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[Kevin Leclair]

At first glance, the X-20 looks remarkably similar to the Challenger 2000. And outside of its Bad-Boy black hull graphics, it is. Same hull, same powerplant, same seating arrangement with three across the back bench seat (in deeply padded buckets with good grabrails), two in swiveling bucket seats at the dual-console helm, and three up front. But that's not to say it's the same boat.

For starters, Sea-Doo has greatly improved the non-skid on the X-20, so it's comfortable on bare feet yet provides some traction so you don't need the carpet to prevent slipping. Second, the X-20 comes with a "Fat Sac", a 100-gallon removable bladder that sits in a centerline insole locker that can also be used for waterski stowage. The boat comes with its own filler pump which amounts to a small bilge pump with hose. When dangled over the side and plugged into the boat's 12-volt outlet, it self-primes and fills the sack in minutes. This adds 600 pounds of ballast to the X-20, setting the stage for a radical wake underway.

The X-20 also comes complete with its own anodized aluminum "launch tower" with a contact point for the towline about 7 feet above the waterline. This lets your wakeboarding athletes get big air, and it also has stowage for up to 4 boards on racks. But the most amazing part about the boat is its tracking.

We have tested a number of traditional ski/wakeboard boats, all of which have skegs and/or fins designed to keep the boat tracking straight while pulling a skier or boarder. There is no such hull hardware on the X-20 yet she tracks straight as an arrow while towing.

"The reason for that," says Sea-Doo's marketing associate Brian Smith, "is because of the jet drive. The jet creates downward suction aft that keeps the stern of the boat locked in place while towing boarders." And our video is there to prove it.

Performancewise, the X-20 is much like the Challenger 2000. She'll spin a quick 180 and carve fairly tight turns, but she's a big stable sportboat and not one you'd turn doughnuts in all day long. Still, the X-20 is the first jet-powered wakeboard boat we've seen that combines all the comfort of a sportboat (and an aft engine for a clear cockpit) with the all the safety of propless power into a fun, exciting wakeboarding package.--BoatTEST Tech Team

Overview
Based on the company's successful Challenger 2000, the X-20 has been specially designed to meet the needs of the wakeboard market. Anodized aluminum launch tower and "Fat Sac" 600-lb bladder ballast tank standard equipment.

Background
New for 2002.

Key Features
Launch tower with rear view mirrors and wakeboard stowage racks, "Fat Sac" bladder ballast, seating for 8 adults, 240-hp Mercury EFI M2 jetdrive as standard equipment.

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General Information
Test Results
Specifications
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Detailed Info
Wath the Video

Source: BoatTest.com