Mr. Big Stuff
Wakeboarders oversized dreams will come true with MasterCraft's new hard-core X-30.
January 1, 2001
Bigger is better. That's why they make king-sized beds, 61-inch televisions, Cadillacs and all
those other oversized things that fill our fantasy lives. Of course, not everybody has the same
fantasies, but size is a common thread. Surfers dream of perfectly formed 40-foot Hawaiian waves.
Anglers dream of 25-pound bass. Golfers dream of 350-yard drives. It goes without saying that some
oversized dreams come true about as often as jumbo asteroids come crashing into the earth.
Some dreams, though, are more realistic. Like the wakeboarders' dream of a boat that's big
enough to carry a dozen or so people and all their gear comfortably, has a ballast system that's
quick and easy to use, that comes with a lethal sound system and lights for night riding, and just
happens to throw a wake that's a thing of beauty. A boat like MasterCraft's new X-30.
Unlike a dream, though, analyzing the X-30 isn't too difficult. When MasterCraft introduced
the X-Star, it sold like mad. And as wakeboarding continues to boom, wakeboarders are bringing lots
of people along (the extra weight, the extra eyes to watch, the extra money to put toward gas and
groceries, etc.). So what MasterCraft really needed in the fleet was a big wakeboard boat. Now they
have one.
Luckily for MasterCraft, it didn't exactly have to start from scratch to design the X-30. It
already had a proven V-drive in the MariStar 230VRS, so it just needed to do a bit of tweaking to
make it totally wakeboard-friendly. The boat's size is just about perfect, with an overall length
of 22 feet 8 inches, and a 98-inch beam that gives the boat plenty of room. But to be a legit
wakeboard boat ' and all four of the boats in MasterCraft's X-Series, the X-Star, X-5, X-10 and
X-30, are designed to be true wakeboard boats ' the X-30 needed a few extra goodies.
First off, if a dozen people are going to come aboard, there better be somewhere for them to
sit. The X-30's driver gets a captain's chair, and there's the usual bow seating (great for when
you're anchored or idling around), but the rest of the crew gets a large bench that wraps
completely around the X-30 interior. Since those people are going to bring gear, and lots of it,
there's literally a boatload of storage on board. The king-sized sun lounge opens in three
sections, with gull wings on the sides that open to reveal massive storage compartments on either
side of the engine, which sits beneath the center section of the sun lounge. Raising the observer's
seat back reveals another huge storage compartment to complement the in-floor ski locker.
Even more board storage is provided by the Zeroflex Flyer tower. The Zeroflex Flyer has been
upgraded with a new easy-drop system that lets you put the tower down for towing or storing the
boat, then quickly raise it when you get to the water. The tower also provides nifty accommodations
for the optional night lights and speakers that transform the X-30 into a booming creature of the
night. Not that the X-30 won't boom in the daytime. With Clarion's new waterproof radio/CD player
(which can be completely covered with water and still work like a champ), a 120-watt amplifier,
four speakers and a 10-inch subwoofer under the dash, the X-30 can be heard as well as seen from a
long, long way off.
The big sound complements the X-30's big wake nicely, giving the sonic motivation necessary
to make full use of the wake. The wake is helped out by the Triple KGB system, MasterCraft's latest
entry in the wake-building race. The KGB system uses electric pumps (operated via a rocker switch
at the helm) to fill or empty strategically placed water tanks to add weight and increase the wake.
It's similar to the fat-sack system that some manufacturers use, but MasterCraft's KGB setup
doesn't compromise the X-30's storage capacity, a problem that's been noted on some other systems.
Filling or emptying the KGB system takes about five minutes, either while sitting idle or while
underway. Fill the KGB, pack the boat with a dozen friends and suddenly the X-30 throws one of the
biggest wakes on the market, a wake that's really a bit too big for less-than-expert riders, to be
honest. The good thing, though, is that you don't have to use the giant wake unless you want it.
With the KGB empty and only a few people on board, the X-30's wake is novice-friendly, semi-soft
and nicely shaped so you can cross it with confidence and even get air. Then, when you're ready,
fill the KGB and the cockpit as needed until you're launching X-Game-ready aerials.
Riding the wake is, admittedly, the best thing about the X-30, but that's saying something,
because driving the big shooter is pretty sweet. A flip-up bolster seat is a most welcome addition
for the driver, providing significantly improved sight lines. That's important and a major bonus
when the boat is fully loaded with passengers and weight, which causes the bow to ride notably
higher than normal. The dash is clean but fully loaded with instrumentation, and the whole area
carries on the MasterCraft tradition of impeccably laid-out helms.
There were a couple of years when legitimate questions were being raised about MasterCraft
carrying on its tradition of delivering well-built hulls and decks, but those questions have been
answered since the MasterCraft management team, led by John Dorton, bought the company and returned
to a philosophy of having skiers and wakeboarders design MasterCraft boats. Over the past two
years, MasterCraft has returned to the forefront of design and construction, and the X-30 continues
this return to form. Powered by a standard 310-hp, 5.7L Indmar engine, the X-30 accelerates from 0
to 30 mph in just less than 6 seconds en route to a top speed of 44 mph during the test run.
Holding speed and line are no problem for even novice drivers, and under pressure ' full- throttle,
wheel-lock turns, for example ' the X-30 hull never once shows any signs of sliding out or hooking
abruptly, so you can whip it around with confidence when picking up a downed rider. In addition,
the heavy V-drive makes plowing through wind chop and other boats' wakes small work.
That's about the only thing small about the X-30, though. Everything else is purely big time.
It's not completely perfect (no boat is), but it's definitely in the premiere class of wakeboard
boats, and of 22- to 24-foot V-drives period. With the X-30, MasterCraft is proving that bigger
really is better.