2014 MasterCraft ProStar

Boat Reviews

Boat Review by: Richard Crowder

The MasterCraft ProStar name has been almost synonymous with waterskiing for many, many years including very prominently on the professional circuit for slalom tow boats with many accolades to its credit.

For 2014, MasterCraft decided to reinvent the ProStar, and in its own words, “To create the 2014 ProStar, our design team was given the freedom to take everything off the table and literally reinvent the ski boat. The goal was to define performance, functionality and aesthetics into a package that will once again move a sport forward.”

The ProStar, at exactly twenty feet in length, is one of eleven models of highly focussed and dedicated tow boats offered by MasterCraft this year from twenty to almost twenty-five and a half feet in length. The ProStar stands out from all the others as being the only boat in the line-up with direct drive thus necessitating a centre-mounted motor box in the cockpit. Every other model utilizes MasterCraft’s Vector Drive, or better known in other boating circles as a V-drive, thus enclosing the engine and transmission at the transom leaving the cockpit floor space open.

MasterCraft was created in 1968 when an aerospace engineer turned ski school instructor, Rob Shirley, wanted a purpose-built boat with a better ski wake for towing skiers. Hull #1 was put together in a two-stall horse barn on a farm in Maryville, Tennessee and was designed to have the smallest wake in the industry; smooth and low at slalom and jump speeds; well defined at trick speeds. Today, MasterCraft has a single manufacturing facility located in Vonore, Tennessee and claims to be by far the largest producer of inboard ski, wakeboard and luxury performance powerboats in the world.

With its “twin-tip” bow design providing greater beam forward, the 2014 ProStar has bow seating for two or three persons like a bowrider and with fully sculpted and bolstered plush seating and backrests. When bow seating is not needed, a colour-matched fiberglass “lid” snuggly seals off the bow section converting your ProStar to a closed deck and thus eliminating the need for a canvas bow cover.

In traditional tow boat cockpit layout, the ProStar offers a comfortable forward-facing adjustable helm chair and opposite this, backing against the port console, is a rear-facing spotter’s seat. This spotter’s seat can accommodate an extra person by utilizing the centre-mounted convertible judge’s chair located within the centre walk-thru to the bow and which folds down to allow bow access.

Two individual but extra-wide forward facing transom seats are removable when not in use. Between these two seats is a step built into the transom allowing one-step over-the-transom boarding directly from the teak swim platform onto the floor of the cockpit. Across the top of the transom on each side of this step-through are top-accessed storage compartments. In all, the new ProStar can accommodate up to seven persons.

The helm of the ProStar features a low profile dash with all instrumentation to the right side of the wheel so as not to obstruct forward vision. Most prominent, and immediately to the right of the wheel is a Murphy 7-inch digital touch screen which provides the driver with access to and full control of the entire boat and lets you see and set all operating speeds and feeds, store rider preferences for ballast and surf tabs. To the immediate left of the wheel is the in-dash JL Audio stereo control panel. As standard equipment with every MasterCraft, the ProStar includes Zero Off GPS-based speed control which is accurate to a tenth of a mile per hour.

On each side of the cockpit under the gunnel is a pair of machined aluminum hands-free ski storage racks which fold out of the way when not in use. A ski pylon is floor-mounted immediately ahead of the motorbox. MasterCraft utilizes four Ilmor™ engine packages from a 5.7 litre 320 horsepower up to 7.4 litre 522 horsepower. This power feeds into the ProStar’s modified-V, partial step hull which “further reduces the wetted surface, introducing even more lift. This decreases the wake size and reduces spray.” The ProStar is primarily directed at open water and world competition slalom skiing.

As this is being written MasterCraft just received two coveted NMMA (National Marine Manufacturers’ Association) Innovation Awards at the 2014 Miami International Boat Show. One of these awards is “for its mold breaking waterski boat, the ProStar.” It “won due to its sundry of innovations like the convertible bow, pioneering storage system for skis and unparalleled flat wakes that serve skiers of all ages and kinds.” The second award was for MasterCraft’s Gen 2 Surf System “being the only customizable surf system that combines advanced hull design, weight distribution, custom wake shaping devices and onboard software to create a wide range of wake options.”

The accolades just keep on coming for MasterCraft.

2014 MasterCraft ProStar Photo Gallery

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