What do ya'll think of the new MC Prostar

When pulling slalom your line of sight is the driver side boat guides, so offset gauges (to the right) is better.

good write up.

What is the purpose of the gauges being off center? I would think that you'd want them straight ahead and in your line of sight?

Tim, glad MC went away from Indmar because in the future that nice skinny motor box would have been a big as the whole cockpit

I was just able to check out the new 2014 Prostar at the New England boat show this past weekend, and since Quinner wanted to know what my impressions were, I figured this was the best spot for them.

First of all, Im a die hard CC guy. So any and all praise for other brands is usually well deserved. Normally my love for other brands comes primarily from my experience at the end of the rope- lots of great ski boats out there. Ive always had a strong preference for the way CC set up their boats from a functionality standpoint though... the short nose, stubby windshield, driver's-elbow-on-the-gunnel layout was a trademark through the run of the 196 (ending in 2009). I always liked the way CC's drove and handled compared to the competition, which seemed to feature longer noses, low slung, swept back windshields and cockpits where you sat down low in the boat. CC's latest 200 has sort of moved in that direction, IMHO- longer nose (to accommodate the open bow), longer wrap around windshield, etc. Not having driven or skied one (all reports say its improved over the 196 in almost every way in terms of wake and tracking), I have not been the biggest fan of the boat's layout. I just have not taken a liking to the way the boat utilizes its larger size, as the open bow isnt necessary for us. I'd rather have the under bow storage, and the roomier cockpit rather than room up front. The side storage lockers are a neat idea, but they hog a lot of space that could otherwise be used for people sitting on the floor facing the rear. I do understand that CC has to make the boat appeal to a wider market than just hardcore purists who ski off the dock- so I get why they made the changes. What I find harder to understand are a few details that seem to have just been missed or overlooked in the boat's development. Things like:

- The wrap around windshield (concession to looks?) extends further back than ever before, preventing the driver from picking up a ski in the water, or communicating easily with a skier. It also prevents the use of a straight boom- the 200 requires a universal contour now.

- Side lockers... like I mentioned above, a neat idea, but they hog a lot of space, making it difficult to fit things or people between the motorbox and gunnel. Back seat is narrower too. A 95" wide boat shouldnt be this cramped.

- You cant open the motorbox all the way. The clamshell design only allows the upper portion to hinge open. To get the lower piece up requires full removal of the box. And that is not easily done like it was on the 196. Instead of pulling 2 pins on the rear hinges, there are at least 3 thumbscrews that need to come off so you can unclamp the thing. If you need to do any serious maintenance or reach down into the bilge, this would be a serious PITA. Even reaching the drain plug is difficult. I think this design was a concession to making the motorbox as narrow as possible, as the base tapers in a bit and probably will scrape the exhaust manifolds upon removal.

- Observer seat is too wide... they pushed it to within an inch or 2 of the driver's seat. Great for fitting the max number of people up front, but it makes getting into the driver's seat much harder- you need to step over or on top of the observer seat cushion. The 196 and the SN's that preceded it always got this detail right, not sure how they managed to goof this up.

- The thing is slow... I know its pretty much inevitable when making a larger, heavier boat with more wetted surface and a smaller wake, but its a bummer for guys who like or need speed... like barefooters. If you want to go faster than 43 (so maybe 41 with a footer in tow), you gotta spring for the 6.0L.


OK... sorry for the long winded intro. The new Prostar. As far as looks go, the mini picklefork front is not very attractive to my eyes. Neither is the new windshield. Jury is still out on how the boat skis, but with the 4 year lag behind CC in releasing this new boat, one would hope its up to par with the 200 (early reports indicate that is the case). Performance is also TBD, but based on what Ive heard from dealers and the like (reliability unknown), theyre saying the boat is several hundred lbs lighter than the outgoing 197 (which performed similarly to the 200 in terms of top end speed) and quite a bit faster. One dealer said 5mph faster- that the 350 powered boat would be good for 48mph. No idea if thats true or not, but its impressive if it is. The optional powerplant is a 6.2L Ilmore, which is probably putting out ~425hp. So Im guessing it wont be any slower.

My initial impression in crawling all over the thing at the boat show is that it's really well done. MC seems to have fixed all the things I never liked about non-CC's in terms of their layout, and it even nails a bunch of the details that bug me about the 200. First of all, its overall size matches that of the 200 (20' long, 95" beam). Putting the dash off to the side is another clue that the 200 was used as its benchmark.

- The boat seems really wide... mostly because it is. The motorbox is as narrow as possible, and so are the gunnels. It seems like they pushed the dash forward a bit. Theres space to walk between the driver's seat and box.

- Instead of side lockers, MC is putting in folding ski racks if you want them. When not in use, they take up almost no room. Step on the bottom foot piece and they open up, and you can fit several skis on each side. Really slick.

- Cockpit... There is a useful storage area in the dash just ahead of the steering wheel. The gauges are off to the side. Accessories and ZO are in the touchscreen, and the menus are laid out really well. Even for a non-ZO expert, you can access and change settings very easily- very intuitive.

- Windshield- its not much to look at, but boy is it functional. No problem reaching a ski in the water or talking to a skier. No problem running a straight boom. The bimini is incorporated in the frame- no extra mounts in the gelcoat, straps, etc... very clean.

- Bow... unlike CC, MC doesnt have 2 deck molds, there is no true "closed bow". But, you can get a hard molded insert that installs easily over the front seats, effectively making it a CB. Its a little cumbersome due to its size, but install and removal is pretty easy. Strong enough to walk on when installed. Storage up under the bow doesnt look too bad... not quite up to true CB levels, but close. I'd rather have a true CB, personally- but I wouldnt be surprised to see this idea repeated by other manufacturers, rather than offer 2 different decks.

- Seating. The driver's seat didnt have a lot of side bolstering, but it had some... it didnt take up a lot of space and it reclines- not a bad idea. The portion of the observer seat that flips down to allow bow access does so very nicely- notches into place and makes for a very solid step. CC's just folds forward and presses the back and bottom cushions together (kind of clunky).

Like I said, Im anything but an MC fanboy, but the Prostar really impressed me. If as much thought went into the skiing and driving performance as it did the interior and layout, theyve got one heck of a boat. Hopefully some competition is a good thing and CC pushes the envelope even further!

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Did anyone else notice his head in relation to the windshield at the 10:30 mark or so. A few small waves and a bottle of Advil later. Looks pretty close from that shot. Would like to see it in person to verify.

TRBenj wrote: Comparatively speaking, perhaps that 1991 SN was bargain priced! The 1991 Corvette MSRP was $33k. I bet that the pricing in '80 tracks closer to 1:1.

Tim:
    You are spot-on: my 1980 [with trailer] was $13,200. The 1990 [purchased when '91's were just out] was $18,000. The '98 jumped up to $35,000...and there we stay! Of course that was an Air/Sport and not a Ski.

Brian,
I love the way that you rationalize everything

Whether car or boat, it's unfair to compare prices from days gone by. The technology is much more sophisticated in today's products.    Also, there are more government regulations, but let's not go there.

The good news is that you can have a ski boat of any vintage in like new condition, with the help of CCF!

My 2000 was 37,500 in 5/2000 with trailer FWIW.

Tim, way too many variables to make that comparison. Amongst others, Chevrolet made 40K Corvettes in 1980. In 2013, a 60th anniversary year, they will make about 14K Corvettes.

BKH

Tim, I know in 1991 when I graduated college my girlfriend and I boat a Nautique together. We considered a new 91 at the time. I think it was 21,000 +/-. We ended up buying an 89 with 39 hours on it instead. Granted I have a mortgage, two kids and a stay at home wife but I was much closer to buying a new one then than I am now. So the price has more than tripled in 22 years.

You know, I read the MC thread that Tim posted, all 13 pages, and I've never spent any time on that forum, but one thing stood out to me...there were several, I'd say 15 or more references to CC products, specifically the 200, and none of them were derrogatory. With the exception of this thread, I very rarely see MC references on here.

And if...IF this boat competes with the 200, good for them (not sarcastic at all), but I'd like to see them make a run at the 200V. There were several places in the MC thread were people were like, oh you want a crossover boat, 200V. End of conversation. haha

My favorite part of the thread was the guy who asked repeatedly how the surf wake was...3 or 4 times until somebody finally was like, seriously, if you would consider surfing this boat then you're an idiot. And another guy said there was something in the retail agreement that if MC ever found out you bought this boat to surf it they could take it from you! hahahaha

So you're the guy that bought it? ;)
I would love to have an early 80's Stars and Stripes. What I take is that MC has had an inconsistent build history which I guess goes with the corporate changes through the years. So the question is what you're getting now. Thank god for them though because they have pushed CC to make better boats. I remember really well how much of a game changer the 1987 Prostar 190 was. Whether the 1990 NWZ was already in the works or not I don't know but it seemed to occur because of the 190 at the time.
It also points out how consistent CC has been at least since the 70's, maybe the 60's.

81nautique wrote: You know I don't really mind the MC bashing but you guys have to go a little easier on my Aztek please. It's paid for and I'm driving into the ground.

These two factors do not change what it is. Let the Aztek bashing continue.