Judging by the way things are progressing at MasterCraft, the company will probably have an X-series boat available in every imaginable length in the next few years. This year's addition is the X-7, squeezing into the fleet between the X-5 and X-9 and trying to further blur the distinction between hardcore ski boats and hardcore wakeboard boats. It's one thing to build a boat that pulls both skiers and wakeboarders fairly well, but something else entirely to build one that can satisfy tournament-level enthusiasts of both sports.

The main problem is that skiers want no wake and wakeboarders want it big, and if you think it's easy to design a hull that delivers both, there's a rubber room reserved for you at Bellevue. Don't worry though ' you'll have lots of company. The best solution so far seems to be to start with a hull that's great for skiing and then equip the boat with a weighting system to jack up the wake for the 'boarders. The X-7 follows that pattern by starting with MasterCraft's EVO Evolution hull, the same hull that's found on the ProStar 190 EVO, featuring a 30-degree entry point to cut through chop and spread out the mush, and a 3-degree deadrise at the hull to leave a virtually nonexistent wake.

There's no question the EVO hull scores for skiers. At recreational (30 mph or so) and tournament (36 mph) speeds, with the ballast bags empty and only two people on board, the wake is outstanding. It's also pretty nice inside the boat, although the virtually nonexistent wind and mostly deserted lake mean there's precious little chop for that steep entry point to carve through. The hull tracks straight and true, and carves hard, flat turns with a flick of the steering wheel.

With those same two people on board and the ballast bags still empty, the X-7 throws a more than acceptable 'boarding wake at 20 mph. Add ballast and the wake gets even better. Add people ' the X-7 can squeeze as many as 10 people on board (although they'd all have to be pretty small and very fond of each other to actually pull this off) ' and the wake should get better yet.

Getting a 'boarder up and going with the ballast bags full and 12 people on board takes some muscle, but the X-7 should have no trouble pulling it off. With the standard 310-hp Power Vortec Predator engine and a 5.7L (350 cubic inch) GM V8 with EFI, the X-7 pops some eyes by accelerating from 0 to 30 mph in 4.9 seconds. It takes only 6.3 seconds to go from 0 to 36 mph en route to a top speed (as measured by GPS) of 44 mph. If that's not burly enough for you, MasterCraft does offer a couple of upgraded engine packages: a Power Vortec LTR multi-port with NorthStar ignition that cranks out 350 hp, a Power Vortec LQ9 HO 6L EFI that produces 385 hp, and a Power Vortec L18 HO 8.1L EFI that delivers a whopping 425 hp, enough to just about pull your arms off your body.

Once your arms have come off, you'll have little choice but to spend some time in the X-7 instead of behind it, and that's not such a bad deal. In spite of the fact that the overall length is a hair shorter than 20 feet (19 feet 8 inches) and the beam's a mere 91 inches, the interior is actually pretty roomy and comfortable. Okay, you can pretty much write off the bow seating area if you're taller than 5 feet 8 inches or so, but that's to be expected on a boat this size. Still, there's a walkthrough if you're absolutely determined to sit up front, but the vast majority of you will put your hands in the walkthrough more than your feet ' there are a pair of self-draining ice chests in the walkthrough 'floor.'

The doublewide observer's seat actually blocks the walkthrough, but the seat back will swing forward for access if needed. The passenger-side dash holds a locking glove box (nice) which holds the Clarion radio/CD player. There's decent passage on either side of the engine box. The rear bench seat seems wider than most ' probably due to the EVO hull that allows a couple of extra inches of interior room ' with room for four adults to snuggle in. The bench seat also raises up to meet the sun pad to create a huge sun lounge if and when you're just drifting along catching some rays or Z's. With the standard ZeroFlex Flyer tower, you can even sit in the rear bench seat while someone's behind the boat without getting your head chopped off.

The gull-wing sun pad opens to reveal legit ski and/or wakeboard storage that's accessible from either the interior or the teak swim platform.

The best place to sit, of course, is at the helm. The MasterView helm seat offers a flip-up bolster for better vision while launching, docking or retrieving, and offers decent lumbar support in case you're going to be at the wheel for a long day on the water. As expected, the helm is designed beautifully, with everything exactly where it should be. Attention to detail can make or break a high-performance boat, and the MasterCraft design team did things right on the X-7. A prime example is the way the Clarion stereo remote is positioned in the starboard gunwale so that you can use the remote without having to take your hand off the throttle to change the volume or the channel on the radio.

The throttle, by the way, has that great ski boat combination of silky smoothness and instant response, so that you can control speed almost without trying. Not that you have to try too hard anyway, since in the BW test the X-7 holds speed consistently even without driver input. (This is without a skier, of course.) The steering falls into the same category: responsive, yet almost ridiculously easy. At times you almost wish you had to work a little harder to drive this boat, but then you quickly come to your senses.

There are a few options that should be considered mandatory, starting with one of the Perfect Pass speed controls, preferably the Digital Pro. The X-7 is so easy to handle that a novice could deliver a pretty good pull, but the Perfect Pass all but guarantees a great pull no matter who's driving. So if Perfect Pass is available, get it. Also recommended is the optional heater, which makes early morning runs much more pleasant, especially for the driver. If you don't get the NorthStar ignition, the pressurized hot/cold transom shower is a welcome touch as well. And the air pump for your inflatables will get more use than you imagine, making it well worth the extra few bucks added to the sticker.