X-14/X-14v owners & enthusiasts thread

[rtw_travel]

I'm pretty happy with our 14V - not sure I can make the surf wake any better than this. This pic is 4 people, full ballast tanks, 2x400lb fat sacs, and a suck gate like Foggy Nogginz wrote about a month or two ago in this thread.

... and the ski wake is pretty good, although this is more of a sunset shot than a "look at me ski" shot.

[FoggyNogginz]

Looks nice! I'm running a very similar setup, and it's factory, plus 150 in the bow, and 850 in the center in front of the engine box. Wave looks like this. We are really pleased with the overall surf / ski capabilities these days.

[BC Mike]

New X14V owner

Just checking in as a new owner of a 2012 X14V. We've put about 60 hours on it since late June and I'm looking for some advice from some fellow skiers. The wake at 34 - 15 off is a bit bigger than we hoped for and I'm wondering if there's some tweaks we can make to flatten it out. Wake is best around 5 off but hard to see the boat from that far back! It has the trim tab and we're runnin' it all the way down. Boat is stock otherwise with 5.7l. I've seen the Vimeo clip of Travis Brown and company skiing behind the X14 and X14V and the wake looks flat compared to ours. Any advice would be appreciated. Lovin' the boat otherwise. Thanks.

[214skier]

Congrats, welcome to the x14v family. I am an avid skier an on my second boat --- 214v at present. At 15 off / 34 the best you can do is 20% on the wake plate. I have spoke to Marcus about that video and made the same observation-- the wake looks flat. He said to me, "you need to be on edge! Slice through!" Well, I bounced a bit so I shortened the line to 35 off. Now i am ahead of the rooster tail and slicing through perfectly flat water.... And I love it. My wife skis 15 off at 28!mph and it is a very soft bump.

I have been messing with this since 2010 and my best advice is going short line. It speeds things up, but damn, it's fun!


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[Rhob88]

Rtw are you happy with the suck gate , been reading about those external surf wake improvements , I have a gen 1 system that I am going to install this fall , no research on how it will improve the surf on the x-14v , just curious on you thoughts on external devices , I have added 400lb bag to the kgb, 400 to port , and 400 to stb.

[rtw_travel]

The suck gate was the best $40 I spent on the boat. The wake seems larger, and it extends the surf-able pocket by a lot.

I still think raising the platform helps, but the suck gate improvement to the wake is huge.

I'm not sure what you'd see with Gen 1, and I'm surprised it would fit on the 14V. Foggynoggins was not able to make the gosurfassist fit, and MC does not offer a gen2 for the 14V probably because it doesn't fit. Honestly I've stopped trying to make the wake better- happy with the suck gate.

[Rhob88]

The gen1 tabs do fit , gen2 would not , the space is perfect for the gen1 tabs to be attached , I also have raised the platform , I hope to install the tabs this fall.

[rtw_travel]

Thanks for taking one for the team. Let us know how gen 1 works.

[rtw_travel]

One other change I've made: the sailmaker at the local MC dealer sewed an extension cover up the zft-4 tower so that I don't get rain into the boat. On both my old '12 with a zft2, and the new '14 with the zft4, all the rain falling aft of the windshield would flow into the boat at the tower because the cover never fit right there.

I have not trailered yet- not an issue because I typically remove the cover and lower the tower for trailering.

[BC Mike]

Thanks for the input 214skier. When you say best you can do at 15 off 34 is 20% on the plate, you mean 20% down? Ours has a longer throw than stock, like 2x so that might mean 10% down? That's not down very far so maybe 100% is making the wake bigger? Will try that and also 35 off which does sound fun. Life fast forward!

My wife also skis 15 off around 30 or 31 and likes the wake. No change required there. Happy wife...happy life!

Mike

[214skier]

Hey Mike

Yes, 20% down.

The plate softens the shelf (some); otherwise it moves the rooster tail. Overall, I feel it isn't that dramatic. To find a truly flat wake requires line shortening


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[eficalibrator]

Put about 50# up in the nose (under the nav lights) and it might help. I carry a barbell there next to my anchor in my PS214DD and it changed the balance enough to soften the wake a bit at 30mph. 33+mph and -22 or less on the rope and I no longer have much time while crossing to critique the wake.

[FoggyNogginz]

Put about 50# up in the nose (under the nav lights) and it might help. I carry a barbell there next to my anchor in my PS214DD and it changed the balance enough to soften the wake a bit at 30mph. 33+mph and -22 or less on the rope and I no longer have much time while crossing to critique the wake.

Agree with this 100%. I have 100lbs of lead in the front (right under the nav light) and it makes a big difference in the X14V for all sports IMHO.

[FoggyNogginz]

Has anyone replaced their bimini? I have the 2012 X14V with the four pole bimini that connects to both the tower and in front of the windshield. The bimini is a somewhat more of a pain to set up compared to other boats that I have owned, and it scratches the tower when it is compressed and in the boot. Just curious to learn if any of you have replaced this with a different model somehow. Thanks in advance.

[cookster22]

I'm looking at getting into an X-14V. We are a Ski-first family, then surf and do some tubing for the kids.

How is the ski wake? This is my main concern.