17 Mastercraft NXT VS 18 Yamaha 242x

Hey guys Im having trouble making this decision. I am planning on buying a boat before the end of the year and cant decide which would fit my family better. I like the Runabout features on the Yamaha but the Surf wake looks weak.... I like the surf wake on the Mastercraft but does not seem near as comfortable to spend the day on as the Yamaha. I think in the end I will be happier with the Yamaha but feel like I may regret not buying the mastercraft for the wave. This will be our first boat so its hard to say how much time we will actually spend Surfing vs just pulling tubes and hanging out. Thanks in Advance.

Don’t discount the wake the yamaha can produce. The biggest pluses for the yamaha is lack of maintenance and no prop. We’ve put on 302 hours on our 2014 212x and i’ve spent a grand total of less than $500 for maintenance related stuff over 4 seasons. Also...to get the room on our 212x you would have to get at least a 23 ft prop boat.

A Yamaha can be made surfable but if your main goal is surfing buy the wake boat if you want to run about and chill and pull some tubes you may prefer the Yamaha. Most who wind up surfing more then 50% of there boating usage will change to a dedicated boat it's just designed for it I know some still use the Yamaha for that but get a boat that's intended for what your usage will be and you won't regret it. Sure we can take the yamahas off shore but if I spent 50% of my time offshore fishing I would buy a boat intended for that as it will do it better.

@Mattkalin I'm reposting here from the other thread:
Yamaha is certainly more versatile and uniquely well suited for those of us who boat is shallow water, at least on a regular basis. Yammies can also be taken out offshore if you feel adventurous, and are very light for the size - so trailer really well.

But - if you do not plan on cruising big water, do not worry about shallow water - that is not even a close - I would go with the MC. Especially if you could get that NXT (leftover 2017?) for about the same as 242X.

I had my boat and a brand new 2016? NXT (that a friend just bought) for few days earlier this Summer. Wave production is just at a completely different level, it takes about 30sec to switch sides in those new MCs... Sure you can surf behind a Yammie, if you must, and @bobbie is a good example of how good it can be. But you will need to run wiht at least some ballast over the seats and swim deck, so consider that. There is really no way around it, and I have tried just about everything. I have approx 2,400lbs of ballast integrated inside my boat but that is not enough for anyone over 200lbs (who's a beginner) to go ropeless without extra ballast on top.

My kids are nuts (and I have four of them) and in part because of that I needed to get out of propped boats (O/Bs). Were I not boating primarily in a shallow river, I would most likely get an inboard or a v-drive, those are about as safe as jetdrives w/kids around.

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Like others have said if your main goal is surfing then go NXT. IF you want a good all around boat that you don't mind having a couple of bags out visible then 242X all the way.

Here is our wave with the addition of our Wake Wedge.

I agree with what @swatski said about the Yamaha and its versatility vs other boats. They do about everything, somethings better than others.

Despite Yamaha's claims these boats may be surf-able, as in they are safe to surf behind but I wouldn't go so far as to say they are surf-ready. Off the showroom floor I'd say their just barely adequate... you might manage to go ropeless for a bit but there's really not much of a pocket to move around in. The Yamaha's you see pictures of with real surf worthy wakes are running modified with additional ballast and a wake shaping device. @bobbie and @jcyamaharider have proof of what can be achieved, with a bit of effort. In general, you'll find those Yamaha owners throwing big wakes are petty proud of what they've accomplished. I hope to be among them myself. With the Mastercraft you'll likely have that wake or better out of the box and with less setup time.

I guess what it boils down to is: both boats will have their limitations... so which is going to offer you the least amount of compromise? The Yamaha is a bit of a Swiss army knife, as it comes well equip, great for cruising, and can in many ways be built to suit your surf needs.

I don't know much about that Mastercraft, but there are a few complaints that filter thru about build quality of the Yamahas (right @swatski? ). Usually broken seats and minor leaks... worst I've had is a tube from a hatch drain come off letting some water into the bilge. Easily fixed. I'm not sure my vinyl is going to hold up for 20 years the way my parents Four Winns has...?

Anyway, I'm not planning to trade my Yamaha in for a Mastercraft anytime too soon. I feel like it was the right boat for me. Good luck in your purchase, let us see some pics of the new boat when you make your decision. Regardless of the make, we'd love to hear what ultimately influenced you in your decision.

It's hard to point you in the right direction without maybe knowing a little more about what you're going after or the specs of the NXT you're looking at, but I'll give it a try. Yamaha's do come surf-able from the factory, with the right board setup and ballast setting you should be able to drop the rope and surf once your level of expertise is there. Yes I would say that a MasterCraft will come quite a bit more surf-able from the factory, although that's all it's going to do better. So if surfing is your sole objective and you're willing to compromise on everything else, MasterCraft is the boat for you. But if you and your family are looking for an awesome all around boat that can cruise, hang, tow sports, etc... the Yamaha is for you. The safety, family friendly atmosphere and versatility the Yamaha will provide is unmatched in the industry and I wouldn't think you'd be disappointed.

I've loved my 242X and the 2018 looks even better with the all new Connext screen, bimini top and Surf Point...

Williamsone46 said:

Yamaha's do come surf-able from the factory, with the right board setup and ballast setting you should be able to drop the rope and surf once your level of expertise is there.

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I do not meant to be rude. However, that statement is just bs. Or not, I guess, if it depends on your definition of wake surfing. Most people I know would call bs on that though.


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swatski said:

I do not meant to be rude. However, that statement is just bs. Or not, I guess, if it depends on your definition of wake surfing. Most people I know would call bs on that though.


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Have you surfed behind a 242X? Or a 2018 X with Surf point?

I'm commenting from my personal experience behind my 242X. Stock I was able to drop the rope the first day with 100% rear ballast full and no center locker ballast driving in a slight circle. With the Ronix wake wedge I added I use the same ballast setting driving straight.

Williamsone46 said:

Have you surfed behind a 242X? Or a 2018 X with Surf point?

I'm commenting from my personal experience behind my 242X. Stock I was able to drop the rope the first day with 100% rear ballast full and no center locker ballast driving in a slight circle. With the Ronix wake wedge I added I use the same ballast setting driving straight.

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No, I have not surfed behind a 242X.
Yes, I have the same hull, and twice the integrated ballast, so I think I can speak to the boat's abilities in that department.

Very curious about the Surf Point. If it really makes a big difference - my hat goes off and I apologize for the omission.

Yes, I have seen your video clip where you go ropeless behind your stock 242X, very impressive. I think I actually made some positive comments at the time. So, yes - it is possible to surf a stock Yamaha ropeless.
But, would I want to surf a stock Yamaha ropeless - hell no.
In my opinion - it needs A LOT MORE than what comes stock. I do not believe I am in a minority.

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I honestly love everything about the new 242x and it being a swiss army knife boat. But as others pointed out, the wave put out by a dedicated surf boat with as little effort as it takes is not comparable.

When I say little effort, I mean, that big prop is made to move a ton of weight, where the pair of jets are screaming to hump that boat out of the water. That's an exageration, so don't beat me up. My point is, up until recently, almost every 24ft owner complained about the noise in the boat. And even if it doesn't bother you, you have to admit, they are much louder than a surf/wake boat.

That all being said, think about what you want to do, and if you value the space and swim platform. that's what I love. My wife, on the other hand, spent the day in our friends NXT 20 and loved it. You could enjoy the music at a reasonable volume, and still have a conversation. The seating was very comfortable for us, and the wave was amazing. This video was taken before my buddy had a chance to figure out how to tune the wave of his new NXT20. We were all new to a surf boat, and soon learned how to shape the wave and lengthen it. Keep in mind, the controls on the NXT 20 are not the same as the XT or X models. But then again, it is 1/3 the price of those high-end Master Crafts. You can do a lot of the same things, you just have to adjust manually in the NXT where it is much more automated in the higher end models.

When I am ready for a new boat, my wife will push for a v-drive, and I will still check out the 240-series Yamahas. But if we want to surf, I will go V-drive. The safety factor that everyone talks about is not a factor in our lakes. I have loved our jet in unfamiliar lakes. But now that we have been on the same lake for years, props are a non-issue. We will leave that marketing to the Yamaha guys trying to sell these over an I/O.

Good luck in your search!

PS: We have looked at the Starcraft SCX Surf Edition deck boats with forward facing drive and tower. It's seems more of a swiss army knife than any of the boats on the market. And they are HUGE!! Yamaha space and swim deck with the wave of a v-drive.

http://www.starcraftmarine.com/starcraft-scx-surf-edition

jcyamaharider said:

Like others have said if your main goal is surfing then go NXT. IF you want a good all around boat that you don't mind having a couple of bags out visible then 242X all the way.

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I will not want to pay 70k and have bags all over! That is not going to happen! @biffdotorg I think you may have sold me on the NXT ! Your video was awesome!! I dont know if its your son or who the young man was but he is pretty good! However I am still struggling...I have visions of chilling under that huge bimini with the sunroof open in the plush captains chairs of the 242x. #Firstworldproblem

Exactly my thoughts. I love the layout of the Yamaha, the swimdeck and that monster bow. I will be the first to admit, the bow on the NXT is nowhere near the 242. But it is 4ft shorter. Master craft does make and NXT23 as well. That and finding a Bimini that would fit the Mastercraft tower cannot be that tough.

It’s a tough decision. All I know is with a couple years of NXTs in the books, we should be seeing some used ones on the market as well. My buddy bought his as a demo with very few hours. I hear the 17 has a better wake than the 16 as well.

Good luck!

Mattkalin said:

I will not want to pay 70k and have bags all over! That is not going to happen! @biffdotorg I think you may have sold me on the NXT ! Your video was awesome!! I dont know if its your son or who the young man was but he is pretty good! However I am still struggling...I have visions of chilling under that huge bimini with the sunroof open in the plush captains chairs of the 242x. #Firstworldproblem

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I wasn't going to pay 70k to have to upgrade the stereo either but I did, and now I am glad I did. I only have 2 bags out visible and most of the time one of the bags someone is sitting on it, most everyone says "best seat in the house" LOL. Like I said before just all personal preference. Choose want you want and love what you choose. Your the only person that matters at that point.

Is speed and ride quality important to you? My buddy has a Supra, and I love it, but man I was shocked at how slow it is lol. I like to cruise around 35-40 mph a good bit and you aren’t doing that in a wake Boat. Guess you could but you’re probably running WOT and bouncing around. I would like to trade for a wake Boat one day myself but I sure do love my Yamaha too.

We traded from an SX210 (yes I know, not a 242x) to an MB F22. From my perspective, the two negatives to the trade were top speed and no prop to worry about dinging. Otherwise, I find our MB to be more enjoyable in all conditions and for any activity. This is not a slam on the Yamaha - ours was perfectly reliable and a very fun boat for our family and I would recommend it in a heartbeat. Cost is a factor, though, and in my opinion if you are looking at spending $70k, you should definitely check out a broad spectrum of boats. In the wakeboat arena, consider MB, Supreme and Axis in addition to the NXT. All can be had close to that number (lots of wiggle room on pricing).

Mattkalin said:

I will not want to pay 70k and have bags all over! That is not going to happen! @biffdotorg I think you may have sold me on the NXT ! Your video was awesome!! I dont know if its your son or who the young man was but he is pretty good! However I am still struggling...I have visions of chilling under that huge bimini with the sunroof open in the plush captains chairs of the 242x. #Firstworldproblem

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You get so much for the bang for the buck with the Yamaha 242X over an NXT20. If all you have to do is add a few aftermarket bags and still have all the other advantages of the Yamaha, in my mind there's no question.

And a bathroom, which I need with 3 women on board.

Do people really use the head in these things? Surely not to poop, right? I guess if you had an emergency that would be a darn nice feature! I've been boating for 30 years though and can't remember a situation in which we would have used the portapotty. That's just me, though! If others use them, cool. To me it really comes down to how much you value watersports. I, for one, don't see a lot of downside to the v drive, especially if you choose a boat with a deep v hull.

And if you don't value watersports, I would add a "performance" oriented tritoon to the list to be considered. $70k can buy you a seriously awesome cove lounger that can still run 45+ mph to get you there!

Sure do , almost every time we go out. We also do sandbar camping trips and it is very nice to have my own bathroom.