Wind sensitivity
With its low profile (the lowest configured profile category), relatively low weight for its length (252 lb per foot) and shallow draft increase wind sensitivity.
Separate factor rating not recorded
All reviewed boats
Boat Handling Report
MasterCraftXStar
2023 · Wake boat · 23 ft
Wind sensitivity: Low
Rated by DockWise, reviewed by Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG-licensed captain
- Length
- 23 ft
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Weight per foot
- Not recorded
- Draft
- 2.5 ft
- Engine setup
- Single inboard shaft
- Joystick / thrusters
- Not recorded
At the dock
Three handling factorsLow-speed control
The starting point is inboard shaft power without steerable thrust; a stern thruster adding useful control authority helps limit the attention needed at low speed.
Separate factor rating not recorded
Momentum / stopping
Not enough data yet
The captain-reviewed view
Who it suits
Boaters comfortable maneuvering a smaller recreational boat, including routine docking.
Handling summary
The MasterCraft XStar should be fairly easy for most boaters to handle. The wind has less of the boat to push on, and a thruster helps push the boat sideways. Docking takes a little more practice because one engine gives you less low-speed control than two engines, even with the extra help.
Engine setup at low speed
A single shaft drive steers through the rudder rather than by aiming its own thrust, so low-speed placement leans on planning and short bursts of forward and reverse, and a stern thruster adds sideways thrust for placing the boat alongside.
- 2023 · Single Ilmor 6.2L V-drive, stern thruster: Manageable (38/100)
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Questions boaters ask
Is the XStar good for beginners?
DockWise rates its handling demand Manageable (38 out of 100, where lower is easier). Boaters comfortable maneuvering a smaller recreational boat, including routine docking.
Is the XStar hard to dock in wind?
With its low profile (the lowest configured profile category), relatively low weight for its length (252 lb per foot) and shallow draft increase wind sensitivity.
How does the MasterCraft XStar's engine setup help at the dock?
A single shaft drive steers through the rudder rather than by aiming its own thrust, so low-speed placement leans on planning and short bursts of forward and reverse, and a stern thruster adds sideways thrust for placing the boat alongside.
What should a new XStar owner practice?
The wind has less of the boat to push on.
Rated by DockWise, reviewed by Captain Robert B. Kolb, USCG-licensed captain. The rating comes from published specifications for this model, not a sea trial of one boat. Your own boat's setup, load and conditions change how it handles.