John Willis: G 'day, John Willis from Club Marine TV and I'm up at Eildon in Victoria.
And I'm up here with Bob Soven from the MasterCraft team.
He's a MasterCraft athlete over from the States.
Going to show us some of his tricks in the brand new X22.
John Willis: Have a look at the helm of the X22.
It is just gorgeous, I must say.
And it really is reminiscent of a real premium vehicle, as well.
It's just so good to drive, so precise to drive.
John Willis: And I must say, even for an old bloke like me, I can understand the instruments.
It's just the dual screens that are really easy to see, with low glare.
You've got GPS, you've got rear facing cameras, you've got all your control over all your
ballasts as well.
There's all your control over your sound system.
There's just everything at a finger touch, as well.
Including for cruise control, as well.
And obviously rider presets.
John Willis: So, it's just here.
It's all there in the right place.
It's easy to drive.
And it's just drop-dead gorgeous.
John Willis: MasterCraft have always been really well known for their beautiful work
with billet aluminium.
Have a look at that.
And speaking of aluminium, how good's this collapsible tower?
The engineering speaks for itself.
But the aesthetics are out of this world.
John Willis: Invite the whole party in and sit on down, because there's plenty of comfortable
seating for up to 16 people.
There's plenty of convertible seating options, fold down armrests, there's USB ports, drink
holders, and to keep the boat tidy there's even a handy garbage receptacle in the walkway
just next to the fold out doorway.
John Willis: And when it comes to storage, there's a ton of room.
Whether it be Eskys, board storage, cavernous cavities, or just somewhere for your knick-knacks,
there's a ton of it.
John Willis: Hey, Bob.
I had a look at this boat when you came down and I'm thinking, "What were they thinking?
Black upholstery in Australia in the sun?"
What's the go?
Bob Soven: I mean absolutely.
Most people are going to tell you if you go black you're pretty crazy.
But with our new Cool Feel technology you can go black and it's going to stay about
18 degrees Celsius.
So, four degrees Fahrenheit for all my American friends.
And it's going to stay pretty cool year round.
So, no matter how hot it is outside, you're going to be pretty comfortable.
John Willis: But the stitching quality, the upholstery itself and the workmanship that
goes into a MasterCraft is world leading upholstery skills, isn't it?
Bob Soven: Oh, man.
It's top notch.
Like you just look at everything.
We got this pleated seating here, every stitching.
So much hand work done.
I mean, these guys have put in time in to make these boats as great as they can be.
And then I just get behind them and try to be as great as I can be.
So, that's the teamwork we put together and I think we deliver a pretty good product all
around.
John Willis: And you've got to deliver a product for a long time.
Because doesn't matter even the construction of the boat, right down to the seat bases
and all the upholstery bases, is all polythene or synthetic, as well.
So, this boat's going to be here forever.
Bob Soven: Oh, yeah.
We're building a product that's going to stand the test of time.
I mean, most people ... We have some people that have had their boats for some 30-odd
years and it's still no complaints.
So, you can pretty guaranteed getting into one of our boats that it's going to be there.
John Willis: Be there forever.
Bob Soven: Yeah.
John Willis: In fact, it's over 50 years now yeah?
Bob Soven: Yeah, we are 51 now.
John Willis: 51 years.
That's not a bad history in the boating industry, is it?
Bob Soven: No.
If I make it to 51, I'd be pretty happy.
John Willis: Well, don't speak about that.
I'm already a bit more.
John Willis: You just got to love the sound and the power of a big V8.
This one with the wonderful Ilmore 6.2 litre, 430 Horsepower V8.
John Willis: MasterCraft are world famous for building premium water sports boats.
The Gen 2 Surf System has an endless wave for every one.
Go from mellow to steep and port to starboard.
And all controlled with one finger, right from the dashboard.
The Gen 2 system includes auto launch.
Auto launch has two touch button settings that automatically sets the tilt angle according
to the load in the boat, according to the passengers and ballast.
John Willis: Well, the sun's going down on another ripper day at Eildon.
And we've had a great time in the MasterCraft X22.
This really is one of the world's premium boats.
It's just a pleasure to drive, a pleasure to play with, a pleasure to have some fun
with a load of friends in a beautiful spot.
John Willis: MasterCraft, this is a masterpiece.
And this has been John Willis for Club Marine TV.