MIRAGE X3 CLZ
Sylvan’s Mirage X3 CLZ is a true value-package pontoon boat. Even with 250 hp Yamaha outboard power, it sells for under $60,000, and there’s a lot of performance features packed into its 24-foot length overall. The F250 Yamaha pushed the boat easily across the water to a near-46 mph top speed, more than enough to provide excitement for your crew or to outrun the rain back to home port. With that much oomph, it’s easy to see why the Mirage can rip from a dead stop to 30 mph in a cat-quick 5 seconds flat. It can be pretty quiet at lower speeds; at a sedate 16 mph, we recorded a sound level from the wind and the outboard at a whisper-quiet 74 decibels—low enough to hear the stereo and converse with friends aboard. It’s fuel-friendly too; at 16 mph, it sips 3 gph, calculating to 5.5 mpg. That translates to huge range from the 60-gallon tank— nearly 300 miles. Of course, even the more likely cruising speed of 25.4 mph produces better than 3 mpg. As long as the Mirage X3 CLZ is throttled reasonably, the fillups will be few and far between. With three 25-inch-diameter tubes, the Mirage X3 CLZ handles confidently, and turns are flat. It’s long enough to span lake chop and boat wakes without wallowing or falling between the crests.
With so much space in the stern of this pontoon boat, the interior is oriented toward the bow. Up front, there’s a pair of two-person facing loungers covered in soft-touch vinyl, mounted to roto-cast plastic seat bases with built-in drains. A Jensen Bluetooth streaming stereo provides the tunes. An 8-foot-long folding Bimini top is standard. The wide pilot’s console features full instrumentation, along with SeaStar Solutions hydraulic steering. Docking lights are standard. The captain’s helm seat swivels and slides to accommodate the pilot and has retractable armrests. To the port side, a midship gathering pit features a removable snack table placed in the crook of an L-shaped lounge with flip-up backrest; when positioned forward, it makes for a cozy and soft watersports-watching platform. Aft, the extended watersports deck features a ski tow and stainless-steel, four-step boarding ladder.