G23 Bimini

[gate9869]

Does anyone have any photos of the Bimini they offer on the g23? I have seen the z5 but I am wondering if the Bimini goes under or over the tower and how big it is. I have the z5 on my 230 which is nice for storage but from what I have heard you have plenty of storage in the g for surfboard and wake skates so I'm thinking it might be smarter to opt for the Bimini with more head room. Any g owner with an opinion feel free to give feed back I would appreciate it.

[vision]

This was what they had on a G23 in April. Not sure if it is the final version of the stock bimini. It went over the tower.

[gate9869]

Looks nice and big !! Any idea how it is stored ? Doesn't look like it folds up to the tower and looks like a lot would be involved with it. Thanks for the pics !!

[ironj32]

Looks to me like it does fold up to the tower, and that would be in line with what I was told a little while back. I wish they would have had pics of it when I ordered mine...definitely would have gotten one. Looks like that'll have to be an upgrade for me for next year!

[ironj32]

To the OP - there is plenty of room in the G23 to store all of your gear. The rear trunks can hold a few wakeboards on each side (at least 3 board/boot combo's on each side). IMO, to be able to tow with the tower down is a huge plus - cover fits over it easier, keeps bugs off the speakers. If you put on the Z5 you'll be stuck with leaving the tower up.

[gate9869]

Great thanks for the info sounds like Bimini is the way to go ! We tow long distance a lot so being able to cover the tower would be a huge plus. I couldn't tell by the pics if it folded up to the tower or not hard to tell from my phone. Thanks for the help guys !!

[robertsmcfarland]

my friends are all in the 6'3" range and can stand up inside the z5, they brought that up last weekend because they had to duck on the 230 with the z5 I'm 5'8" so I never thought about it. I take the z5 off by myself much easier than the 230 ,speakers on top so you do not have to maneuver around

[vision]

The bimini folded in along its long axis, then detached from the tower and could be stowed in a locker.

[gate9869]

So if you take the z5 down will the cover fit over the tower for towing?? Ya my z5 on my 230 is really low everyone has to duck down. Also just to confirm you do have to take the Bimini all te way down and store it in the boat somewhere ?

[schaabj]

So if you take the z5 down will the cover fit over the tower for towing?? Ya my z5 on my 230 is really low everyone has to duck down. Also just to confirm you do have to take the Bimini all te way down and store it in the boat somewhere ?

The mounts for the Z5 hit the drivers arm rest preventing you from folding down the tower ... very annoying ... So you basically have to remove the Z5 mount if you want to do this. I would highly recommend the Z5 rack however ... it is awesome to be able to put surf boards on top. The only one that cannot fit is my Blue Lake ... which unfortunately does not fit anywhere else in the boat either ... First World Problems for sure ...

[robertsmcfarland]

it does sit on the drivers arm rest but the tower is still much lower than the tower on a 2010 230 when lowered to its max.

[ironj32]

But you would not want to tow it with the mounts pressing on the arm rests, would you...I'd think it'd wear out the fabric on the pressure points. I would assume that the tower is made to be towed in either a fully erect and locked position, or all the way down. Also, the cover will not fit over it if the Z5 mounts are keeping the tower for laying all the way down.

[gate9869]

Just out of curiosity how hard is it to take the z5 mount off ? I use my z5 all the time for surfboard so nice keeps them out of the way. Second question if I go with the z5 and no tower speakers is there enough room to mount wet sounds rev410s or would they hit the z5 mounting post ? I do not have exact measurements but whats your opinion ? Thanks for all the help and advice much appreciated !

[robertsmcfarland]

I wouldn't think you would want to tow with the tower down, with the support touching or without ,the tower would have much more support in the up right position and locked. I think your correct if the tower is down it would be hard to cover, but no harder minus the Z5 unless you have a cover that goes over a down tower which I have seen on this site. will say that z5 arm will be retooled, it is a poorly engineered that keeps the tower from being lowered to its min, but it still goes lower than a 2010 230 tower .

[ironj32]

The factory covers from Nautique are made to go over the tower in both positions (up and down)...it has two separate zippers to accomodate this. With the tower down (without the Z5 arms), the boat is much easier to cover and it also keeps rain from pooling on it. Additionally, the velcro on the cover stays in tact much more with the tower down. I can't drive more than 5 miles without the velcro coming undone, when the tower is up.