hinged in this companionway.

The leg well in the bow riding area may be in-filled with the lounge back rests to make a double berth. As a lounge, a seat each side of the leg well faces forward while three face aft and a stylish rail serves those seated here as a safety hold when the manoeuvres are tight and fast.

The cockpit lounge forms part of the aft facing passenger/observers seating which runs down the portside cockpit liner from the helm bulkhead. It then runs abeam in front of the engine box to a short lounge on the starboard side which stops short of the helm chair.

The skipper’s perch is a stand-alone item and features a bolster that can be swung into place to allow a clear view ahead when the boat is bow up in wake board mode.

Under one of the cockpit seats a removable ice box is located and considering this boat is rated to 13 people it would be good to see another ice box or refrigerator secreted in one of the other compartments as well.

Both lounge areas feature smart recesses each side in which the flush-mounted speakers are mounted as well as drink holders that are large enough to receive drink receptacles inserted in ‘stubby holders’.
The engine box is effectively muffled from the cockpit by a plush full-beam sun lounge which has three lift-up sections with those port and starboard accessing board stowage compartments and the crank batteries.

Over the stern, a large boarding platform allows one to ‘don’ the board before jumping off.

These engines have been fully specced with alterations to pistons, rods and crank to bring the engine volume up to 7.4 litres with a five-year limited factory warranty. Petrol engines of that size are not normally available in the marketplace so these really are specialised to Mastercraft.

The dual exhaust system is fitted with silent master mufflers to round out that ‘V-8 thump’ and it does it nicely.
Fuel is suppled via a high-pressure pump with dual filtration systems inside a pair of cross-linked low-permeation polyethylene fuel cells with a combined capacity of 280 litres.

If that isn’t enough to sit the hull low in the water to create some good wake, there is always the triple-tank underfloor ballast system holding 650kg of water that is fitted with four high-capacity pumps to get the XSTAR working at the correct attitude for a particular boarder.

These individual characteristics of boarders, including preferred speeds and wake angle off the stern can be factored into the onboard computer and recalled with a touch of a screen that elevates out of the dash when the ignition is switched on. The same screen allows the ballast system status to be monitored and adjusted with a drag of a finger up or down on the touch screen.

The hull build is devoid of any timber in its structure; rather it relies on a grid system of hollow fibreglass stringers and cross members to attain the maximum amount of strength with minimum flex.

The deep-V hull with high freeboard makes this boat a good contender for rough open water and its beamy bow offers maximum stability when dead in the water and when people are moving about the boat, especially up front.

It looks the part, sounds the part and performs above all expectations both as a family boat and wake boarder. Sure, there are boats out there that will peel the eyelids back more so than on this boat but the XSTAR is not about speed but pure style and it has got plenty of that in every aspect; both cosmetic and performance.

The boat has a huge amount of torque all the way through the throttle range, and the steering and manoeuvring at speed requires almost no  effort -- it’s as smooth as silk.

Hole shot and speed/rpm stats are not something we delve into at depth with this style of boat but suffice to say it will do 77km/h (41.6 knots) at 5800 rpm. The more it drags in the water at low speed, the bigger the wake which is why we visited this particular model in the first place. With the ballast tanks full and manipulated to suit the boarder behind, performance remains impeccable and without a rope and rider astern the manoeuvrability is very snappy indeed.

Do specialised boats of this type get much better than the XSTAR? We doubt it but go ahead and have a look at the marketplace if you like. You already know the bottom line regarding the price tag and if you are still online with us, you’re a contender for this boat -- enjoy! We did.