Not finding Mastercraft on Waterski Magizine's "Boat Buyers Guide"

[Jdubs]

Am I really not seeing MC?

[jpattigr]

Pretty sure the "Buyer's Guide" is paid Ads now.....

 

[Wish]

Hasn't really been informative since the 90s. Besides, you get honest opinions..most of the time... right here on BOS and a whole lot sooner. Much better source for getting to know the ins and outs of a boat of any year.

[rodltg2]

Maybe it wasn't finished in time for mag

[Fine409]

@jpattigr - agreed...what happened to actually rating the wakes...giving 0-36mph times, etc!

 

I notice the same things in snowmobile magazines that "review" the sleds. Nothing but good things to say about each model. The funny thing is that when the next year models come out, then they actually start stating things they didn't like about the past models and how the newest one fixed those issues

[Edbrazil]

 

Back when, some 20 years ago, I was "Chief of Testing" for the Mag.

For several years. As the years went on, we got better and better at

evaluating boats. Maybe 400 boats over the years that I drove for

the skiing parts. And never chomped out a gate buoy, even with some

really goofy boats, even a deckboat.

 

Anyway, we got into assigning ratings. Such as "Tournament", "Training",

etc. Meanwhile, the reviews that I wrote up got more and more edited

to remove any negative things.

 

The last year that I worked the Tests, I recall that we had boats that would

start in gear or remain in gear when you moved the shift/throttle lever to

neutral.

 

We had an outboard boat from one of the big manufacturers that needed

for you to continually turn the steering wheel just to go straight. Without

a skier behind. And, that ended up getting a good rating in the Guide.

 

We would see brand new boats that had problems, such as spray at shortline,

and different with supposedly the same hull.

 

I think that it was the 1994 Tests that was my last year. When the Guide came

out, I expressed my objections to several of the ratings. And, that was the

last year that I was invited to work the "tests".

 

Moral of the story: these Guides now are just a bunch of advertising, and

nothing like real tests. Maybe Horton needs to take up the challenge and

do real tests?!?

 

 

[Stickman]

Ed,

I still have most of those Buying Guides from the late 80's up till around 2000. I really appreciated your evaluations, and looked forward to receiveing those issues back when ski boats were thoroughly reviewed. I could tell back then that words were chosen carefully, but if I read between the lines, I could understand what you were really saying. Thanks for your efforts.

[MISkier]

@Stickman, I know what you mean.

 

Older review: "The recreational skier with all-around watersports interests will love this boat"

Translation: "I won't"

 

Also, somewhere along the way, all boats suddenly had "low, buttery-soft wakes" - even those that didn't.

 

[Jody_Seal]

Real testing would mean buying the boats off the showroom and evaluating the end product. I have been involved with towboat testing over the years but like most here I too believe they now are no more than glorified photo shoots. Magazines are reliant upon add dollars and no way are they going to print anything that is negative nor put in any kind of rating system to show strengths and weakness from one product to the next.

 

But of course if Horton wants to imbibe upon towboat testing I would be more then happy to lend my limited expertise to the cause!

[ForrestGump]

I will assist with the BOS towboat tests. You need my ergonomics expertise in validating the plus and minus of where the manufacturers place beer holders. I mean cup holders.

[Jdubs]

BOS Boat testing. I second that. Oh but wait - didn't Horton get a new Carbon Pro? Not sure you could get a real unbiased opinion. Even though I - just like most of you know that the Boat Buyer's Guide pretty much all pros and no cons... I still like going through it.

[swc5150]

I loved the buyers guide back in the 80's...page after page of new 3 event boats, and you could easily infer what the good ones were, like @MIskier pointed out.

[Dacon62]

@Edbrazil‌ doing some REAL boat tests with @Horton on his lake.

That is stuff I would take stock in!

[PatM]

I found the best way to test how a boat skis is to ski in a tournament. That's how bought my last two boats and very happy with the choices.

[Horton]

@Dacon62 trying to get banned?

[6balls]

What about a thread with user comments about honest likes/dislikes? I really love both of my vehicles and my boat as overall packages...but if you asked me what I don't like I have answers. Sometimes this stuff is not apparent at purchase, but only after living with it for a bit.

 

Could be a thread "What I love/don't love about my CC200". Post about the best features, and what could be improved or what it lacks that another brand might feature. There could be a thread for the latest offerings as well as a thread for the hulls that preceded them.

 

I have a TSC1 Nautique with GT40 power. I could tell you right now the best aspects of this boat as well as where it comes up short...doesn't change the fact that I love it overall but I think this kind of thing is what prospective buyers would want to know.