WaterSki Magazine

Risto
2007-07-24 15:00:00 | 177 views |
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Pro skier Wade Cox and fantasy camper Chris Lownsbury come from two ends of the water-ski spectrum, but when it comes to their boat of choice, they meet each other in the middle. Watch this video to hear their different perspectives on the MasterCraft ProStar 197 and find out what makes this boat such a universal favorite.

Specs
Passengers: 7
Dry weight: 2,620 lb.
Draft: 22 in.
Load capacity: 978 lb.
Fuel capacity: 28 gal.
Engine: Indmar MCX 5.7 L, 350 hp
Cruise: PerfectPass or Zero Off
Prop: OJ 13.7 x 15 four-blade
Pylon: Swivel
Best Shootout Moment: Pulling the top three finishers of the Traditional Slalom event.

Tournament Performance
Records are nothing new for the ProStar, which has a trifecta of world slalom, jump and trick marks in 2004, Chris Parrish's slalom record of 1½ at 43 in 2005, and Freddy Kruger's pending 243-foot world jump record in 2006 under its accolade belt. It's also the only boat with a single engine to be certified by the American Water Ski Association in all five competitive water-ski events, credited to the Indmar GM Vortec power plant and the versatile hull design. And that winning performance continued at the 2007 Shootout.

In the Traditional Slalom event, the 197 towed the top three finishers, including winner Jamie Beauchesne, second-place skier Chris Rossi and third-place MasterCraft  team athlete Marcus Brown. In the MasterCraft-sponsored 38-Off Spin It To Win It, where consistency is king, the 197 pulled event-winner Beauchesne through the 11.25-meter line length a mind-blowing six continuous passes.

And in the heated Team Challenge, the low-profile EVO hull enabled four out of the five MasterCraft skiers (Marcus Brown, Jodi Fisher, Wade Cox and Glenn Campbell) to reach 391/2 with an average of 3.875 buoys on their way to second place by only a slim 10-point margin.

Pro Analysis
“Not only does it have the world slalom record, the world trick record and the world jump record, but it's also by far the roomiest of all the so-called 'pro' boats. And the feel that you get out of the steering wheel of the MasterCraft is different from any other boat. It skis unreal; it has loads of room for you, all your gear and your family, and the driver has the most fun of all.” — Wade Cox

Amateur Analysis
“The reason I chose it was the huge amount of room inside — plenty of storage plus the open bow.  If you've got friends and family, there's plenty of room for everybody. At the faster speeds, the wake really flattens out. Especially if you're 22 off or less, it's really soft. The 190's pulled all the records … so that says quite a bit right there. I don't think I'll be switching brands any time soon.” — Chris Lownsbury

MasterCraft Boat Company
100 Cherokee Cove Road
Vonore, TN  37885 USA
1-800-482-BOAT
www.mastercraft.com