Mastercraft saltwater series

greenspirithydro · Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 32 City: charleston

Anyone on here own one? I am looking at buying the X30 or X-star next year. Wanted to pick your brains.

snowboardcorey · Posted: Aug 28, 2006 3:21 pm Post subject:

I'm totally landlocked so never driven a salt water series, but check this out

http://www.bumpfilms.com/download/MC06/Salt_validation.mov

bjackson · Criminal Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 70 City: Connecticut

Well what are you interested in with the salt water series, I ride behind a saltwater series x-star. I know them pretty well, have a '01 x-star that I'm using in saltwater, and have been on saltwater all my life. So let me know.

Wakeboarder700 · Outlaw Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 249 City: Sarasota

bjackson, i ride on saltwater, and my friend is probibly getting an '02 vlx. I told him we need to put a salt water flush into it, but ive searched on the internet and havn't found much. How do you flush your x-star?

Thanks

Oliver

greenspirithydro · Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 32 City: charleston

Mr Jackson, thanks for your relpy. I really wanted to know what the pros and con of the saltwater series are. What they dont like and what they do like. Wanna no more than just a mastercraft saleman is gonna tell me. Just seems like a smarter buy, as oppsed to buying a regular mastercraft and putting it into saltwater. What do you have to do to your x-star after you ride it in saltwater? Is it docked in the saltwater or do you put in every time?

Wakeboarder700 · Outlaw Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 249 City: Sarasota

greenspirithydro, Yeah, that saltwater series isnt made for nothing lol. Im no expert, but if you ride in salt you should probibly:Flush engine, was prop and rudder, wash whole of boat (as much is out of the water), wash all of the upholstry and dry it after, wash tower and dry it after, and wash off any visible metals with frash water.

RideLF1946 · Newbie Joined: 28 Aug 2006 Posts: 36 City: Raleigh

Hey, we have been looking at the mastercraft Saltwater Series, and i've ridden behind just about every MC except for the X-80, and im pretty sure the best buy if you are gonna get one is the X-2, the wake is just as good as the X-Star stock, and if you weight the X-2 down it throws a sick wake. One thing to take in mind though is that they are a little bit overpriced. Another boat that will do ohk in the saltwater is the new Epic, its stock with closed cooling and the new 8.1 Liter Volvo Penta engine, its also 2 speed transmission that saves feul, not to mention its got by far the best wake.

bjackson · Criminal Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 70 City: Connecticut

The new saltwater series x-star comes with a lot of standard features that I have modeled mine after. All the gas pistons that hold open the back cushions are stainless. Zincs are placed on the rudder, tracking fins, swim platform brackets, and shaft; helping to slow the effects of electrolysis. The intake line on the saltwater series has a strainer plumbed in. Self bailing cockpit, bronze thru-hull/intake fittings, and basically stainless is used where ever possible. The flush kit on the saltwater series is equipped with the same checkvalve used in mine only the garden hose connection is on the transom, this allows you to flush the engine without opening all the back cushions to get in there, and anywater that might leak from the connection will never enter the boat from the outside connection on the transom. The biggest feature on the saltwater series is the captains choice crusader engine. Crusader engines are designed for the saltwater elements.

Now I'm not completely sure, but before they started putting the Crusader engines in, you could get a closed cooling system option put in. I don't know if that option is still available, since the use of the crusader engine has eliminated the need for that. Also all the mastercrafts I have seen have a garden hose attachment plumbed into the intake, all the boats are coming from the same dealer so I don't know if thats something the dealer does or mastercraft does.

As Wakeboarder700 said, after each use of the boat wash down and dry out everything or open everything and let the sun dry it out. When I use my boat I usually keep it docked in saltwater for a week tops. I don't have bottom paint on mine, if I did I would be able to leave it in significantly longer without a lot of bottom growth. I don't have anything against bottom paint, its just when I got the boat it came with none and I opted to leave it that way.

Before I put the boat in the water I wax the hull and the topside, since the old x-star is 20' 6" it takes me like an hour tops to do the waxing by hand. After each use I'll flush the engine, rinse the boat down, and let it dry out. I'd say thats the only difference between using it in saltwater and freshwater. I clean and protect my upholstry and tower the same as freshwater users.

Basically what makes up my flush kit in my boat is found on page 2 of the following:
http://www.perko.com/Perko%20Catalog/127-158/underwaterhardware.pdf
Also Wakeboarder700, if you have a hard time finding the flush kit online, pm me I can probably get you it.

After viewing a lot of the pages in that catalog, A LOT of the components in there are used on the saltwater series x-star. Hope a lot of that helps, anymore questions let me know I'll see what I can do.

greenspirithydro · Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 32 City: charleston

Thanks for all the insight guys. RideLF, I have demoed the x2, but want something a little bigger. I am worried that the smaller x2 will not handle as well in the choppy harbor and ocean were I live. I am really eyeing the X30 and X-star. Who makes the Epic?

Mr Jackson, I have heard bad things about bottom paint. Mainly it looks like crap. I was planning on renting a floating dock, where you just ride your boat up on it and it floats on top of the water. If those are not availabe I may have to leave in water. So if I get it out every week and wash, then the barnicles will not grow on the bottom? How does the saltwater affect the vinly? Do you wash that ever time? I thought you wanted to keep as much water out of the boat as possible? What products do you use to protect the vinly? What does waxing the boat before putting into saltwater do? Also, there are some cool islands where alot people pull up and party. How bad is it for the gel-coat, if you pull the boat up on the beach to chill for a while? Thanks for the schooling!

bjackson · Criminal Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 70 City: Connecticut

If you pull it out every week or so chances are you won't run into any problems with barnicles. Barnicles, when first devloping are soft and can come off with your finger nail, so if you do begin to see barnicles developing on the bottom, get under there with a white scrub brush and with a little muscle they will brush off rather easy (probably better to scrub it while its in the water, the barnicles won't dry out). If you don't want to do that, you can pull the boat out and use a product by Mary Kate called On & Off, which is basically an acid for bottom cleaning fiberglass boats (not to be used on painted bottom boats). My boat has a white bottom, and over a weeks course will develop a yellow color, I'll pull the boat out and spray the On & Off all over the bottom, without any scrubbing it will completely remove the color and any mild growth on the bottom.

Saltwater doesn't really affect the vinyl, I'll wipe it down with a wet rag when its in the water to limit the amounts of water in the boat. But when I pull it out and the plugs are pulled I'll hose it down, not excessively so its drentched but to the point of where I know its clean. I use Aerospace 303 to protect the vinyl, that is by far best product I've seen when it comes to protesting vinyl.

I wax the boat before I put it in everytime for two reasons. 1. I have a black mid hull and I want to reduce the effects of the sun on it, wax will limit gelcoat fading. 2. It completely repels the water, water doesn't adhere to it, it beads up and just drips off. Waxing the fiberglass keeps the boat looking brand new, and clean. When it comes to rinsing it off dirt comes right off, it'll prevent the white from turning yellow from the sun. And any color gelcoat for that matter.

I wouldn't suggest beaching a boat without bottom paint, I mean think of it this way bottom paint provides a barrier between the boats fiberglass and the grits of the beach, without it the beach will wear your gelcoat. Its all about preference. Bottom paint in my opinion really doesn't look all that bad, there are tons of different color options and all, and a good paint job will really limit bottom growth. Growth doesn't grow nearly as fast on bottom paint then it does on fiberglass. Like I said its all about preference, every boat by me has bottom paint I guess if you aren't use to being around it, its weird.

greenspirithydro · Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 32 City: charleston

So you wash and wax on the trailer? So I guess there are some spots you will not be able to get? Your help has been very helpful. I am meeting w/ a mastercraft dealer this saturday to demo an x-star. Pretty stocked. Cant wait for next year to get my boat. I want a raging sound system. Will the salt in the air affect the tower speakers?

bjackson · Criminal Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 70 City: Connecticut

Yes I wash and wax on the trailer, I'm not really worried about the bottom of the boat since not much sunlight will reach down there. Although I have came across Anti-Fouling waxes that act a lot like bottom paint when it comes to preventing bottom growth, but is just a typical wax that goes on the same and don't see. I have yet to try it.

The air will come into play with speakers, I haven't seen or heard any noticable effects because of salty air when it comes to the mechnical and operational aspects of the speaker. But appearance does come into play. Chrome speakers begin to pit if not properly protected (i.e. wax). Wire connection might begin to corrode as well. Good luck with the dealer.

greenspirithydro · Newbie Joined: 06 Jun 2003 Posts: 32 City: charleston

Thanks for all your insight. I am sure I will be pestering you again in the future!